Blessed Hammer Paladin (Hammerdin) Build — Diablo 2 Resurrected
Last updated on Sep 30, 2021 at 12:00 by Oxygen
13 comments
One of the most popular characters in Diablo 2, the Hammerdin is an iconic
Paladin build that revolves around the Blessed Hammer skill. Owing to Magic
damage that is very rarely resisted by monsters, the Hammerdin is the
ultimate jack of all trades, offering unparalleled versatility throughout the
entire game.
1.
Introduction
Besides its versatile damage type, Blessed Hammer boasts both high
damage output and fair area of effect. This combination makes the Hammerdin a
very competitive build in virtually all aspects of the game, though never as
efficient at any given task as some of the more specialised builds. Still,
the unmatched versatility of the Hammerdin has earned it its rightful place as
the top build in Diablo 2, a trend that is likely to continue in Diablo 2:
Resurrected. Popularity comes at a price however: Paladin items have been
historically expensive, so be prepared to trade for Hammerdin items at a
premium.
You can check the viability of this build in PvM by consulting our PvM Tier List.
2.
Hammerdin Skill Build
The following section shows the core skills for the Hammerdin. For a detailed
breakdown of all core and optional skills as well as the recommended order for
allocating skill points, refer to the Skills section of this guide.
Hammerdin Skills
- 1 point to all prerequisites
- 20 points to Blessed Hammer (primary skill)
- 20 points to Vigor (mobility and synergy for Blessed Hammer)
- 20 points to Blessed Aim (synergy for Blessed Hammer)
- 20 points to Concentration (damage for Blessed Hammer while active)
- 20 points to Holy Shield (defense and block chance)
Note that since Blessed Hammer is only available from level 18 onward,
playing as a Hammerdin from the start of the game is not possible. For a
smoother leveling experience, we recommend using a generic melee Paladin build
and respecializing upon reaching level 18.
For more information, refer to the
Early Leveling section of this
guide.
3.
The following section discusses how many attribute points should be
allocated to each of the primary stats.
3.1.
How much Strength Does a Hammerdin Need?
103 Strength total, or enough to equip your heaviest piece of gear. For a
typical Hammerdin, this 103 Strength target allows you to meet the Strength
requirement for an Enigma Archon Plate. In practice however, you may only
need to reach around 40 base Strength, with your gear providing the remainder
of the Strength needed.
Note that allocating any more attribute points to Strength than what is
necessary for your gear is superfluous, as the damage of the Hamemerdin does
not scale with Strength.
3.2.
How Much Dexterity Does a Hammerdin Need?
Between 130 and 170 Dexterity total, or enough to reach the 75% maximum
chance to block. For a typical Hammerdin wearing the Herald of Zakarum
and using a fairly high level Holy Shield, 130 Dexterity should be
enough.
Note that the total Dexterity needed to reach a 75% chance to block depends
on your character level, gear, and Holy Shield level. To calculate the exact
amount of Dexterity needed to maximise the chance to block of your planned
Hammerdin, use an online calculator such as this one. To view your current chance to block,
hover the Defense field in your character sheet.
Allocating any more attribute points to Dexterity than is necessary to
maximise your chance to block is not recommended.
3.3.
How much Vitality Does a Hammerdin Need?
250+ Vitality. Every excess attribute point should be allocated to Vitality,
as long as you can meet the Strength requirements of your items by the time you
wish to equip them. Omitting Strength, you can allocate your attribute points to
a mix of Vitality and Dexterity while leveling to maximise your survivability.
An approximate 5:3 ratio of Vitality to Dexterity should keep both your life and
chance to block at a reasonable level until you reach your Dexterity target.
3.4.
How Much Energy Does a Hammerdin Need?
0 Energy. Allocating stat points to Energy is universally considered sub-par
for the Paladin due to the widespread availability of Mana Potions.
4.
