Shroud - A Paladin's Job

[Verdant_Force]

OK, so last night I finished the 5th needed quest to get flagged for the shroud with my main character, a level 15 pally. I've seen a LOT of posts about the shroud, what to do/not do in the shroud, what classes to bring, what equipment and clickies to bring, and the list goes on.

This thread is for me and any other inquiring Paladin wondering what to do in the raid.
What weapons do I bring?
What spells do I prepare?
Are any clickies needed/helpful?
And most importantly, WHAT IS MY JOB as a Paladin? (with not the highest AC, because I'm assuming one of the other 11 will be another fighter type with higher AC than my non-multiclassed pally)

I hope to take the responses (if I even get any ) into my first Shroud raid and hopefully make it a successful one. Thank you!

[Artierius]

Well, dont let Borror0 see this thread, I'm sure he's going to say ...as a Pally you need to sit on the sideline and let someone else join so you won't be a leacher....:]

[Borror0]

What weapons do I bring?

A weapon that bypass Good and Silver DR for the rais boss.

That can be:

• Holy/Holy Burst & Silver
• Pure Good & Silver
• Transmuting

If that weapon has any of the following, it's a bonus:

• Shock/Shocking Burst
• (Greater) Evil Outsider Bane
• (Greater) Lawful Outsider Bane
• Anarchic
• True Chaos
• Maiming
• Righteousness

If not, Holy Sword will do the job.

Also, a good DPS weapon to fight evil mob is needed for the general.

You'll also need a portal beater, that could be:

• (Greater) Contruct Bane
• True Chaos
• Pure Good
• Maiming

What spells do I prepare?

Same as usual, you're going to want to swap Holy Sword before stepping into part 4, unless you have a better weapon for Harry.

And most importantly, WHAT IS MY JOB as a Paladin?

Melee DPS

[Borror0]

Well, dont let Borror0 see this thread, I'm sure he's going to say ...as a Pally you need to sit on the sideline and let someone else join so you won't be a leacher....:]

Did I disapoint you?

[Angelus_dead]

This thread is for me and any other inquiring Paladin wondering what to do in the raid.
What weapons do I bring?

You cast the Holy Sword spell, and bring the biggest one you can. Make it a two-hander, unless you have the TWF feat, which means you'd instead bring two of them.
In the unlikely event you have some other weapon that's more powerful than the Holy Sword, bring it instead. The monster in question is a Lawful Evil Outsider with AC 39, DR 15/Good+Silver, 50% fortification and over 100,000 hp.

Also, you should try to bring a Vorpal, or Wounding if that's all you've got.

What spells do I prepare?
Are any clickies needed/helpful?

Divine Favor and Resist Energy. The same spells you use everywhere.

And most importantly, WHAT IS MY JOB as a Paladin? (with not the highest AC, because I'm assuming one of the other 11 will be another fighter type with higher AC than my non-multiclassed pally)

The Shroud has 5 separate phases. In each phase, the paladin's job is:

1. Break 15 portals, each with 10,000 hp, DR 10/-, and 100% fortification. To do this more effectively you'd want weapons of Greater Construct Bane, but if you don't have them it just takes a little longer, which is no big deal.

2a. Clear a maze full of 5,000 hp devils (by using Vorpal or Wound)
2b. Kill the 4 boss monsters within about 30 seconds of each other using teamwork and coordination. Basically, listen to your leader and attack what he tells you, when he tells you. It's likely he'll send you to fight the Gnoll because of your good will save.

3. Solve some puzzles, which you can practice online if you search for the Lights Out game from the 1970s. If you do not know how to solve it, then just wait in a corner and another member will come do it for you.

4a. Kill 16 devils with Vorpal.
4b. Kill Arraetrikos, the Pit Fiend. He's the one with DR Good+Silver. Your primary job is to run up with the other melee characters and hit with your Holy Sword as much as you can, trusting the clerics to keep you all healed. In addition, just by being there you'll improve their saving throws against Delayed Blast Fireball, which hits for over 200 damage.

