Weapons

 

   Heart of the Oak

 

Price:
15 FG for random
50 FG for 40% Res
 

 

More commonly referred to as "Hoto", it is a runeword that is always made in a Flail. Hoto is the best caster weapon in the game for nearly every caster. Particularly for the Hammerdin, it has no rival.
 

 

   Wizardspike

 

Price: 5 FG

 

Commonly referred to as "Wizzy", it is what you should use when you can't afford Hoto. Paired with Skin of the Vipermagi, the combo accounts for a whopping 80% FCR, giving you room to hit the 125% FCR breakpoint on a budget.

 

 

                                                              Armor

 

   Enigma

 

Price: Varies depending on base,
5 FG for bad base (Not common)
30-40 FG for good base (Mageplate, Dusk Shroud, Archon  Plate)
60 FG for 15ed-base 775-roll Archon Plate or Dusk Shroud.

 

Enigma is the best armor in the game, not just for Hammerdins, but for almost every non-Sorceress build. As far as Hammerdins go, it has no rival.

 

Enigma can be made in a variety of bases, but which is best for your character depends on how much strength the rest of your gear provides.

 

Archon Plate is the best and Dusk Shroud is a close second. Mageplate is usually the choice for low strength builds. Dusk Shroud is the most common, since most builds don't have the strength for Archon.

 

   Skin of the Vipermagi

 

Price:
2 FG for below 30% res
4 FG for over 30% res
6 FG for 35% Res

 

If Enigma didn't exist, Vipemagi would be the best caster armor by a long shot. That said, if you can't afford Enigma, Vipermagi is a no-brainer.
 

 

                                                               Shields

 

   Spirit [Paladin Shield]

 

Price:
10 FG for random 35% FCR
40 FG for 35% FCR, 45% Res-Base

 

As long as the Spirit is the max 35% FCR and the base of the Spirit is 45% All Resistances (This would result in 80 Light,80 Cold,45 Fire), it is easily the best shield for a Hammerdin. Otherwise, you may want to consider HoZ instead.

 

Sacred Targe is the best shield to make it in, since it has the best balance of requirements vs defense & block %.

 

That said, the best possible Hammerdin shield is a Spirit Sacred Targe with 35% FCR and 45% base resistances
 

   Herald of Zakarum

 

Price:
3 FG for random
10 FG for 200ed

 

Referred to as "HoZ", it will give you slightly more damage than Spirit, but less resistances (even if you "Um rune" it for 22% more) and most importantly, no FCR.

 

Unless you are wearing Vipermagi, using HoZ forces you to pick Arachnid's Mesh over Verdungo's Coil to hit the 125% FCR breakpoint, which causes you to lose the 15% Damage Reduce from Verdungo's and that's a big deal.

 

However, HoZ is fairly affordable while a 35/45 Spirit ST is a fairly expensive item.

 

 

                                                             Helms

 

   Harlequin Crest

 

Price:
3 FG for random
5 FG for 141 defense

 

Referred to as "Shako", since no one wants to type that mouthful of a name, it is a staple for many builds. It does have a rival in the 2/20 Circlet, and which one you choose depends on a mixture of budget and whether or not you need the FCR to hit the 125% breakpoint.

 

   2/20 Rare/Crafted Circlet

 

Price: 400 to 1,000+ FG

 

The 2/20 (+2 Paladin Skills/+20% FCR) Circlet with all the right other mods on it, like all resistances, strength, dexterity, life, and sockets, is the most expensive item you can buy for a Hammerdin, but if you can afford to go the 9x 45 Life PComb route for your charms, then it is worth it. If you go the all 20 Life/resistance Small Charms route, Shako is the better option.

 

 

                                                             Gloves

 

   Trang Gloves

 

Price: 3 FG

 

The only set item viable for a Hammerdin, it rivals Magefist in the 20% FCR Glove realm by providing a nifty 30% Cold Resistance.

 

   Magefist

 

Price: 3 FG

 

The standard glove for all casters. I prefer the 30% Cold Resistance of Trangs over the mana regen of Magefist, (Because Blizz Sorc's) but you really can't go wrong either way.