Hammerdin Gear
The following section shows some of the most important items for the
Hammerdin. For a detailed per-slot breakdown of all Hammerdin items and
alternative builds, refer to the Gear section of this guide.
Hammerdin Gear and Stats
- Weapon: Heart of the Oak
- Shield: Herald of Zakarum
- Body Armor: Enigma
- Helm: Harlequin Crest
- Belt: Arachnid Mesh
5.
MrLlamaSC’s Hammerdin Video Guide
We also have a video guide that goes over the build, if you prefer that
instead of or in addition to our written guide.
6.
Hammerdin Mercenary
You can either hire a Defensive (Holy Freeze) or Offensive (Might) Desert
Guard Mercenary in Act 2, Nightmare difficulty, depending on whether you want
to slow monsters for added safety or improve the overall damage of your
Mercenary.
For a detailed per-slot breakdown of Hammerdin Mercenary gear, refer to the
Gear section of this guide.
7.
Hammerdin Early Leveling
The following section features a generic melee Paladin skill point
progression meant to make leveling a Hammerdin smoother. This section assumes
that you will respecialize towards your final Hammerdin skills upon reaching
level 18, where Blessed Hammer becomes available.
- 1 Point to Might
- 1 Point to Sacrifice
- 3 Points to Resist Fire until Level 6
- 6 Points to Holy Fire from Levels 6-11
- 1 Point to Zeal at Level 12
- All remaining Points to Holy Fire until Level 18
- Respec to Hammerdin at Level 18
For more comprehensive leveling advice, please refer to our Paladin Fastest Leveling Build.
8.
Changelog
- 30 Sep. 2021 (this page): Added video guide embed.
- 31 Aug. 2021 (gear page): Page added.
- 31 Aug.
2021 (skills page): Page added. - 31 Aug. 2021 (this page): Build added.
Show more
Show less
Avenger Paladin Build — Diablo 2 Resurrected
Last updated on Sep 30, 2021 at 06:00 by MrLlamaSC
3 comments
The Avenger Paladin is a somewhat gear-dependent build that uses Vengeance
and Conviction to deal Physical, Fire, Cold, and Lightning damage.
This makes the build remarkably versatile, as any Immunity can be dealt with
easily. The Avenger lacks any area of effect damage however, making it
generally slow.
1.
Introduction
The Avenger uses Vengeance to defeat his enemies through four
different types of damage: Physical, Fire, Cold, and Lightning. Thanks to
Conviction, the Avenger should never run into a monster he cannot fight,
though he is much better against isolated foes than large groups.
You can check the viability of this build in PvM by consulting our PvM Tier List.
2.
Avenger Paladin Skill Build
The following section shows the default skill build for the Avenger.
For a
detailed breakdown of all core and optional skills as well as the recommended
order for allocating skill points, refer to the
Skills page of this guide.
Avenger Paladin Skills and Stats
- 1 point to all prerequisites
- 20 points to Vengeance — Main damage skill, required
- 1 points to Holy Shield — Great to maximise chance to block and faster block frames, required
- 20 points to Conviction — Main damage support aura, required
- Max out the following synergies in whatever order you prefer. Resist Lightning would be a solid first choice.
- 20 points to Resist Fire — Synergy for Vengeance and increases Maximum Fire Resistance, required
- 20 points to Resist Cold — Synergy for Vengeance and increases Maximum Cold Resistance, required
- 20 points to Resist Lightning — Synergy for Vengeance and increases Maximum Lightning Resistance, required
- 1+ points to Salvation — Synergy to max out last as it does not give as much damage as the 3 other synergies
Note that since Vengeance is only available from level 18
onward, playing as an Avenger from the start of the game is not possible.
For a
smoother leveling experience, we recommend using a generic melee Paladin build
with Holy Fire and Zeal. Upon reaching level 18, you can simply
start adding points into Vengeance and respect into using Conviction.
For more information, refer to the
Early Leveling section of this guide.
