Blessed Hammer Paladin Build Skills for Diablo 2 Resurrected

This section goes over your ideal skill build. You can see it pictured immediately below in our skill calculator, and then we also provide you with a listed progression.

1. Skill point 1: to Smite, prerequisite for Charge and Holy Shield
2. Skill point 2: to Might, prerequisite for Blessed Aim and Concentration
3. Skill point 3: to Prayer, prerequisite for Cleansing, Vigor, Meditation, and Redemption
4. Skill point 4: to Holy Bolt, prerequisite for Blessed Hammer
5. Skill point 5: to Defiance, prerequisite for Vigor and Redemption
6. Skill point 6: to Blessed Aim, prerequisite for Concentration and synergy for Blessed Hammer, will be maxed out later
7. Skill point 7: to Charge, mobility and prerequisite for Holy Shield
8. Skill point 8: to Cleansing, prerequisite for Vigor, Meditation, and Redemption
9. Skill point 9: to Vigor, mobility, prerequisite for Redemption, and synergy for Blessed Hammer, will be maxed out later
10. Skill point 10: to Concentration, damage for Blessed Hammer while active, will be maxed out later
11. Skill points 11 through 16: to Blessed Hammer (up to skill level 6), primary skill
12. Skill point 17: to Holy Shield, will be maxed out later
13. Skill point 18 (optional): to Meditation, Mana recovery
14. Skill points 19 through 24: to Blessed Hammer (up to skill level 12)
15. Skill point 25 (optional): to Redemption, life and Mana recovery
16. Skill points 26 through 33: to Blessed Hammer (up to skill level 20)
17. Skill points 34 through 52: to Vigor (up to skill level 20)
18. Skill points 53 through 71: to Blessed Aim (up to skill level 20)
19. Skill points 72 through 90: to Concentration (up to skill level 20)
20. Skill points 91 through 109: to Holy Shield (up to skill level 20)
21. Leftover, optional, as well as some of the skill points typically allocated to Holy Shield may also be allocated to one of the elemental resistance auras (Resist Fire, Resist Cold, Resist Lightning); every other skill point provides a hidden passive +1% bonus to the respective maximum elemental resistance of each aura, even while inactive.

Due to its rarely resisted Magic-type damage, Blessed Hammer is one of the few skills that can be used on its own throughout the entire game. In the unlikely event of an encounter with Undead-type Magic immune monsters, Holy Bolt is a serviceable substitute even as a 1-point skill thanks to its powerful 50% synergy with Blessed Hammer. For non-Undead, you will have to rely on Smite, your Mercenary, or party.

Function-wise, Blessed Hammer is an iconic skill for its rather unique flight trajectory. Upon cast, it creates a projectile directly north of the Paladin, regardless of his current facing direction. Blessed Hammers do not move with the Paladin; the projectiles instead spiral away from the Paladin's location at the time of the cast in a clockwise direction, performing approximately three revolutions before disappearing. Blessed Hammers pierce enemies, allowing individual projectiles to damage multiple foes, but they cannot hit the same enemy twice even if that enemy moves in their path again. Blessed Hammers are destroyed on contact with environment, making them ineffective in tight spaces.

There are two main ways of using Blessed Hammer. The first and fastest method simply involves moving directly next to an enemy and begin casting immediately, treating Blessed Hammer much like a melee attack. This technique is particularly useful against ranged monsters that do not naturally move towards you and thus require a more aggressive approach. This approach is also favoured in tight areas where Blessed Hammers are likely to be destroyed by nearby walls before hitting monsters.

The second method involves "pre-casting" a number of Blessed Hammers to create a figurative minefield of projectiles before luring nearby monsters. While slower, this technique is safer and particularly useful in areas populated with dangerous melee monsters such as the Secret Cow Level.

Due to a hidden bonus, Concentration bestows half of its listed "Damage: +%" to Blessed Hammer; skill level 1 Concentration provides Blessed Hammer with a 30% damage increase, half the value listed in the tooltip of the aura. This bonus to Blessed Hammer is exclusive to Concentration; other auras such as Might and Fanaticism do not provide any damage bonus to Blessed Hammer despite having a similar wording.