The Blessed Hammer Paladin, commonly known as Hammerdin or Hdin, has been a staple build in Diablo 2 for many years. It excels at sniping Elite monsters, as well as a large majority of the game’s activities. The Hdin’s main damage Skill is Blessed Hammer, which deals Magic Damage. This is an ideal damage type considering the extreme lack of Magic Immune monsters throughout Diablo 2. The hammers have an additional advantage of dealing 150% damage to Undead and Demons, making it an amazing Chaos Sanctuary farmer. Blessed Hammer is always paired with Auras such as concentration making it ideal for group play. For survivability, the Hdin utilizes Holy Shield to greatly increase Defense and Chance to Block. Holy Shield also has a hidden mechanic which drastically speeds up the block animation, making it extremely useful.
Very Tanky ✔ Almost No Immunes ✔ Great for Magic Finding ✔ Easy to Learn Difficult to Master ✔ With Variations it Can do Any Content ✔
❌ Bad in Narrow Areas ❌ Repetitive Skill Actions ❌ Gear Takes Time to Acquire ❌ Can Feel Clunky Without Teleport ❌ Early Game Positioning Takes Effort
Sunder Charm Setup
This build does not benefit from the new Sunder Charm because the Hammerdin only deals Magic Damage. There is no way to further reduce the Magic Resistance of monsters sundered by black cleft. Leaving you with only a negative effect, and they still take virtually no damage.
Terror Zones
The new Terror Zone mechanic combined with Sunder Charms open up a wide range of farmable areas. The following list highlights the best and worst Terror Zones for this build on the Starter or Budget setup. With the Sunder Charm Setup, more Terror Zones become accessible. Learn more about Terror Zones here and see how they stack up in our Terror Zone Tier List.
Put 1 Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Charge 2. Smite 3. Cleansing 4. Redemption 5. Salvation 6. Fanaticism
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. Blessed Aim 3. Concentration 4. Vigor 5. Holy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Damage
Blessed Hammer* is your main damage Skill and deals Magic Damage. It spirals outward from your character starting from the 9 o’clock position, rotating clockwise around you two and a half times before dissipating at the 2 o’clock position. It does 150% damage to Undead and Demons.
Concentration* Aura gives you and your allies additional damage for Blessed Hammer and Physical Damage Attack Skills. It also has a 20% chance to not get interrupted when you attack or cast.
Holy Shield* is needed at all times as it boosts your Chance to Block and Defense. It also has a hidden mechanic which drastically speeds up your block animation.
Vigor* provides you and your party with Velocity which increases movement speed separate from Faster Run/Walk. This is great in town or quickly walking over to pick up items and click objects. It also gives additional Stamina and Stamina regeneration.
Charge* is a mobility Skill that knocks back enemies in its path. This Skill works well combined with Vigor for extra movement speed.
Redemption* is an optional Skill Point that can save a lot of potions and deal with annoying revives or corpse explosion. It “redeems” nearby corpses to give you Mana and Life for each corpse redeemed. This Aura works strictly for you and not your allies.
Cleansing* reduces the duration of negative effects for you and your allies, such as Curses or Poison.
Smite* hits an enemy with your Shield and Stuns it. This is a unique Skill that always hits a target in range, regardless of Attack Rating.
Fanaticism* Aura grants Attack Rating, Damage, and Attack Speed to you and all allies. It is optional, but only costs 1 Skill Point. In the hybrid variation of Hdin this is an important Skill.
Salvation* is an optional single Skill Point investment that can greatly boost all Resistances except Poison for you and your allies.
Resist Lightning* is a passive Skill that raises Maximum Lightning Resistance.
Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants can require a different allocation!
Strength
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Strength your gear provides when equipped.
Dexterity
Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to reach max Chance to Block (75%). More Dexterity is needed at higher character levels. In addition to Dexterity and character level, shield bases also affect Chance to Block.
Vitality
Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity and Energy requirements.
Energy
Don't allocate any Stat Points into Energy. This build gets enough Mana from gear, buffs, Charms, and Mana Potions.
Essentials
Gear Options
While every Stat in the Desirable Stats column is useful for this Build, we highlighted the Priority Stats in Teal so you can review the recommended Items and more easily identify the Most Important Stats on them.
Hover over any Item in the Item Options to see a pop-out with the full Item description.
Gear/Base Notes: Any Items with specialized or niche uses have a superscript that refer to a Note listed here. 1) Sacred Targe is the recommended base for a low Strength requirement to wear and a low Dexterity requirement to hit 75% Chance to Block. 2) Nature's Peace is great for farming Nihlathak as it prevents him from using Corpse Explosion against all the monsters that you kill. (Excludes Mercenary kills).
