ATTRIBUTES

1. Strength - just enough to equip all the required equipment
2. Dexterity - you want to have max Block Chance (75%). Just pop your Holy Shield and add Dexterity until you see the 75% in your stats window
3. Vitality - you are looking to spend all the remaining Points in Vitality
4. Energy - you shouldn't need to allocate any Points in Energy

DEFENSIVE AURAS

The most important Skill Tree for this build. You will find two core Holy Fire Aura synergy skills here that boost your DPS and Resistances giving you extra flexibility when it comes to the choice of Items. You have to maximize. Since you are looking to fill up your inventory with Defensive Aura Skiller Grand Charms, you may as well put 1 Point in most Auras here up to Meditation/Redemption which can be also used to replenish your Mana

Skills:

1. Resist Fire [20/20] - greatly increases your Holy Fire Aura's DPS and grants increased Fire Resistances. It's mandatory to put 20 Points here
2. Salvation [20/20] - another Holy Fire Aura's synergy Skill that increases its' damage. As an Aura, it also increases All Resistances and all three types of Elemental Damage for you and your party

Optional Skills:

1. Prayer [1/20] - increases Life Regeneration per second
2. Defiance [1/20] - increases Defense Rating and reduces Physical Damage taken
3. Cleansing [1/20] - reduces the duration of Curses and Poison effects
4. Vigor [1/20] - increases Stamina and Movement Speed
5. Meditation [1/20] - increases Mana Regeneration rate
6. Redemption [1/20] - a useful Aura if you run out of Mana constantly. It allows you to "drain" Mana from slain enemies

OFFENSIVE AURAS

You want to get Conviction to increase the damage taken by affected enemies, and possibly Blessed Aim as well, that both help you deal with Fire immune monsters faster

Skills:

1. Might [1/20] - prerequisite only
2. Blessed Aim [20/20] - increases the Attack Rating of you and your party. Helps you deal with Fire immune enemies faster and boosts the damage of your Mercenary
3. Holy Fire Aura [1/20] - core skill in this build, but on your Tree, we only allocate it as a prerequisite to get the Conviction Aura
4. Holy Freeze [1/20] - prerequisite only
5. Thorns [1/20] - prerequisite only
6. Sanctuary [1/20] - prerequisite only 
7. Conviction [20/20] - the best DPS-oriented Aura for this build, it can also help you break the Fire immunity of enemies

COMBAT SKILLS

Basically, you want to get a level 1 Charge as Utility/Mobility skill from this Tree and put all remaining points into Holy Shield for extra defenses

Skills:

1. Smite [1/20] - prerequisite only
2. Charge [1/20] - used for extra mobility mainly
3. Conversion [1/20] - prerequisite only
4. Holy Shield [x/20] - put all the remaining extra Points into Holy Shield which is the core Paladin's defensive Skill. It boosts your Defense Rating and the chance to Block

In this build, you are looking to get the highest possible level of Holy Fire Aura from Items, including Dragon Runeword Armor and Shield, as well as Hand of Justice Runeword on your Weapon. Other than that, you want to increase the level of all your Skills with the highest priority put on the Defensive Auras Tree.  Defense-wise, Faster Hit Recovery and Replenish Life are also very important and will surely help you stay alive when you get surrounded by Fire immune enemies

HELMETS

Harlequin Crest (Shako) - a very popular Helmet that also grants extra Life, Mana, and a high Magic Find bonus

Andariel's Visage (Demonhead) - another amazing Helmet that grants +2 to All Skills and extra Strength and Poison Resists. The -% Fire Resistance is negligible in this build as you will be using Resist Fire Defensive Aura anyway

CHEST

[BIS] Dragon (Rune Word) - it is the mandatory option here that grants a high-level Holy Fire Aura. Try getting a base with a low Strength requirement and the highest defense rating possible. Dragon is made from Sur • Lo • Sol Runes

WEAPON

[BIS] Hand of Justice (Rune Word) again, there is no other option than Hand of Justice which grants high-level Holy Fire Aura for your character. To make the Rune Word you can use a Phase Blade or some other 4 Socketed Sword or Axe. The weapon's base damage is irrelevant for the most part. To complete the Rune Word you need Sur • Cham • Amn • Lo Runes

