Retribution Paladin stands out as the melee DPS specialization for Paladins in World of Warcraft, celebrated for its robust utility and iconic class identity. Known for potent defensive and healing capabilities, along with valuable Auras, Retribution Paladins are a popular choice for players seeking a blend of damage output and support. This guide provides a comprehensive overview to help you understand and excel as a Retribution Paladin, often referred to as “Ret Pally” by the community.
Retribution Paladin: Strengths and Weaknesses
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the Retribution Paladin spec is crucial for effective gameplay.
Strengths
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Exceptional Defensive Cooldowns: Retribution Paladins are equipped with a suite of powerful defensive cooldowns. Spells like Divine Shield offer temporary invulnerability, while Divine Protection provides significant damage reduction. Shield of Vengeance further enhances survivability while dealing damage, making them incredibly resilient in various combat situations.
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Raid-Wide Aura Buffs: Retribution Paladins enhance raid performance by providing valuable raid-wide Aura buffs. Devotion Aura, for example, increases the armor of all raid members, contributing to overall raid survivability.
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Versatile Utility Options: Retribution Paladins boast a wide array of utility spells that can be game-changing in different scenarios. Blessing of Protection grants temporary immunity to physical damage, while Blessing of Sacrifice redirects damage from an ally to the Paladin. Blessing of Freedom removes movement-impairing effects, showcasing their supportive capabilities.
Weaknesses
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Limited Mobility: Mobility remains a challenge for Retribution Paladins. They have limited options for দ্রুত movement and struggle particularly with mechanics that involve knockback effects, hindering their ability to maintain consistent DPS in highly mobile encounters.
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Lower Skill Ceiling: Compared to some other DPS specs, Retribution Paladin has a relatively lower skill ceiling. While mastering the basics is straightforward, the performance gain from advanced optimization is less pronounced, making it less rewarding for players aiming for the absolute highest levels of play.
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Niche Utility: While versatile, some of the Retribution Paladin’s utility spells can be niche or less impactful in certain high-end content. In optimized groups or specific encounter designs, some utility spells might become redundant or unnecessary.
Retribution Paladin in The War Within Expansion: Guide to Changes
The War Within expansion brings significant updates to Retribution Paladins and the Paladin class as a whole. These changes range from talent adjustments to ability modifications, impacting gameplay and performance. For a comprehensive list of all Paladin changes, refer to the detailed patch notes available online, but this guide will highlight key adjustments relevant to Retribution Paladins.
Paladin Class Changes in The War Within
Key Changes for Retribution Paladins
The updates are rolled out across different patches, including Patch 11.0.7, Patch 11.0.5, and changes specifically for The War Within expansion.
Patch 11.0.7 Adjustments
Notably, Retribution Paladins did not receive any specific changes in Patch 11.0.7. This patch focused on other class adjustments, leaving the Retribution spec untouched during this iteration.
Patch 11.0.5 Updates
Patch 11.0.5 marked a substantial overhaul to Paladin class talents, impacting Retribution significantly.
Damage-Related Paladin Talent Changes
Many older talents that directly boosted damage were removed from the core Paladin tree. This includes talents like Touch of Light and Seal of Order. While some damage bonuses were integrated into baseline abilities, like the effect of Justification now applying to baseline Judgment, not all removed effects were compensated for directly. Specifically, these effects are no longer present:
- The 4% Haste from Seal of Alacrity.
- The 10% cooldown reduction for Holy Power generators from Seal of Order.
- The damage component of Seal of the Crusader.
- Touch of Light.
- Incandescence.
To offset these removals, Retribution Paladins received a general damage buff:
- A 6% increase to the damage of all spells and abilities.
- The maximum bonus from Vengeful Wrath is now capped at 60%.
Despite these buffs, the net result is an approximate 3% overall damage decrease in both single-target and AoE scenarios.
Utility-Focused Paladin Talent Additions
To compensate for damage talent removals, new utility-based talents have been introduced. These are primarily minor enhancements to existing utility spells, such as cooldown reductions or bonus effects, alongside passive healing talents that trigger automatically, adding to the Paladin’s survivability and support capabilities without requiring active management.
Earlier Hotfixes Post-War Within Launch
Between the initial launch of The War Within and Patch 11.0.5, Retribution Paladin Hero Talents underwent several tuning adjustments via hotfixes:
- Shake the Heavens duration increased to 10 seconds (up from 8 seconds).
- Sanctification duration increased to 12 seconds (up from 10 seconds).
- Final Reckoning now enhances Hammer of Light damage by 30% (increased from 15%).
- Hammer of Light damage increased by 25% to the primary target and 75% to secondary targets.
- Light’s Deliverance now triggers at 50 stacks (reduced from 60 stacks).
- Undisputed Ruling now grants 15% Haste for 8 seconds (changed from 12% Haste for 6 seconds).
- Wrathful Descent now deals 125% of Empyrean Hammer damage to nearby enemies (increased from 100%).
- Empyrean Hammer now benefits from effects that buff Holy spells such as Penitence and Burn to Ash.