Slot
Item Options
Desirable Stats
Weapon
Heart of the Oak Flail Wizardspike Astreon's Iron Ward Suicide Branch Spectral Shard Spirit Crystal Sword Scepter of the Apprentice
+x to All Skills +x to Combat Skills (Paladin Only) +x to Paladin Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x Mana X Resist +x%
Level x Redemption Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x to Paladin Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Weapon-Swap
Call to Arms War Scepter Blade of Ali Baba Gull Staff of Teleportation
+x to All Skills +x tobattlecommand +x tobattleorders +x tobattlecry Level x Teleport [x/x Charges] +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+x to All Skills +x to Paladin Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Helmets
Harlequin Crest Crown of Ages Rockstopper Lore Rare Diadem
+x to All Skills +x to Paladin Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Body Armors
Enigma Skin of the Vipermagi Skullder's Ire Principle Smoke Stealth
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life X Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Gloves
Magefist Chance Guards Bloodfist Trang-Oul's Claws Garnet Gloves of Fortune
+x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Boots
Waterwalk Sandstorm Trek War Traveler Aldur's Advance Rare Boots
+x % Faster Run / Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery X Resist +x% +x Life +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Amulets
Mara's Kaleidoscope Seraph's Hymn Telling of Beads Caster Crafted Amulet
+x to All Skills +x To Paladin Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x Life +x to Attribute All Resistances +x X Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Rings
The Stone of Jordan Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band Nagelring Nature's Peace2 Dwarf Star Wisp Projector Rare Ring Fortuitous Ring of Fortune
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x Life +x Mana +x to Attribute All Resistances +x X Resist +x% +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Charms
Grand Charm Large Charm Small Charm
+x to Combat Skills [Paladin Only] +x % Faster Run / Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life X Resist +x% +x to Attribute +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Unique Charms
Gheeds Fortune Hellfiretorch (Paladin) Annihilus
+x to All Skills +x to Paladin Skill Levels +x to all Attributes All Resistances +x x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Reduces all Vendor Prices x%
Farming Spots
The areas below are efficient farming locations that make use of the build’s strengths. Other farming spots might not be as effective due to immunities or bad layouts.
Anything that has a ✔ in the "Starter" column can be farmed with the Starter Variant.
Your Mercenary serves an incredibly important role to the overall success of your build. They can be a front line tank, provide a pivotal Aura, and/or deal Physical Damage to kill enemies with Immunity to your Skill set.
Act 2 Desert Mercenary
The Act 2 Desert Mercenary is hired from Greiz. He can be equipped with a Spear or a Polearm, a Body Armor and a Helmet. Every Act 2 Mercenary has access to an Aura and uses Jab as his base Attack. The Aura activates once the Mercenary has engaged in combat and remains active between traveling to and from town. The Auras available are based on what difficulty you hire the Mercenary from.
Holy Freeze Insight
Holy Freeze Insight
Insight, Holy Freeze
Use a Desert Mercenary with Holy Freeze Aura for its powerful Crowd Control. A Mercenary with Might Aura isn’t used, since we don’t rely on his damage or benefit from the Physical Damage increase. Equip him with Insight for the high Mana Regeneration provided by Meditation Aura.
Mercenary Gear Options
Your Mercenary needs maximum Resistances, Life Leech, a high damage Weapon, and high Defense and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive reliably. Cannot Be Frozen is also a great stat for maintaining Mercenary DPS and leech. Ethereal gear is preferred since it doesn't lose durability.
Slot
Early-Game
Mid-Game
End-Game
Weapon
Insight
Insight
Insight
Body Armor
Smoke Lionheart Goldskin Rockfleece
Treachery Duress Shaftstop The Gladiator's Bane Duriel's Shell Guardian Angel
Fortitude Treachery Chains of Honor Jeweler's Sacred Armor of Stability Shaftstop Duress
Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest Guillaume's Face Vampire Gaze Crown of Thieves Stealskull Kira's Guardian Rockstopper
Andariel's Visage Andariel's Visage Guillaume's Face Guillaume's Face Vampire Gaze
The Mercenary is hard to keep alive until you have the minimum gear recommended in this guide. Remember you can drag Healing Potions onto the portrait, or shift + 1/2/3/4 to directly feed them a Healing Potion from your Belt. The Mercenary also gains bonus Resistances from Thawing Potions and Antidote Potions.
If your Mercenary dies in battle, you can revive them from any of the Mercenary NPCs in each Act. This does come with an increasing cost, capping at 50,000 Gold. Keep that in mind and decide if the Mercenary is currently worth the cost.
Playstyle
General
Prior to combat, cast Holy Shield.
Use Vigor anytime you or your party are moving around town or without Teleport.
