HC Dual Totem Spork Templar with shield mitigation concerns

Working my way into Merciless for the first time using a conservative dual spork build, and looking for advice on working towards a map friendly group and/or solo build and gear focus.

So far I feel fairly safe farming in groups, not so much solo since I feel my DPS may be a bit low. Would like to find more chaos resist, max life gear first, then work my way to added spork damage while still maintaining 80% resist all with some overcap. Would a stone of lazhwar be a good investment?

Currently all self found gear minus the boots and shield.

Current gear

Current Build


Defense stats


offense stats



End game build direction currently

Looking for end game build and gear direction and especially aura or curse combos that I can pull off to help me more defensively and in groups.

Currently I am spamming enfeeble and conductivity, with my 2 totems, 3 zombies and skeles to protect me. Have teleport for travel but maybe should get some other form to escape if I get trapped by mobs, and need better flasks but not sure what to get. Mana is not an issue at all.

I would say forget the shield and toss on another wand with spell dmg + Cast speed. That will boost dmg significantly. Seems you already have decent enough defense with zombies and skeles tanking for you.

Andycrapped, I see you are shopping in Default forum, so I am guessing your recommendation of dropping 60% flat mitigation of damage for more dps would be welcomed for a softcore char, but I don't think I am willing to risk that.

As it stands now with 5 skeles and 3 zombies I still get hit to the face way too much for comfort, I am comfortably farming in merc act 1 where my skeles and zombies die and explode to the mobs in 2 hits so the shield for me is worth more then its weight in gold when I see the unique mob or boss swing and I don't take any damage.

Keep the shield, its good, but try to get one in the long run which benefits your build more like spell damage.
Your needed dps will come in the short term from a 5L. And from a spectre, get one asap.
Some extra castspeed on jewelry would help you too, might go for the stone if you can afford it, but most important now is a 5L.
I would get a chaos resist flask instead of the anti burning one. Use armour scraps on all of your gear, theyre cheap and every little bit counts.

forgot to mention I normally run 1 or 2 bear traps for single target DPS, but I had to drop them due to switching my gear around to get capped resists once I hit Merc and lost some dex.

Ideally one bear trap with added fire damage would be core.