D2R Dragon Paladin Build Guide for Season 8

Paladins in Diablo II: Resurrected are often looked at as one-trick ponies. They either slay demons with combat skills or have their offensive auras deal with them. Typically, you only have to pick one or another, but today, we are going to talk about a rather versatile champion; one that can activate devastating auras and strike the minions of Hell at the same time!

We are, of course, referring to the Dragon Paladin. This D2R build has become one of the top contenders in Season 8. Are you curious to know why? Read on as we discover together why it is one of the best!

Why Choose the Dragon Paladin?

The Dragon Paladin, often referred to as the “Dragondin” by the Diablo II: Resurrected community, is a build that incinerates enemies with a very powerful Holy Fire (HF) aura. Normally, you would allot points to certain skills to use them. However, the D2R Dragondin actually relies on a few pieces of gear to use an even more powerful version of Holy Fire.

These items are the Hand of Justice and two Dragon runewords, specifically placed on the body armor and shield. When you have these things equipped, you will have access to a level 44 Holy Fire Aura! This amplified version of the skill is capable of scorching monsters even in Players 8 Hell Difficulty!

Now, Holy Fire deals damage in a couple of ways. When the aura is active, it pulses every two seconds or so, dealing huge amounts of fire damage to nearby enemies. This radial damage is further enhanced due to the Conviction — an aura that you activate yourself. That’s right, you can actually enable more than one aura at a time if some of them are enabled through items, which is true in this case.

Holy Fire also imbues your weapon, allowing you to deal both fire and physical damage to enemies you hack and slash. With a level 44 HF, about 5335-6350 fire damage is added with every swing!

The Dragondin is a great ladder starter in D2R mainly because you can kill enemies rather quickly with the combination of Holy Fire and Zeal. The HF we are talking about in this particular instance comes from your skills. It is only until you reach Nightmare Difficulty, that you will find that the damage may suffer a bit if you are not properly geared.

It is important to note that the Dragondin gear is a bit on the expensive side due to the high D2R runes needed to create the endgame items. Unless you do not mind farming endlessly to obtain them, you are better off heading to our D2R store to get your hands on these coveted items without going through all the hassle.

Playstyle

In the beginning, you will use Holy Fire and Zeal to eliminate your enemies. Once you have equipped the necessary gear, you can utilize Conviction Aura to lower the monsters’ resistance to fire damage. After that, simply run around in circles and let Holy Fire’s radial damage do the rest.

Because you do not wear Enigma on this build, you will have to take advantage of Charge to traverse the area you are in. If you do not want to switch skills every so often, you could just bind Charge to the left mouse button and press Shift+left-click to use it.

Always use Zeal when challenging uber bosses. The combination of the said skill, along with the level 44 Holy Fire, would make quick work of the enemy.

Stats

• Strength: Depending on gear
• Dexterity: 136
• Vitality: Spend the rest of the points here
• Energy: None

Your attribute points are going to be spread across STR, DEX, and VIT. The number of points that you allocate on Strength depends on the equipment you intend to use. For instance, if you want to wield the Vortex Shield, you need 148 STR to equip it.

For Dexterity, you will need 136 points to equip the Phase Blade. The reason for this is that this weapon does not need to be repaired at all. Take note, however, that it requires a high amount of DEX to wield. Thankfully, the points on DEX are not wasted at all since this particular attribute increases your chance to block attacks as well.

Whatever attribute points you have left should be spent on Vitality to increase your health pool. Do not worry about the lower HP compared to other D2R Paladin builds because the Dragondin has more than enough defensive layers to keep himself from dying.

Skills

• 20 points on Resist Fire
• 20 points on Salvation
• 20 points on Conviction
• 20 points on Sacrifice
• 20 points on Zeal
• Put 1 point on the following skills:
  • Smite
  • Holy Bolt
  • Charge
  • Blessed Hammer
  • Holy Shield
  • Might
  • Holy Fire
  • Thorns
  • Holy Freeze
  • Sanctuary

For a build that relies heavily on Holy Fire to defeat the minions of Hell, you might think that it is crazy to just spend a single point on this skill. Well, the explanation here is that the Holy Fire you use comes from the specific items that you will wear. You still need to get it from your skill tree because it is one of the prerequisites for Conviction Aura.

Speaking of which, Conviction Aura should be active when you have worn any of the mandatory items mentioned earlier in this D2R Dragondin Guide. This effectively reduces the enemy’s defense against physical, as well as elemental damage.

Zeal is another core component of the build. This is your best single-target damage dealer, which is why it is your most potent tool against Ubers and other challenging foes.

In terms of Sacrifice or Holy Shield, the skill points are interchangeable. It really depends on what you want to achieve. Maxing out Sacrifice means that you deal absurd amounts of damage with Zeal. However, Holy Shield makes a solid case for a skill that needs to be leveled to the max, particularly if you are more concerned about your survivability.

So really, when it comes to these two abilities, it all boils down to your preference. Do you need incredible amounts of damage that allow you to take down uber bosses without a hitch? Max out Sacrifice. On the other hand, if you want to bolster your defense, spend more points on Holy Shield.

