Top four best Paladin builds for Diablo II: Resurrected

Whether you’re waiting for the servers to come back up, for your character to be freed from its game, or are simply trying to figure out which Paladin build to play next, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find the four best Paladin builds for Diablo:2 Resurrected, a short description of each, and links to complete build guides for good measure. This list comes courtesy of PC Invasion’s sister site Icy Veins. Check out its build guides below, and check out the site for even more guides. Happy grinding!

The Zealot

Good at: Quickly killing isolated enemies, surviving through high life leech, and chance to block.

Not so good at: Clearing out large crowds of monsters, killing foes who are immune to physical damage.

First on our list, but far from weakest, is the Zealot. This resilient holy warrior calls forth the divine powers that be to aid him in combat, enhancing both his weapon and shield with godlike might.

Zeal, the Zealot’s namesake and primary combat skill, is known for its very quick repeating attacks. When used with the Fanaticism aura, which bestows a significant amount of attack speed, the Paladin can deliver over five attacks per second with proper gear. This attack speed is then combined with maximum % Chance of Crushing Blow — an item attribute that deals a large percentage of the target’s current health in damage — to deal extremely high single-target damage.

If the idea of playing a classic fast-paced knight in heavy armor appeals to you, check out this in-depth Zealot Paladin build guide for Diablo II: Resurrected.

The Smiter

Good at: Farming difficult bosses on a budget.

Not so good at: Everything else.

Next up on our list is the Smiter. Although melee classes typically rely on their weapon to attack, the Smiter brings a whole new meaning to the old adage “the best defense is a good offense” with its iconic shield bashes.

Smite is a rather fast-hitting skill that relies chiefly on the Paladin’s shield to determine its damage, which is generally mediocre. Its most notable aspect, however, is that it cannot miss nor be blocked. Indeed, the maximum chance to hit for most weapon-based skills in the game is 95%. The Smiter obeys no such rule and completely disregards attack rating as a stat. This aspect contributes greatly to making the Smiter a prized boss-killer, particularly in Uber Tristram. Smiters are rarely used outside of Uber boss killing due to their completely nonexistent area of effect damage. Some players attempt to make up for this weakness by building a Smiter/Zealot hybrid.

Farm bosses to your heart’s content with our Smiter Paladin build guide for Diablo II: Resurrected.

The Dream Zealot

Good at: Quickly killing isolated enemies, surviving through high life leech, chance to block.

Not so good at: Clearing out large crowds of monsters. The build is also expensive to set up, as creating Dream requires a costly Jah rune.

Meet the Dream Zealot. This Paladin build asks a simple question: How does one improve on a time-tested build such as the Zealot? With a dash of lightning, of course.

The Dream Zealot is a twist on the classic Zealot that cleverly exploits a few mechanics and items to add a considerable amount of lightning damage to its attacks. Notably, it uses the Dream rune word in its helm and shield to passively benefit from a high-level Holy Shock aura. The aura’s damage is then improved by investing skill points into its synergies, Resist Lightning and Salvation. Since Holy Shock is granted by items, the Paladin is free to use a second aura, generally Conviction or Fanaticism.

Bring down the thunder with our Dream Zealot Paladin build guide for Diablo II: Resurrected.

The Hammerdin

Good at: Everything; top-tier build.

Not so good at: Nothing, but expect Hammerdin items to trade at a premium.

Last but not least, we have the Hammerdin. Unlike its counterparts, this build is a pure spell caster, albeit at a very close range.

The Hammerdin is arguably the best build in the game for general content. This can be attributed to Blessed Hammer’s high damage output and virtually irresistible magic-type damage, a blessing in a game where specific damage type immunities are so prevalent. To add to this, Blessed Hammer’s iconic spiral pattern gives it a fairly wide area of effect, allowing the Hammerdin to handle large groups of monsters with ease. This offensive power coalesces with the Paladin’s general resilience into an outstanding build with no glaring weaknesses.

Hammer your way through the game with ease using this Hammerdin Paladin build guide for Diablo II: Resurrected.

Stay tuned for our next article in this series, where we’ll be covering the best Sorceress builds.