Diablo 2 Resurrected – Best Paladin Builds

The Paladin is one of the most durable classes in Diablo 2 Resurrected, standing up against monsters, bosses, and other players if you play the proper build. As with all characters in the game, there are various different builds to utilize depending on how you like to play the game. Whether you prefer dueling or PvE, you should be able to find a build you like. In this guide, we will cover some of the best Paladin builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected, including the Hammerdin, Zeal, Smite, and Auradin builds. It should provide a nice guide for you to tackle all of the PvE and PvP that D2R has to offer.

You may want to refer to our Diablo 2 Resurrected Runewords if you are looking to craft some of the best Paladin items.

Best Paladin Builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected

• Hammerdin PvE Build
• Hammerdin PvP Build
• Vindicator/Templar
• Zeal
• Smite

Hammerdin PvE Build

Here is your standard Hammerdin build which can do fine in PvE, and maybe survive a few rounds in PvP. If you are new to Paladin builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected, this is a good place to start. Overall, this build is fairly tough with lots of survivability, and it is inexpensive to build. You can also incorporate some Magic Find gear if you want to farm for better gear!

Skills

• Blessed Hammer: 20 Points (Max)
• Concentration: 20 Points (Max)
• Blessed Aim: 20 Points (Max)
• Vigor: 20 Points (Max)
• Redemption: 1 Point (Optional)
• Holy Shield: 19 Points (Max if you get the last point)

Stats

• Strength: Minimum required stats
• Dexterity: Enough for maximum block
• Vitality: All stats go here
• Energy: Base

Gear

• Weapons: Heart of the Oak Flail
• Second Weapon: Call to Arms
• Shield: Herald of Zakarum
• Second Shield: Spirit Shield
• Helm: Shako (Um or Perfect Topaz)
• Gloves: Magefist (or Chance Guards for Magic Find)
• Boots: War Traveler
• Armor: Archon Plate, Dusk Shroud Enigma
• Belt: Arachnid’s Mesh
• Ring: Raven Frost, Bul-Kathos’ Wedding Band
• Amulet: Mara’s Kaleidoscope
• Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, Skill charms with life, and the rest small charms with life

Hammerdin PvP Build

Diablo 2 Resurrected Paladin Hammerdin builds are amazing in PvP combat and dueling, and one of the preferred builds overall for 1v1 situations. The breakpoints you should aim for are 86% Faster Hit Recovery and 125% Faster Cast Rate (or 75% if you prefer).

Skills

• Blessed Hammer: 20 Points (Max)
• Blessed Aim: 20 Points (Max)
• Concentration: 20 Points (Max)
• Vigor: 20 Points (Max)
• Fist of the Heavens: 1 Point
• Cleansing: 1 Point
• Defiance: 1 Point
• Meditation: 1 Point
• Fanaticism: 1 Point
• Sacrifice: 1 Point
• Zeal: 1 Point
• Vengeance: 1 Point
• Conversion: 1 Point

Stats

• Strength: Base (or enough to use gear)
• Dexterity: Enough for maximum block value (~138ish?)
• Vitality: All stats go here
• Energy: Base

Gear

• Weapons: Heart of the Oak, Grief Phase Blade, Call to Arms
• Shield: Spirit Shield
• Helm: Crown of Ages
• Gloves: Trang-Oul’s Claws Heavy Bracers
• Boots: Waterwalk Sharkskin Boots, Hotsput Boots
• Armor: Enigma
• Belt: Spiderweb Sash
• Ring: Bul-Kathos’ Wedding Band, Raven Frost
• Charms: Hellfire Torch 20/20, Annihilus 20/20, Skillers (45 Life), Resistance, Life and All Res

Vindicator/Templar Paladin Build

The Vindicator/Template (or V/T for short) Paladin build utilizes Fist of the Heavens and Smite damage to win duels and PvP battles. The build here has a nice combination of Smite and Fist of the Heavens, along with high health and some much-needed flexibility. At max level, you should have north of 5,000 life, over 3,000 smite damage, over 55,500 Fist of the Heavens damage, 50% damage reductions, and 75% Block. Aim for 75% Faster Cast Rate breakpoint, and 86% Faster Hit Recovery. Make sure to max resistances in Hell difficulty.

