Fist of Heavens FOH Paladin Build Guide D2R 2.7

The Paladin is a well-rounded class in Diablo II: Resurrected and there are certainly a lot of popular builds out there. One of them utilizes a particularly awesome skill that actually deals two types of damage, making it a prime choice for whenever you are dealing with damage-immune monsters.

If Blessed Hammer is too clunky for you, then you are probably going to be interested in the FoH Paladin. FoH is short for Fist of the Heavens, which deals lightning damage and magic damage.

So, if you are looking for a build that you can take well into the endgame, then do read further. This is our ultimate FoH Paladin D2R guide!

Build Introduction

This build utilizes the Paladin skill, Fist of the Heavens. For the purpose of this guide, we will refer to this skill as FoH since that is what the D2R community calls it anyway.

Fist of the Heavens is one of the most unique skills in Diablo II: Resurrected primarily because it deals two different types of damage.

Whenever it is cast, the initial bolt from the heavens deals lightning damage to the main target. After that, four Holy Bolts will scatter and deal magic damage to monsters that are nearby.

Unlike the original Holy Bolt, the resulting Holy Bolts from Fist of the Heavens do not heal you or your allies. This is a fair compromise given the damage output of the said skill.

How does this compare to the other popular Paladin build that uses Blessed Hammer? Although that build deals a massive amount of damage, the nature of the spiraling hammers might make it a bit clunky whenever you are fighting a single monster.

We highly recommend the FoH Paladin because Fist of the Heavens can be concentrated on a particular target. Furthermore, you can supplement your attacks with the actual Holy Bolt skill if you need more single-target damage.

All of the skills that you need will be discussed in the relevant section of the build guide.

Gameplay

Attacking Skills

For this particular build, you have three attacking skills at your disposal. Your main damage dealer is, of course, Fist of the Heavens. This skill deals two different damage types, making it an incredible choice for dealing with monsters that have natural damage immunities.

If you are fighting bosses, you can actually use Smite as this does not require any attack rating at all. Plus, the skill itself can stun enemies without a problem. Although you only allocate a single point on Smite, you could spend a bit more if you like the skill.

The last skill that you can use on the FoH Paladin is Holy Bolt. When used as is, the resulting projectile can heal allies by a considerable amount, which makes it a good option to improve your Mercenary's survivability at higher difficulty levels.

Movement

In the early game, you could utilize Vigor to give you a considerable amount of Stamina to run around the map. Ultimately, however, you will wear Enigma to grant you the ability to teleport.

While 75% FCR is enough to make Teleport feel comfortable to use, you could reach the higher breakpoint of 125% Faster Cast Rate to reduce the animation frames for the said skill to just nine (rather than 15).

Survivability

The Paladin is an amazing class in Diablo II: Resurrected because of the different defensive and offensive auras in his kit. Thus, if you want a character that can take a beating, then look no further than the FoH Paladin!

Defiance is an aura that increases your defense considerably. Even though you only spend one point on this skill, items that give "+ to all skills" will do the heavy lifting, so it is still a good aura to activate if you want to improve your survivability. This is especially true if you do not have access to good gear just yet.

When you do Chaos Sanctuary runs, you will most likely suffer from curses cast by the monsters in that area. To reduce the duration of these curses, do not forget to activate the Cleansing Aura until they are gone.

At higher difficulty levels, you will incur a resistance penalty, where all of your resistance to most damage types will be reduced by a significant amount. For this reason, do not forget to employ Salvation Aura to rectify the situation.

Holy Shield is an incredible way to bolster your defense as well. Activating this skill will also help you achieve a one-frame block animation, which makes you survive longer on the battlefield.

Party and Solo Play

With the plethora of auras available that he can use on a whim, the FOHdin is a blessing to all of his party mates. In fact, he is capable of carrying an 8-player party in Chaos Sanctuary runs because of his versatility and unmatched capability of decimating the minions of Hell, making him a valuable addition in group play.

