TABLE OF CONTENTS
Zeal Paladin Introduction & Overview
The Zealer is a Paladin build is using Zeal as it’s primary attacking skill. Zealers are popular builds for PVM as few of the melee builds are as effective in D2R as them. Their single target damage is very high, and they can quickly take care of bigger mob packs without survivability being an issue. They are very easy to play with, and are fairly good ladder starters as even on budget gear they are fairly efficient. Zealers are welcome in parties, as they can provide useful auras in Baal, Chaos, or Terror Zone runs, such as Fanaticism or Conviction, but when survivability boosts are needed, they can switch to Salvation or Defiance auras.
🔸 Easily Soloes any game content in Player 8 difficulty
🔸 Hell Chaos run and Hell Baal run both within 2-3 minutes
🔸 Can solo Uber Tristram
🔸 Any Player8 Boss kill in seconds
🔸 Ideal for Hardcore
🔸 Easy and Beginner Friendly gameplay
Zeal attacks are super fast, in proper gear you will be able to deal up to 6 attacks each second. Optimally you should deal damage both from Crushing Blows and physical damage, making your character a great boss killer and a great monster mob killer as well. Uber Diablo and Uber Tristram won’t cause you any trouble, and neither will soloing the entire game. For fast movement, Vigor aura and the Charge skills can be used to pass any obstacles, and if you are wealthy enough, an Enigma can be utilized for Teleportation.
Zeal Paladin Pros and Cons
Pros
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Cons
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Zeal Paladin Gameplay
Playing solo: In high-end gear you can quickly solo the entire game with ease. Use Zeal for attacking in combination with Fanaticism Aura. If you want to quickly get to bosses, channel the Charge skill with Vigor aura on, or if you have an Enigma, use teleport to get to bosses. Extraordinary performance is achieveable even in semi-expensive gear, compared to its efficiency, the build is relatively budget friendly. A weakness of the build is its attack rating, which can be boosted by pre-buffing yourself at the beginning of each game with Demon Limb’s Enchant skill charge. You will never need to worry about life sustenance, as you will continously heal yourself. The build is suitable to farm any game content, including Terror Zones, Boss runs, Cow runs etc.
Playing in a party: In parties, members can take advantage of your auras. Fanaticism can be used to boost melee offensive damage. Switch to Conviction if your party relies on characters dealing elemental damage. A variety of defensive auras can be utilized when needed, the main ones are Salvation for increased party resistances, Defiance if melee survivability boost is needed, and Redemption if you need to recover life. Meditation can be used for mana recovery, and Vigor for run speed. In addition, if you wear an Exile, your party members can also benefit from it’s Life Tap and Defiance aura.
Playing Hardcore: You can become close to immortal and still deliver a huge amount of damage. You can have 75% all resistance and rely on your attacks for healing, or you can increase your maximum resists to 90-95% by wearing Guardian Angel, Hotspur, or Thundergod’s Vigor. You can use either a Phoenix paladin shield with 40%+ to all resists to deliver the maximum amount of damage while being healed by its Redemption aura, or you can use an Exile ethereal paladin shield with 40%+ all resistances for its life tap and Defiance aura. Make sure to have some Faster Hit Recovery charms in your inventory for quick recovery. Always have Holy Shield casted, and try to get a Call to Arms so you can cast Battle Orders on yourself, which will almost double your life. Wear a Raven frost ring for freeze immunity.
Zeal Paladin Breakpoints
Note: Each second in the game consists of 25 frames or “ticks”. Your breakpoints decide how many frames it will take until you can attack/cast a skill/recover from a hit/ block a new hit.
Faster Cast Rate
- FCR only matters if you wear an Enigma and move by teleport. Aim for the 30% (12 frame) or 48% (11 frame) breakpoints.
Faster Hit Recovery
- Aim for the 27% (6 frames), 48% (5 frames) or 86% (4 frames) breakpoint.
Faster Block Rate
- You won’t need any additional FBR, as 2 frame will be your base block rate once you cast Holy Shield.
Zeal Paladin Skills
Combat Skill Tree:
- 20 points to Sacrifice
- 20 points to Zeal
- 1 point to Smite
- 1 point to Charge
- 1 point to Holy Bolt
- 1 point to Blessed hammer
- 1 point to Holy Shield
Offensive Aura Skill Tree:
- 1 point to Might
- 1 point to Blessed aim
- 1 point to Concentration
- 20 point to Fanaticism
Defensive Aura Skill Tree:
- 1 point to Prayer
- 1 point to Defiance
- 1 point to Cleansing
- 1 point to Vigor
- 1 point to Redemtion
- 1 point to Salvation
Skill notes:
- If you want better survivability, max out Holy Shield and its synergy, Defiance,
- If you play Hardcore, putting points on Resist Fire and Resist Lightning will boost your maximum resistances by 1% for every 2 skill points on them.
- You can skill your character for party play by putting points on Conviction.
Zeal Paladin Stat Points
Strength ► Just enough to be able to wear your items.
Dexterity ► Just enough to have 75% Chance to Block with Holy Shield activated.
Vitality ► Allocate all your remaining points to it.
Energy ► Don’t allocate any points to it.
You can re-stat your character by the quest reward of Akara’s Act1 Den of Evil Quest, or by using Token of Absolution.
