Paladin
NEWThe Paladin is one of two Lord of Hatred (April 2026) additions: a holy warrior who fights through radiant strikes, hurled shields and battlefield auras. In its first full season it lands at A-tier, with strong, D2-flavored builds that reward players who lean into its Oath and Aura identity.
Role
Holy melee frontline / support
Core Mechanic
Devotion to one of four Oaths, which reshapes your playstyle, combined with Aura skills that project persistent buffs and damage around you.
PvE Tier
PvEAPlaystyle
A Lord of Hatred (April 2026) class: a holy-warrior frontliner that mixes melee strikes with light-based buffs and team support. Rates A-tier for endgame push in Season 14.
Recommended Builds
Auradin
Full guide →D2-style aura killer — deals damage through Auras rather than direct hits, using the Disciple Oath's Arbiter form.
Blessed Shield
Full guide →"Captain America" build hurling shields with righteous fury to explode large groups.
Blessed Hammer
Full guide →Leveling build spinning holy hammers around you — a fast, forgiving start using the Disciple Oath.
Key Aspects & Uniques
- Dawnfire — Gloves unique that turns Holy Light's passive into growing Fire damage around you.
- Sundered Night — Two-handed axe that makes Aura casts trigger Consecration and raises Aura Potency — core to Auradin.
- Griswold's Opus — Alternative one-handed weapon enabling a sword-and-shield Paladin setup.
- Aspect of Holy Punishment — Amplifies your holy-damage output for the aura and hammer packages.
Strengths
- +Durable holy frontliner with strong self-buffs and party auras.
- +Aura-based builds passively damage everything while you reposition.
- +Distinct Oath choices give the class real build variety at launch.
Weaknesses
- −Newer class with a thinner, still-maturing build pool than the veterans.
- −Top aura builds depend on specific uniques (Dawnfire, Sundered Night) to peak.
Why This Tier
A-tier: a strong, tanky debut with genuinely good aura and shield builds, but its top-end push and build depth haven't yet caught the established S-tier classes.
Skills