If you prefer solo play in Hardcore Difficulty, you will not have problems at all because this class is incredibly tanky and tough to beat!

Magic Find

The FOHdin is capable of reaching absurd levels of Magic Find. In fact, with enough investment, you could reach 600% MF, which rivals that of Sorceress builds in D2R.

Take note that if you invest in Magic Find, you might sacrifice a bit of your overall damage as a result. However, this is a fair compromise given that you have a much higher chance of obtaining rare items in the process.

Stats

• Strength: Put enough points to satisfy gear requirements
• Dexterity: Spend enough points to reach 75% block chance (w/ Holy Shield)
• Vitality: Dump all of your remaining points here
• Energy: Leave it

The amount of points that you spend on both strength and dexterity really depends on your gear requirements. For maximum survivability, especially in Hardcore Difficulty, achieving a 75% block chance is imperative. However, you have to cast Holy Shield before you spend points on DEX to attain the block cap so you do not end up allocating more than you need.

The rest of the points should be spent on vitality to increase your life significantly. This is a no-brainer regardless of whether you are going for a complete damage build or the Magic Find route.

Skill Points

• Core Skills:
• 20 points on Fist of the Heavens
• 20 points on Holy Bolt
• 20 points on Conviction Aura
• 20 points on Holy Shock
• Prerequisites, Put 1 point on the following:
• Prayer
• Defiance
• Cleansing
• Vigor
• Salvation
• Might
• Holy Fire
• Thorns
• Holy Freeze
• Sanctuary
• Sacrifice
• Zeal
• Vengeance
• Conversion
• Smite
• Charge
• Holy Shield
• Blessed Hammer
• Spend the remaining points on Resist Lightning

For your core skills, you have Fist of the Heavens as your primary skill, which is then supplemented by Holy Bolt and/or Smite. FoH deals two types of damage; magic and lightning. Holy Bolt synergizes with the former by providing 15% magic damage per level. On the other hand, Holy Shock adds 7% lightning damage to FoH's initial hit, which explains why you spend 20 points on the said skill.

Conviction is your main aura for the FOHdin. When this aura is active, the defense and resistances of nearby monsters are reduced significantly. This allows you to deal significant amounts of damage with Fist of the Heavens, Smite, and Holy Bolt.

Holy Bolt, in particular, can be used offensively and defensively. As you play Diablo II: Resurrected at the higher difficulty levels, your Mercenary will die often, especially if they are still not well-equipped. You can use Holy Bolt to heal them instead of dropping Healing Potions to do the same.

Conversely, Holy Bolt can be utilized if you are fighting against Uber Bosses or tough monsters. The skill is particularly powerful against undead monsters, which this game has no shortage of.

Despite the fact that you only put one point on Smite, it can still be a handy tool when dealing with Uber Bosses. That is because this skill does not require you to have any attack rating at all. In other words, Smite never misses! You could put some of the points from Resist Lightning to Smite if you want to give it a bit more oomph in damage.

Speaking of which, Resist Lightning has a passive effect where every two levels give you 1% to maximum lightning resistance. The only reason why the remaining skill points that you have are spent here is so that you can hedge against the significant decrease in lightning resistance if you decide to use the Sunder Charm, Crack of the Heavens.

We said "decide" here since this build does not heavily rely on the said Sunder Charm because of Fist of the Heaven's dual damage types. However, we will not stop you if you incorporate Crack of the Heavens in your setup.

Playstyle

The FOHdin is incredibly easy to play. Start by activating your Conviction Aura. This should make your enemies much easier to kill due to the heavy defense and resistance reduction.

After that, simply spam Fist of the Heavens and let its inherent AoE damage deal with huge groups of monsters. If you are fighting bosses, use Holy Bolt for better single-target damage. Smite is a viable alternative, particularly if you want to stun the enemy for several seconds to give you some breathing room.

When you have body armor with the Enigma Runeword on it, cast Teleport until you reach your destination. If you do not have access to this yet, stick to Vigor Aura for all of your movement needs.