Breakpoints

In this Diablo II Paladin guide, we advise you to only focus on two breakpoints. The first is Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), which is a gauge of how quickly you can recover after receiving a hit. Aim for at least a 48% Faster Hit Recovery since it is the most achievable on this particular Dragondin build.

The second is Increased Attack Speed (IAS). You could look at two different breakpoints depending on your capacity to obtain D2R items with the said modifier.

The IAS breakpoints that you want to hit are 24% or 54%. When you go for the former, you will hit enemies at a rate of 4.31 attacks per second (APS) using Zeal. On the other hand, the 54% breakpoint will have you strike at a pace of 4.46 APS (also with Zeal).

Despite wearing a shield, you do not really need to invest in a Faster Block Rate (FBR). This is due to the fact that Holy Shield already takes care of that for you, significantly speeding up the block animation frames from five to two. In other words, it only takes a couple of frames to successfully block attacks, thereby allowing you to block another one shortly after.

Dragon Paladin Gear Recommendations

All right, the most important of any D2R build — the gear. There is only a little room for flexibility here since three of the equipment slots are already reserved for specific items. Your main focus is to reduce enemy fire resistance and improve fire skill damage, wherever possible.

Faster Cast Rate (FCR) is not mandatory here, though it wouldn’t hurt if some of the gear you have offered this bonus.

Helmet

This D2R Dragon Paladin build can benefit from a couple of amazing helmets. The Flickering Flame is mostly used for Fire Sorceress builds, but it is actually quite useful for the Dragondin as well.

It has the power to reduce the enemy’s resistance to fire damage by about 15% (on a max roll), which makes your Holy Fire even more effective. Moreover, the +5% maximum fire resistance is great from a defensive standpoint, particularly when you are at higher difficulty levels.

While Flickering Flame is a solid option, and you cannot go wrong with it, there is a much better item in terms of the value it provides. A Diadem or a Circlet with three Rainbow Facet: Fire jewels give you even more power due to its +12-15% to fire skill damage. Since you have fire facets inserted, the resulting helmet will reduce enemy fire resistance as well.

Body Armor

It should be said that the D2R Dragon Paladin is quite gear dependent and that is evident by the body armor that this build uses in the endgame. The Dragon runeword allows you to take advantage of a level 14 Holy Fire aura when equipped. This is additive with other items that grant HF, which is why you are going to wear them too!

Aside from that, the Dragon runeword lets you summon level 15 Hydras whenever you hit enemies with Zeal. Because Zeal prompts you to hit enemies five times in quick succession, you will have the maximum number of hydras up in no time.

Weapon

Hand of Justice should be used to maximize your damage. This grants a level 16 Holy Fire aura which, when combined with two other items that have the Dragon runeword on them, allows you to harness immense power capable of dealing with any monster in Sanctuary!

This runeword requires the following D2R runes to be inserted: Sur, Cham, Amn, and Lo (in that order). Furthermore, since Hand of Justice can be placed on any weapon, we recommend the Phase Blade so that you don’t have to ever worry about repairs.

Shield

In this gear slot, you should equip a shield with the Dragon runeword on it. As to which bases are good, we recommend either the Vortex Shield (for the highest defense) or the Sacred Targe (for the highest block chance).

Weapon/Shield Swap

For the swap, you must have Call to Arms as your weapon and Spirit on the shield. With the effects of both of these items combined, you can increase the level of your skills considerably, making them even more effective.

That is the reason why you always use Holy Shield, as well as Battle Orders and Battle Command, on weapon/shield swap.

Gloves

We consider Laying of Hands as the best-in-slot gloves for the Dragon Paladin in Diablo II: Resurrected. These gloves increase your attack speed by 20%, which aids you in achieving a higher IAS breakpoint.

On top of that, it boosts your damage against demon-type monsters by a whopping 350%! In case you didn’t know, uber bosses like Uber Mephisto are considered demons. So, if you intend to make the Dragondin as your uber farmer, then these gloves are definitely a must-have!

Boots

A commonly used pair of boots for Zealers, the Gore Rider is best known for granting the ability to inflict Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, and Deadly Strike. The 200% Enhanced Defense and 30% Faster Run/Walk (FRW) that these boots provide are nice additions to the build.

There are only so many gear slots in Diablo II: Resurrected where you can put items that grant Magic Find (MF). Fortunately, the boots can roll the said bonus. That said, if you want to add some MF, go for the War Traveler instead.

Amulet

Even though “+ to all skills” on items is not really a major focus on this D2R Paladin build, it is still good nevertheless. Anyway, the Highlord’s Wrath provides +1 to all skills and 20% increased attack speed. What’s more, it gives you a much higher chance to land a Deadly Strike, which is effectively double damage in Diablo II: Resurrected.

With the bonuses that Highlord’s Wrath provides, it is no wonder that it’s quite an expensive item to get. If you lack the budget for it at this time, you could go for the alternative: The Cat’s Eye. This amulet also grants 20% IAS, albeit it does not have any % chance to deal a Deadly Strike.

Instead, it grants 30% FRW and +100 defense against melee/ranged attacks. Furthermore, the 25 DEX that this amulet provides alleviates the need to spend that many points on the said attribute. This means that you can allocate those to Vitality to increase your HP.

