With the FCHA event approaching, many players are finalizing their league-start plans. Among the strongest and most reliable early-game options returning to the spotlight is the Holy Fire Paladin,with POE orbs,a build that has already proven itself during previous events and leagues.
This version of Holy Fire Paladin is designed as a smooth, high-damage league starter, capable of cruising through the campaign, early mapping, and into Tier 16–17 maps with minimal investment—before transitioning into a more specialized endgame project.
Why Holy Fire Paladin for FCHA?
The main appeal of Holy Fire Paladin lies in its early and mid-game power spike, largely driven by relic scaling and strength stacking.
Key strengths include:
Extremely smooth leveling
Massive flat damage from relics
Cheap and accessible gear
High damage uptime with safe melee range
Reliable defenses without heavy investment
This build is not intended to be a forever character. Instead, it excels at getting you rich early, clearing maps efficiently, and setting up currency for a late-game reroll.
Leveling and Early Progression
The leveling process closely mirrors previous iterations used in earlier leagues (notably 3.27). Players will:
Level with Sunder early
Transition smoothly into Brutus-based gameplay
Experience a major power spike after the second Labyrinth, when relics come online
Once relics are unlocked, the build gains an insane amount of flat elemental damage, making early maps feel trivial. Paladin synergizes exceptionally well with relics, especially for fire and lightning damage scaling.
Core Build Mechanics
Strength Stacking and Damage Conversion
At the heart of the build is strength stacking, combined with multiple layers of damage conversion:
Strength provides flat damage
Strength bonus converts to spell damage
Spell damage converts to attack damage at 150% efficiency
Relics add large amounts of flat elemental damage
This creates massive scaling from relatively simple stats.
Weapon Choice: Brutus
The build revolves around Brutus, a weapon that is often overlooked but incredibly powerful for this setup:
Grants flat damage per strength
Extremely high critical strike chance
Very cheap early in the league (usually just a few Chaos Orbs)
Viable from early maps all the way into endgame farming
Brutus is a “set and forget” weapon—you'll likely use it for the entire lifespan of the character.
Gear Options and Flexibility
Shield Choices
While Rathpith Globe offers excellent damage via spell damage per maximum life, it is not mandatory.
Budget-friendly alternatives include:
Rare life + resistance shields
Strength/Intelligence shields with spell damage
Even with a basic rare shield, the build still reaches 20–25 million Shaper DPS, while gaining additional survivability.
Iron Fortress
Iron Fortress plays a dual role:
Boosts damage by enhancing strength bonuses
Adds block chance for additional defense
It's one of the most efficient offensive-defensive items available for strength stackers.
Defensive Layers Explained
While not as tanky as a Chieftain,with POE currency,Holy Fire Paladin still offers respectable survivability:
7 Endurance Charges via Enduring Cry
Permanent Fortify
~80% all resistances
~10,000 armor
Arctic Armor
Massive life regeneration from Consecrated Ground
Thanks to Paladin's infinite warcry power, endurance charges are effectively permanent, providing consistent physical damage reduction.
Why Paladin Over Aristocrat?
While Aristocrat scales better into ultra-late-game, Paladin shines early:
Relics provide massive flat damage
Infinite warcry power improves consistency and defense
Permanent Consecrated Ground
50% increased effect of Consecrated Ground grants near-permanent curse immunity
Exceptional life regeneration (2,000+ per second, scalable higher)
These benefits make Paladin more convenient, tankier early, and faster to progress than Aristocrat during the first days of the league.
Mapping Performance and Playstyle
The build uses Smite of Divine Judgment, which has:
High range
Strong clear
Safe engagement distance despite being melee-based
Players don't need to stand directly on top of enemies, reducing incoming damage while maintaining excellent DPS. For early and mid-tier mapping, this makes gameplay smooth and forgiving.
Endgame Scaling (Optional)
For players who want to push further, the build can scale to:
~100 million Shaper DPS
Higher strength stacking
Cluster jewel investment (15–25 Divines)
Fire resistance stacking variants
However, even at this stage, the build remains offensively strong but defensively limited compared to ultra-tanky archetypes.
Intended Build Lifespan
This Holy Fire Paladin is best used as:
A league starter
A currency farmer
A bridge into a more powerful late-game character
After farming Tier 17 maps and building currency, the recommended transition is into Aristocrat, which has received significant buffs and can scale into extremely tanky, high-juice content.
Final Thoughts
The Holy Fire Paladin is a proven, reliable starter for the FCHA event:
Smooth leveling
Massive early damage
Affordable gear
Safe and consistent mapping
While it won't dominate giga-juiced endgame content forever, it excels at what it's designed to do: carry you through early and mid-game efficiently, generate currency fast, and set up your next build.
For players looking to hit the ground running in FCHA, this Paladin starter is a rock-solid choice.
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