Breakpoints

If you are new to Diablo II: Resurrected, you should know that the game outputs 25 frames per second. Each action in the game, whether you are casting a skill or blocking an attack, requires multiple frames to complete.

Having said that, you can reach certain breakpoints to reduce the amount of frames required for a specific action to finish. For the FoH Paladin, you have three breakpoints that you need to address.

The first is Faster Cast Rate or FCR. Fist of the Heavens, Holy Bolt, and Teleport are affected by this particular modifier. Ideally, you want to reach the 125% FCR breakpoint to significantly reduce the frames needed for the aforementioned skills to complete, from 15 frames down to just nine. If 125% is too steep, you can go for the 75% breakpoint instead (10 frames).

The second is FHR, better known as Faster Hit Recovery. Every time you receive an attack that takes 1/12 of your total life away, you will suffer from "hit stun." During this period, you will be unable to move, thus making you vulnerable to subsequent attacks.

Faster Hit Recovery just makes it so that you can recover from the hit stun animation much quicker. The most attainable FHR for this build is 48%, which reduces the hit stun frames from nine to five. However, if you can push to 86% FHR, the said animation only takes four frames to complete. Just keep this in mind when it comes to deciding what gear you are going to wear.

Lastly, you have FBR or Faster Block Rate. As the name implies, this tells you how quickly you can recover from blocking the enemy's attack. The good news is that you are using the Paladin - a class that has access to Holy Shield.

When you cast Holy Shield, you only need 86% FBR to reduce the block animation frame down to just one.

For more information about this topic, please refer to our Paladin Breakpoints guide.

Fist of the Heavens (FOH) Paladin Gearing

The FOHdin can work with budget gear, though the build does require a heavier investment if you want to use it well into the endgame. In each of the following sections, we will provide you with different options that suit your budget. You can never go wrong with our recommendations! Without further ado, let's get started!

Helmets

• Griffon's Eye
• Crown of Ages
• Harlequin Crest

When it comes to helmets, there are actually a few viable options you can take. Griffon's Eye is a fantastic helmet for this build mainly because of the modifiers that are on there.

For starters, nearby enemies will have their lightning resistance reduced by up to 20%, so getting a perfectly rolled Griffon's Eye is a must.

On top of that, the initial hit of Fist of the Heavens, which deals lightning damage if you have forgotten, is amplified by this piece of gear by up to 15%.

Of course, you have the ever-reliable "+1 to all skills" and +25% Faster Cast Rate, making Griffon's Eye a solid choice for the FoH Paladin!

If you want a more defense-oriented helmet, then feast your eyes in the Crown of Ages. This helmet provides you with a considerable increase in resistances and that 30% FHR ensures that you can get back right on your feet after suffering from a devastating attack.

If you are not sold on that, Crown of Ages also reduces the damage you take by up to 15%. This helmet can roll with a couple of sockets, so if you happen to get a socketed version of this, you can insert two Ber runes for an additional 16% physical damage resistance!

During farming runs with a party, the Harlequin Crest is the best in slot. This is a staple among MF builds mainly for that 50% boost in Magic Find. Besides that, you get +2 to all skills, and +148 to both life and mana, assuming that you get a well-rolled "Shako," that is.

Body Armors

• Enigma
• Principle
• Skullder's Ire
• Skin of the Vipermagi

Before we divulge our top picks for body armors, we must first talk about Runewords (RW). If you are new to Diablo II: Resurrected, Runewords are formed by slotting a specific combination of runes into a piece of gear. You have to insert the runes in the order they are mentioned. Otherwise, you will get equipment that does not have a complete Runeword, resulting in a wasted investment.

That said, a body armor that has the "Enigma" Runeword on it is the best in slot for the FOHdin. That is because this RW gives you the ability to cast Teleport, which used to be a Sorceress-exclusive skill. Teleport is a godsend, particularly when you start farming endgame content like Uber Tristram or the Chaos Sanctuary.

Aside from that, Enigma contains a suite of useful modifiers, including an 8% damage reduction, a 5% increase in maximum life, and up to 99% MF, among others.

