Diablo 4 Season 13 has seen a huge meta shake-up thanks to the changes added in Lord of Hatred, such as the reworked Skill Trees and new Talisman mechanic. As a result, some of the worst Diablo 4 classes have become top meta contenders, while the inverse also seems to have happened as well. What was once the clear meta class for past Diablo 4 seasons has unfortunately become a shell of its former self, which is unfortunate considering that the Paladin is one of the two classes added with Lord of Hatred.
In a surprising move, some of the best classes in Diablo 4 Season 13 are the Rogue and Barbarian, which have historically been among the game’s worst. The Sorcerer is another class at the top of the meta in Season 13, largely thanks to the Skill Tree rework. While the new Warlock class has some solid build options, it doesn’t quite reach the same Torment tier clearing potential as these other classes. However, the Paladin is the most unfortunate casualty of the Skill Tree update, given that it has gone from dominating the meta in Season 11 to being barely passable in Season 13.
Diablo 4 Season 13 Gives Paladin the Short End of the Stick
Despite technically being a new Lord of Hatred class, the Paladin has been available for Diablo 4 players to use since Season 11, when it debuted for players who pre-purchased the expansion. During this season, the Paladin was incredibly overpowered, with the Aura Paladin build being one of the best the game had ever seen. Even without running an Auradin build, nearly all Paladin builds in Diablo 4 Season 11 were at the top of the meta.
Part of what made the Paladin so broken in its debut season of Diablo 4 was the Castle Legendary Paragon Node, which increased damage proportional to the Damage Reduction granted from the player’s Armor. Season 12 nerfed this Paragon Node significantly, reducing the Paladin’s overall strength and limiting its meta build diversity to mainly the Auradin. Now, even the Auradin struggles to compete in the highest Torment tiers of Diablo 4, showing just how far the holy warrior has fallen since its launch season.
The Paladin’s Best Build Was Nerfed Hard in Season 13
The core of the Aura Paladin build is the class’s three Aura Skills: Holy Light Aura, Fanaticism Aura, and Defiance Aura. Each of these Aura Skills has a passive and active effect, with Holy Light Aura being the primary damage dealer of the bunch when combined with the Dawnfire Unqiue Gloves. The result is a build that can rack up damage without the player having to actively input skill actions.
However, the removal of passives from the Paladin’s Skill Tree and the transition to class-specific Set Charms with Lord of Hatred’s new Talisman mechanic have left a pure Aura Paladin build somewhat underpowered. The Set Charms dedicated to the Auradin archetype are Cathan’s Iron Conviction Charms. Unfortunately, the set bonuses offered by the charms are a far cry from the utility the Paladin’s passives granted under the old Skill Tree structure, leaving the class wanting in this department.
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