Paladin PvP

Rotations & Guide · PvE · PvP · Builds · Abilities · Talent Calculator · Changes vs Classic

Paladins are plate hybrids that heal, tank and fight in melee with Seals and Judgement. Forever overhauls them heavily: the new Light's Vigil turns the level 40 Holy Shock talent into group healing, Protection gets Seal of Fury, Judgement of Fury, Hammer of the Righteous and Templar's Bulwark, and Retribution gains Holy Strike and Twist of Light seal echoes (Twist of Light is in Blizzard's notes, but the client does not show how to learn it).

Holy Paladin PVP guide

Holy in PvP is a sturdy healer in plate. At level 20 your heals are single-target, so your value is keeping one fight or one flag carrier alive and being very hard to shut down. Voice of Truth stops interrupts, Divine Protection stops all damage, and Blessing of Freedom and Blessing of Protection save allies. Your damage is low, so stay with your team.

Burst

• Voice of Truth: When a Rogue, Warrior or Shaman is on you, press it before a big heal. For 6 sec, Silence and Interrupt effects can't stop your casts.
• Holy Light: Rank 3 heals 142 to 168, your biggest heal. Start it early on whoever the enemy is focusing.
• Flash of Light: Rank 1 heals only 43 to 49, but it lands fast. Use it when a Holy Light would arrive too late.
• Lay on Hands: Heals for an amount equal to your maximum health, but drains all your Mana. Save it for the moment an ally, or you, would otherwise die.

Control

• Hammer of Justice: Stun the melee player on your healer or flag carrier for 3 sec, or stop an enemy healer's cast. It is your only way to stop a cast.
• Blessing of Freedom: Makes an ally or yourself immune to movement impairing effects for 10 sec: Hamstring, Wing Clip, Frostbolt's slow, Frost Nova and Entangling Roots.
• Blessing of Protection: On an ally being beaten by a Warrior or Rogue: 6 sec of immunity to physical attacks, though they can't attack either.
• Purify: Removes one poison and one disease, such as a Priest's Devouring Plague. It can't remove curses or other magic at this level.

Staying alive

• Divine Protection: Rank 2 makes you immune to attacks and spells for 8 sec. Its tooltip only stops attacks and physical abilities, so heal yourself with Holy Light while it lasts.
• Blessing of Freedom: On yourself to get away from melee. It replaces your other Blessing on yourself, so put Blessing of Wisdom back afterwards.
• Devotion Aura: Keep it on: rank 3 gives 275 extra armor to party members within 30 yards.
• Lay on Hands: On yourself as a last resort. It drains your Mana but doesn't interrupt Mana regeneration.

Battlegrounds

In a battleground your job is to keep one fight going longer than the enemy's. Stay behind your team, heal whoever the enemy is focusing, and put Blessing of Freedom on your flag carrier whenever they are slowed. When enemies come for you, don't just run: Divine Protection and Voice of Truth let you finish heals where other healers would die or be interrupted, and Hammer of Justice stops the player hitting you. On control points, stand where you can see the point but aren't the first thing attackers reach, and keep Hammer of Justice for the player trying to capture it. Blizzard has announced Darkspear Islands, a new 15 vs 15 battleground off the coast of Kalimdor that mixes strategic control points with Arathi Basin-style flag captures and defense. It opens for beta testing later, and a healer who can hold a point is exactly what those fights need.

Open-world PvP

On the PvP ruleset you can be attacked almost anywhere. As Holy you rarely win a long fight alone, but you rarely lose one quickly either. If you are ganked, make it a long fight: Divine Protection for 8 sec of immunity while you heal, then Hammer of Justice and another Holy Light. Blessing of Freedom on yourself gets you away from Warriors, Hunters and Mages that slow you. Keep Blessing of Wisdom on so you drink less, and drink out of sight when you must. Near busy quest areas and flight paths, travel with a partner: you keep them alive and they do the killing. Blizzard's notes say a Rogue's Sap now flags the Rogue for PvP when used on a PvP-flagged target, so a Rogue who saps you can be attacked by your friends.

