Herald of Zakarum

The Herald of Zakarum is a unique Gilded Shield, a type of shield from Diablo II: Lord of Destruction exclusive only to Paladins.

The Herald of Zakarum is probably the best shield option for Paladins that specialize in Combat Skills, such as FoHers, Smiters, or Hammerdins. Combined with other appropriate equipment, the Herald of Zakarum can be an indispensable item of many Paladins' repertoire.

Defensively, the Herald of Zakarum also has quite a few assets. Its large boost to Resistances is particularly useful for and  difficulties, where resistances are drastically lowered. Additionally, the Herald of Zakarum boasts a very high chance of blocking.

On the other hand, offensively, besides its skill boosts, the Herald of Zakarum may be beaten out by other shields. It does give a boost to Strength, +2 to Combat Skills (+4 four taking into consideration the +2 to all Paladin Skills the Shield gives) and Attack Rating, but otherwise it gives no obvious boost to attack damage.

Still, the Herald of Zakarum is a fairly good paladin shield all around. Since it is the only exceptional unique paladin shield, it is also the easiest to access.

The Herald of Zakarum is generally not considered an ideal item to upgrade to Elite using the Horadric Cube, as the boost to defence does not increase enough to justify the higher level and strength requirements.

Stats


Defense: 422-507

Required Level: 42

Required Strength: 89

Chance To Block: 82%

Smite Damage: 20 to 28

Durability: 50

(Paladin Only)