3.
| Strength | Dexterity | Vitality | Energy |
| Enough for gear; around 150 total | Enough for max Block; around 150 total | Everything else | None |
You can read more details about the Stats and Attribute requirements for
this build on our Skills page.
4.
Avenger Paladin Gear
The following section shows some of the most important items for the Avenger.
For a detailed per-slot breakdown of all Avenger items and alternative builds,
refer to the Gear page of this guide.
Avenger Paladin Gear and Mercenary
- Weapon: Ethereal Breath of the Dying
- Weapon Swap: Call to Arms and Spirit
- Shield: Dream
- Body Armor: Chains of Honor
- Helm: Dream
- Gloves: Dracul’s Grasp
- Boots: Gore Rider
- Belt: String of Ears
- Ring 1: Raven Frost
- Ring 2: Rare ring with % Life and Mana Leech per Hit
- Amulet: Mara’s Kaleidoscope
- Charm 1: Paladin Hellfire Torch
- Charm 2: Annihilus
- Charm 3: 9 Combat Skiller Grand Charms with Life
- Charm 4: 10 Small Charms with Life, Resistances, Mana, or Faster Hit Recovery, depending on needs
5.
MrLlamaSC’s Avenger Paladin Video Guide
We also have a video guide that goes over the build, if you prefer that
instead of or in addition to our written guide.
6.
Avenger Paladin Breakpoints
In Diablo 2, stats that affect action speed (known as frames) for
attacking, casting, blocking, and recovering from a hit can almost never be
taken literally. For example, gaining 10% Increased Attack Speed from an item
will not necessarily translate into 10% faster attacks. To achieve faster
actions, certain breakpoints must be reached, which vary for every class. The
tables below list how much of a given stat is required to actually improve the
action speed of the class for the stated action.
6.1.
Faster Hit Recovery Breakpoints
| Faster Hit Recovery Breakpoints (1-Handed Weapons) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frames to perform action | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Faster Hit Recovery required to reach frame | 0% | 7% | 15% | 27% | 48% | 86% | 200% |
6.
2.
Faster Cast Rate Breakpoints
| Faster Cast Rate Breakpoints | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frames to perform action | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Faster Cast Rate required to reach frame | 0% | 9% | 18% | 30% | 48% | 75% | 125% |
6.3.
Faster Block Rate Breakpoints
| Faster Block Rate Breakpoints (No Holy Shield) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frames to perform action | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Faster Block Rate required to reach frame | 0% | 13% | 32% | 86% |
6.4.
Faster Block Rate Breakpoints (With Holy Shield)
| Faster Block Rate Breakpoints (With Holy Shield) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Frames to perform action | 2 | 1 |
| Faster Block Rate required to reach frame | 0% | 86% |
7.
Avenger Paladin Mercenary
You can either hire a Defensive (Holy Freeze) or Offensive (Might) Desert
Guard Mercenary in Act 2, Nightmare difficulty, depending on whether you want
to slow monsters for added safety or improve your overall damage as well as
that of your Mercenary. You also hire an Act 1 Cold Rogue Mercenary with
Faith (to provide you with Fanaticism) as its weapon.
- Weapon (Act 1 Rogue): Faith Diamond Bow or Great Bow
- Weapon (Act 2 Desert Guard): Ethereal Insight
- Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude
- Helm: Andariel’s Visage socketed with a Ral Rune
8.
Avenger Paladin Early Leveling
The following section features a generic melee Paladin skill point
progression meant to make leveling towards becoming an Avenger smoother.
- 1 point to Might
- 1 point to Sacrifice
- All points to Resist Fire until level 6
- All points to Holy Fire until level 12
- 1 point to Zeal at level 12
- All points to Holy Fire until level 18, where you can start playing
with Vengeance
For more comprehensive leveling advice, please refer to our Paladin Fastest Leveling Build.
9.
Changelog
- 30 Sep. 2021 (this page): Added video guide embed.
- 27 Sep. 2021 (gear page): Page added.
