Kinemil's Awl

Kinemil's Awl is a unique Giant Sword in Diablo 2 Resurrected specifically designed for Holy Fire Paladins. This niche weapon is notable as the only unique item in the game that provides a bonus to the Holy Fire skill, making it highly specialized for fire-based Paladin builds during leveling.

Holy Fire Synergy

The defining feature of Kinemil's Awl is its +6 to Holy Fire (Paladin Only) bonus, which dramatically increases the aura's damage output during Normal and Nightmare difficulties. Combined with 6-40 fire damage and +80-100% enhanced damage, this weapon can make Holy Fire builds viable for clearing content. The +100-150 to attack rating helps ensure hits land consistently, while +20 to mana provides a small resource boost.

The Paladin Dilemma

Despite its appealing stats for Holy Fire builds, Kinemil's Awl faces a critical limitation: it's a two-handed sword. Unlike Barbarians, Paladins cannot wield two-handed swords with one hand, forcing them to sacrifice their shield. Since Paladins are heavily shield-dependent for both defense and many of their skills, this creates a significant drawback. Additionally, many enemies in Hell difficulty are immune to fire, rendering Holy Fire ineffective regardless of the skill boost.

This weapon works best during Normal difficulty for experimental Holy Fire builds, but most Paladins abandon it by Nightmare in favor of one-handed weapons and shields. The patch 2.4 buffs to Holy Fire made this sword slightly more viable, but it remains a leveling curiosity rather than an endgame option.