5a. Kill 3 bosses, then wait on killing the 4th until the casters are recharged and your leader says it's time.
5b. Kill Arraetrikos, the Pit Fiend. Use the same technique as earlier, which means striking him with Holy Sword many times.

I hope to take the responses (if I even get any ) into my first Shroud raid and hopefully make it a successful one. Thank you!

Because the other team members will assuredly have run the Shroud many times before and know it perfectly, your success is quite assured.

Overall rule: Pick one team member who you know and get him to give you instructions.

[Verdant_Force]

Thank you Bor, glad to see Mr. Paladin himself creeping on my thread

very helpful, thank you.

Too bad holy sword is my only weapon for the boss...

[Angelus_dead]

Too bad holy sword is my only weapon for the boss...

It's better than what most players will have (if they hadn't done Shroud many times already to get superior loot)

Count yourself lucky, because back in module 6 when Shroud was first released, Holy Sword wouldn't work on that boss.

[Artierius]

Did I disapoint you?

Not at all, I'm proud of you, you didn't throw one bad pally pun in there...:}

[Borror0]

Not at all, I'm proud of you, you didn't throw one bad pally pun in there...:}

It's not because paladins are awfuly weaker than a class should be permited to be that I won't help someone wanting to play it.
Besides, Normal Shroud is so easy any group can carry one or two death weight.

PS: Verdant Force, like AD said, make that Holy Sword a two-handed weapon (unless you got GTWF). You said yourself you had low AC, so you'll want most DPS you can get.

[Verdant_Force]

PS: Verdant Force, like AD said, make that Holy Sword a two-handed weapon (unless you got GTWF). You said yourself you had low AC, so you'll want most DPS you can get.

Yeah, that's good advice that just slipped my mind. I've been carrying around 2 or 3 dwarven axes for holy sword but you guys made a good point. If my AC is 45 buffed up with a shield I might as well just ditch the board and swing a stinging greataxe... (the holy sword weapon guy does sell those, right? i never checked before)

[Borror0]

the holy sword weapon guy does sell those, right? i never checked before

I think they sell greatswords but no greataxes.

[Verdant_Force]

I think they sell greatswords but no greataxes.

That's a bummer...
Swords are for pansies

axes ftw!

[Deg]

That's a bummer...
Swords are for pansies

axes ftw!

Your a paladin right?

[Verdant_Force]

Your a paladin right?

Yeah, what of it?

[stockwizard5]

Besides, Normal Shroud is so easy any group can carry one or two death weight.

We have been known to carry a Pally AND a Monk AND a Borror

[debo]

We have been known to carry a Pally AND a Monk AND a Borror

lol yea. What type of DPS are YOU doing Mr. Intimitank ?

[Venar]

Also, during part 4-5, you can spam divine sacrifice, since clerics will be mass healing anyways, thus covering the HP cost.
DS spam + Holy sword = good damage.

[Borror0]

We have been known to carry a Pally AND a Monk AND a Borror

You mean, Borror carried a whole Maelstrom party through a Shroud... right?

[artvan_delet]

I memorize neutralize poison, and help buff the party.
I memorize prayer, and use it on the pit fiend in parts 4 and 5. Also cast it when the group is together. Never hurts to keep prayer up.
Cast virtue on squishies when possible, never hurts to help out.
Use a destruction item on the pit fiend in parts 4 and 5 when starting melee. Then switch to holy sword.
Keep fire pro pots on my character, keep fire pro up whenever possible.
Watch out for clerics or party members who are really low on hp in part 4. Use the loh if possible so you don't lose someone. LOH is fast, so it's a good character saver in part 4.

[GhostNull]

Well, best of luck to you on even getting into a Shroud group, unless you're in a guild that runs it.

Before I took the break from the game I'm currently on, I tried getting my 14/2 Paladin/Fighter into a Shroud group about 11 times over the course of several days and I never could get into one. Heck, it's near impossible for him to get into any end-game content nowadays.