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Today, we’re witnessing the resurrection of a truly Godly Paladin build—one that’s packed with immense resistances, damage reduction, and an incredible balance of power and defense. Let’s get into the specifics of this build and break down what makes it so special.

Blessings and Gratitude

Before we dive in, a quick word to my supporters. Blessings to my patrons, may your fortunes be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and your families thrive. Links are in the description for all who wish to support the Diablo Research Institution. Now, let's jump into this Paladin build—one that surpasses previous iterations by leaps and bounds.

Overview of the Build: The Unstoppable Paladin

This Paladin has been tailored to maximize resistances, damage reduction, and magic damage reduction. What makes this build stand out? Let me start by showing you the stats that are frankly jaw-dropping:

· Fire Resist: 95%

· Cold Resist: 95%

· Lightning Resist: 95%

· Poison Resist: 90%

Achieving these numbers is no small feat, and it requires careful planning of gear and skill points. The secret behind this resist-heavy build lies in a few key pieces of equipment and some lesser-known mechanics involving base resist skills. If you invest skill points into Resist Fire, Resist Cold, or Resist Lightning, every two base points will increase the maximum resistance cap by 1%.

Gear Breakdown: Maxing Resistances and Damage Reduction

Let’s talk D2R Items. The foundation of this build relies on carefully chosen equipment that focuses on maximizing resistances and damage reduction. Here's a breakdown of the gear:

1. Guardian Angel Armor (with Ber Rune):

  o Provides +15% to maximum poison, cold, lightning, and fire resistances.

  o Ber Rune adds 8% physical damage reduction.

2. Crown of Ages (with two Ber Runes):

  o Adds 30% faster hit recovery, +1 to all skills, and two open sockets.

  o With two Ber Runes, this helmet caps off your physical damage reduction, allowing you to hit the 50% cap.

3. String of Ears Demonhide Sash:

  o Offers 15% physical damage reduction and life leech. This belt is a must for reaching the damage reduction cap.

4. Gerkes Sanctuary Pavise (with Mal Rune):

  o Provides an additional 25 magic damage reduction and 30% to all resistances.

  o The Mal Rune further reduces magic damage by 16.

5. Highlord's Wrath Amulet:

  o Though it may seem like an unconventional choice over Mara's Kaleidoscope, Highlord's brings 20% increased attack speed, deadly strike, and +1 to all skills, making it an offensive powerhouse.

6. Gore Rider Boots:

  o These boots give 30% faster run/walk, 15% deadly strike, and 50% chance of crushing blow—perfect for dealing with tougher enemies.

7. Dwarf Star Rings:

  o For this build, twin Dwarf Stars are equipped for the fire absorb and additional magic damage reduction of 15%.

8. Grief Phase Blade (Perfect Roll):

  o This weapon is one of the best in the game, boasting 400 flat damage, 40% increased attack speed, and deadly strike. It turns the Paladin into a wrecking ball, especially when paired with Fanaticism.

Achieving 95% Resistances

Let’s talk about how you actually hit those incredible 95% resistances. The key here is in stacking skills and gear bonuses. Guardian Angel boosts your maximum resistances by 15%, and the Crown of Ages adds further survivability. By investing in the resist auras (Fire, Cold, Lightning), you raise your resist caps, and the remainder is filled by charms and base resist gear.

For poison resist, the base is a bit lower at 90%, but with the right charms and equipment, it’s still extremely high. The combination of physical damage reduction (50% cap) and these near-perfect resistances makes your Paladin practically immune to elemental damage.

Magic Damage Reduction: A Hidden Gem

Here’s where the magic happens (pun intended). Many players overlook Magic Damage Reduction (MDR), thinking it only applies to raw magic damage. But based on research—yes, verified by the most trusted source, Reddit—MDR reduces all incoming elemental damage before your resistances are applied.

For example, if you’re hit by a 100-damage lightning attack and you have 50 MDR, you only take 50 damage. After your 95% lightning resist kicks in, you’re only taking 2.5 damage. The Paladin in this build has over 70 MDR, which means it can soak up massive elemental damage from monsters like Council members with ease.

Testing the Build: Battle Against the Council

To test this build, I took the Paladin to Travincal to face the Council on Players 8 difficulty. Known for their dangerous fire and lightning attacks, the Council can shred even the toughest characters. But with 95% fire and lightning resistances, 54% physical damage reduction, and 70 magic damage reduction, this Paladin barely felt the heat.

Even the Hydras, notorious for their relentless fire attacks, were like a breeze. The Grief Phase Blade turned the Paladin into a literal Toad, smashing through enemies while Fanaticism boosted attack speed and damage output.

Alternate Gear: Absorb Gear for Further Resilience

For those who want to take this build to an even higher level of tankiness, consider switching out the rings for Wisp Projector and Raven Frost to add lightning and cold absorb. You could also throw on a Rising Sun Amulet for fire absorb. With these items, your Paladin could reach a point where he absorbs more elemental damage than he takes, effectively healing from attacks.

Skill Distribution

This build is based around Fanaticism for its damage and attack speed bonuses. A one-point Zeal is all you need, as Grief’s massive damage output and Fanaticism’s bonus make up for the lack of invested skill points. Here's a quick rundown of the skill allocation:

· Fanaticism: Maxed for increased attack speed and damage.

· Zeal: One point, the rest goes into Sacrifice for synergy.

· Resist Fire, Resist Cold, and Resist Lightning: Invest points here to increase maximum resistance caps.

· Holy Shield: Not maxed in this build, but still provides crucial block rate and defense.

Conclusion: The Ultimate Paladin Tank

This Paladin build is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a complex but incredibly rewarding setup, offering extreme survivability with high damage output. With capped resistances, massive physical and magic damage reduction, and the brute force of Grief, this Paladin is built to handle the toughest challenges in Diablo 2: Resurrected.