1. Strength - All you want, in terms of Strength, is enough of it to equip everything you will want to use on your character. 
2. Dexterity - You should get enough Dexterity to achieve max block. With Holy Shield, it's not going to be that much, mind you. 
3. Vitality - You should put all your remaining points here - main stat. 
4. Energy - Adding points to Energy is an extreme waste - don't do it. 

This is where the Holy Freeze comes from. For its synergies, we have to look into the Defensive Auras tree, however. 

Skills:

1. Might [1/20] - Prerequisite. A simple offensive aura that increases damage dealt by your party. 
2. Holy Fire [1/20] - Prerequisite. Makes you emanate an Aura that periodically deals Fire Damage to all nearby enemies. 
3. Holy Freeze [20/20] - An Aura that periodically slows all nearby enemies, deals Cold Damage to them. Moreover, it increases your Cold Damage dealt. As far as AoE in Diablo 2 Resurrected goes, this is a true all-rounder. It slows, it deals damage, and it increases your own cold damage. On top of that, it actually ignores resists and immunities, which means that it will break the "cannot be frozen" effects and such. While it does not offer as much damage as other offensive auras do, it makes up for it by making you feel much safer - while running it, you're never at risk of being overrun as anything that gets close to you is going to get frozen almost immediately. Because of this, it's recommended for players who are looking for a more relaxed experience with the Paladin. 

COMBAT SKILLS

As far as Combat Skills go, we're interested in Zeal as it's going to allow us to stand our ground in melee combat. To make it more powerful, we also invest in its synergy - Sacrifice. To get some much-needed defenses and utility, we also go for Charge and the Holy Shield. 

Skills:

1. Sacrifice [20/20] - A Skill that makes you sacrifice a portion of your Health to increase your melee damage. It doesn't cost any mana to use, however, it drains your Health instead. Every point in Sacrifice increases the damage of Zeal by 12%. 
2. Zeal [20/20] - A powerful melee skill that makes you attack multiple adjacent enemies with a series of quick blows. The maximum number of attacks you get from this is 5; from level 4 and up, however, the Damage and Attack Rating bonuses scale more steadily and you get +96% Damage and +200% Attack Rating at level 20. Zeal is a signature move of the Paladin. With it, He is able to attack much, much faster than normal. In this build, we use it as our main source of melee damage that allows us to quickly deal with monsters crippled by the Holy Freeze Aura. 
3. Smite [1/20] - Prerequisite. This skill can be used to knockback and stun enemies. As the only attack in the game, it uses the shield as a weapon. 
4. Holy Bolt [1/20] - Prerequisite. A bolt of energy that damages undead, or heals friendly units. This is a versatile but annoying to use Skill that will both heal you and damage your enemies. 
5. Charge [1/20] - Closes the distance with an enemy, delivering a bash on contact. In this build, Charge is primarily a mobility skill (you can escape from monsters by charging to isolated enemies or speed up your movement by charging monsters you meet on your path). 
6. Blessed Hammer [1/20] - Prerequisite. One of the most iconic Skills in Diablo 2. It summons a magic hammer that spirals outward, damaging enemies. It deals extra damage to the undead. 
7. Holy Shield [1/20] - Magically enhances shield to give defense bonuses. This is one of the most powerful defensive skills in the game. It allows the Paladin to achieve maximum block very easily; 1 point in Holy Shield increases your Defense by 25% and the Chance of Blocking by 14% - this is a great deal if you have some +Skills affixes on gear (1 hard point and 9 soft points equals to 160% extra defense and 30% extra chance for blocking, for example). Make sure that your Holy Shield is active before you check if you have a maximum block or still have to add some dexterity. 

This Skill Tree contains some great utility and resistance-boosting abilities. What we're interested in, however, are Holy Freeze's synergy skills - Resist Cold and Salvation. 

Skills:

1. Resist Cold [20/20] - Increases Cold resistance and the Maximum Cold Resistance of all party members. For every point in Resist Cold, your Holy Freeze is going to deal 15% extra Cold Damage. 
2. Salvation [20/20] - Increases all Elemental resistances of all party members. This does not affect Magic or Poison resistances, mind you. For every point in Salvation, Holy Freeze is going to deal 7% extra Cold Damage. 

