Paladin FAQ: All our roles and how to play them.

• malthrin · 02/03/10, 3:09 PM

This FAQ is current as of patch 3.3.5. If you have questions about 4.01 pre-Cataclysm, read the Cataclysm threads for guidance. Do not expect or ask for definite answers - a lot has changed and we're still trying to figure it all out.

This post is a list of quick instructions intended for people who need the very basics of any Paladin role summarized. The intended audience is:
1) A newbie who just hit 80 and has no idea what to do
2) A raider who needs to quickly learn how to play a new spec to fill a roster hole
3) A raid leader who wants to check that his raiders are "doing it right"
If any of these sound like you, read on!

Holy

Q: What spec should I use?
A: Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft. The point in Improved Concentration Aura can go anywhere you like.

Q: Why not pick up the crit talents in Retribution?
A: Crit's value was substantially reduced with the Illumination nerf in patch 3.2. Meanwhile, [Divine Guardian] is very valuable raid utility. If you don't have a Protection Paladin, [Improved Devotion Aura] stacks with all other tank armor buffs.

Q: What glyphs?
A: Seal of Wisdom, Beacon of Light, and Holy Light.

Q: What are my stat and gem priorities?
A: Stack intellect above all else. Beyond that, you want 676 haste to reach a 1 second global cooldown on instants. After that, choose between more output (haste) or regen (crit or mp5). Mp5 is at least twice as good as crit for regen.

Q: So I gem Intellect then?
A: Yes. Gem [Brilliant King's Amber] and use the [Insightful Earthsiege Diamond]. Activate the meta with 1 [Luminous Ametrine] and 1 [Dazzling Eye of Zul].

Q: Why so much Intellect?
A: Intellect gives us the mana necessary to make heavy use of Holy Light. Intellect translates to mana in several ways: starting the fight with more mana, increased regen from Replenishment, increased regen from [Divine Plea], and increased regen from [Seal of Wisdom].

Q: Which Libram should I use?
A: [Libram of Renewal].

Q: Which Aura should I use?
A: If you don't have a Protection Paladin, [Devotion Aura]. If you do, then Concentration or any applicable elemental resist aura.

Q: Which Seal and Judgement should I use?
A: Seal: Wisdom. Judgement: Coordinate with any other Paladins in your raid. No spec is stronger at any particular Judgement.

Q: How do I heal?
A: Put [Beacon of Light] and [Sacred Shield] on someone that will be taking constant damage - usually a tank. Use Holy Light on raid members who have taken damage or on a second tank, if there is one. When you have to move, use Holy Shock or refresh Judgement/Beacon/Sacred Shield.

Q: How do I avoid running out of mana?
A: Judge frequently - judgements are melee attacks that proc [Seal of Wisdom]. If possible, melee something when healing isn't needed. Use your mana cooldowns ([Divine Illumination], [Divine Plea]) often.

Q: What's all this hullabaloo about Flash of Light?
A: Flash of Light is a gemming and playstyle option that focuses on spellpower and heavy use of Flash of Light instead of Holy Light. It sacrifices maximum output to eliminate dependence on Divine Plea and melee attacks for mana. It is appropriate in situations that demand uninterrupted healing for very long periods of time.

Q: Where can I get more detailed information?
A: Here: Holy Paladin Compendium for 3.3

• frmorrison · 02/03/10, 5:04 PM

This is good information for 4.0.1:
For 4.0, watch this movie YouTube - Retribution 4.0 How-to!

Q: What is the best DPS spec for level 80?
Ret Paladin Talents.There are two spare points (I picked Repentance, and Acts of Sacrifice) and the rest are required. Rebuke is bugged in that it procs a Seal, so it is required.

Q: What is our base rotation for PvE DPS?
A: There is no set rotation and this is subject to change as more information is collected. Normally, use the FCFS (First Come First Serve) priority system which means hit the highest priority ability when it is off cooldown and never delay hitting an ability.
Templar's Verdict (at 3 Holy Power or Hand of Light proc)>Crusader Strike>Exorcism>Judgement>Hammer of Wrath>Holy Wrath>Consecration
Inquisition is not learned until level 81, do not worry about it until Cataclysm releases in December.

Q: Which Glyphs should I use?
A: Prime:
Glyph of Templar's Verdict
Glyph of Crusader Strike
Glyph of Seal of Truth
Major:
It doesn't make much of a difference but Glyph of Consecration, Glyph of Divine Protection, and Rebuke are decent choices.
Minor:
It makes little to no difference but Glyph of Kings and Might are fair choices.

