What is a paladin in Diablo 2?
The Paladin is one of the most popular classes in Diablo II. It is a powerful melee character that can also use holy magic to damage enemies and heal itself and others.
The Paladin has high hit points and strong armor, making it an excellent choice for a beginning player. If you choose to play a Paladin, you’ll want him to have a wide range of skills and spells, but you’ll also want him to be able to deal out plenty of damage with his sword or mace.
One way to ensure your Paladin gets all of these benefits is by using certain runewords. These are words made from rune stones that can be placed inside weapons or armor, providing special properties for the item.
There are many runewords in Diablo 2, but here are some of the best ones for a Paladin:
Rift: A low-level runeword that creates a weapon with great elemental damage. It’s particularly useful against fire and cold enemies.
Vortex: Another low-level runeword that has less elemental damage but gives great life leech and mana leech stats, which means you can use your mana to cast spells more often without running out as quickly. It also has good magic find.
Diablo 2 Paladin Runewords
The best Paladin runewords in Diablo 2 are arguably the most powerful runewords in the game. It’s a pretty subjective topic, but I think we can all agree that runewords are a lot of fun and that the Paladin is one of the most versatile and effect classes in Diablo 2.
We’ll go over the top 8 best Paladin runewords in this article, but first let’s talk about what makes a good runeword for a Paladin.
Diablo 2 Paladin Runeword Basics
For Paladins, I think it’s safe to say that Vitality and Strength are the two most important attributes. A few points in Dexterity will help as well, but more than anything else, you need to stack as much Life and Defense as you can get.
Another great attribute is +% Enhanced Damage. This attribute applies to all kinds of weapons, including bows and crossbows, so any kind of ED is great for a Paladin build.
Best Paladin Runewords
Here is my list of the top runewords for paladins:
Enigma (Jah + Ith + Ber)
- +2 To All Skills
- +45% Faster Run/Walk
- +1 To Teleport
- +750-775 Defense
- + (0.75 Per Character Level) +0-74 To Strength (Based On Character Level)
- Increase Maximum Life 5%
- Damage Reduced By 8%
- +14 Life After Each Kill
- 15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
- + (1 Per Character Level) +1-99% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based On Character Level)
Fortitude (El + Sol + Dol + Lo)
- 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling armor when Struck
- +25% Faster Cast Rate
- +300% Enhanced Damage
- +200% Enhanced Defense
- +15 Defense
- +X To Life (Based on Character Level)
- Replenish Life +7
- +5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
- All Resistances +25-30
- Damage Reduced By 7
- 12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
- +1 To Light Radius
More Options:
- Pride – polearm with +2 to skill levels and a chance to cast conviction aura when attacking.
- Insight – staff with +resists, mana regen and +2 to all skills.
- Doom – polearm with 20% ias and a chance to cast amplify damage on an enemy when you hit them.
Best budget Paladin Runewords
Treachery (Shael + Thul + Lem)
- 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Fade When Struck
- 25% Chance To Cast level 15 Venom On Striking
- +2 To Assassin Skills
- +45% Increased Attack Speed
- +20% Faster Hit Recovery
- Cold Resist +30%
- 50% Extra Gold From Monsters
Smoke (Nef + Lum)
- +75% Enhanced Defense
- +280 Defense Vs. Missile
- All Resistances +50
- 20% Faster Hit Recovery
- Level 6 Weaken (18 Charges)
- +10 To Energy
- -1 To Light Radius
Stealth (Tal + Eth)
- Magic Damage Reduced By 3
- +6 To Dexterity
- +15 To Maximum Stamina
- Poison Resist +30%
- Regenerate Mana 15%
- 25% Faster Run/Walk
- 25% Faster Cast Rate
- 25% Faster Hit Recovery