- 27 Sep. 2021 (skills page): Page added.
- 27 Sep. 2021 (this page): Build added.
Show more
Show less
Paladin — the best builds [guide]
Paladin is a class at the intersection of magic and martial arts. The embodiment of light, it is as if he was created for the world of Diablo 2 — after all, who better than him to cope with hellspawn? But for this to be true, you need to correctly combine its main features — weapon possession, buffs and auras.
By combining them in different ratios, you can build one of the proven paladin builds. It will rely on those abilities that are more to the liking of the player, while remaining effective. nine0011 Stats
Hammerdin Build (Hammerdin)
Iconic paladin build, ideal for beginners and the initial stage of the game.
The amazing damage of the Blessed Hammer is noticeable from the very beginning, and by the end, with the right equipment, it can reach up to 15 thousand damage per hit. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to put all your strength into the selection of equipment — Hammerdin lives with almost basic items. nine0003
- The build is based on the paladin’s combat skills.
- Main offensive ability — Blessed Hammer, key defensive ability — Holy Shield.
- Combat and defensive aura branches will not be idle either. The first one will give the paladin additional passive damage and make the build more reliable, and the second one has several abilities that are worth pouring points into.
Stats
Dexterity (Dexterity) and Strength (Strength) are pumped as much as the equipment requires. The remaining points are invested in Survival (Vitality).
Gear
Gear in this build can be the most problematic.
The main thing that needs to be achieved with their help is a high casting speed. The ideal value is 75 , but a level of 48 is enough. An increase in combat skills will not be superfluous, because the Blessed Hammer is the main strength of this build. At the initial levels, it’s a good idea to invest in movement speed and survivability. Especially — until unique runes appeared. nine0003
Mercenaries
Equipment for the mercenary is the second difficulty that can be encountered. It will take a long time to find equipment with slots for assembling Runeword Insight. The recommended choice is an Act 2 mercenary, due to the damage reduction bonuses.
Uber Tristram Smiter
Hellfire Torches are the best way to get money in Diablo 2 Resurrected. But first you need to get to Uber-Tristram, which means you need to collect 3 keys in the Haradric Cube. And the paladin build Uber Tristram Smiter will help achieve this by defeating both Uber-Diablo, and Mephisto, and Baal.
nine0129
This paladin, unlike the others, the paladin of this build uses a Shield as a weapon. It stuns and inflicts a high melee freak. The main disadvantage is the weak effectiveness in the fight against groups of enemies.
Devines and disadvantages
| Effective in the fight against convictions even without powerful equipment | Lack of AOE |
| Huge survivability | for maximum efficiency is still necessary0074 |
| A reliable starter build to make money | Highly specialized |
Skills
- Like the first build, the main skill tree is combat.
- Main attack — Shield Strike (Smite). Resolve (Charge) increases mobility, and the Holy Shield performs defensive functions.
- Combat Auras will give the paladin an increase in passive steal and tangible bonuses for those who are in the same group with him. Protective — increase its resistance. It is between the three Protective Auras that you need to distribute the remaining points after the main pumping. nine0014
Stats
The distribution of stats is similar to the previous build. Strength and Agility are pumped in accordance with the equipment.
Items
The key thing to look out for is items that buff skills and increase damage. Casting speed needs to be increased by 75%. It’s good to increase defense and ability cooldown speed.
Mercenaries
Preferably an Act 2 mercenary with increased DPS.
The Tesladin
Build for high levels, farming, uber hunting and most other tasks. Tesladin is an expensive, but arguably the best paladin build in all of Diablo 2.
It requires a lot of runewords, which pays off in a big way because you can easily get through the whole game with it — from the starting location to the final act — without much effort.
