Cool, thanks - that at least explains one of the things I’ve been doing wrong until now!! 
I’d like to thank you for your work and this guide.
With the Xbox release I’ve restarted playing GD again. I’d like to see all masteries that exist and with your Paladin only an Elementalist is then left, then I’ve seen all 9 masteries (of course not the combinations…).
On PC I only played Softcore (SC) and now play this Paladin in Hardcore (HC). The adrenaline rushes are unbelievable. I lost two characters to the totem in Wardens Cellar, which spawns 4 melees that lock you in place. Stubborn as I am (Totems are optional, aren’t they…) my third character is now at level 45 right at the gates of Malmouth.
To be honest I don’t think I’ll play SC again. I’m not the ultra end game farmer anyways and prefer leveling and seeing how the character gets stronger or unlocks new skills really more.
(Shattered Realms/SR or the other content was boring me, as there was no real penalty for dieing and it was only “ok 5 more legendaries” after some point in time. I’m not the ultra grinder for the last minmaxing anyways, as I loose interest fast, when the base game is finished: I came back to Grim Dawn few days after getting Enigma in Diablo 2 Ressurected/D2R, while also having beaten the game with every class in all difficulties. Heck, maybe I’ll also give D2R HC a try.)
I’ve invested a bit more in Phys so far and have made a very small change when skilling (I liked to have invest on two points to unlock skills earlier, that was obviously not needed and won’t make a difference) and so far the character plays nicely. Yesterday evening I would have lost the character again in Gloomwald, if I didn’t pause and fast exit, because I got locked in again at some boss monster and his spawns which appeared out of nothing (shortly before you find the coven). Maybe this try now doesn’t count as a real hardcore try, but let’s see how far the journey carries me.
I got quite some luck with a 50% armor piercing Epic pistol as Devil’s Crossing still needs more Reputation. I’m estimating about 10 cronley runs until next reputation level. (update wrong, the guns ky need respected…) Maybe I’ll do Act 1+2 Elite before Forgotten Gods on normal, but let’s see. It’s not like I’m not afraid of Ashes of Malmouth and later Forgotten Gods Bosses anyways. 
So much text, tldr: thanks 
Update: just completed normal with both expansions
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Congratulation - and I hope your further journey will be fun and successful 
Thanks, yesterday my stubbornness was punished. The same totem in Wardens Cellar, to which I already lost 2 chars on normal ended the level 56 Paladin on Elite. 🤦
Since I also got a private message, here’s the same answer: this totem is somewhat special, it spawns more and harder enemies than most other totems, I did every other totem I came across without any problems.
Resistences are nearly maxed and all armor had components. I should have kited more instead of staying in the Inquisitor seal, that was, what killed me. But as I said this totem is different. I think on Elite it spawned around 20 enemies. When I survived on normal I was running and kiting like hell. On Elite it was working nice staying in the Seal until some hit came, which blew away around 3k life instantly. The bar wasn’t even moving, it was just instantly saying you’re dead. The character had around 7k life, to begin with.
All in all: not the fault of the build, but a very brutal encounter which is much harder than the other shrines.