Rings

Once you have the mandatory pieces of gear, what next? Well, since you already have your offenses sorted out, it is now time to focus on improving your survivability. So, reserve one of your ring slots for the Raven Frost.

The Raven Frost, in case you do not know, is the only D2R item that has the very important “Cannot Be Frozen” effect. Besides that, this unique ring boosts your attack rating, which ensures that every swing of your weapon does not miss the target.

You have to introduce life and mana leech to the build somehow. Luckily, a rare ring can roll with the said modifiers. Other bonuses to look for include + to all resistances, + to mana after each kill, and + to attack rating.

Belt

Assuming that you have the double leech ring mentioned above, you could equip Verdungo’s Hearty Cord on the belt slot. This unique belt gives you up to 40 points on Vitality, so if you feel that your health pool needs a boost, this is the item you should be looking for.

Additionally, this is one of the only sources of Faster Hit Recovery that you can have. If you wish to get to the recommended 48% FHR breakpoint, wearing this is a foregone conclusion.

If you do not have the rare ring with life and mana leech, then the only other option would be the String of Ears. This grants an 8% life leech, as well as a 15% damage/magic damage reduction.

Charms

• Hellfire Torch: +3 to Paladin Skill Levels and +20 Attributes
• Gheed’s Fortune: Mainly for Magic Find
• Annihilus: +1 to All Skills and +20 Attributes/Resistances
• Small Charms: + to Maximum Damage, + to Attack Rating, + to MF, + FHR
• Sunder Charm — Flame Rift: To break fire-immune monsters

If the other D2R builds need a ton of “Skiller” grand charms to deal massive amounts of damage, the Dragon Paladin is different. Instead of “Skiller Charms,” the build benefits more from small charms that grant damage, attack rating, and MF. Small charms help you achieve the 48% FHR breakpoint as well.

Mercenary

Hire an Act 5 Frenzy Barbarian as your mercenary because he has the ability to wield a couple of one-handed weapons. Speaking of which, there are actually quite a lot of options to choose from when it comes to the weapons that your mercenary can wield.

Plague (Cham, Shael, Um) enables the mercenary to proc a level 12 Lower Resist when hit. This will make Holy Fire deal even more damage against monsters that are affected by the said curse.

Crescent Moon (Shael, Um, Tir) is another viable mercenary weapon. This runeword allows the Frenzy Barb to cast Static Field, effectively taking a considerable chunk of the enemy’s life off in the process.

Last Wish is also amazing. It grants the hireling a level 17 Might aura, which increases your damage by a mile. Moreover, the wielder could proc a high-level Life Tap skill upon striking. This is a good alternative if you do not have any life leech from your items.

The only problem with Last Wish is that it requires a few Jah Runes, which are incredibly expensive. On top of that, this runeword needs six runes to be inserted in total, these being Jah, Mal, Jah, Sur, Jah, Ber.

Do you want the Last Wish runeword so badly, but you do not have time to farm these runes yourself? Don't worry, our D2R store can provide that and more!

Here is the ideal mercenary gear for the D2R Dragondin at a glance:

• Weapon: Plague/Crescent Moon/Last Wish
• Body Armor: Treachery/Fortitude
• Helmet: Andariel’s Visage (preferably with IAS jewel)

Tips and Strategies

• Farm the Cows: The Dragon Paladin excels at killing multiple enemies at once, which is why it is the perfect character to farm The Secret Cow Level. The radial damage of a level 44 Holy Fire should be enough to deal with the killer cows.
• Focus on Reducing Fire Resistance: In most cases, you will just be running around in circles until your enemies die from Holy Fire procs. That is why it is wise to focus on “-% enemy fire resistance” when it comes to gearing your character. This is to ensure that you are getting the most out of your primary skills.
• Add FHR Charms: The ideal Faster Hit Recovery breakpoint is 48% for the Dragondin. However, there are only so many items which you can get that particular bonus from. If you need a bit more push to achieve the said breakpoint, put as many small charms with FHR as needed.
• Put CTA on a Scepter: Call to Arms can be inserted into a scepter. This allows you to use a base scepter with the Redemption aura on it. Since CTA is put on the weapon swap, you can switch to it whenever you need to top up your health and mana. Just make sure that the base weapon is of normal (white) rarity.

Final Thoughts

The D2R Dragon Paladin build is nothing new. It has been around for several ladder seasons now, but it only made headlines due to its sheer power in Season 8.

It is undoubtedly a very expensive build. However, if you get the important items, especially the two Dragon runewords and the Hand of Justice, you will be playing a Paladin build that can dispose of any entity that threatens Sanctuary!

If you enjoy our Dragondin build guide, we encourage you to try it out for yourself. After that, please share your experience with it in the comments!

PROS

• Great ladder starter with Holy Fire and Zeal as your damage dealers
• Insane damage scaling that rivals the Auradin in terms of clear speed
• Very tanky despite the relatively low health pool for a Paladin

CONS

• Requires very expensive items
• Highly gear dependent
• Very low Magic Find chance compared to other builds