Because of Enigma's usefulness, the combination of runes (Jah, Ith, Ber) is quite expensive to obtain, so do bear that in mind.

If you do not have the high runes or currency to trade for the "Enigma" runes, don't worry. There are a few others that are worth your investment.

Principle is Runeword which is probably made specifically for the FoH Paladin. That is because it not only raises the level of your skills by two but it boosts your damage against the undead as well.

Although the Ral, Gul, and Eld runes needed to form this Runeword are not exactly affordable, they are a bit less pricey compared to the runes needed for Enigma, making "Principle" a good alternative indeed.

Skullder's Ire is a common body armor used by those who want to have a high MF percentage. This thing can roll up to 123% Magic Find, which is one of the highest that you can find in the game.

What's more, Skullder's Ire is a solid choice because it also provides you with defensive modifiers, such as +200% Enhanced Defense and -10 magic damage reduction. Because this body armor repairs its durability by one point every five seconds, it just makes sense to get an Ethereal version of this to get the best possible defense rolls.

Okay, what if you do not want the ability to Teleport? Maybe you just want a fast-attacking character that can destroy any monster in D2R. If that is the case, Skin of the Vipermagi is definitely something worth considering.

This unique body armor boasts the highest FCR value of all armor in the game. If you are not sold on that, this thing contains other useful mods, including +1 to all skills, -13 magic damage reduction, and +35 to all resists!

Weapons

• Hand of Blessed Light
• Heaven's Light
• Astreon's Iron Ward
• Azurewrath
• Heart of the Oak
• Suicide Branch
• Spirit

There is no shortage of amazing weapons you can equip for this build. If there is one weapon that was made specifically for the Fist of the Heavens, it would be the Hand of Blessed Light.

This unique scepter not only raises the level of FoH by two, but it also boosts Holy Bolt's level by four. Talk about impeccable synergy! That's not all! This thing increases the Paladin's skill levels as well. As a result, Fist of the Heavens becomes more devastating because of that four-point level boost, and Holy Bolt will have no problems slaying the undead due to that six-point increase!

If you cannot acquire the Hand of Blessed Light for some reason, then Heaven's Light is the next best thing. Aside from increasing your skill levels by three, this unique scepter increases your damage against the undead by 50%. Furthermore, this weapon gives you a considerable chance to land a Crushing Blow, which quickly depletes the enemy's life in the process.

This next weapon is slightly more expensive than the previous one but Astreon's Iron Ward deserves to be mentioned in this build guide. This thing allows you to deal massive amounts of magic damage, even more so when you are fighting against undead monsters.

Moreover, this thing boosts your combat skills by up to four points, making Holy Bolt and Fist of the Heavens very potent against zombies and skeletons. And oh, it enables you to deal a Crushing Blow as well.

While we're on the topic of quelling the undead, Azurewrath is another weapon you can look into. There is a reason why Izual wields this unique sword and that is mainly due to its 270% Enhanced Damage, +1 to all skills, and that all-important level 13 Sanctuary Aura.

Since you do not invest a ton of points in the said aura skill, you will find great benefits in using Azurewrath, particularly if you do not have the means of acquiring the more expensive weapons on this list.

Achieving a 125% FCR is a tall order, but not if you can wear items that give you a huge bonus in this stat. Heart of the Oak, aka HOTO, is famous for providing you with a 40% boost in Faster Cast Rate.

Aside from that, Heart of the Oak is an incredible weapon that you can use in the endgame, especially when fighting against the Uber Bosses. That is because this weapon allows you to deal 75% more damage to demons.

It is important to note that Heart of the Oak requires the use of expensive runes, such as Ko, Vex, Pul, and Thul. However, if you manage to get a hold of these, HOTO will certainly not disappoint!

Fist of the Heavens is, without a doubt, a very potent skill to use in D2:R. But, it does require you to spend a considerable amount of mana on every cast. Suicide Branch is a unique wand that helps address that by increasing your maximum mana by 10% when equipped. HOTO and the other weapons mentioned above are expensive, so if you are on a budget, Suicide Branch is definitely there for the taking.