Zeal Paladin Mercenary
You should use an Act2 Desert Mercenary. You have two options, if you want to boost your survivability, have one with Holy Freeze Aura for Crowd Control, or if you want to maximize damage, use a Might aura mercenary, and equip it with Pride runeword for the additional Concentration Aura.
Zeal Paladin Item setups
Ladder Starter Zealot Gear
Helm: Lore / Peasant Crown / Any helm with good survivability or +paladin skills
Amulet: Any amulet with +skill, +stats, +resists, +life / Saracen’s Chance / Atma’s Scarab
Weapon: Black runeword / Kingslayer runeword / Passion runeword / Oath runeword / Azurewrath / Lightsabre / Stormlash / Horizon’s Tornado
Switch Weapon: None
Shield: Rhyme runeword / Ancient’s pledge runeword
Switch Shield: None
Body Armor: Principle runeword / Guardian Angel / Duress runeword
Belt: String of Ears / Crafted Blood Belt
Rings: Any ring with useful stats like allresist, life, magic find, etc. / Raven Frost
Gloves: Venom Grip / Any glove with 20% Ias and other useful stats like resists, life, etc
Boots: Goblin Toe / Tearhaunch / 30% FRW boots with additional resist/resists
Charms: Any charm with +skill, life, resist or FHR will help
Notes: Aim for 75% all resistances. You can use magic and rare items in any of your gear slots, and can also use them for your Mercenary.
Mercenary Gear
Helm: 3*Perfect Diamond socketed helm / Tal Rasha’s Horadric Crest
Body Armor: Any useful rare body armor
Weapon: Insight Polearm
Advanced Zealot Gear
Helm: Guillaume’s Face (Socket it with Um rune or 40% Enhanced damage jewel with other useful stats)
Amulet: Mara’s Kaleidoscope / Highlord’s Wrath / Metalgrid / Rare or Crafted amulet with +2 to paladin and other additional useful stats
Weapon: Grief phase blade
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Exile runeword ethereal paladin shield, try to get one with 40+ all resistances as base item / Herald of Zakarum (Socket it with Um rune, upgrade it if you have enough strength), Phoenix paladin shield, try to get one with 40+ all resistances as base item
Switch Shield: Spirit paladin shield
Body Armor: Fortitude runeword in an elite light armor / Duress runeword in an elite light armor
Belt: String of Ears / Crafted Blood Belt with other useful stats like resists, life, etc
Rings: Raven Frost / Crafted or Rare dual leech ring with other useful stats
Gloves: Dracul’s Grasp
Boots: Upgraded Goblin Toe / Gore Rider
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Magic Grand Charms (+1 to pala combat skills, try to get ones with +Life or +FHR), Magic Small Charms (with +all resistances, or +life)
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune)
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor
Weapon: Pride in Ethereal Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
Magic Find Zealot Gear
Helm: Harlequin Crest Shako (Socket it with Ist rune)
Amulet: Magic Amulet with 40-50% Magic Find
Weapon: Grief phase blade
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Exile runeword ethereal paladin shield, try to get one with 40+ all resistances as base item / Herald of Zakarum socketed with Ist rune
Switch Shield: Spirit
Body Armor: Enigma Mage Plate / Dusk Shroud/ Archon plate
Belt: Upgraded Goldwrap
Rings: 2*Nagelring
Gloves: Upgraded Chance Guards
Boots: Upgraded War Traveler
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Small Charms with 7% Magic find (and also @all resistances if possible)
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune)
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor
Weapon: Pride in Ethereal Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
Hardcore Zealot Gear
Helm: Crown of Ages (Socket it with 2 Ber runes, or 2 Um runes if you wear a Stormshield)
Amulet: Mara’s Kaleidoscope
Weapon: Last Wish Phase Blade / Grief Phase Blade
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Exile runeword ethereal paladin shield, try to get one with 40+ all resistances as base item / Stormshield Socketed with Um rune
Switch Shield: Spirit paladin shield
Body Armor: Fortitude Dusk Shroud or Archon plate / Ethereal Upgraded Guardian Angel socketed with Zod rune
Belt: String of Ears / Thundergod’s Vigor
Rings: Raven Frost / Crafted or rare Dual leech ring with other useful stats / Wisp Projector
Gloves: Dracul’s Grasp
Boots: Gore Rider / Upgraded Hotspur
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Magic Grand Charms (+1 to pala combat skills, try to get ones with +Life or +FHR), Magic Small Charms (with +all resistances, or +life)
Notes: Aim to overprotect yourself for situations when you get cursed with spells such as Lower Resist and Amplify Damage or get under an effect of an aura such as Fanaticism or Conviction.
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune)
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor
Weapon: Pride in Ethereal Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
Max Damage Zealot Gear
Helm: Guillaume’s Face socketed with 40ED 15max dmg jewel
Amulet: Highlord’s Wrath
Weapon: Grief Phase Blade
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Phoenix Runeword in a 60+ Enhanced damage Paladin shield
Switch Shield: Spirit paladin shield
Body Armor: Fortitude Dusk Shroud or Archon plate
Belt: String of Ears
Rings: Raven Frost / Crafted or rare Dual leech ring with other useful stats
Gloves: Dracul’s Grasp / Steelrend
Boots: Gore Rider
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Magic Grand Charms (+1 to pala combat skills, try to get ones with +Life or +FHR)
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune)
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor
Weapon: Pride in Ethereal Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
