Build notes: |
June 18, 2021 January 12, 2022 |
Build Overview
Farming Keys in non-teleport areas can be challenging, especially if you want to do it efficiently. To maximize the speed at which you can farm them, you will need alternative mobility skills (remember, teleports don't work). While multiple classes have access to these kinds of abilities, there is one that stands out - the Paladin. Thanks to his Charge and Vigor, he can cover a lot of ground extremely quickly without teleporting. As for offensive skills that can complement His non-teleport mobility, there are some interesting choices, but the one that stands out is Zeal as it deals very high physical damage (some key bosses have high magic resistances which means that physical damage is preferred).
The combination of the above-mentioned Skills has resulted in the following "Zealer Paladin" build. It excels at farming keys in non-teleport areas. If you are looking for a build that will help you to quickly find and defeat Blood Raven, Blood Witch the Wild, and Nihlathak, this is just the thing.
Season 4 Note: Zeal and its synergy (Sacrifice) were buffed for season 4 and as a result, the build feels stronger than ever. It's great for mapping and can simply obliterate Ubers.
You can also check our other Best Project Diablo 2 Builds
Pros | Cons |
Great Mobility | Very Expensive to Gear Up |
Very Solid Defenses | Relies only on Physical Damage |
High Damage Output | A pure melee build - you are forced to face-tank enemies |
Can farm any type of content easily |
Skills
ATTRIBUTES |
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COMBAT SKILLS |
This skill tree is the main focus of this build. Skills:
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OFFENSIVE AURAS |
This skill Tree will give us a solid passive Damage boost. Skills:
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DEFENSIVE AURAS |
Defensive Auras are not the focus of this build, but we spend some points on them to get extra defenses and utility: Skills:
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Items
We want to get as much Enhanced Damage as possible to increase the build's overall power level. Faster Hit Recovery should also come as a priority as getting to the 48 Breakpoint is very important. Defense is also extremely important, as we are aiming at that maximum block. Resistances are also important, and they should be capped. Other Defensive stats, like faster hit recovery, are a nice addition but you should not choose gear for them specifically. |
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HELMETS |
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Crown of Ages (Corona) - A very solid defensive choice that gives us a high damage reduction, some nice resistances, a lot of Defense, and up to three sockets which make it much more versatile than some other worthwhile helmets. |
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Valkyrie Wing (Winged Helm) - A solid offensive choice that provides up to 40% Enhanced Damage. Moreover, it allows us to move much faster and recover from hits quicker. Don't pay attention to Amazon Skills. |
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Andariel's Visage (Demonhead) - A great helmet that offers a very high Attack Speed bonus and +2 Skills increase. If Also gives quite a high Life Leech which can be extremely helpful. |
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WEAPONS |
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Death (Runeword) - An extremely powerful Runeword that gives us over 300% Enhanced Damage which is simply incredible for this build. It also allows us to summon a Level 12 Blood Golem and gives us a 50% Chance of Crushing Blow. Moreover, it has a Deadly Strike chance that scales with our Level, so it gets better as we progress. You should inscribe this runeword into a Berserker Axe... it requires 5 sockets which might make finding/making one quite tricky (and expensive). |
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Kingslayer (Runeword) - This is a solid and relatively cheap alternative to Death. It offers an amazing boost to our damage output thanks to a plethora of very strong effects. You should socket it in a Two-Handed weapon with high base offensive stats. |
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Stone Crusher (Legendary Mallet) - A very powerful Legendary weapon that allows you to maximize physical DPS. With this, your damage will not only skyrocket but also stack up with each consecutive hit thanks to the defense-lowering effect. |
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SHIELDS | |
Stormshield (Monarch) - a BiS defensive option that will allow you to achieve Max Block. It offers rock-solid defensive stats which come in handy in almost every boss fight. |
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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). |
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Exile (Runeword) - An extremely powerful Shield that not only takes care of our defenses by adding a lot of Faster Block Rate, Defense, and Maximum Resistances but also improves our offensive power by providing +2 to Offensive Auras. Also, it gives us a free Defiance Aura. |
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WEAPON SWAP | |
Call to Arms (Runeword) - This powerful Runeword will allow you to pre-buff yourself up with Warcries (buffs persist through weapon swap). |
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Lidless Wall (Grim Shield) - A very powerful Shield that grants up to +2 Skills and high FCR. Good to have on swap for that additional Skill Levels. |
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AMULETS |
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Atma's Scarab - A very solid choice for this Build. Atma's Scarab has a chance to cast level 18 Amplify Damage on Striking which is simply amazing for damage output. Moreover, it gives a lot of Attack Rating which is nice. |
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Highlord's Wrath - This powerful Amulet offers us a great combination of offensive stats which make it hard to pass up. |
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[Alternative] Rare/Magic Amulets with + Paladin/Combat Skills are great budget choices and solid fillers before you are able to get a proper Amulet.
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ARMORS |
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[BiS] Fortitude (Runeword) - This Rune Word seems to be designed specifically for this build; it provides A LOT of enhanced damage, high resistance bonuses, and great overall defenses. If you're looking for an item that will make your character better in every way, you can't go wrong with Fortitude.
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Stone (Runeword) - If you feel like you need additional defenses, you will like this one very much. Stone will greatly increase your overall survivability and still give you some offensive power in the form of +1 to all Skills. |
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[Alternative] Lionheart (Runeword) - If you're looking for a relatively cheap yet still effective armor, this would be the best choice. It offers a solid Damage boost, some resistances, and quite a lot of bonus Attributes. |
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RINGS |
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[BIS] Raven Frost - This ring provides Freeze immunity which is extremely important to have. If you have freeze immunity from another item, you can choose a different ring. |
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Bul-Kathos Wedding Band - A great ring that adds +1 to Skills. It also increases stamina and gives some nice life steal. |
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The Stone of Jordan - One of the most iconic items in Diablo 2. It increases the level of all your Skills and your max Mana. A solid offensive choice. |
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GLOVES |
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Dracul's Grasp (Vampirebone Gloves) - A definitive top choice for this build. These gloves give a nice Attack Speed boost and provide a high Life Leech. They also give a high strength bonus which is very convenient for choosing equipment for other gear slots. |
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Bloodfist (Heavy Gloves) - A solid defensively focused choice that will give you +30% faster hit recovery, a solid boost to Life, and +10% Attack Speed. |
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BOOTS |
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Gore Rider (War Boots) - This pair of boots offers the highest possible DPS bonuses for this build. Also, the Chance of Open Wounds is very important against bosses as it prevents them from healing. |
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BELTS |
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Verdungo's Hearty Cord (Mithril Coil) - A very solid defensive option that offers a Faster Hit Recovery bonus, an insanely high boost to maximum stamina, and up to 40 (!) Vitality, but mostly, it gives up to 15% Reduced Damage.
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String of Ears (Demonhide Sash) - If you need additional defenses, this is also an extremely solid choice. The String of Ears provides up to a 15% damage reduction bonus and some Life Leech. |
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CHARMS |
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MERCENARY |
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We recommend picking up Act-5 Mercenary for extra damage output. He should be equipped with:
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END NOTE This is our premiere Project Diablo 2 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. |
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