Introduction:

Well, here he is. Probably the most powerful melee build for any paladin. Very effective in both PvP and PvM and can tank most things head-on. Main attacks will be Charge, Zeal, and Smite, but we will discuss these later.

The Build:

Strength: As with most builds, sink in as much strength you need to wear your heavest equipment. No more or less is needed here.

Dexterity: At least 200 is essential. More dexterity = more blocking which in return gives a better chance for surviving massive attacks.

Vitality: Everything you can spare!

Energy: Zero, zip, zilch, absolutely unneccesary. Leave it as it is.

Smite: Smite is an extremely useful skill when you find yourself starring into a character with insane amounts of defense and blocking. Smite can't be blocked, ignores targets defense (works in PvP and PvM), knocks them back and stuns them for a short period of time. Sadly, smite can't leech life or mana from your victims. 10 points here.

Charge: Charge is yet another useful skill. Unevadable even by the quickest enemies and deals massive damage to your victims. If charge doesn't kill them right away, it will stun them long enough to finish them off. BEWARE! Charge is an extremely buggy skill, and quite often you will find yourself standing still, unable to move or attack. This will get you killed, I guarantee it. 10 points into charge.

Zeal: Effective against non-shielded melee enemies in PvP and just about anything in PvM. The second Zeal becomes available to your paladin, sink in an immediate 4 points into it. This will give you the 5 hitting limit. No more or less goes into Zeal.

Vengeance: Terribly slow and easily absorbed and resisted skill. What use does it have to us then? Well, the only particular use this skill will have is that it can take down Phsyical Immune monsters in a matter of seconds. 1 point in Vengeance will serve you well.

Holy Shield: I just cant stress enough how badly you will be needing this skill! Holy Shield will boost your paladins defense, block rate, and smite damage into the stratosphere and looks damn good too! 20 points is a must, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Fanaticism: More damage, attack speed and attack rating. What more could you possibly ask for? 20 points into Fanaticism.

Salvation: When facing elemental enemies, you will often find your paladins health globe dropping down into a pulp in a matter of seconds. This is where Salvation comes in. Gives you an insane boost in resists but at the price of losing Fanaticism. 1-5 points in Salvation.

Defiance: Defiance will prove its usefulness in PvP. Though the aura itself wont be of much use to you, it's the fact that it gives your Holy Shield a defense boost is what makes this skill a must. Defiance comes in handy when your stuck in a charge lock or if your enemy has you in a stun lock. It will keep you protected until you have a chance of breaking free from the lock. 10-20 points into Defiance.

Prerequisites: One point into every prerequisite you will need to access the skills I listed above.

The Items:

Shield:

Rich Paladins: "Exile" Kurast Shield is an absolute must if you can afford one. Insane smite damage and defense will get the job done faster than anything else you can get your hands on. Plus its even got a Defiance aura of its own! Now THATS what I call a shield.

Normal Paladins: Upgraded Herald of Zakarum. Period. No exceptions should be made.

Poor Paladins: Alma Negra is shield you should aim for. If you can't afford one, try getting a rare Kurast Shield or Sacred Targe with some good stats on it. Otherwise make an "Ancients Pledge" with one of those shields. Avoid the Vortex Shield! Though it may have high max smite damage, it also has very low minimum smite damage, which kills the average damage you will dish out.

Armor:

Rich Paladins: Enigma, Chains of Honor, Stone, Templars Might, or any armor with insane amounts of defense will do. I would personally recommend going with upgraded Guardian Angel because of the defense and +15% max resists. Socket with Um, Ber, or Cham rune.

Normal Paladins: Guardian Angel is what you should aim for. Otherwise, aim for Shaftstop.

Poor Paladins: Any armor with high defense will do. Corpsemourn is what you should aim.

Helms:

Rich Paladins: Harlequin Crest is the single best helm you can get. The +2 to skills will boost your smite damage by a bundle and the extra life and mana and the 10% DR make this helm a must. Socket with Um, or Ber rune.

Normal Paladins: Same goes for you guys, Harlequin Crest.

Poor Paladins: Here are some of the choices you have: Vampire Gaze, Andariels Visage, Blackhorns, Crown of Thieves and so on. Some rare circlets can give good stats as well.

Belt, Gloves and Boots:

Rich Paladins: Draculs Grasp for gloves because the % chance to cast Life Tap is the only chance you have of leeching life off your enemies with smite. Also the Open Wounds will guarantee your enemies life plummiting. Upgraded Gore Riders for boots, for the obvious stats and Verdungo's for a belt. Aim for 15% DR on the belt.

Normal Paladins: Same goes for you guys, Draculs, Gore Riders and Verdungo's or String of Ears.

Poor Paladins: Getting Draculs shouldn't be a problem for you guys. For boots, if you can't afford Gore Riders, get Waterwalk or Sandstorm Treks. String of Ears for a belt is a nice thing to have.

Weapons:

Before I start listing what you should wear, I'd like to point out one little thing. Smite speed is heavily depended on weapon speed so aim for something that is FAST. Reaching the maximum 6fps smite speed should be no problem if you follow what I say.

Rich Paladins: "Doom" berserker axe/war spike will give you the 6fps speed and also some good damage for zeal and charge, but the most useful thing is the "Holy Freeze" aura it gives when equipped. This will give you a HUGE advantage in PvP.

Normal Paladins: Heavens Light. Aim for one with 3 to skills and 2 open sockets and stick in one shael rune in it. Just one shael is enough to get you 6fps smite speed. Do whatever you want with the extra socket (if available).

Poor Paladins: Lightsaber will give you the 6fps smite speed in a sinch! If you can't afford one, try getting any rare phase blade with Increased Attack Speed and some decent damage.

Keep in mind that you will be needing weaponry with decent Zeal and Charge damage as well. Dont just stick in a few shaels in a crystal sword and start wacking things cause it's worthless.

Rings and Amulets

Rich Paladins: Highlords Wrath is the amulet of choice for smiters. For rings, if you already have a cham rune somewhere, aim for two Bul-Kathos rings. If you don't have the Cannot be Frozen mod anywhere on your equipment, go with one Raven Frost and one Bul-Kathos ring.

Normal Paladins: Highlords Wrath is something you guys should aim for as well. If it's a little bit too much for you, stick with the Cat's Eye. Try getting rings with decent resists and Life Leech if you have the Cannot be Frozen mod somewhere else. Othewise, wear Raven Frost and a ring with decent resists and Life Leech.

Poor Paladins: Some rare amulets can give you decent stats like resists and leech and thus this is what you should aim for. If Cat's Eye is available to you, then wear it by all means! For rings wear one Raven Frost and another ring with resists and/or Leech.

The Strategy:

PvP Melee: When up against players with massive amounts of block rates and defense, use smite. It's almost guaranteed a hit every single time. If the player uses skills like Whirlwind or Fury or Charge or whatever, WALK!! This is a crucial thing to do when facing melee characters. When you run, your defense goes down to zero and blocking is reduced by 1/3 which means that hitting you will be a sinch. Instead just walk and smite.

PvP Ranged: Some players will constantly be on the run and shoot bows or throw javelins. If this is the case, simply charge them to death. If your enemy is an amazon using Lightning Fury, you might need to use Salvation.

PvP Elemental: Again, Salvation is your best friend against any elemental enemy. Melee or not, this aura should be kept on at all times. They should do little to no damage to your paladin and simply charge or smite them, depending on what type they are.

I mentioned this already but if your character is stuck in a charge lock or a stun lock, turn on Defiance and he should be back up to his feet in no-time.

The End.