D2R Solo Paladin Leveling Guide

This guide is going to be able to give you valuable information and strategies so that you will be able to efficiently level a Paladin whether it be in Ladder or Non-Ladder. This guide is going to go into specifics but should remain as a guideline to help you determine what you think the best way for you to level in D2R is. D2R is a constantly evolving game so make sure to always be open to learning.

Mainly this guide is going to teach you how to be able to optimize your skills. Some skills are only good when they scale and some skills don’t scale so well, although they can assist you in leveling. We are also going to be tackling the stats so that you will be able to transition through your gear efficiently. Hopefully, by the end of this guide you are going to be able to breeze through the game as a Paladin, overcome an area where you were stuck, or improve your leveling strategy.

Skill & Stats

Skills distribution:

Stats distribution:

Respec

This is going to be done by level 20

Max out in Order

Important note:

For your attributes you just need to allocate enough Strength so that you will be able to wear all of your gear. Then dump the remaining Stat Points into Vitality. From Levels 39-75 you are going to want to put all your attribute points into Vitality. With the exception of changing gear if ever which you are going to be adding a little Strength.

Progression & Leveling:

ACT I

In the early stages of leveling you are going to want to place a little into Strength and Dex so that you will be able to use a specific weapon for leveling, and some gear pieces later on in the run. 

You are going to want to use Sacrifice as your main damage dealing skill along with a Scimitar as your main weapon. Then when you can skill Holy Fire you are going to change your main damage dealing skill to Holy Fire which is going to burn all the enemies around you. Some enemies are going to be harder to kill so you can use your sacrifice or have a Strangling GasPotion in your weapon swap for the moment.

When you reach The Countess you are going to want to farm her over and over until you can get the following runes for rune words later on into the run. Tal, Eth, Ral, Tir, El. Among the runes here the El rune is going to be the most troublesome to find. So keep in mind that  if you keep farming The Countess and reach around level 15-16 then you should move on since you will have chances to find the rune elsewhere, and it will no longer be worth it to stay.

For drops along the way you will want to pick up all chipped gems, you are also going to want to pick up all paladin shields, amulets, and rings. If you find a (3) socketted paladin shield that gives all resistance then that is going to be a perfect base to use for a rune word later on. 

For the amulets and rings you can mix and match to what you feel you need throughout the run. You can opt for life, mana, FCR, or even + to skills if you are lucky.

Now when you reach level 11 you will want to save your skill point so that by level 12 you can get both Charge and Zeal. Zeal is going to be your main damage dealing skill and charge is going to be used as your mobility skill which is going to allow you to dash around quickly.

Now when you reach level 13 you are going to want to make the Steel rune word. To do this you can buy a (2) socketed non magic scimitar for your base from Charsie and insert the runes Tir & El in that order. 

Steel is going to give us +IAS and 50% chance for open wounds. At level 17 you are going to want to make the Stealth rune word. Insert a Tal and Eth rune into a (2) socketed non magic armor. This is a powerful rune word that you can take all the way to Hell difficulty.

ACT II

When you are at Act II and you already obtained the Horadric Cube you are going to want to start using your chipped gems for re-rolling scepters that give + to blessed hammer. To do this place the scepter along with 3 chipped gems and combine them inside the Horadric Cube this is going to re-roll the item. If ever you find + to skills on another skill then you can sell the for more back to Drognan. If you find a weapon that gives you + to blessed hammer then you are going to be able to respec sooner.

The latest that you are going to want to respec is at level 20. Follow the table below for the respec

After the respec we are going to be shifting our playstyle. When we are fighting enemies we are going to be shifting to the concentration aura, this is going to be increasing our damage and we are going to be using blessed hammer as our main damage dealer. With Blessed Hammer it might be a little difficult to hit at the start but later on you will be able to aim it better and understand the patterns of the hammers. 

ACT III

When you reach level 19-23 you are going to want to start shopping for the Staff of Teleportation. Which you are going to use for mobility since it allows you to pass through walls and barriers. The reason why you are going to want to shop before you can use it at level 24 is so that you can see all the staves with the red background and check those instead of checking everything. When you can use it then you can start equipping it on your weapon swap. 

