Belt of the deceiver

For an item that sells for 1 chaos (in bloodlines at least), I think this belt is really underrated, especially for 2h melee builds (no penalty). When you combine this with the unyielding node, you get a total of 50% reduced extra dmg taken from crits. That means all types of dmg from crits, whether it's physical or elemental/spell.

When you think about endgame 2h melee builds, the most dangerous situations always involve some type of elemental dmg combined with powerful crits mod. Physical dmg is usually well handled with a combination of high life, armor, granite flask, and CWDT + EC + IC combo. However, besides life, none of those other forms of defense mentioned are helpful vs crit ele dmg. And now, we have a 50% head start on mitigating that dmg, which can be the difference between life and death. With the right flask combo (resistance flasks) and this 50% mitigation, we not only survive those hits, but can actually tank them well.

For example, I just tested this belt out on my standard groundslammer vs shrine piety. I was able to actually tank a few ice shots from the ice form when I popped a sapphire flask. I think if you're able to cap your resists with this belt on, it's not only a good leveling item for 2h melee, but a very viable endgame item as well.

Agree. :)