SHIELDS

[BIS] Dragon (Rune Word) - Shield is the second slot that allows you to get the Dragon Rune Word, which is another must-have item for this build because of the high Holy Fire Aura it provides. It's best to socket the Runes in a Paladin's Vortex Shield with 40+ All Resistances on it

AMULETS

[BIS] Seraph's Hymn - the BiS Amulet for this build which grants a lot of bonuses for Paladins. +2 to All Skill and on top of that up to +2 to Defensive Auras which is the core Skill Tree for this build

Mara's Kaleidoscope - one of the best Amulets in Project Diablo 2. It grants massive bonuses to Skills, Resistances, and Attributes. It's not as good as Seraph's Hymn though, and in most cases, it will be more expensive

RINGS

Raven Frost - one of the best Rings for this build which grants Freeze immunity - a mandatory affix for pretty much any build. If you get it as a corrupted modifier on another Item you can replace it with another Bul-Kathos, Stone of Jordan, or Wisp Projector for their extra +1 to Skills

Bul-Kathos Wedding Band - another great option that adds +1 to Skills and extra Life

GLOVES

[BIS] Hellmouth (War Gauntlets) - this pair grants a lot of extra Fire Damage and makes your damage ignore some of the monster's Fire Resistance. Also, the extra Meteor and Molten Boulder that you can trigger, make this build much more enjoyable to watch in action

BOOTS

[BIS] Tearhaunch (Greaves) - the best all-around pair for this build which Boosts your Defensive Auras' levels

War Traveler's (Battle Boots) - another decent option which will be best if you want to get some extra MF

BELTS

[BIS] String of Ears (Demonhide Sash) - very high damage reduction bonuses makes it the best pick for this build. You shouldn't have any issues with DPS when playing a Dragondin, but the extra defenses are greatly appreciated here

Arachnid Mesh (Spiderweb Sash) - the +1 to All Skills make it one of the best Belts in the game. FCR Is less important for this build, but high ED and the extra Slow come in handy

CHARMS

1. Gheed's Fortune - one of the most popular Grand Charms which is always great to have regardless of your build (or if you actually care about your MF stat)
2. Hellfire Torch - alongside Annihilus, one of the two best possible charms you can get any character in the game. Grants +1 to All Class Skills and other valuable bonuses 
3. Annihilus - same as above, pretty much mandatory for any character
4. Grand Charms - you want Grand Charms with +1 to Defensive Auras. If you can get extra Life on them it would be the best option
5. Small Charms - first prioritize Resistances if you don't have them all at 75 and possibly extra Life. If you feel comfortable enough playing the content you are playing, you may as well look for extra Magic Find stat on them

MERCENARY

We recommend picking up Act 2 Defiance Mercenary with Infinity Weapon and Defiance for extra physical damage mitigation. You will need your Merc to deal high damage to get deal with Fire immune enemies quickly

1. Infinity Rune Word (Ber • Mal • Ber • Ist) in high DPS Ethereal War Pike or Ghost Spear. This is quite expensive, but your Merc will simply obliterate most of the Fire immune enemies you end up facing
2. Fortitude Rune Word in Ethereal high defense Armor which makes your Merc nearly immortal if you stack Life Steal in other slots
3. Dracul's Grasp Gloves - for high IAS and Life Steal
4. Andariel's Visage - the BiS Helmet for your Merc which grants Increased Attack Speed and Life Steal
5. String of Ears - very high damage reduction bonuses make it an amazing Belt both for yourself and your Mercenary
6. Gore Rider Boots - which offer the highest DPS bonus for your Merc. Goblin Toe is also a good pair with its extra chance to deal Crushing Blow and additional damage reduction

END NOTE

We have just started making guides for Project Diablo 2 to appreciate any feedback (or constructive criticism). We would like to provide the highest quality content for PD2 on our website, so if you would like us to include the additional types of information, like Leveling Tips & Gear, more alternative equipment options, recommended farming areas, and such, please let us know in the comments below!