A new ruler has risen: The Zealot.

I am now addicted to my zealot, as with the right setup and leech, correct weapon, and perfect build, this awesome character can tank anything in the game. ANYTHING. I have yet to meet a monster I cannot handle. Dealing around 20k damage a second (conservative estimate, too), the Zealot can be truly unstoppable in PVM.

If you haven't made one yet, do it.

They simply rule. Screw the lame hammerdin, Zealots are much more fun and, me having made both now, even more effective than hammerdins!
As long as you have something to consistently fight, you never die. You just tank your way back to full life whenever you get hit, which is rare seeing as you can easily reach 10k+ defense, with possibilities of reaching 15k+. Smack on Draculs grasp, and every 3 seconds you have Life Tap going off, putting your leech probably above 65, meaning you just simply cant be killed. Have a CTA, have 2500 life, down to 1 life? Life tap goes off, 1 hit on anything, and WHAM, back up to full.

If you've never made a Zealot you truly need to try one out, they are insanely fun AND effective, even in hell. My zealot isn't even top-notch yet and I can tank anything from Trav council to Black souls (use salvation, they still die easy), to baals minions, and everything in between.

If you have no idea how to make a Zealot, heres a simple little "guide" to get you started:

Skills:
20 Fanatacism
20 Zeal
20 Sacrifice
20 Holy shield
20 Defiance
1 Vigor
1 Salvation (must)
1 in all pre-reqs.
total: 111. Max possible at 99.

But, you don't need to be 99. My zealot could tank Hell Lister at level 74.

Stats (same as always)
Str- for equipment (armor/weapon mostly)
Dex- for max block (75%)(include your +dex items)
Vit- Everything else (should be pushin 250+)
NRG- Nothin, you won't need any.

My zealot uses the following equipment and is incredibly effective:

Weapon: Famine Berserker Axe.

Why Famine instead of BOTD or Doom or Beast, etc? Simple: 350-850 elemental damage. That sort of extra damage just boosts your zeal way the hell up there. Not to mention it has Ignore Targets Defense, which makes PVM sweet (no AR needed). 12% Life leech, you can't beat that.
Prevent monster heal you can't go wrong with.
30IAS and 330-370% ED? That damage is just as good if not better than a BOTD. A regular BOTD has no chance against Famine in PVM. An Ethereal BOTD is about the same, maybe slightly better.
Famine is my choice for Zealot weapon.

Armor: Guardian Angel.
Why GA instead of COH or Enigma? For one, I simply cant afford them =) But, I have compared and contrasted the stats, and GA just simply is the great, cheap, and effective way to go. 20 increased block means less dex, which means more life. 1 Skills is always usefull. The real nail in the coffin is the +15% max all resists. This is awesome for fighting Black souls. Slap on Salvation, and boom you got 90/90/90, you can tank em to hell and they barely damage you.

Helmet: Andariels Visage
Life leech, IAS, Big STR bonus, Poison res, 2 skills. Only negative thing about Visage is -30 fire res, but the positives definately outweigh the one negative.
cheap alternative, use til u hit 84, whatever:
Tals mask. Tals mask is the most UNDER rated helm in the game. 10 Duel leech? Come on, thats a Zealots best friend right there. +15 all res? Lots of mana AND life? Tals mask is just a great all-around helm, and you can get one for literally free. Awesome 2nd choice.

Shield: Herald of Zakarum.
Everyone knows why. I recommend slapping a Perfect Diamond in this one. Um rune only gives +3 more, and is unimaginably more expensive than a simple gem. With +69 resists, 2 skills, 2 combats, massive block, str and vit, and more, this shield truly is unbeatable.
I'm going to touch on Exile here: In my opinion, Exile's Defiance aura, yes, will simply give you an @$%!@%& of defense. But the shield itself simply sucks. Even if you have one with +40 or more all res on it, it just doesn't add up to the great old HOZ. The only thing I'd recommend using exile for is for a PVP smiter(Few exceptions for other people, but not for me).

Amulet: Highlords Wrath
20 IAS, 35 Lightning res, 1 skill, and a ton of Deadly strike (great paired with boots later) make this the Zealots choice for ammy. Don't listen to anyone who tells you to get Maras or Metalgrid or anything else, because we're talking a Zealot here, not a caster or a barb. Highlords is the way to go, all the way.

Ring #1: RavenFrost
Great dex for extra block, Cold absorb, cannot be frozen, nice mana boost and some cold damage make this ring a must for virtually any melee character. Need I say more?

Ring #2: Bulkathos Wedding Band
+1 skills, life leach, and good life bonus makes this an invaluable ring. Try to get a 5% one if you can.

Gloves: Draculs Grasp (absolute must)
You just have to have these gloves for PVM. With 5% chance to cast level 10 Life Tap, that curse covers anything you might be attacking, giving you an instant 50% life leach bonus. You will not die often if at all when you're fighting monsters with life tap on them. With Fanatacism and Zeal, you'll be casting it at least once every 5 seconds or so if not more often. Gloves also have a great 7-10 life leech, and some nice strength. Must have!!!

Belt: Nosferatu's Coil.
Suprised? Don't be. 10 IAS and some more life leech, not to mention some slow target for those pesky uniques/bosses make this the Zealots belt of choice.

Boots: Gore Rider
Deadly Strike and Crushing blow and all that other good crap, combined with Highlords, means your zealots doing double damage damn near half of his hits. Great boots for any meleer.

Suggested alternatives include(but not limited to)
BOTD
Doom
Beast
Enigma
COH
Templars/Tyraels might (not recommended, high STR)
Vampire Gaze
Crown of Ages (too expensive, not good enough)
Laying of Hands
String of Ears
IK/Aldurs Boots.

Some people may disagree with me about the Zealot, but I have been convinced that he is truly the best type of Paladin there is. He is extremely versatile, especially so with Famine, being able to take out every kind of immune there is.

Thanks for reading and try out a Zealot!

*Everything on this post is my opinion and nothing more

**I would like some feedback and opinions about my mini-guide, please! (Comment Here)

-Grim