First of all, +Skills, Attack Speed, extra Cold Damage, and Enhanced Damage are extremely important as they will greatly increase your Damage output. Secondly, Defensive stats, like Resistances, Faster Hit Recovery, and Faster Block Rate are also welcome. Moreover, Extra Health and Vitality will come in handy as well. Faster Run/Walk and extra Stamina/Stamina Regen are also very useful to have as they will boost your mobility outside of the Teleport. 

HELMETS

Nightwing's Veil (Winged Helm) - This offensively-focused Helm is an interesting option for the build. It not only gives you +2 to all Skills but also increases your Cold Damage by up to 15%, which is great for the Holy Freeze. 

• Defense: 114 to 159
• Required Level: 67
• Required Strength: 96
• Durability: 40
  • +2 to All Skills 
  • +[8-15]% to Cold Skill Damage (varies) 
  • +[90-120]% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • +[10-20] to Dexterity (varies) 
  • +[5-9] Cold Absorb (varies) 
  • Half Freeze Duration 
  • Requirements -50% 

Crown of Ages (Corona) - An amazing helm that offers a plethora of powerful defensive stats, including high damage reduction and a great boost to all resistances. Moreover, it boosts all your skills by +1. This is the best choice for this build if you socket it with two Cold Facets. 

• Defense: 349 to 399
• Required Level: 82
• Required Strength: 174
• Durability: 60
  • 50% Enhanced Defense 
  • +100-150 Defense (varies) 
  • +1 to All Skills 
  • Damage Reduced By 10-15% (varies) 
  • All Resistances +20-30 (varies) 
  • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
  • Socketed (1-2) (varies) 
  • Indestructible 

Andariel's Visage (Demonhead) - A very interesting choice for the build. It provides a lot of offensive power between its Attack Speed increase and +2 to all Skills, solid life steal, and up to 30 strength which will help you to equip heavier items without the need for spending too many attribute points on str. 

• Defense: 310-387
• Required Level: 83
• Required Strength: 102
• Durability: 20  
  • +100-150% Enhanced Defense 
  • +2 To All Skills 
  • 20% Increased Attack Speed 
  • 8-10% Life Stolen Per Hit 
  • +25-30 To Strength 
  • +10% To Maximum Poison Resist 
  • Fire Resist -30% 
  • Poison Resist +70% 
  • 15% Chance To Cast Level 15 Poison Nova When Struck 
  • Level 3 Venom (20 charges) 

WEAPONS

Last Wish (Runeword) - This extremely powerful Runeword works wonders with Zeal. It provides you with an extremely high chance for Crushing Blow, offers a solid damage boost, makes you ignore the target's defense, and even boosts your Magic Find. 

• Damage:  Depends on base Weapon
• Required Level: 65
• Required Dexterity: Depends on base Weapon
• Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon
• Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
• Jah + Mal + Jah + Sur + Jah + Ber 
  • 10% Chance To Cast Level 18 Life Tap On Striking 
  • 20% Chance To Cast Level 20 Charged Bolt On Attack 
  • 6% Chance To Cast Level 11 Fade When Struck 
  • Level 17 Might Aura When Equipped 
  • +[330-375]% Enhanced Damage (varies) 
  • Ignore Target's Defense 
  • [60-70]% Chance Of Crushing Blow (varies) 
  • Prevent Monster Heal 
  • Hit Blinds Target 
  • +[0-49]% Chance Of Getting Magic Items (Based On Character Level, +0.5% per Level) 

Doom (Runeword) - If you want to use this Weapon, you will have to adjust your Build accordingly as it already has a level 12 Holy Freeze Aura attached and thus you don't need to spend any points on it. Instead, you should invest points into Fanaticism which is going to result in a more powerful build (but a weapon-dependant) build. However, the best thing about Doom is the fact that it lowers the enemy's Cold Resistance by up to 60%, which is unbelievably strong. All in all, using Doom + Fanaticism is the way to go, we'd say, but it's not a "real" Holy Freeze Paladin then, is it?  