 

 

                                                               Belts

 

   Verdungo's Hearty Cord

 

Price:
3 FG for random
20 FG for 15% Damage Reduce

 

The importance of the 15% Damage Reduce (This is essentially Physical Damage Resistance) on "Verdungo" can't be overstated. Damage Reduce in the percentage form is very rare, so when you can have more, you should.
(Keep in mind that the maximum Damage Reduce is 50%)

 

   Arachnid's Mesh

 

Price: 5 FG

 

Referred to as "Arach". I'm well aware that my suggestion here will spark debate, but while Arach is an amazing belt, the 15% DR and 10% FHR on Verdungo is just better if you can swing 125% FCR another way.

 

 

                                                             Boots

 

   Sandstorm Trek

 

Price:
2 FG for random
10 FG for 15 dex/15 str
20 FG for Eth 15 dex/15 str

 

Referred to as "Treks", they are the best boots for a Hammerdin, but 65 Life Waterwalk are a very close second. The 20% FHR that helps you hit the 86% FHR breakpoint is what makes Treks the better option.

 

   Waterwalk

 

Price:
2 FG for rand
5 FG for 65 Life

 

I had been a Waterwalk loyalist for a long time until more recently. It wasn't until someone pointed out that my Hammerdin didn't hit the 86% FHR breakpoint that I realized why Treks were the better option.

 

 

                                                           Amulets

 

   2/20 Rare/Crafted Amulet

 

Price: 300 to 600+ FG

 

Nothing beats the 2/20 (+2 Paladin Skills/+20% FCR) amulet when it has a few other desirable mods like resistances, life, strength, and dexterity. It is also the second most expensive item for a Hammerdin (Second to the similar 2/20 Circlet)

 

   Mara's Kaleidoscope

 

Price:
5 FG for random
10 FG for above 25% res
40 FG for 30% res

 

Mara's is a very nice amulet for a Hammerdin, it's just not quite as nice as a good 2/20 amulet. However, the +2 extra skills to Battle Orders is one perk to using it.

 

 

                                                              Rings

 

   Stone of Jordan

 

Price: 5 FG

 

Referred to as "SoJ". As much as I love the massive boost to mana SoJ provides, the better player will always choose Bul-Kathos instead, because better players know how to work with a smaller mana pool.

 

   Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band

 

Price: 5 FG

 

Referred to as "BK", this is the optimal ring to use when you don't need FCR.

 

   FCR Rare/Crafted Ring

 

Price: Varies wildly depending on mods.
Good ones are usually at least 60 FG though.

 

Sometimes you need more FCR and dedicating a ring slot or two to it may work as a last resort. Just be sure to get lots of other good stuff with it, like dexterity, strength, life, and resistances.

 

 

                                                            Charms

 

   Paladin Hellfire Torch & Annihilus

 

Price:
10 FG for random
20 FG for 20-stat
30 FG for 18-19/18-19
100 FG for 20/20
For Anni, having 9-10% experience gain may inflate the price significantly.
Anni is also a little more expensive in general.

 

Torch & Anni are staples for any character that you can afford to get them for, as the bonuses they give are crazy good compared to other charms. (Keep in mind that a character can't hold more than one of each)

 

   Paladin Combat Skills +Life Grand Charms

 

Price:
5 FG if random
50 FG if 25+ life
200 FG for 45 life

 

Referred to as "Pcombs", they get significantly more expensive the closer to 45 life that they add. That said, getting 9 of them can really get expensive.

 

There is no doubt that 45 Life Pcombs are the best thing to fill your inventory up with, but when it comes to less than 45 life, the 20 life Small Charm option has more appeal, especially on a budget.

 

   20 Life (Vita) Small Charm

 

Price: 3 FG

 

When you are on a tight budget, sometimes it's best to just go all plain Vita Small Charms.

 

   20 life/5 All Res (Shimmering) Small Charm

 

Price: 50 FG

 

Even if you run 9 Grand Charms, that still leaves you with 10 slots where only Small Charms can go. The best thing to put in these slots are either 20/5's or 20/11's.

 

   20 life/11 Res Small Charm

 

Price: 20 FG

 

I personally prefer these over the 20/5. The reason being that extra fire and poison resistance aren't necessary. There aren't any optimal builds that lower fire and poison resistance, so once you have the 175% total to max in hell difficulty, more isn't necessary. However, between Fisters with Conviction Aura & Blizz Sorc's Cold Mastery, having extra Lightning and Cold resistance is very ideal. So just use 20/11's for cold and lightning. It's cheaper AND better.