Do you want a weapon for your FoH Paladin that contains both FCR and FHR? If so, look no further than Spirit! This is a Runeword that grants up to 35% Faster Cast Rate and 55% Faster Hit Recovery.

There is a reason why this RW is popular and that is because of its other bonuses, including +112 mana, +8 magic absorption, and 7% life steal, among many others. If you love using Runewords so much and you have a relatively good budget, then Spirit is the ideal choice for sure!

Shields

• Herald of Zakarum
• Ancient's Pledge
• Spirit

You are a warrior of Zakarum. As such, you should be wearing items that allow you to pay homage to your clan. The Herald of Zakarum is a staple for combat Paladins due to that +4 to skill levels.

The "HoZ," as others would call it, is a shield that boasts impressive defensive stats as well, including 30% FBR, 30% block chance, and +50 to all resists. Therefore, the Herald of Zakarum is an incredibly well-rounded shield that is worth wielding!

As you get into the Nightmare and Hell Difficulties, your resistances will certainly take a plunge. You should make it a point to reach that resistance cap of 75%, otherwise, your enemies will have no problems taking you out!

Thankfully, there is a wide assortment of defense-oriented shields in the game that you can use to improve your chances of survival. That said, a shield with the Ancient's Pledge Runeword is definitely one of them.

The Ancient's Pledge is an RW that provides huge increases in cold, fire, lightning, and poison resistance. Additionally, you get +50% Enhanced Defense, which factors into the equation with the other pieces of gear you have equipped.

Since you will get hit more often than not, you can take full advantage of the mana recoup this Runeword provides.

Anyway, you will use the Ral, Ort, and Tal runes and insert them into a shield with three sockets.

The "Spirit" Runeword returns here; only this time, you will insert the Tal, Thul, Ort, and Amn runes into the Sacred Targe.

If you are wondering why you should use the Sacred Targe as the base, that is because it boasts the highest block chance among all auric shields in Diablo II: Resurrected.

Weapon Swap

• Call to Arms

Switch Weapon or Weapon Swap are terms used by the D2R community to refer to a weapon that you can use solely to take advantage of buffs and other useful effects. In other words, the switch weapon is different from the one you equip in your main hand.

Having said that, Call to Arms is a very popular Runeword primarily because it allows you to cast Battle Command, Battle Orders, and Battle Cry. If you do not want to be bothered to cast all three, then at least use the first two.

Call to Arms requires the following runes: Amn, Ral, Mal, Ist, and Ohm. Insert these into a five-socketed weapon, preferably on a Crystal Sword for its relatively low attribute requirements.

Shield Swap

• Spirit
• Lidless Wall

You are probably wondering why Spirit is an option for the shield swap. Well, you only really need it here for its "+2 to all skills" because that also affects the skill levels of Battle Command and Battle Orders.

If you cannot afford a second "Spirit" shield, then you can go for the Lidless Wall for the time being. This shield raises your skill levels by one and has a 20% FCR as well. Opt for this one if you are on a budget.

Gloves

• Magefist
• Trang-Oul's Claws
• Chance Guards

When you look at the options available to you for the gloves slot, you might find them odd considering that they were originally meant for other builds. However, they still provide you with a number of things that make your character flourish. Take the Magefist as an example.

Originally meant as a solid choice for Fire Sorcs, Magefist is actually not bad when utilized by the FoH Paladin. Its 20% FCR aids you in achieving that 125% breakpoint more easily. Besides that, the gloves offer a 25% mana regeneration, which definitely helps with the high mana cost of Fist of the Heavens and Holy Bolt.

Trang-Oul's Claws come from a set that is meant for the Necromancer class. However, that does not mean that they cannot benefit you. Just like the Magefist, these gloves give you that very useful 20% Faster Cast Rate. If you need a boost in defense and cold resistance, Trang-Oul's Claws are an excellent choice!

