Paladin build: choose a route that fits

Choose the route for your current character

These are conditional routes assembled from the original client’s talent descriptions. Check prerequisites and the points you have already spent in the game before following an endpoint. ^[1]

Route	Talents to inspect	What makes it work	Condition that changes the choice
Protection	Hallowed Ground → Ardent Defender → Hammer of the Righteous	Hammer of Justice can trigger Consecration; the shield route connects defence with damage. Hammer of the Righteous adds maximum-health scaling and a burst when a shield breaks.	Damage while shielded and damage on shield break are different conditions. Do not count both as permanently active.
Retribution	Critical-hit interactions → Divine Storm	A separate direction for Exorcism-related burst rather than the health-and-shield plan.	Critical-triggered effects need actual critical hits. A defensive gear setup does not automatically supply the offensive trigger rate.

What to prioritise during the run

1. Check the opening spell after changing talents. If the shield branch changes it to Hammer of Justice, draft around that start.
2. For Protection, choose effects that keep the shield/health engine relevant before adding a disconnected damage branch.
3. For Retribution, establish the critical-hit and Exorcism interaction before evaluating more conditional burst.
4. If a run ends to sustained contact, compare recovery and shielding first. If the character survives but cannot finish a boss, invest in damage that reaches the boss.

This is an editorial choice order, not a guaranteed card sequence. The offered upgrades and your current permanent investment still determine which step is available. ^[1]

When the intended build is not ready

Without the shield-start milestone, Consecration is the baseline opening. A later-game retaliation example can depend on maximum health and permanent gear that a new character lacks. Take a survivable route now rather than copying an end-state allocation by name.

Before changing the whole plan, identify the failure: no room to move, too little recovery, or too little damage on the target. Change the part that addresses that failure, then compare another run with similar talents and equipment.

Check the starter and trigger before copying a build

Baseline starter: Consecration. Talents can replace it; use the route conditions above rather than treating this as the opening for every developed character. ^[1]

Do not replace the original’s start with an old reconstruction’s Hammer of Wrath. The documented Protection milestone changes the opening again, so always state the talent condition.

Record the game version, zone, difficulty, selected capstone, permanent equipment and the card that changed the run. Comparing two different progression states cannot establish that a single spell was better. Use the meter carefully →

Holy: Holy Shock and periodic holy bursts

Divine Favor changes the opener to Holy Shock and adds jumps. Daybreak links Holy Shock criticals to a free Holy Wrath, while Light’s Grace adds periodic Holy Wrath.^[1]

1. Check whether Divine Favor is allocated before planning a Holy Shock start.
2. Support the Holy Shock and critical interaction you actually have; this differs from shield-break damage.
3. Take suitable defence if you cannot stay alive to deliver those casts.

This is an editorial route decision from the preserved snapshot, not a complete legal point allocation or measured best build. Inspect prerequisites and gates →^[1]