They used to work before the 1.04 patch (I am pretty sure it was the 1.04 patch and not the 1.03). Blizz changed the way thorns works with LT in 1.04. Before this you could use LT+throns and make a pala pretty much invincible. By the same token, once you invested a few points in IG and a few in GM you could use LT+IG to make a real tank. But that is changed, pala will not get LT credit for his throns aura. I know I just tested this with a maxed thorns pala. But the thorns of a paladin will stack with the thorns of an IG. What is even more interesting; is the blood golem will get credit for damage it does when it has a throns aura just as if it is IM. So what you can do which is a devastating combo is get a paladin to max throns and get yourself some revives and an BG. Cast AD on the monsters and it doubles the amount of damage they take from thorns. So that instead of taking 1000% damage they are taking 2000% damage and you are being healed by the blood golem all the time
Bassically the paladin turns into the ultimate aura holy man lol. What is even better about this combo is it is rife for the use of CE because the monsters are already under AD. The only draw back for the paladin is in hell difficulty you do not want to get hit a lot. So it may be better to use decrepify (they would still take the 1000% damage) but would be doing half damage to the paladin. Unfortunately you need a total of 15 skill points for decrepify to have a decent duration
LT+IG DOES not work in 1.05. The IG will get LT credit only for the damage he causes in an attack and NOT the damage he deals out with his thorns aura. I have tested this with the help of a fellow lurker. It does not work!!!!!! If you have enough points in GM and the game is big enough the IG can regenerate very fast. This is what people are seeing now + the damage the IG gets back from his physical attacks while the monsters are cursed with LT. Basically if you want to dump a whole bunch of points into GM (need at least a total of 10 and 20 is recommended) and at leasst 15 in IG and again 20 is recommeneded, then you can get a golem who while the monsters are under AD actaully does some damage without using IM
Of course, any other mininons you have like revives still won't do any damage without IM
LT does work with smite though
Probaby most paladins do not know this and this is one of the major drawbacks of smite is no leeching. So if you are a smite paladin get a friend to go necro and use LT
<Rant>
Alas, instead of nerfing the BG/IM "feature" they nerfed the IG+LT feature. And I can see why. That LT+IG feature was really screwing up the game. All those on top of the ladder where IG+LT necros
And other characters were really bitching about those few necros who would use LT+IG in party situations
They were all screaming at blizz to nerf the LT+IG combo so that necros would go back to using IM in party play ;)I am glad blizz in their wisdom perserved the BG/IM bug and did away with the LT+IG bug. You know it was really bad for the game when necros were more free to use the only golem in the game that can ever do any damage to monsters past normal in the abscence of IM.
