The Cleric is a healer-support paladin build for the Paladin class in Diablo 2. This type of Paladin focuses mostly on his healing skills in order to keep his teammates alive. Clerics are useful members of mixed parties, especially when individual members lack a defensive set up.

Note that a Cleric is an entirely defensive character and isn’t meant to go into the battleground’s front line. The aim is to assist your allies. You can achieve that by using skills such as Cleansing, allowing you to have a mana-free Prayer while reducing the time of your party members’ cursed or poisoned states.

Pros:

• You can keep full your allies’ Life pools at high levels.

• You and your teammates won’t have mana issues anymore.

• Clerics are overall great members of any party at higher difficulties

Cons:

• You’re going to have a hard time if you want to solo with that build. Your mercenary will be your tank and the way of dealing damage as well.

• The build isn’t designed for PvP fights as it has no great means for attacking.

Cleric Build Skills

Your main skills that you should spend the almost all your points are the following:

• Holy Bolt: 20 points. It’s an additional way of healing. Also, it deals damage to Undead monsters.

• Prayer: 20 points. You need to max out this skill for the synergies it provides to Holy Bolt, Meditation, and this way, you can have a mana free Prayer while using the Cleansing or Meditation Auras.

• Cleansing or Meditation: 1-20 to each skill, depending on your preference. Both effects are useful for different situations. The Meditation Aura benefits more that casters though, as it boosts their mana regeneration.

• Fist of the Heavens: 20points. FoHe is the only spell that deals damage. It provides synergy to Holy Bolt as well.

• Salvation: 20 points. It’s a useful protective aura for increasing your allies’ elemental resistances.

• Blessed Hammer: Some players choose to max out this skill too for the synergy it provides to Holy Bolt. However, it’s not going to help you deal damage because Blessed Hammer needs Conviction Aura to be effective.

Cleric Build Stats

Strength: Invest enough points to be able to equip your end game gear. It’s recommended to spend 118 points for equipping Guardian Angel.

Dexterity: Your main weapon will probably be a Scepter, so it’s better to spend about 70 points for using the elite class caduceus weapon. If you’re using a shield, invest points in Dexterity until you reach the max block.

Vitality: This is your main attribute, so spend the majority of your points on your Life pool.

Energy: You won’t have any mana issues because your items and the Meditation Aura will quickly regenerate your mana points. Thus keep Energy at the base.

Mercenary

The best option is an Act 2 Nightmare Hireling with Thorns Aura. It provides the Cleric with an additional Aura and seems to work well in combination with the Healing effects.