If you want to get a ton of gold starting at Nightmare Difficulty, then the Chance Guards are definitely a must-have. The gloves give you up to 40% Magic Find, but more importantly, you gain 200% extra gold from slaying monsters. Due to the modifiers that are on these gloves, the Chance Guards can be worn well into the endgame!

Boots

• Sandstorm Trek
• Silkweave
• Gore Rider
• Aldur's Advance
• War Traveler

Sandstorm Trek is considered by many D2R players as the BiS boots for many builds. That is mainly because of the bonuses these things provide. They grant +15 STR/VIT, +99 Stamina, and 20% Faster Hit Recovery, so there goes your defensive stats.

Because of the possibility of being Ethereal, the Sandstorm Trek greatly improves your defense. And, you do not even have to worry because these boots naturally repair themselves.

The Silkweave is often overlooked by many, but these boots actually contain some very useful bonuses, including a 30% faster run/walk speed (or FRW), a +200 defense against missile attacks, and an increase in maximum mana by 10%.

These boots also allow you to recover your mana equal to 10% of the damage you have received recently. What is there not to love?

If you are using either Heaven's Light or Astreon's Iron Ward, then you should definitely consider wearing the Gore Rider. These boots increase your chance of landing a Crushing Blow by 15%. On the defensive side, the Gore Rider is no slouch because it grants you up to 200% Enhanced Defense.

If you only care about being tanky so that even the fiercest monsters cannot penetrate your tough exterior, then you have Aldur's Advance to aid you in that.

These boots are the only pair that grants the highest FRW value of 40%. However, if you do not want to run away from a fight, this thing increases your HP by 50 points, which may not seem much on the surface, but it all adds up when you factor in your other gear. Additionally, that huge 50% boost to fire resistance cannot be ignored.

While all of the above-mentioned boots have something awesome to offer, nothing can beat the War Traveler in the endgame. You see, most of your time in Hell Difficulty is spent farming highly coveted stuff, which is why Magic Finding characters are quite common at higher difficulties.

War Traveler is impressive for providing you with a 50% Magic Find bonus, assuming that you are able to get your hands on a perfectly rolled pair of boots.

If you are not sold on that, these boots have other modifiers that you might fancy, including 25% FRW, +10 STR/VIT, and +25 damage.

Belts

• Arachnid Mesh
• Thundergod's Vigor
• Rare Caster Belt with FCR and FHR
• Goldwrap

Do you want a belt that you can rely on? If you only want the best item for this slot, then the Arachnid Mesh definitely takes the crown. This is the only unique belt in Diablo II: Resurrected that gives "+1 to all skills" and a 20% Faster Cast Rate. The other modifiers are just icing on the cake.

As we've mentioned earlier in the build guide, you do not need the Sunder Charm, Crack of the Heavens, for this build. Sure, enemies might be immune to the skill's initial bolt of lightning damage, but they are taken care of by the subsequent Holy Bolts that pop out.

However, this does not mean that you cannot use Crack of the Heavens, especially if you want every bit of FoH to deal damage to the intended target.

If you are going to put the said Sunder Charm in your inventory, then you can wear Thundergod's Vigor to address its negative effect.

This thing raises your maximum lightning resistance by 10%, which is actually insane given that this only takes up one equipment slot. On top of that, you gain +20 lightning absorption, meaning, every time you receive lightning damage, a portion of that heals you. Thanks to this, you become impervious to the said damage type!

In addition, you get a sizable boost in both strength and vitality, increasing your life pool as a result. If there is one thing that we critique about this belt, specifically when used on the FOHdin, is that you cannot utilize the +3 to Lightning Fury and Lightning Strike since these skills are exclusive to the Amazon class.

But if you can overlook that, Thundergod's Vigor is actually not bad for this build!

