Diablo IVSanctuary guide

Class · Lord of Hatred

Paladin

Holy warrior: shield, sword, auras and an Oath. Resource: Faith. Core stat: Strength. Requires Lord of Hatred.

Lord of Hatred

Checked September 29, 2026 · patch 3.2.2 · Season 15

How the Paladin plays

One of the tankiest classes, playable as a melee brawler or a ranged caster depending on the build. At level 15 you pick an Oath, which sets your class identity.

Oaths and Auras

The four Oaths are Zealot (fast hits and Fervor), Juggernaut (armor, block and thorns), Judicator (Judgement marks that enemies detonate) and Disciple, whose Arbiter form turns you into a fast angelic fighter. Auras and Block Chance are central to survival.

Archetypes

The main ways this class is built today.

  • Zealot

    Zeal and Divine Lance with the Zealous Joust variant: multi-hit melee with attack speed.

  • Juggernaut

    Blessed Shield with the Shield of Retribution variant, Clash and thorns.

  • Judicator

    Judgement builds and Blessed Hammer variants.

  • Disciple and Arbiter

    Arbiter form with Blessed Hammer and Argent Veil for speed.

Strengths

  • Very durable, with good options for both leveling and farming.
  • Shield of Retribution is near the top of Maxroll's push list and Mobalytics' leveling list.
  • Full-quality treatment from Blizzard: Oaths and Core skills were a focus of the 3.2.1 changes.

Trade-offs

  • Needs Lord of Hatred.
  • Trails the top classes for high Pit and Tower pushing: Icy Veins reported that after two weeks no Paladin had cleared Tower 150, and tier sources disagree widely on Blessed Hammer and Zeal.

Season 15 and patch 3.2.1

Blizzard's own notes are marked Patch; community reports are marked Meta.

  • Patch Blizzard's note: Paladin has fallen behind other classes in the late game, so the updates aim to lift the class through buffs and bug fixes to Core skills and Oaths.
  • Patch Damage per 10 Strength rose from 1.25% to 1.625%.
  • Meta Icy Veins reported (about two weeks into the season) that Warlock still led while Paladin had not yet cleared Tower 150.

Legacy Uniques usable by the Paladin: In-Geom (one-handed sword), The Furnace (two-handed mace) and Messerschmidt's Reaver (two-handed axe), plus the four every-class Uniques.

Uniques Blizzard changed in 3.2.1

Cathedral Song, X'Fal's Corroded Signet. These are the Unique items listed for this class in the patch notes, not a ranking. Patch

Paladin builds we track

Each one shows where Maxroll, Mobalytics and Icy Veins place it.

Open these in the build list