Do I just equip my gear, turn on Holy Shield, and spam points into dex until i see 75% chance to block on my character screen? Does the block chance vary against different monsters/bosses like for defense?
I believe so. That’s how I figured out max block for my smiter. I believe the block varies with the type of monster based on their skills and ratings.
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The block rate varies by difficulty level and the paladin’s level, not the enemy’s level (well, aside of the difficult level which does influence the enemy’s).
So if you go to hell and dump dex until you see “75% block rate”, you’re good until your next level up, then you may want to double check it didn’t go to 74-73%.
Also, remember to use/not use Holy Shield before checking your block rate, that skill increases block rate.
Block chance is determined by a formula:
Chance to Block = Blocking x (Dex - 15) / (Character level x 2)
Blocking variable above is a sum of three attributes: Base Blocking + Block Factor + Blocking Bonus
Base Blocking is what is listed on the Shield itself. For HoZ its 82(52 base + 30 modifier on Shield). Socketing an Eld rune into your shield increases this value by 7.
Block Factor is determined by what class you happen to be. For Paladins, its 30 but for Amazon/Barbarian/Assassin its 25, and Druid/Necromancer/Sorceress its 20
Blocking Bonus = from gear(example: Guardian Angel) or skills like Holy Shield. Level 20 Holy Shield = 35% increase block chance
The ideal block chance is 75% so to determine what Dexterity you’ll need, do the following. Set Chance to Block to 75 and Character level to 99(end-game goal of every character), hence your formula should look something like this:
75 = (Blocking) x (Dexterity - 15) / (99 x 2)
Some re-arranging yields the following:
14850 = Blocking x (Dexterity - 15)
Now since you’re a Paladin, you’re Blocking is going to be the best among all classes and assuming you have a HoZ equipped with a level 20 Holy Shield, your Blocking variable will add up to this: 82 + 30 + 35 = 147. Divide both sides by 147 and you get the following:
101.02 = Dexterity - 15
Add 15 to both sides and you get Dexterity = 116.02 or 117 to be on safe side for 75% Block at level 99. If you equip Guardian Angel or socket an Eld rune into your HoZ, your Dexterity requirement will obviously drop. Keep in mind the above model can be used by all classes.
Forgot to add that when you are running, your Block Chance is reduced by 2/3rds so instead of 75%, its 25%. If you want to maximize your Blocking, either be standing still or walking.
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the guy above is “right” but he really overexplained.
your shield base matters.
sacred targe is considered best base for paladins because it has best % chance to block so requires the least amount of dex. vortex is worst % chance to block but is highest defense.
your holy shield lvl matters.
lvls 20/23/27/36 of holy shield each increase block chance by 1%.
get to lvl 23, 27 or 36 holy shield and then allocate your dex. if you have some hybrid build, wasting 9 additional points on holy shield for 1% block to save 2 dex may not be worth it. if you are not a smiter, maxing holy shield is usually not worth it because pallys always are max block build.
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