After the distance gap is closed, switch to Concentration Aura and cast Blessed Hammer through mobs to deal Magic Damage.
Avoid throwing hammers close to walls, as they disappear upon hitting them. Also try to avoid killing mobs over an edge if possible, as they don't drop items.
Against dangerous or numerous enemies, you can create a “hammer field” around an area for the mobs to walk through. Keep a bit of distance while casting to kite monsters into their doom!
In the early game, you can use Salvation against monsters that use Conviction to keep you and your allies' Resistances up.
Briefly switch to Cleansing to remove negative effects on you or your party.
Weave Redemption in and out after killing a group of monsters if Life or Mana is needed.
Black Cleft Sunders enemy Magic Immunity, but is not recommended.
Late-Game
At the beginning of each run, buff yourself by swapping to Call to Arms and cast Battle Command 2 times, followed by Battle Orders. Cast Holy Shield on the Weapon Swap that gives you the higher Skill Level. Make sure these buffs stay active all the time, because they are essential to your survivability.
Use Teleport from Enigma to close the gap between you and your enemies or just "Telestomp" them. Get a Staff of Teleportation staff and use Charge and Vigor to position yourself.
Breakpoints
Breakpoints in Diablo 2 are the minimum values required to reduce the frames of an action. Below are the important breakpoints considered for this build. For more information on the mechanics involved, check out our in-depth Resource: Breakpoints.
Faster Cast Rate (FCR)
Faster Cast Rate speeds up your casting animation for spells. Aim for the 75% or 125% FCR Breakpoint. Note: FCR only controls the animation speed of the Character, and not any internal Cooldowns spells have.
Frames
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
FCR
0
9
18
30
48
75
125
Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
Faster Hit Recovery increases survivability. Aim for at least the 48% FHR Breakpoint.
Frames
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
FHR
0
7
15
27
48
86
200
Faster Block Rate (FBR)
Faster Block Rate does not need to be obtained for this build. Holy Shield already reduces the block animation to 2 frames through a hidden mechanic.
Frames
2
1
Holy Shield FBR
0
86
Hardcore
For all Hardcore gameplay, your primary concern is increasing your Resistances, Damage Reduction, Chance to Block and Life pool. This can mean sacrificing overall power Level for a more secure playstyle.
This build is Hardcore viable. If you are unaccustomed to this playstyle, we recommend trying this build on Softcore to gain experience on how to successfully pilot it.
Build Variants
Starter
Standard
Magic Find
Ubers
High Investment
Hardcore
Setup
The Starter Variant of the Blessed Hammer Paladin relies heavily on Skills and Faster Cast Rate to deal damage. Lore, Stealth, Spirit Crystal Sword, and Spirit Targe are easily obtainable sources of these stats. Life, Resistances, and Faster Hit Recovery are also great stats to help your starter setup.
Mercenary
To keep your Mercenary alive, equip him with a Body Armor and Helmet that provides Resistances and Life. Insight is a fairly easy Runeword to find that gives a great amount of damage and Quality of Life with Meditation. Hire the Holy Freeze Aura Mercenary to gain extra Crowd Control.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Charge 2. Smite 3. Cleansing
Max out the following Skills in order of priority: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. vigor 3. Concentration 4. blessed aim 5. Holy Shield
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to equip your gear. Put remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
The Standard Blessed Hammer Paladin is well-rounded in speed, survivability, damage, and Magic Find. Important Breakpoints: 75% or 125% FCR. This build with the Spirit Sacred Targe and Rune Circle Ring enables you to reach the 125% FCR breakpoint and travel to your destination as fast as possible for a Paladin as well as output the most damage per second (dps). Alternatively, you can utilize a Herald of Zakarum with an Ist Rune and a second Fortuitous Ring of Fortune to run higher Magic Find and damage per hammer, but overall less dps than this build.
Mercenary
Hire a Holy Freeze Aura Mercenary for Crowd Control. Equip him with Insight Giant Thresher for Meditation to keep your Mana Pool full. Andariel's Visage and Fortitude Sacred Armor fill in everything else you need from damage to survivability.
Skills
Put 1 Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Charge 2. Smite 3. Cleansing 4. Redemption 5. Salvation 6. Fanaticism
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. Blessed Aim 3. Concentration 4. Vigor 5. Holy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip your gear. Put enough points into Dexterity to maintain 75% Chance to Block with Holy Shield active. Remaining Stat Points go into Vitality.
Setup
This variant focuses on squeezing out as much +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (MF) as possible while having swift mobility at the expense of some damage. Hunting Elite packs on Players 1 is the ideal playstyle for this setup. Important Breakpoints: 125% FCR. Our most important items for this variant are Wizardspike, Spirit Sacred Targe, and Arachnid Mesh.
