Paladins are heavily-armored fighters and defenders who use Holy magic to heal wounds and combat evil. Paladins are relatively self-sufficient and have many abilities targeted at death prevention. They can focus on two-handed weapons, shields or healing. Their primary stats depend on their role.
Races
Humans
Versatile. Works for any spec.
Racials include;
- An increase in expertise by 3 when wielding swords or maces.
- Increased stealth detection range.
- 10% increased reputation gain.
- Has the ability to break out of most crowd control effects on a 2 minute cooldown.
- Spirit increased by 3%. (Only useful for a Cataclysm Holy Paladin.)
Dwarves
Recommended for playing Protection.
Racials include;
- Remove all poison, disease and bleed effects and increase your armor by 10% for 8 seconds on a 2 minute cooldown.
Cataclysm change - instead of gaining 10% armor, all damage done to you is decreased by 10%.
- Increased chance to be missed by Frost type spells.
Cataclysm change - instead of increasing % chance to be missed by these spells, you now have your resistance to this type of spells increased.
- An increase in expertise by 5 when wielding maces.
Cataclysm change - instead of an increase of 5 expertise, it is 3 expertise.
Draenei
Recommended for playing Holy, but works well for Retribution and Protection as well.
Racials include;
- A heal over time that scales with attack power or spell power (whichever is higher) on a 3 minute cooldown.
Cataclysm change - instead of scaling with attack power or spell power, it heals your health by %.
- An increase to your own and your party's hit rating by 1%.
Cataclysm change - instead of increasing the entire party's hit rating, it increases only your own.
- Increased chance to be missed by Shadow type spells.
Cataclysm change - instead of increasing % chance to be missed by these spells, you now have your resistance to this type of spells increased
Blood Elves
Highly recommended for Retribution and Holy, but is the only race choice based on racial abilities anyway.
Racials include;
- Restore mana and silence targets in range on a 2 minute cooldown.
- Increased chance to be missed by all magical spells.
Cataclysm change - instead of increasing % chance to be missed by these spells, you now have your resistance to this type of spells increased.
Tauren
Only recommended for good looks and hamburgers.
Racials include;
- AoE stun on a 2 minute cooldown. (Shares diminishing returns with all other stuns)
- Base health increased by 5%.
Specializations
Holy
Excels at tank healing in raids, is very mana efficient, and has the largest single-target heals in the game. Often considered "overpowered" in PvP and PvE, due to the vast amount of support cooldowns, and powerful but efficient healing.
Utilizes plate armor, a one-handed weapon and a shield.
Primary stat is Intellect.
Secondary stats are haste, critical strike, and mp5 (and spirit in Cataclysm).
Main spells include, but are not limited to, Holy Light, Flash of Light, Holy Shock, and Cleanse.
2v2 compositions
Holy Paladin, Arms Warrior
Holy Paladin, Unholy Death Knight
3v3 compositions
Protection
There is no "best" tanking class, but Protection Paladins have the most defensive abilities by far. They excel in mitigating damage, rather than simply soaking it. Has great potential for soaking damage in PvE and PvP, and dealing damage in PvP.
Utilizes plate armor, a one-handed weapon and a shield.
Primary stat is Stamina.
Secondary stats are defense (omitted in Cataclysm), dodge, parry and armor.
Main spells include, but are not limited to, Hammer of the Righteous, Holy Shield, Shield of Righteousness, and Avenger's Shield.
2v2 compositions
3v3 compositions
Retribution
Excels in not only dealing great damage, but also has great supporting ability in PvE and PvP. Often considered a "faceroll" spec when one simply focuses on damage, but anyone willing to play a supportive role can make the lives of their enemies very difficult, and often is the deciding factor between life and death for the entire group.
Utilizes plate armor and a two-handed weapon.
Primary stat is Strength.
Secondary stats are critical strike, haste, expertise, and hit rating.
Main spells include, but are not limited to, Crusader Strike, Divine Storm, and Judgement.
2v2 compositions
Retribution Paladin, Rogue
Retribution Paladin, Restoration Shaman
Retribution Paladin, Shadow Priest
Retribution Paladin, Hunter
3v3 compositions
Retribution Paladin, Balance Druid, Discipline Priest
Looking for more information to put in this post to help newcomers decide what race and specialization they want to play. So, if you can think of any questions you can ask that could be appropriately answered here, please say so!