Retribution FAQ for 3.3.5 (this is not valid anymore, but kept intact for informational purposes)
Q: What is the best DPS spec for raiding?
A: There are many variations, but here are the essentials with 6 talent points going wherever (I pick Vindication, Divine Purpose, and Guardian's Favor) Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft
Here is a PvE Ret spec that picks up Aura Mastery and Vindication as the extras by losing 2 points in the crit debuff (since Prot/Ret Pally, Assassin Rogue, and Elemental Shaman all give it. Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Q: What is our base rotation for PvE DPS?
A: There is no set rotation, use the FCFS (First Come First Serve) priority system which means hit the highest priority ability when it is off cooldown and never delay hitting an ability. For example, if there is 0.5 seconds until you can use Judgement and Exorcism is ready, use Exorcism. Using the mod clcret can make using your priority easy.
Pre-T9 FCFS priority: Crusader Strike > Hammer of Wrath > Judgement > Divine Storm > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
Tier 9 FCFS priority: Judgement > HoW > CS > DS > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
Tier 10 FCFS priority: Judgement > DS > CS > HoW > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath

Q: What Seal should I use?
A: Seal of Vengeance/Corruption (SoV) is the best DPS Seal if attacking a single target for more than 15 seconds. For a single mob that dies quicker, you are better off with Seal of Righteousness (SoR). If you are able to attack 2 more targets at once, Seal of Command (SoC) is your Seal.

Q: Can Crusader strike and Divine Storm proc Seals?
A: Yes and No if using SoV. These will not stack the DoT of SoV, but once you have 5 stacks on your target from autoattack, these will proc 33% extra holy damage. SoR and SoC will always proc off both abilities.

Q: What stats should I gear for?
A: For raiding, you want to aim to stack hit to about 263 hit rating (8% hit cap so you will not miss with melee attacks on a boss) and strength. Past that aim for 214 expertise rating so you will not have melee attacks dodged by a boss. Stats in order of priority:

1. Hit (to 8% or 263 rating)
2. Strength
3. Expertise (to 6.5% or 214 rating, this gives 26 expertise skill; unless you have a racial bonus with your weapon)
4. Crit
5. Agility
6. Haste
7. Armor Penetration
8. Hit past the hit cap

Q: What kind of gear should I aim for?
A: There are many combinations of gear. I suggest you download Rawr (Rawr) and try different gear setups, based on what is available to you. Usually you want gear with Strength, while reaching the caps, however Leather Agility/Attack power gear can be just as good. Use a slow weapon (slower than 3.0 seconds).

Q: What kind of gems should I use?
A: The metagem should be Relentless Earthsiege Diamond, using one Nightmare Tear to activate it. Gem to the melee hit cap and then strength gems, unless it is a yellow socket with a 4 strength bonus, then use Inscribed.

Q: What enchant should I use on my weapon?
A: Berserking.

Q: What professions would be the strongest combination for DPS?
A: Jewelcrafting and either Blacksmithing or Engineering

Q: What consumables should be used for raiding?
A: Dragonfin Fillet or Fish Feast, Flask of Endless Rage, and either a Potion of Speed (use it during Bloodlust) or Runic Mana Potion if you mana.

Q: What are the best blessings to use?
A: Might > Kings > Wisdom > Sanctuary

Q: Which Glyphs should I use?
A: Major:
Glyph of Judgement
Glyph of Consecration
Glyph of Seal of Vengeance
Optional: Glyph of Exorcism (if you have more than 24 expertise without using the SoV glyph)
Minor:
Glyph of Sense Undead (1% damage to undead if you activate Sense Undead.
Glyph of Lay on Hands (5 minutes off the cooldown)
Either Glyph of Might or Glyph of Kings

Q: I'm running out of mana, what should I do?
A: First step is make sure you're using Divine Plea on every cooldown. Second step is to ensure that your Judgements are not missing by reaching the hit cap. Third step is to make sure Judgement of Wisdom is on your target. Fourth step is use a mana potion. The last step is to cut back on Consecration usage.

Q: Where can I go for more information?
Retribution: Updated for 3.3
Retribution BiS Lists for 3.3
Rawr

♦ emptyrepublic · 02/04/10, 1:43 PM

Protection / Tanking
Valid through Patch 3.3.5 - 4.0.1 Version of the FAQ Coming Soon

Q: What spec should I use for Paladin tanking?
A: The starter cookie cutter spec can be found here. You have 12 additional talent points to spend with this starter build. If you prefer, a complete build can be found here.

Q: How much defense do I need?
A: 540 Defense (skill) or 689 Defense rating. It is okay if you go over; however if you have too much replace defense gems or enchants to come back down closer to 689 rating.