Mercenary
This variant is designed for a lower player count, so stack +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items by items by equipping items such as Stealskull and Chains of Honor Sacred Armor on the Mercenary. Note: Magic Find on your Mercenary is added to your own when they kill an enemy.
Skills
Put 1 Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Charge 2. Smite 3. Cleansing 4. Redemption 5. Salvation 6. Fanaticism
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. Blessed Aim 3. Concentration 4. Vigor 5. Holy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip your gear. Put enough points into Dexterity to maintain 75% Chance to Block with Holy Shield active. Remaining Stat Points go into Vitality.
Setup
Swap Guillaume's Face and Chains of Honor Archon Plate pieces with your Mercenary. Important pieces are Grief Phase Blade for damage, Dracul's Grasp for a source of LifeTap and x% Chance of Open Wounds, and Raven Frost for Cannot be Frozen.
Playstyle
Swap in Treachery and activate the Fade buff for 15%Damage Reduction and +60 All Resistances for 288 seconds. You can proc this buff on the fire next to the River of FlameWaypoint.
Use Smite for PhysicalDamage to kill bosses and monsters. Use Blessed Hammer for MagicDamage to kill trash mobs.
Use Enigma to Teleport from place to place (you can store it inside your cube or on your Mercenary).
Mercenary
The Mercenary is using our Enigma and Harlequin Crest while we are wearing his Guillaume's Face and Chains of Honor. Note: Make the Mercenary's Chains of Honor in a non-Ethereal base.
Skills
Alternative Option: Invest only 1 Skill Point into Fanaticism and move the rest into Resist Lightning for the passive Maximum Lightning Resist. This helps against Uber Mephisto's Conviction, one of your biggest threats.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Holy Shield 2. Charge 3. Smite 4. Cleansing 5. Redemption 6. Salvation
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. Blessed Aim 3. Concentration 4. Vigor 5. Fanaticism
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put enough points into Dexterity to maintain 75% Chance to Block with Holy Shield active. Remaining Stat Points go into Vitality.
Setup
The High Investment variant is an alternative setup (not necessarily better) for well-funded players looking for a change. This build uses Phoenix Sacred Targe for Redemption to sustain Mana and Life and increase our Maximum Fire and Lightning Resistances. Important Breakpoints: 75% FCR and 48% FHR.
Mercenary
A big change with this build is hiring an Act 1 Mercenary with Ice Matriarchal Bow. Insight from and Act 2 Mercenary is no longer needed for Mana sustain due to Phoenix Sacred Targe. Holy Freeze Aura is still provided by the Ice Matriarchal Bow. Vampire Gaze and Treachery Archon Plate fill in everything else you need, from damage to survivability.
Skills
Put 1 Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Charge 2. Smite 3. Cleansing 4. Salvation 5. Fanaticism 6. Resist Lightning (2 Points for passive bonus)
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. Blessed Aim 3. Concentration 4. Vigor 5. Holy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to equip your gear. Also put enough points into Dexterity to maintain 75% Chance to Block with Holy Shield active. Remaining Stat Points go into Vitality.
Setup
For Hardcore gameplay, prioritize having high over-capped Resistances to maintain the maximum when affected by hostile Conviction Auras. You want high Damage Reduction (47%) while maintaining 75% Faster Cast Rate and high + to Skills on gear. Also prioritize Life over x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items for survivability.
Mercenary
Hire a Holy Freeze Aura Mercenary for Crowd Control. Equip him with Insight Giant Thresher for Meditation to keep your Mana Pool full. Andariel's Visage and Fortitude Sacred Armor fill in everything else you need from damage to survivability.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Charge 2. Smite 3. Cleansing 4. Redemption 5. Salvation 6. Fanaticism
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Blessed Hammer 2. Blessed Aim 3. Concentration 4. Vigor 5. Holy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to equip your gear. Also put enough points into Dexterity to maintain 75% Chance to Block with Holy Shield active. Remaining Stat Points go into Vitality.
Keep your Holy Shield buff up at all times! Battle Command and Battle Orders are also important if you have crafted a Call to Arms War Scepter.
Whenever casting Blessed Hammer make sure Concentration is on to deal maximum damage.
Put enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough Dexterity for max Chance to Block (75%). The remaining Stat Points go into Vitality.
Position yourself well during combat using kiting, "telestomping," and "hammer fields" to take down your enemy. Pay attention to the enemy’s positioning, Elite Affixes, and Auras.
We hope you enjoy this build! It can be fun and rewarding especially once you get practiced with it. There is nothing like destroying monsters with good positioning and kiting them through your freshly made hammer fields! Good luck!
Credits
Updated and Maintained by Jymnasium Originally Written by BTNeandertha1 Reviewed by Lexyu