• Damage:  Depends on base Weapon
• Required Level: 67
• Required Dexterity: Depends on base Weapon
• Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon
• Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
• Hel + Ohm + Um + Lo + Cham  
  • 5% Chance to cast level 18 Volcano on Striking 
  • Level 12 Holy Freeze Aura when Equipped 
  • +2 to All Skills 
  • +45% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +[330-370]% Enhanced Damage (varies) 
  • -[40-60]% to Enemy Cold Resistance (varies) 
  • 20% Deadly Strike 
  • 25% Chance of Open Wounds 
  • Prevent Monster Heal 
  • Freezes Target +3 
  • Requirements -20% 

Exile (Runeword) - This shield offers a great mix of offensive and defensive power, which is amazing for the build as it allows you to boost your damage while also improving utility and defenses. While it's not as powerful as the Herald of Zakarum in terms of raw stats, it makes up for it with its Magic Find and Defiance Aura. 

• Defense: Depends on base Shield 
• Required Level: 57 
• Required Strength: Depends on base Shield 
• Durability: Depends on base Shield 
• Vex + Ohm + Ist + Dol  
  • 15% Chance to Cast Level 5 Life Tap on Striking 
  • Level [13-16] Defiance Aura when Equipped (varies) 
  • +2 to Offensive Auras (Paladin Only) 
  • +30% Faster Block Rate 
  • Freezes Target 
  • +[220-260]% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • Replenish Life +7 
  • +5% to Maximum Cold Resist 
  • +5% to Maximum Fire Resist 
  • 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 
  • Repairs 1 Durability Every 4 Seconds 

Herald of Zakarum (Gilded Shield) - The bonuses this shield provides are unbelievably strong. It not only increases your offensive power, but it's also a great defensive shield (high enhanced defense, high chance to block, very high all resistance bonus, and vitality). Overall, this is the best shield in the game but it's only available to Paladins - luckily for you, you're one. 

• Defense: 422 to 507 
• Required Level: 42 
• Required Strength: 89 ​​​​​ 
  • +2 To Paladin Skill Levels 
  • +2 To Combat Skills (Paladin Only) 
  • +150-200% Enhanced Defense 
  • 30% Increased Chance Of Block 
  • 30% Faster Block Rate 
  • 20% Bonus To Attack Rating 
  • +20 To Strength 
  • +20 To Vitality 
  • All Resistances +50 

Call to Arms (Rune Word) - This powerful Runeword will allow you to pre-buff yourself up with Warcries (buffs persist through weapon swap). 

• Defense: Depends on base Weapon 
• Required Level: 57
• Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon ​​​​​
• Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
• Amn • Ral • Mal • Ist
  • +1 to All Skills 
  • +40% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +250-290% Enhanced Damage 
  • Adds 5-30 Fire Damage 
  • 7% Life Stolen Per Hit 
  • +2-6 To Battle Command 
  • +1-6 To Battle Orders 
  • +1-4 To Battle Cry 
  • Prevent Monster Heal 
  • Replenish Life +12 
  • 30% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items 

AMULETS

Highlord's Wrath - This amulet is simply amazing for the build. It not only increases your attack speed by 20% but also gives you +1 to all Skills and a scaling chance for a Deadly Strike. 

• Required Level: 65
  • +1 to All Skills 
  • 20% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +0-37% Deadly Strike (+0.375 per Character Level) 
  • Lightning Resist +35% 
  • Adds 1-30 Lightning Damage 
  • Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15 

Seraph's Hymn - Depending on where you plan on taking the build, this amulet can be unbelievably amazing or only very good. While it lacks the Attack Speed bonus of Highlord's Wrath, it gives you much more Skill Levels and a very high, yet conditional, damage boost. 

• Required Level: 65
  • +2 To All Skills 
  • +[1-2] to Defensive Auras (Paladin Only) (varies) 
  • +[20-50]% Damage to Demons (varies) 
  • +[150-250] to Attack Rating against Demons (varies) 
  • +[20-50]% Damage to Undead (varies) 
  • +[150-250] to Attack Rating against Undead (varies) 
  • +2 to Light Radius 

Rare/Magic Amulet with + Paladin/Combat Skills/Offensive Auras/Defensive Auras are quite powerful and relatively easy to get. If you plan on leveling up with this build, such an amulet is a great early choice. 