Q: What other stats should I be looking for on my gear?
A: Defense rating till you get to 689 (or 540 skill). Hit rating till you hit 8% or 263 hit rating (unless you are Draenei then 7% and 230 hit). Expertise till you have at least 26 expertise (including the the bonus provided by [Glyph of Seal of Vengeance]). Note the humans and dwarves get expertise bonuses depending on the weapon used. Otherwise Armor and Stamina are the priority (Theory-crafting favors armor over Stamina). At most gear levels after hitting defense minimum, defense rating, dodge rating, parry rating, and agility are all relatively close in value, with agility typically having the edge for avoidance stats. Block value (how much you block) and block rating (how often you block) are also valuable.

Q: Do Paladins have a Defensive Stance like Warriors?
A: No, when tanking it is important that a Paladin have both Righteous Fury and Devotion Aura active.

Q: What Glyphs should I use?
A: Must have Glyphs include [Glyph of Seal of Vengeance] and [Glyph of Divine Plea]. The third major glyph can vary depending on need. Acceptable third glyphs include [Glyph of Hammer of the Righteous], [Glyph of Shield of Righteousness], or [Glyph of Salvation]. Minor glyphs should be [Glyph of Sense Undead], [Glyph of Lay on Hands], and [Glyph of Blessing of Kings].

Q: What Seal should I tank with?
A: The primary tanking seal is [Seal of Vengeance]. This should always be used when single target tanking. [Seal of Command] is useful if talented for large packs of mobs that do not live longer than 30-45 seconds.

Q: What should I be judging?
A: [Judgement of Wisdom] or [Judgement of Light]. Select depending on your circumstance, though make sure to coordinate with other Paladins so you are not using the same Judgement on the same target.

Q: What Blessing should I tank with?
A: [Blessing of Sanctuary], this will be the tanking blessing in the vast majority of cases.

Q: How do I pull?
A: If you are pulling a group of trash use [Avenger's Shield] or if you are pulling a single boss [Hand of Reckoning] works as well.

Q: What's the difference between [Hand of Reckoning] and [Righteous Defense]?
A: Hand of Reckoning operates like a traditional taunt that other classes have. Your tanking target drops aggro and you want to quickly reacquire so you cast this ability. As it also does damage (when the target is not attacking you) it makes an ideal single target pull and additional damage/threat when successful. Righteous Defense is cast on a party/raid member to indirectly "taunt" mobs off them and on to you.

Q: What rotation should I use?
A: The 9/6 rotation. Change the order to suit your needs however ensure that a "6 second" ability follows a "9 second" ability. Example: [Judgement] (talented down to at least 9 seconds: Light, Wisdom, or Justice) -> [Hammer of the Righteous] -> [Holy Shield] -> [Shield of Righteousness] -> [Consecration] -> HotR -> Judgement -> ∞.

Q: Should I always be using the 9/6 rotation?
A: In most cases you will be using the rotation but don't need to be slaved to it. If you have sufficient threat you can use utility abilities quickly in order to aid your party/raid ([Hand of Salvation], [Hand of Protection], [Divine Sacrifice], [Hand of Sacrifice]). Avoid casting non-instant spells as that drops avoidance. However, this rotation provides the most efficient means to generate threat on single bosses or larger groups and should be used unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

Q: How do I prevent running out of mana?
A: Make sure [Greater Blessing of Sanctuary] is up and while actively tanking cast [Divine Plea] which should remain active when in melee. Talented [Spiritual Attunement] will also provide mana returns during the fight as you are healed.

Q: What if something goes wrong or I'm taking a lot of damage at once?
A: The two principle cooldowns for Paladins are [Divine Protection] and [Lay on Hands]. Note that both these abilities now apply the Forbearance debuff which will lock you out using other defensive abilities on yourself for the duration of the debuff. If you have glyphed for it [Hand of Salvation] is another damage reducing ability you can use on yourself. Lastly, avoid using [Divine Shield] while tanking as that ability will temporarily remove you from the threat table causing mobs to go after others in your party/raid.

Q: This stuff is pretty basic where else should I go for information?
A: The Protection Paladin Field Manual (WoW-3.0/WotLK) is currently the best source for more advanced Paladin tanking information.

Capstone · 02/04/10, 2:45 PM

Apologies for stealing your post, Greg; I really like the layout and the work you've done, but I disagree with some of the content. I'll highlight the changes I've made. Thanks though for the nice work.

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Protection

Q: What spec should I use for Paladin tanking?
A: The starter cookie cutter spec can be found here. You have 12 additional talent points to spend with this starter build. If you prefer, a complete build can be found here.

