While the interminable wait for Diablo 4 stretches on, Diablo 2: Resurrected projected arrival in 2021 should offer players some respite, regardless of whether they are veterans of the original or experiencing one of Blizzard's masterpieces for the first time. While there are cases to be made for each of the game's seven classes, Diablo 2's take on Paladins stands out as one of the best executions of the "holy warrior" concept in action RPGs. Thematically, it is perhaps the most fitting role for heroes in the Diablo universe, seeing how the central struggle is between the forces of Heaven and Hell.
While that archetype has an inherent appeal to many gamers, the best argument for playing Paladin may be a matter of speculation, variety, and metagaming. With only one of Diablo 4 class yet to be revealed, the case for Paladins, or holy warriors of any type making an appearance at launch is somewhat fraught and by no means a certainty. After all, at the end of Diablo 3, Heaven has been sacked by hell, and most of Sanctuary's holy orders have been devastated by demonic invasions.
There is always a possibility that Blizzard will throw Diablo fans a curveball, and release an entirely new type of Paladin, but those who don't want to miss out on the opportunity to play a divinely-appointed knight in shining armor should jump at the chance provided by Diablo 2: Resurrected. Mechanically, Paladins are one of the most versatile classes in the game, with opportunities for dedicated party play, PVP dueling, and solo player-versus-monster annihilation.
The Cleric
Party healers were somewhat uncommon in Diablo 2's meta, partially because only one class is really fit for the job: The Cleric-build Paladin. While typically associated with keeping a mixed party alive in RPGS, it is easy for a Cleric's healing abilities to overshadow their considerable capacity for dishing out holy damage, especially against undead. Admittedly, the Cleric build is for pure team players, but the boost it brings to survivability and utility make it a welcome addition to almost any party configuration in the game. Those who relish the fantasy of a quintessential savior, protecting and rescuing allies from certain doom will be well-served by the Cleric.
To build a Cleric, players will want to focus on the Holy Bolt, Prayer, Fist of Heavens, and Salvation skills, as well as Cleansing or Meditation, depending on the user's play style. Both Cleansing and Meditation give the Cleric a mana-free Prayer spell, with the former reducing negative status effect duration, and the former boosting mana regeneration. Again, it should be noted that Clerics struggle with solo play in Diablo 2's world, so expect to use hirelings when unaccompanied by friends.
The Auradin
At the opposite end of the spectrum, players who are drawn to PVP dueling as opposed to PVE will want to consider the Auradin, which specializes in using the Paladin's powerful offensive aura skills to kill foes quickly with passive damage. There are several fun subtypes to this class, including the Holy Fire Auradin, nicknamed the Dragon Paladin, which maximizes the damage of the Holy Fire skill; perfect for channeling one's inner inquisitor or witch hunter. That said, this build is mostly for flavor, with utility falling off at Hell difficulty and above.
Those looking for more versatility and damage will want to create an Omnidin, however. These frightening Paladins stack Holy Fire, Holy Freeze, Holy Shock, Defiance, and Redemption as simultaneous passives. This build relies almost exclusively on the Fanaticism aura as an active, and is heavily gear dependent, but the result is a flexible template that synergizes with a number of other build templates, that has the convenient side effect of melting enemies as they attack.
It should be noted that for PVP play, Auradins do not necessarily want to be frontline fighters (though the passive elemental damage from their stacked auras can add up quick). Rather, players will want to use gear with teleportation abilities and uncanny evasion to move around the battlefield, keeping their passive damage stacked on enemy players trying to pin them down. This is less of an issue for single player play, as AI enemies move more predictably than human opponents, though those looking to dominate Diablo and his demonic legions have (at least) two other options to consider.
The Smiter and the Zealot
Diablo 3 veterans who favored the Crusader class should consider an offensive paladin build in Diablo 2: Resurrected, seeing how the Diablo 3 expansion class is unlikely to make an appearance in Diablo 4. Fortunately, players have a couple different options.
Smiter builds are perfect for those who want to feel like an implacable fist of holy power that lays waste to foes with huge, homerun hits. While they lack the crowd control abilities and utility of some other Paladin builds, Smiters can crush most foes with a single hit. As one would expect, Smite features prominently in the class, even though it isn't inherently powerful by itself. The reason Smite earns its keep is that it is a guaranteed hit and stun when used in close range, and it's lackluster damage receives a huge boost from points in Holy Shield. Another cool thing about Smiters is that it isn't necessary to max the skill, opening up options to max Blessed Hammer (and its associated skills) to really crush demons beneath their greaves as a dual Smiter/Hammerdin.
Those seeking holy glory as a melee damage dealer should look into the Zealot. Players who relish the martial aspects of Paladins will be right at home with these attack speed-focused builds. Zealots hew through foes with a series of fast, hard-hitting blows, and as one would expect from the build name, Zealots use the skill Zeal as their bread and butter attack. Like the Omnidin, the Fanaticism aura also features prominently, as it massively boosts the attack speed and damage of the Paladin and his party. Fortunately, one of the strengths of Zealots is their abundance of free points to distribute among other skills as they see fit.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is currently in development with a projected release for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021.