• Required Level: varies. 
• In Magic Amulets, look for:
  • + to Combat Skills. 
  • + to Offensive Auras. 
  • + to Defensive Auras. 
  • Magic Find. 
  • Resistances. 
• In Rare Amulets, look for:
  • + to Paladin Skills 
  • Magic Find 
  • Resistances 
  • Attributes 

ARMORS

Fortitude (Runeword) - This extremely solid Armor Runeword will give you a lot of offensive power and survivability. Moreover, it will take care of your mana problems should you have any. Moreover, the Enhanced Damage it gives you makes a world of difference. 

• Defense: Depends on base Armor 
• Required Level: 59 
• Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
• Durability: Depends on base Armor 
• El + Sol + Dol + Lo   
  • 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck 
  • +25% Faster Cast Rate 
  • +300% Enhanced Damage 
  • +200% Enhanced Defense 
  • +15 Defense 
  • +[1-148] To Life (Based on Character Level, [1-1.5] per Level) 
  • Replenish Life +7 
  • +5% To Maximum Lightning Resist 
  • All Resistances +[25-30] (varies) 
  • Physical Damage Taken Reduced by 7 
  • 12% Damage Taken Gained as Mana when Hit 
  • +1 To Light Radius 

Chains of Honor (Runeword) - Very strong runeword that mixes solid defenses (resistances, leech, and enhanced def) with a nice +2 bonus to all Skills. As a bonus, it also improves your Magic Find. While it does not offer anywhere near as much extra damage as Fortitude, it's going to singlehandedly take care of your Resistance caps. 

• Defense: Depends on base Armor 
• Required Level: 63 
• Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
• Durability: Depends on base Armor 
• Dol + Um + Ber + Ist 
  • +2 To All Skills 
  • +200% Damage to Demons 
  • +100% Damage to Undead 
  • 8% Life stolen per hit 
  • +70% Enhanced Defense 
  • +20 Strength 
  • Replenish Life +7 
  • All Resistances +65
  • Damage reduced by 8% 
  • 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 

RINGS

Raven Frost - This mighty Ring provides Freeze Immunity which is extremely important to have on every character. As a result, it is one of the best rings you can have on any Diablo 2 Resurrected Build. 

• Required Level: 45
  • +150-250 Attack Rating (varies) 
  • 15-45 Cold Damage 
  • +15-20 Dexterity (varies) 
  • +40 Mana 
  • Cold Absorb 20%
  • Cannot be Frozen 

Bul-Kathos Wedding Band - A solid ring that grants +Skills, a rather high bonus to Life, and a nice Life Leech. If you're after a balanced choice, here it is. 

• Required Level: 58
  • +1 To All Skills 
  • + (0.5 Per Character Level) 0-49 To Life) 
  • 3-5% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
  • +50 Maximum Stamina 

"Dual Leech" Rare Ring - A Rare Ring with Life and Mana Leech is a great alternative to the available unique D2 rings. If you manage to find one that also grants Resistances, attributes, or Attack Rating, consider yourself lucky. 

• Required Level: Varies
• Quality: Rare 
  • Look for the following bonuses:
    • Life Leech
    • Mana Leech
    • Attributes
    • Attack Rating 
    • Resistances

GLOVES

Laying of Hands (Bramble Mitts) - These gloves work extremely well with Zeal, allowing you to cast Holy Bolts on striking quite frequently. Moreover, they give you a 20% Increased Attack Speed, which is great for the build. Extra damage to Demons is also very nice, but very situational. 

• Defense: 79-87
• Required Level: 63
• Required Strength: 50
• Durability: 12
  • 10% Chance to Cast Level 3 Holy Bolt on Striking 
  • +20% Increased Attack Speed 
  • +350% Damage to Demons 
  • +25 Defense 
  • Fire Resist +50% 

Dracul's Grasp (Vampirebone Gloves) - If you're looking for more survivability, but don't want to sacrifice too much offensive power for it, these are going to be a good choice - they offer Life Tap on striking, quite high Life Leech, and a nice chance for Open Wounds. 

