In addition, in the early levels Sacrifice is a decent skill to have, dealing high damage at a relatively low cost, especially if the player has good luck with Life Stealing equipment. Sacrifice is not only a requirement for Zeal, but it also gives Zeal a 12% synergy damage bonus from each level spent in Sacrifice.Although it is risky (the Paladin will take a lot of damage) and the only gain of this version is higher damage output, the two-handed Zealot can survive because Zeal cannot be interrupted, and even a fairly low amount of Life Steal will be sufficient to restore the Paladin's hitpoints rapidly. In this case, Holy Shield is nearly useless, and the build becomes incredibly offensive-oriented. Zeal can be used with the faster 2-handed weapons as well, but this is not recommended. Not all Zealot builds max Holy Shield, as the defense and block boosts are already very substantial at level 4 or 5 if coupled with good gear and skill boosting equipment. With Holy Shield, the Paladin's block rating is boosted considerably.
Diablo II: Resurrected Review - Pile Of Old Bones