Skills

• Holy Shield: 20 Points (Max)
• Holy Shock: 20 Points (Max)
• Fist of the Heavens: 20 Points (Max)
• Fanaticism: 20 Points (Max)
• Conviction: 1
• Salvation: 1
• Smite: Remaining Points

Stats

• Strength: Base
• Dexterity: Enough for maximum block
• Vitality: All stats go here
• Energy: Base

Gear

• Weapons: Grief Phase Blade, Grief Berserker Axe
• Shield: Herald of Zakarum (Ber), Sacred Targe “Spirit”, Sacred Targe “Sanctuary”
• Helm: Shako (Ber), Crown of Ages (Ber/Ber)
• Gloves: Rares with 20% IAS + 10% CoCB + STR + DEX + Life + LR
• Boots: Bitter Brogues, Waterwalk
• Armor: Enigma (Mage Plate)
• Belt: Verdungo’s Hearty Cord, Arachnid’s Mesh
• Ring: Bul-Kathos’ Wedding Band, Raven Frost
• Amulet: Armageddon Slippers, Mara’s Kaleidoscope
• Charms: Torch 20/20, Annihilus 20/20, Combat Grand Charms, Life and Resist All Small Charms

Zeal

All Zeal Paladins will want to focus on the same skills, and Defiance should always be maxed before Sacrifice due to the defense bonus being more important than the damage in Diablo 2. Max block is incredibly important. Note that this build is really only effective in PvP since you will die a lot in PvM due to no resistances.

Skills

• Zeal: 20 Points (Max)
• Defiance: 20 Points (Max)
• Holy Shield: 20 Points (Max)
• Fanaticism: 20 Points (Max)
• Sacrifice: 20 Points (Max this last at level 96)
• Blessed Aim: Remaining points

Stats

• Strength: Enough strength to wear your gear
• Dexterity: Enough for maximum block
• Vitality: All points go here
• Energy: Base

Gear

• Weapons: Breath of the Dying
• Shield: Exile
• Helm: Crown of Ages
• Gloves: Steelrend
• Boots: Gore Rider
• Armor: Arkaine’s Valor (Eth Zod’d)
• Belt: Verdungo’s Heart Cord
• Ring: Raven Frost
• Amulet: Highlord’s Wrath
• Charms: Torch 20/20, Annihilus 20/20, 9x AR/LIFE Grand Charms and Small Charms

Smite

For this Smite build, the focus is once again on PvP and dueling. You will want to use the teleport skill to get on your enemy and smite them, causing them to panic. If you are new to Smite Paladins, you should read one of the best guides written by Oramin on the Battle.net forums. It looks like the guide has been relocated to the Diablo 2 wiki here.

Skills

• Smite: 20 Points (Max)
• Holy Shield: 20 Points (Max)
• Charge: 20 Points (Max)
• Fanaticism: 20 Points (Max)
• Defiance: 1 Point
• Resist Lightning: 2 Points
• Resist Fire: 2 Points
• Resist Cold: 2 Points

Stats

• Strength: Base
• Dexterity: Enough for Phase Blade
• Vitality: All stats go here
• Energy: Base

Gear

• Weapons: Grief Phase Blade
• Shield: Heralf of Zakarum
• Helm: Harlequin Crest Shako (Ber or Um), Crown of Ages (Ber/Ber)
• Gloves: Dracul’s Grasp, Bloodfist
• Boots: Waterwalk
• Armor: Enigma Mage Plate
• Belt: Verdungo’s Heary Cord
• Ring: Raven Frost, Bul-Kathos’ Wedding Band
• Amulet: Mara’s Kaleidoscope, Highlords Wrath
• Charms: Torch 20/20, Annihilus 20/20, Life + Res Small Charms, 5 FHR Small Charms

Get more guides and stay up-to-date on the latest builds in our Diablo 2 Resurrected section! Bookmark it and check back daily for new content.