• Defense: 125-145
• Required Level: 76
• Required Strength: 50
• Durability: 14
  • +90-120% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
  • +10-15 to Strength (varies) 
  • +5-10 Life After Each Kill (varies) 
  • 25% Chance of Open Wounds 
  • 7-10% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
  • 5% Chance to Cast Level 10 Life Tap on Striking 

BOOTS

Gore Rider (War Boots) - These boots give you a good chance for a Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, and a Deadly Strike which makes them great in combination with Zeal. 

• Defense: 140-162
• Required Level: 47
• Required Strength: 94
• Durability: 34
• Kick Damage: 39-80  
  • +160-200% Enhanced Defense
  • 30% Faster Run/Walk
  • 10% Chance Of Open Wounds
  • 15% Chance Of Crushing Blow
  • 15% Deadly Strike
  • Requirements -25%
  • +20 Maximum Stamina 

War Traveler (Battle Boots) - If you're after infinite running and like to have some extra Magic Find, picking up these boots might be a good idea. Just keep in mind that they won't increase your damage anywhere near as much as Gore Raiders would. 

• Defense: 120-139 
• Required Level: 42
• Required Strength: 95
• Kick Damage: 37-64 
• Durability: 48
  • +150-190% Enhanced Defense 
  • 25% Faster Run/Walk 
  • +10 to Vitality 
  • +10 to Strength 
  • Adds 15-25 Damage 
  • +40% Slower Stamina Drain 
  • Attacker Takes Damage Of 5-10 
  • 30-50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 

BELTS

Verdungo's Hearty Cord (Mithril Coil) - This great belt is going to give you a lot of sustainability and resilience. While it won't boost your offensive power, it will make you much harder to kill. 

• Defense: 125-158
• Potion Slots: 16 
• Required Level: 63
• Required Strength: 106
• Durability: 16
  • +90-140% Enhanced Defense 
  • 10% Faster Hit Recovery  
  • +30-40 To Vitality 
  • Replenish Life +10-13 
  • +100-120 Maximum Stamina 
  • Damage Reduced By 10-15% 

Nosferatu's Coil (Vampirefang Belt) - An offensively-focused belt that gives a high Attack Speed bonus, 15 Strength, and a nice Life Leech. 

• Defense: 56 - 63 
• Potion Slots: 16 
• Required Level: 51
• Required Strength: 50 
• Durability: 14
  • Slows Target By 10% 
  • +2 To Mana After Each Kill 
  • 5-7% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
  • +15 To Strength 
  • 10% Increased Attack Speed 
  • -3 to Light Radius 

CHARMS

1. Grand Charms -  you should try your best to get Grand Charms with a bonus to Combat Skills, but Offensive or Defensive auras are better than nothing. 
2. Large Charms -  Using Large Charms in D2R is not recommended, with the exception of Hellfire Torch. 
3. Small Charms - With these, you should cap all your Resistances, and possibly get extra MF, FHR, or Life. 
4. As for Unique Charms, we recommend getting all three most popular ones: Hellfire Torch, Annihilus, and Gheed's Fortune (preferably with 40% MF), which is a standard setup for all Diablo 2 Resurrected builds. 

MERCENARY

We recommend hiring Act 2 Mercenary with the Might Aura that offers the highest DPS. He should be equipped with: 

1. Infinity Rune Word in Ethereal Spear - This provides Conviction Aura, which reduces the defenses and resistances of nearby enemies and offers very high bonus damage. A top (and expensive) choice for any Act2 merc build. It will greatly increase your own Damage, as lowering enemy resistances is very beneficial for DPS. 
2. Fortitude Rune Word in Armor - This will ensure that your merc doesn't die (it will make him almost immortal). 
3. Andariel's Visage - An extremely solid and versatile headgear that will make your merc better in all respects. 

END NOTE

This is the initial version of our Diablo 2 Resurrected Holy Freeze Paladin Build, where we tried to include all of the important information on how to set up this character while keeping the guide as compact as possible. If we've missed something of importance, please let us know! 

If you have any Build requests, please post them in the Comments section below. We will be happy to cover your most requested builds in the future! Also, we hope that you have found this guide useful and informative. Also, we will be happy to receive constructive criticism that will help us improve our future work, so don't hesitate to give us your feedback.