Early ladder guide to farming travincal as a zealer
Intro
I have an unreasonable passion for farming Travincal, so I’ve created another build dedicated to it, this time for early-season Paladins. This isn’t a late-game build, but rather an early-game strategy that allows you to farm Travincal instead of keys and Chaos Sanctuary like everyone else.
The idea is to utilize Zeal’s high innate Enhanced Damage (ED%) for damage output, while using Holy Freeze to slow enemies down. You could use any other damage aura, but from my experience, the extra survivability early on is more valuable than additional damage. You’ll also want to increase your maximum fire resistance to tank the hydras, which can be achieved through proper gear or with Resist Fire’s passive bonus.
Viability
Can I level as this build?: Yes.
Early Ladder Viable: Yes.
End Game Solo Viable: Yes, but it isn’t the best end game build ever though.
End Game Group Viable: I think this would be trash.
Hardcore Viable: Potentially, but requires careful play and good defensive gear.
Uber Trist Viable: Not recommended
Uber Diablo Clone Viable: Not recommended
Skills
20 Zeal
20 Sacrifice (synergy)
~5-10 Holy Freeze (for slow effect, not damage; no synergies needed)
~10 in Resist Fire (for +max res)
~10 in Resist Light (for +max res)
1 Joust
1 Holy Shield
As you can see, we rely heavily on Zeal for damage. Holy Freeze is primarily for the slowing effect and has diminishing returns after level 13, so I typically aim for level 9 total to start with.
Farming Gear
Work with what you find, but here are some recommendations / inexpensive options.
Weapon
Djinn Slayer (grants many desirable bonuses + aura; my favorite budget option)
Upped Butcher’s Pupil is very good
Sazabi (with other pieces) is also pretty strong
Then most 1H weapons like Stone Crusher will do the job quite well
Oath runeword can be good too, ETH Cryptic swords tend to be cheap and decent
Helmet
Stealskull (mf)
Crown of Thieves (gf)
Blackhorn’s Face (absorb)
Tal rasha (leech)
Steel shade (absorb + gf)
Andariel’s Visage (only recommended in combination with Djinn Slayer)
Sazabi (for full set only)
Armor
Sazabi (damage to demons)
Goldskin (gf)
Wealth (mf/gf)
Iron Pelt (for dmg reduction)
Guardian angel (for max res)
Gladiator’s Bane (for dmg reduction)
Shield
HeadHunter (with Lems for Gf)
Herald of Zakarum (BiS, but expensive)
Gerke’s Sanctuary (good with Iron Pelt or Gladiators)
Rhyme runeword (res CBF gf mf, my favorite option)
Sanctuary runeword (more expensive)
Crafted shields can also be great. I’d start with Bountiful or Brilliant for this guide, because mf and resistances are key, but Safety works too (take a high block base)
Amulet
Nokozan Relic (max fire res, early game)
Seraph’s Hymn
Grid
Or most likely a crappy rare/crafted placeholder with mf/gf (Hitpower is great for AR)
Rings
Raven Frost (for cannot be frozen and attack rating)
Dwarf (block, fire absorb, gf)
AR / leech rings can also be great
Nature’s peace
A Brilliant ring can also be a great, cheap option
Gloves
Lava Gout (IAS, max res)
Chance guards (gf/mf)
Soul Drainers (expensive)
Belt
Goldwrap (IA, gf, mf)
Rare / crafted
Boots
Infernostride (without Djinn)
Waterwalk (with Djinn)
WT later when you can tank everything. The mf and damage is great.
Mercenary options (from best to worst)
Act 5 WW/BO : give him Djinn Slayer for the Aura, and get BO to tank the Frost Novas! As suggested by dcilliam, ethereal edge is also a great option
Act 2 Blessed Aim : to get more attack rating.
Act 1 Rogue with Strafe: Great for Amplify Damage from Witchwild String, but less tanky - expect frequent revivals
Corruptions and Charms
Charms: Prioritize max damage/Attack Rating/Gold Find, but first ensure your fire and lightning resistances are capped
Stats and Skills
Stats
Strength: Enough for gear
Dexterity: Enough for max block (75%)
Vitality: Everything else
Energy: None
Travincal Overview
The Travincal area is great for early game farming because there are bosses close to the Waypoint, and they drop large amounts of gold that can help you gamble, craft, or trade.
Damage Types in Travincal
Fire damage from Hydras
Lightning damage from Council Members
Physical damage from melee attacks
Cold damage from Frost Nova when you kill some members, or Blizzard from mages around
Overall, having high resistances and 75% block chance is enough; you don’t need Physical Damage Reduction from items like Stormshield or Vampire Gaze.
Key Survival Strategies
If you see Conviction aura, exit and create a new game. It’s as simple as that.
In the early game, try to fight Council members in groups of 2-3. Engaging all of them at once can be overwhelming.
Gear Progression
First, focus on resistances and a decent weapon (150 average damage is the minimum, like Djinn Slayer). You might reach Travincal Hell at level 50-60, and you can farm there, but you might be better off farming Nightmare Chaos until you are level ~65. It really depends on your Travincal farming skills.
Then, try to reach the point where you never die at Travincal and can farm effectively. This means having Cannot Be Frozen (CBF), decent cold resistance (which you might have neglected before), and a reliable mercenary (that doesn’t die).
Finally, increase Magic Find (MF) and Gold Find (GF) as you get stronger. Remember to trade for charms because they help a ton with resistances, attack rating, and GF/MF.
Run Efficiency
Some players create Town Portals from the Council and return to Act 4, then teleport back, to avoid running through Act 3 town between runs. This might save a few seconds, but in the early game, you’ll be slow enough not to notice this! Instead, focus on positioning and making sure your mercenary survives. Joust can help with this: you should be tanking, while your mercenary should be in a safer position.
Alternative Skill Variations
Resist Fire is an option you can use. However, my tests suggest Holy Freeze brings more survivability.
Fanaticism will help you and your mercenary with both attack speed and damage. It’s a strong option, especially if your gear gives you enough +max fire resistance.
Might is also great and brings %ED (Enhanced Damage). But again, Zeal already deals a lot of damage, so this won’t be as impressive as you might think.
Magic Find vs. Gold Find
Killing speed is more important than MF/GF, which includes not dying.
Magic Find has diminishing returns.
Gold Find doesn’t have diminishing returns.
Honestly, +100% of both MF and GF is already nice. Don’t wait until you have +800% and can survive. This is an early game strategy, not an optimal GF build.
Comparison to Other Travincal Farming Builds
Barbarians remain the kings of Travincal
Kick Assassins and Tiger Strike Assassins are great too.
This Paladin build might be the next best option for Travincal, unless Necromancers join the discussion!
Conclusion
I hope you liked the guide.
Obviously, this is something of a meme / off-meta build, so don’t expect it to be better, but simply an alternative to regular leveling strategies.
Feel free to share any suggestions and feedback in the Reddit comments, or to edit the wiki directly.