Tesladin easily overcomes all enemies’ immunities thanks to several sources of damage. For opponents immune to lightning, Devotion (Zeal) and Shield Bash will come in handy. This build creates a dream tank. A level 30 Holy Shock aura and runewords will quickly rid the player of small enemies around. The right gear will enhance your core abilities. nine0077
Skills
- From combat skills you need to take melee attacks, which are useful for enemies with immunity to Lightning and bosses. Here the choice is up to the player, in this regard — the assembly is quite flexible.
- From the Combat Aura tree, the paladin needs Conviction.
- Bosses will need Fanaticism for extra damage.
- Be sure to pump in Holy Strike — this is one of the key assembly skills.
nine0014
Stats
Strength will need a little more than 100 , depending on armor. Dexterity should be limited to 75%. Survivability — the main characteristic.
Equipment
The main thing that is required from equipment is an increase in damage from Holy Strike. Gems will help you achieve this. In addition, things should increase DPS and defense.
Mercenary
The best option is the Frostbolt Mercenary from Act 1. The damage from him, in comparison with the paladin, will be scanty, but it will help slow down the enemies. nine0003
Read more:
Tags: Diablo II: Resurrected
The best paladin builds in Diablo 2: Resurrected
Diablo 2: Resurrected changes the graphics, but does not change the essence. It’s still the same wonderful game that made people skip school and sometimes even work. Maybe you have forgotten how to play or you are trying out Diablo 2 for the first time.
To do this, we have prepared a series of guides that will allow you to upgrade your characters in an interesting and correct way.
As in any other game or fantasy novel, the paladins in Diablo 2 are the epitome of faith and holiness. And they are good wars. They received special training at the Zakarum Church to learn how to guard the monks. It so happened that their valor and exploits inspired people more than the words of preachers.
Paladins, of course, although they are the embodiment of goodness and faith, they can also give devils according to kumpol. To do this, they have a sword, a shield, and also auras — skills that allow you to give yourself a buff of abilities or weaken the enemy. nine0003
Holy Fire Auradin
This build deals a lot of damage, although the higher the difficulty, the less such a paladin is less useful. Such paladin mainly uses Holy Fire (Holy Fire) aura.
To level it up, you need to invest 20 points in skills such as Conviction (Suppression), Resist Fire (Fire Resistance), Holy Shield (Holy Shield) and Salvation (Salvation).
1 point must be invested in Zeal (Devotion), Sacrifice (Sacrifice), Smite (Shield Bash), Holy Bolt (Holy Lightning), Blessed Hammer (Blessed Hammer), Charge , 05 Resolve (Might), Holy Freeze (Holy Cold), Thorns (Thorns), Sanctuary (Holy) and Holy Fire (Holy Fire).
For most paladin builds you need to put enough points into Strength (Strength) and a little Dexterity (Dexterity). What remains — in Vitality (Vitality).
The Hammerdin
A classic paladin build that can also deal a lot of damage. For this build, it would be better to get the Enigma Rune Word rune, and as soon as possible. You need to invest 20 points in Blessed Hammer (Blessed Hammer), Vigor (Willpower), Blessed Aim (Blessed Hand), Concentratio (Concentration) and Holy Shield (Holy Shield).
nine0003
Basically you need to download Strength (Strength), Dexterity (Dexterity). Remaining skills in Vitality (Vitality).
Fistadin (FOH)
Build based on the Fists of Heaven spell. Good for those who are not afraid of PvP.
First, of course, you need to max out Fist of the Heavens, as well as Holy Shock and Holy Bolts. You also need to invest a little in Sacrifice, Charge, Zeal, Smite, Vengeance, Conversion, Blessed Hammer and Holy Shield. One skill can be left for Might, Holy Fire, Holy Freeze, Thorns and Sanctuary, but it is desirable to bring Conviction to level 12. nine0003
According to the stats, everything is as before. The main emphasis is on strength, a little less on agility and the rest on survivability.
Zealot
The focus here is on Zeal’s ability. Devotion (Zeal) is a skill that allows paladins to do things impossible for a human. With this skill, the paladin makes several incredibly fast attacks against nearby enemies.