ACT IV

There is nothing significant in this act but make sure to finish the Izual quest so that you will be able to get the extra skill points from the rewards.

ACT V

When you finish the 2nd quest of ACT V you are going to be able to receive the runes Ral, Ort, Tal. This is going to create the Ancients' Pledge rune word which you are going to want to create in the (3) socketed shield that you've been saving. In case you still don't have the (3) socketed shield you will be able to buy this from Farah in ACT II. Ancients' Pledge is going to give you strong resistances which are going to be amazing for you.

The Secret Cow Level

When you finish the game in Normal difficulty you are going to want to start farming The Secret Cow Level for a crystal sword which you are going to be using for your Spirit rune word. This is an amazing place to be able to find items and gain a lot of EXP. You can also kill The Cow King since it will no longer lock you out from The Secret Cow Level.

Nightmare

When you are ready to start Nightmare you are going to want to shop for some resistance in the form of gloves, boots, and a belt. Lightning and Fire are going to be the resistances that you are going to want to be focusing on.

When you reach The Countess in Nightmare you are going to farm her again for the following runes. 2 Tal, 2 Thul, 3 Ort, 2 Amn, 1 Sol. Now at level 25 you are going to want to create your Spirit rune word. 

You can do this by bringing your Crystal Sword to Larzuk and using his quest reward to socket it for you, make sure that the Crystal Sword was obtained from The Secret Cow Level to ensure it gives 4 sockets. 

Then insert Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn in that order to create the Spirit Runeword. This is going to be a strong rune word giving us mainly +2 Skills, + to FCR, and + to Mana. You will be able to take this all the way to Hell Difficulty.

Now while you are going through Nightmare you are going to want to find a Paladin shield and insert another Spirit rune word into it. Spirit can be inserted into shields and will give resistances instead. Make sure that when you finish the Larzuk quest in ACT V that you use it on your Paladin Shield for Spirit by inserting Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn.

When you are level 27 you are going to want to create the Lore rune word by inserting an Ort and Sol into a (2) socketed helmet. If you haven’t found a helmet then you can buy a (2) socketed Helmet from Charsie. This is going to give + to all skills, and will be giving you good Lightning Resistance.

If you find good uniques and items that you feel is a good boost for your character then you can allocate stats into strength. Make sure that your strength does not go over 60 even if some items require it, since it will no longer be worth it.

Gear Options or ALternatives:

For the weapons you can swap to the Blood Crescent Scimitar instead of using a Steel Runeword.

Death’s Hands and Death’s Guard are a good and easy set to get more attack speed before you transition to using hammers.

Blood Fist Gloves is another good alternative that gives increased attack speed.

When you transition to hammers the best armor that you can find is a Skin of the Vipermagi, giving you resistance and + to skills.

Mage Fists give you more FCR and other bonuses that you will be able to use.

Hasrus’ Iron Heel and Sander’s Riprap for FRW and Fire resistance if you are lacking.

For rings the best in slot should be a Stone of Jordan for + to skills and cannot be frozen.

For amulet’s the best in slot is a Mara’s Kaleidoscope which gives resistance, + to skills, and + to attributes.

Conclusion:

The Paladin is going to be a good choice of character to play in the early stages while you are using your Holy Fire, to burn all enemiesand you will be breezing through the game with it.You are going to have a lot of fun leveling this character andtrivializing most of the game with your Blessed Hammer and you won’t need to worry a lot since you will be able to swap your Auras around. As an endgame character you can transition her into a Zeal or Blessed Hammer Paladin. By then he is going to be powerful enough to solo most areas and even excel in boss fights as the Zeal Paladin. He will be able to farm for his own gear quickly and easily as a Blessed Hammer Paladin. All in all the Paladin is a high tier character to focus on and level for someone who likes to clear content and feel the powerful impact of his hammers and the sound of Zeal.