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Thanks to the innate survivability that this subclass offers, Last Epoch Paladin builds are the easiest for beginners in this game to follow and experiment with. This title remains true to the time-honored MMORPG axiom where sword-and-board characters make the best starter classes.
For non-Early Access players jumping into the game in Last Epoch 1.0, this Paladin build will serve as the perfect entry point, thanks to both ease of gameplay and scalability. The main crutch here is the Cleric's Hammer node on the Healing Hands specialization tree, which makes your melee hits with Rive automatically cast Healing Hands.
This Last Epoch Paladin build guide will go over one of the most overpowered Paladin specs, using the Rive - Healing Hands combo to deal thousands in critical damage.
Last Epoch Paladin build guide for leveling: what to use in the early game?
Unlike some other late-game Last Epoch builds, this build is not a slog to level. You can use Warpath to clear mobs easily early on in the game. The skill specialization order will be Warpath > Rive when you get the second specialization slot. Pick up a two-hander and put points into Void Spiral (Warpath) for a buttery-smooth mobbing experience.
Start putting points in the Paladin tree as soon as you unlock the Mastery, which should allow you to get Healing Hands at level 20+. This is also when the third specialization slot unlocks, where you can place this skill and immediately put four points in the Cleric's Hammer node.
From there on out, the entire mid-game is very easy to get through. One of the best things about this Last Epoch Paladin build is that you use just Rive for the entirety of the game, making it much easier to level and cap out.
Last Epoch Paladin build setup at endgame: skills and itemization
Skill setup
The following skills are used with this build:
- Rive
- Lunge (only used as a mobility skill, no specialization)
- Holy Aura
- Healing Hands
- Volatile Reversal
- Sigils of Hope
Although Rive is primarily used to attack with this Last Epoch Paladin build, the damage also comes from the passively proccing Healing Hands itself with the Searing Light node. Thanks to Cleric's Wrath node, Searing Wrath damage scales with the number of active buffs, so we also use two more buff abilities to fill out the build.
Here are the specialization trees for each skill:
Passives
The following should be your Passive skill tree setup for the Sentinel (base) and Paladin (Mastery) skill trees:
This Last Epoch Paladin build comes fully online at about level 50, and you need to be in the level 80-90 range to tick all of the nodes shown here.
After that, you can invest surplus skill points into the other Mastery passive trees as you see fit in the endgame. For example, the Abyssal Endurance node on the Void Knight passive tree grants a good bit of scaling defensive bonus for a 5-point investment.
Itemizing and Idols
Rive is a melee hit skill, meaning this Last Epoch Paladin build may perform significantly better depending on the melee gear you use.
As you mostly get sustain from Healing Hands and its Ward Generation, you do not need Life Leech, meaning you can use Peak of The Mountain as the headgear. Here are some other uniques/Legendaries you can use:
- Falcon Fists
- Eterra's Path
- Shattered Chains
- Siphon of Anguish
- Logi's Hunger
- Suloron's Step
- Hakar's Phoenix
- Throne of Ambition
Besides Throne of Ambition, you should use the Adorned Rahyeh idols due to their implicit healing amplification modifiers. It is not necessary to farm uniques, and you can instead focus on the following affixes while forging your gear:
- Critical Chance
- Critical Multiplier
- Melee Attack Speed
- Healing Effectiveness
- Fire Damage Amplification
- On-hit effects with Fire
- +Attunement
- Flat Fire Damage
You should also grab the Crit Multiplier Blessing from the Black Sun Timeline (Grand Emptiness of Ash). The rest of the Blessings in Last Epoch depends on your gear, and what resistances you lack.
Check out our other guides on this game:
Last Epoch mastery tier list || Last Epoch tier list for leveling || 5 beginner tips for your first playthrough in Last Epoch || 5 best builds to try in Last Epoch 1.0