If you do not mind crafting your own equipment, you can actually take advantage of a Horadric Cube recipe that will result in a rare belt with FCR and FHR. To do this, grab a Sharkskin Belt or a Vampirefang Belt and then put it inside the cube along with an Ith rune, a Perfect Amethyst, and any jewel of your choosing. After pressing "Transmute," you should have something like this:

Although you cannot benefit from the 10% increased attack speed that is offered by the last belt on this list, you will still find the Goldwrap pretty useful nevertheless. This unique belt gives you a 30% Magic Find, which is not bad at all, particularly when you have other pieces of gear with MF on them. When you have this on, you will gain up to 80% extra gold from monsters as well.

Amulets

• Mara's Kaleidoscope
• Seraph's Hymn
• Crafted Amulet with +2 Paladin Skills and FCR

A longtime staple for many builds in Diablo II: Resurrected, Mara's Kaleidoscope is a no-nonsense amulet that only gives you what you need. Wearing this amulet grants +2 to all skills, +30 to all resists, and +5 to all attributes. Seriously, you cannot go wrong with Mara's Kaleidoscope!

To complement your other gear that boosts your damage against the undead, you have Seraph's Hymn. This unique amulet also grants +2 to all skills, but its main selling point is that it increases your damage against undead and demon-type monsters as well. It also gives you the added benefit of illuminating the area you are in thanks to its +2 bonus to light radius.

Even though there is no problem wearing Seraph's Hymn or Mara's Kaleidoscope when playing the FoH Paladin, you could also craft a rare amulet with +2 to Paladin Skills and Faster Cast Rate.

To get the "+2 to Paladin Skill Levels," you must be at least level 93 to gamble for the base. Once you have acquired a suitable amulet, place it inside the Horadric Cube along with a single Ral rune, a Perfect Amethyst, and any jewel of your choosing. When successful, you should have something like this:

Rings

• Raven Frost
• Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
• The Stone of Jordan
• Wisp Projector
• Rare Caster Ring with FCR

With only two ring slots to work with, you will have a hard time choosing between all of the amazing rings available in Diablo II: Resurrected. But, don't worry! We have you covered!

One of your ring slots can be reserved for the Raven Frost. There is a reason why Raven Frost is very popular in the game. This is due to its effect where you are immune to being frozen when you have the ring equipped.

The 20-point increase in dexterity that this ring offers is also very useful in helping you reach the block cap of 75%.

The other ring slot can be populated with either Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band or The Stone of Jordan. Both offer "+1 to all skills," so it is up to you whether you want more life (former) or more mana (latter).

If you are adamant about putting the Crack of the Heavens Sunder Charm in your inventory, then replace the aforementioned rings with the Wisp Projector. That is because this unique ring is the only one in this slot that provides you with 20% lightning damage absorption. This alone resolves the huge decrease in lightning resistance that is inherent in the said Sunder Charm.

Take note that the Wisp Projector, although very useful for the FOHdin, is incredibly rare. So, if you want to obtain one, get your high runes ready because you will need a lot of them in order to buy this amazing ring.

When you have enough Magic Finding gear equipped, you will have a significant chance of acquiring some highly coveted items, such as this rare ring with Faster Cast Rate and a bevy of resistances:

Charms

• Paladin Hellfire Torch
• Annihilus
• Gheed's Fortune
• Crack of the Heavens (optional)
• Small Charms with Magic Find and All Resists
• Grand Charms with +1 to Combat Skills and Life

Charms are items in Diablo II: Resurrected that grant a variety of bonuses. These bonuses are active so long as you have the charms in your inventory.

That said, there are a few unique charms that you need to obtain right away. The first is, of course, the Paladin Hellfire Torch. This unique charm is a reward for completing the Pandemonium Event.

You will actually acquire one that is unidentified. Once this thing drops, you have the option of identifying it yourself or selling it to another player. We advise you to do the latter because you might have gotten a Hellfire Torch that is specifically meant for another class after using the Identify Scroll.

Annihilus is always an incredible charm to add to your inventory no matter what build you are playing in D2R. This thing grants you +1 to all skills, up to 20 attributes, and it also comes with +10% to experience gain. The last one makes Annihilus one of the only items in the game that offers that bonus other than Ondal's Wisdom.