These significant buffs elevated the Templar Hero Tree, making it the premier choice for Retribution Paladins in all PvE content.
The War Within Expansion Class Changes for Paladins
Paladin class talents have seen moderate changes in The War Within. The most notable adjustments include the removal of some utility abilities and tweaks to certain passive effects.
- Removed Talents:
- Retribution Aura.
- Crusader’s Reprieve.
- Greater Judgment applications can now overlap, enhancing its consistency.
- Retribution Paladins now automatically learn Greater Judgment baseline.
- Vengeful Wrath now increases Hammer of Wrath damage against low-health enemies, shifting from a guaranteed critical hit to a damage amplification effect under specific conditions.
Retribution-Specific Specialization Changes
The Retribution specialization tree has undergone a significant overhaul in The War Within. Many talents have been redesigned, repositioned, or removed, with new talents introduced to reshape the spec’s gameplay. This is not an exhaustive list, but it highlights key changes. For complete details, refer to the class changes page.
- Judgment use.
- Divine Hammer is redesigned to consume Holy Power periodically, dealing escalating AoE damage as Holy Power generators are used, changing its role in the rotation.
- Judge, Jury and Executioner is reworked to give Holy Power generators a chance to make the next single-target Holy Power spender hit additional targets, enhancing cleave damage.
- Righteous Cause now resets the cooldown of Blade of Justice occasionally when Holy Power is spent, adding a layer of resource management and burst potential.
- Judgment and Hammer of Wrath and is now a single talent point node, making it more accessible.
- Judgment, further emphasizing Judgment’s importance.
- Burn to Ash is a new talent extending the duration of Truth’s Wake on critical hits and boosting other DoT damage while active, adding a new DoT-focused element to gameplay.
- Radiant Glory is a new talent that transforms Avenging Wrath from an active ability into a passive effect triggered by Wake of Ashes or Holy Power spending, simplifying burst window management.
- Vanguard of Justice has been removed.
- Consecrated Blade is no longer a talent and is now baseline, ensuring all Retribution Paladins benefit from its effect.
- Zealot’s Fervor and Heart of the Crusader are now 2-point talent nodes, requiring more talent point investment.
- Blessed Champion is now a 1-point talent node, making it a more efficient talent point choice.
- The 5% Holystrike damage bonus moved from Divine Arbiter to Blades of Light, shifting talent positioning.
- Blade of Vengeance, while Empyrean Legacy moved to a separate node, offering different build paths.
- The Wake of Ashes talent node positions have been adjusted in the tree.
- Shield of Vengeance is now a choice node with Aegis of Protection, providing options for defensive talent choices.
Overview of The War Within Class Changes
Leveling Your Retribution Paladin in The War Within
If you’re starting a Retribution Paladin or leveling one up for The War Within, a dedicated leveling guide can significantly streamline the process.
Retribution Paladin Leveling Guide
To prepare for endgame content, consider incorporating essential add-ons early in your leveling journey. This allows you to become comfortable with UI enhancements and focus on gameplay once you reach max level.
Retribution Paladin Addons and Macros
Retribution Paladin Gameplay Basics
Retribution Paladin gameplay is centered around effective Holy Power management and optimizing ability cooldowns and Global Cooldowns (GCDs). While reactive elements exist, proactive planning of spell casts is crucial to avoid Holy Power wastage, especially during cooldown windows.
Two primary builds dictate Holy Power generation methods:
- Crusading Strikes: The more popular build, featuring substantial passive Holy Power generation but with rotational downtime.
- Templar Strikes: An alternative requiring greater GCD optimization and offering more control over Holy Power generation.
For players new to Retribution Paladin, understanding the fundamentals is key. Start with the Spell Summary and Easy Mode guide to grasp the basics.
Retribution Paladin Quick Guide
Experienced players can dive directly into advanced guides detailing optimal performance strategies.
Retribution Paladin Talents and Builds
Retribution Paladin Rotation and Cooldowns
Gearing Up Your Retribution Paladin
Gear optimization for Retribution Paladins can be complex, influenced by various character-specific factors. Consult the dedicated gearing guide to make informed decisions about your gear.
Retribution Paladin Best in Slot Gear Guide
Once you begin acquiring gear, ensure you utilize appropriate gems, enchants, and consumables to maximize your potential. Detailed information on stat priorities and consumable choices is available in the linked pages.
Retribution Paladin Enchants and Gems Guide
Retribution Paladin Stat Priority Guide
Endgame Retribution Paladin Gameplay
Endgame content in WoW often necessitates a shift in playstyle and gear compared to leveling. Specialized guides for Mythic+, Raiding, and PvP content will help you optimize your Retribution Paladin for each scenario.
Retribution Paladin Mythic+ Guide
Retribution Paladin PvP Guide
Improving Your Retribution Paladin Skills
Identifying areas for improvement can be challenging. Common issues often arise for Retribution Paladins, and dedicated resources are available to address frequently asked questions and common problems.
Retribution Paladin Improvement Guide
Retribution Paladin FAQ
Retribution Paladin Simulations
Changelog
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