Pressing buttons is optional in this 'walking simulator' paladin build Diablo 4 players have just cooked up
Let's all agree to call it the aura farmer build.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Well, that didn't take long: Diablo 4 players have cooked up a completely automated build for the new paladin class that involves walking your dogs around while surrounded by a ring of fire. Never again will you need to burden yourself with pressing buttons once you get this build going as it's powerful enough to do everything in the game.
Nobody has decided on an official name for it because it utilizes a bunch of different skills, but it's technically an "auradin" build like the ones you'd see during the days of Diablo 2. However, I propose that we start calling it the aura farmer build because the engine running everything is a holy aura that burns nearby monsters when you have a unique pair of gloves on.
What's better than a single holy aura? 11 holy auras, obviously. In addition to surrounding your character, you can summon a pack of wolves and an ally mercenary who will inherit the aura too. Now, you have a whole team of aura farmers that leave a trail of ash in their wake.
Outside of pushing into the high tiers of Diablo 4's hardest dungeons, this build only requires you to walk into enemies. There are buttons you can press to increase your damage, but they're optional. In modes where monsters come running toward you anyway, you don't even need to lift a finger. Diablo YouTuber Chronikz calls it a "walking simulator" build in his video on how to put it together.
Setting it up is pretty easy considering the gloves and the runes you need to summon the wolves are easily attainable. I'm pretty sure I have everything I need sitting in my stash right now. The fact that it rivals builds that require pressing buttons is pretty funny, but it's well known at this point that paladins have some bugs that cause their damage to scale much higher than it should. They're not as ridiculously overpowered as the spiritborn were at launch, but they're not that far off.
I doubt this build will survive the nerf hammer before next season, but it's cool that it's possible. Minions and allies carrying the aura around means, for the first time in Diablo 4, you can actually come up with a build purely to support your team. Group play has never been something you could create a character around, but with paladin auras it's finally possible. Hopefully, Blizzard doesn't completely gut its chances of being a viable option for people who always play with their buddies in the future.
2026 games: All the upcoming games
Best PC games: Our all-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Best co-op games: Better together
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.