Whether you are building a solid Magic Find character or not, you will still find incredible value by putting Gheed's Fortune in your inventory, and we certainly suggest that you do so.

The rest of your inventory can be populated with a combination of small charms and grand charms that offer +1 to combat skills, life, Magic Find, and all resists.

Mercenary

In Diablo II: Resurrected, you can actually hire a Mercenary to aid you in combat. Having said that, the Act 2 Desert Mercenary is the ideal choice, mainly for his high survivability and his knack for killing the minions of Hell. Let's go over the best gear for your hireling, shall we?

Mercenary Gear

Helmet

• Stealskull
• Crown of Thieves
• Vampire Gaze
• Guillaume's Face

In the early- to mid-game, you can have your Mercenary wear a couple of helmets that are bang for the buck. The core premise of the items you will have your hireling wear is to boost their survivability and killing potential. Stealskull takes care of both.

With 10% increased attack speed (IAS), 5% life/mana leech, and up to 50% Magic Find, the Stealskull is an impressive choice until you can get your hands on some better gear.

Another awesome budget helmet for the Act 2 Mercenary is the Crown of Thieves. This thing probably got its name by offering up to 12% life leech, which helps improve your hireling's survivability immensely. Sure, it doesn't have IAS, but it makes up for it by increasing life, as well as providing up to 200% Enhanced Defense.

Even though both of the helmets are incredible for the Act 2 Merc, you will ultimately transition to either Vampire Gaze or Guillaume's Face.

Vampire Gaze is the one to go for if you value more defense than offense. When worn, your hireling will take 20% reduced damage from physical attacks. Moreover, this helmet offers a 15% magic damage reduction, which is definitely helpful in higher difficulty levels.

Also known as "GFace," Guillaume's Face is definitely the go-to option for more offense-oriented Mercs. This helmet not only enables your hireling to land a Crushing Blow, but it allows them to deal a Deadly Strike as well.

Body Armor

• Fortitude

Despite being a Runeword on a piece of body armor, Fortitude is famous in the game for offering +300% Enhanced Damage. With this thing equipped, your Mercenary will undoubtedly turn into a bonafide demon slayer!

Do not worry about its defensive prowess because Fortitude has that covered as well. This thing grants +200% Enhanced Defense, +30 to all resists, and a slight damage reduction.

Our only gripe with Fortitude is that this Runeword requires some expensive runes, such as El, Sol, Dol, and Lo. Be that as it may, Fortitude is certainly worth the investment!

Weapon

• Insight

The Fist of the Heavens Paladin is a build that is constantly starved for mana. That is until you have the means to address the huge mana consumption. One way to rectify that is by having your hireling use a weapon with the Insight Runeword on it.

Insight is famous for providing the wielder the ability to activate Meditation Aura. Although your Paladin certainly has the said aura, for the most part, you will have Conviction Aura enabled to help boost your damage against the minions of Hell.

Now, when you are putting the Ral, Tir, Tal, and Sol runes into a suitable two-handed weapon, you might have a chance of rolling a lower-level Meditation Aura. If you have the money, do this a number of times until you achieve that highly coveted level 17 MA for a huge boost in mana regeneration!

Conclusion

The FoH Paladin rivals the Blessed Hammer Paladin in terms of damage output. Fist of the Heavens takes care of most of the enemies in the game due to its dual damage types. The initial hit deals lightning damage and the resulting Holy Bolts deal magic damage, so enemies do not have a chance to escape!

This build is a godsend in group play because of that high-level Conviction Aura. The FOHdin is capable of defeating enemies in solo play as well because of its impenetrable defense and awesome damage prowess.

There are really no holes in this build other than the fact that it requires a huge investment. So much so that most of your time will be spent farming the highly coveted items.

But, what if you do not want to go through the hassle of farming items yourself? What if you just want to grasp the power right off the bat without jumping through hoops? If the answer to these questions is yes, then we have some good news for you!

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