Q: What's my defense cap?
A: The minimum requirement for raiding is 540 Defense (skill) or 689 Defense rating. It is okay if you go over; however once you get beyond that point stop gemming or enchanting for Defense and begin using Stamina gems/enchants instead.

Q: What other stats should I be looking for?
A: Defense rating till you get to 689. After that, prioritize stamina and armor, while maintaining a decent amount of avoidance. Gems should be stamina, although picking up +9 or better stamina bonuses with [Shifting Dreadstone] and [Enduring Eye of Zul] is acceptable. At most gear levels after hitting defense minimum, defense rating, dodge rating, parry rating, and agility are all relatively close in value, with agility typically having the edge for avoidance stats.

Q: Do Paladins have a Defensive Stance like Warriors?
A: No, when tanking it is important that a Paladin have both Righteous Fury and Devotion Aura active.

Q: What Glyphs should I use?
A: Must have Glyphs include [Glyph of Seal of Vengeance] and [Glyph of Divine Plea]. The third major glyph can vary depending on need. Acceptable third glyphs include [Glyph of Hammer of the Righteous], [Glyph of Shield of Righteousness], or [Glyph of Salvation]. Minor glyphs should be [Glyph of Sense Undead], [Glyph of Lay on Hands], and [Glyph of Blessing of Kings].

Q: What Seal should I tank with?
A: The primary tanking seal is [Seal of Vengeance]. This should always be used when single target tanking. For AoE packs, you can use [Seal of Command] if you have it talented.

Q: What weapon enchant should I use?
A: [Accuracy] is the best for pure threat as long as you are under the hit cap; for survivability [Mongoose] is king, while still being a strong second to Accuracy in threat.

Q: What Blessing should I tank with?
A: [Blessing of Sanctuary].

Q: How do I pull?
A: If you are pulling a group of trash use [Avenger's Shield] or if you are pulling a single boss [Hand of Reckoning] works as well.

Q: What's the difference between [Hand of Reckoning] and [Righteous Defense]?
A: Hand of Reckoning operates like a traditional taunt that other classes have. In addition, it also deals damage (and thus adds extra threat) when the taunt is successful. Righteous Defense is cast on a party/raid member and will taunt up to three targets that player currently has aggro on.

Q: What rotation should I use?
A: The 9/6 rotation. Change the order to suit your needs however ensure that a "6 second" ability follows a "9 second" ability. Example: [Judgement] (talented down to at least 9 seconds: Light, Wisdom, or Justice) -> [Hammer of the Righteous] -> [Holy Shield] -> [Shield of Righteousness] -> [Consecration] -> HotR -> Judgement -> ∞.

Q: What should I be judging?
A: [Judgement of Wisdom] if you are the only melee paladin, otherwise [Judgement of Light].

Q: Should I always be using the 9/6 rotation?
A: In most cases you will be using the rotation but don't need to be slaved to it. If you have sufficient threat you can use utility abilities quickly in order to aid your party/raid (avoid casting non-instant spells). However, this rotation provides the most efficient means to generate threat on single bosses or larger groups and should be used unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

Q: Utility abilities? What are those?
A: Paladins have a lot of utility that can help in tight situations! [Hand of Salvation] can be used on that well-geared DPS that is overtaking you on threat (or if you are well ahead on threat, as a mini-cooldown for yourself if you glyphed for it). [Hand of Protection] can save a squishy caster from mobs when your taunt is on cooldown, as well as clear many physical debuffs from players. [Divine Sacrifice] is a nice raidwide cooldown when Divine Guardian is fully talented, while [Hand of Sacrifice] does the same thing for a single target (such as the other tank - best used when you aren't currently tanking).

Q: How do I prevent running out of mana?
A: Make sure [Greater Blessing of Sanctuary] is up and while actively tanking cast [Divine Plea] which should remain active when in melee. Talented [Spiritual Attunement] will also provide mana returns during the fight.

Q: This stuff is pretty basic where else should I go for information?
A: The Protection Paladin Field Manual (WoW-3.0/WotLK) is currently the best source for more advanced Paladin tanking information.

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Minor note: my raid typically has a disc priest, a prot pally, a ret pally, and a holy pally. In this case, Kings is better than Sanc since the 3% damage reduction is already present, and Kings provides an Agi buff where Sanc does not. I'm not entirely certain whether Wisdom or Sanc returns more mana on bosses, but in any case that's a moot point. All that to say, "no exceptions" to Blessing of Sanc just isn't true. This is only a minor quibble though, so I didn't see a point to belaboring it in the FAQ.