Matchups

• vs Warrior: Warriors hit hard, slow you with Hamstring and, with a shield, interrupt you with Shield Bash. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to Hamstring so you can step away and heal. Press Voice of Truth before a Holy Light so Shield Bash can't stop it, and use Divine Protection when they burst. From 22, Intimidating Shout makes you flee; Unyielding Faith shortens it.
• vs Rogue: Rogues open from Stealth, Gouge you for up to 4 sec and Kick your heals, which locks out that spell school for a while, and all your heals are Holy. Cast Voice of Truth before your big heal, and Divine Protection when their burst lands. On an ally, Blessing of Protection stops a Rogue's physical damage completely for 6 sec.
• vs Hunter: Hunters slow you with Concussive Shot and Wing Clip, can freeze you with Freezing Trap from 20, and their pet hits you while you cast; Spiritual Focus helps those casts land on time. Blessing of Freedom removes the point of their slows, so use it to reach cover and break line of sight. Heal yourself during Divine Protection, and stay behind your team so the pet has to get through them first.
• vs Mage: Mages slow you with Frostbolt, freeze you with Frost Nova and Polymorph you (up to 30 sec at 20), which you can't remove yourself at this level, so stay near allies. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to the freeze and slows. Hammer of Justice stops a Polymorph cast, but from 20 Blink frees a Mage from stuns, so stun after they have used it. Divine Protection blocks their spells too.
• vs Warlock: Warlocks stack damage over time and Fear you. Fear has a cast time, so Hammer of Justice a Warlock who starts casting it if you are close enough, and Unyielding Faith cuts every Fear short. Purify can't remove curses or other harmful magic, so heal through them and keep your Stamina high. Only one target can be feared at a time, so they can't fear your whole group.
• vs Priest: Priests shield and heal themselves, and Psychic Scream makes enemies within 8 yards flee. Stay just outside that range while you heal, and Unyielding Faith shortens the Fear. Purify removes Devouring Plague, which is a disease. Dispel Magic can remove a beneficial spell from you, so check your Blessings afterwards. Troll Priests can also cast Hex of Weakness, which lowers the healing you receive.
• vs Shaman: Shamans interrupt with Earth Shock, slow you with Earthbind Totem and, from 20, Frost Shock, and Purge can remove a magic effect from you. Earth Shock is instant, so keep Voice of Truth ready whenever a Shaman is close. Earthbind Totem has only 5 health: one hit destroys it, or Blessing of Freedom ignores it. Hammer of Justice stops a Shaman's own heals.
• vs Druid: Druids root you with Entangling Roots, stun you with Bash, heal themselves, and from 20 can charge in with Feral Charge in Bear Form. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to the roots. Hammer of Justice stops a Healing Touch or Regrowth, and Divine Protection covers you while you heal through their damage.

Stats

Stamina, Healing Power, Intellect, Mana per 5 sec, Spirit, Critical Strike. In PvP you are the first target, so Stamina matters far more than in a dungeon: a dead healer heals nothing. After that, Healing Power makes every heal bigger, and Intellect and Mana per 5 sec keep you casting when there is no time to drink. Critical Strike is low, because the PvP builds skip Illumination and Divine Favor.

Tips

• Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection both apply Forbearance for 1 min, and so does Templar's Bulwark at 30. Use one at a time and plan which one you'll need.
• Each player can hold only one Blessing from you. Blessing of Freedom and Blessing of Protection replace Blessing of Wisdom or Might, so re-apply it once the fight ends.
• Hammer of Justice has only a 10 yd range. Use it on the enemy who comes to you rather than chasing someone with it.
• A Kick or Earth Shock on your heal locks out that school, and your heals are Holy. Press Voice of Truth first when a melee player is on you, then cast.
• Blessing of Wisdom lasts 1 hour in Forever, so you can buff before a battleground and not worry about it again.

Protection Paladin PVP guide

Protection in PvP is a defender and flag carrier. You don't kill quickly, but plate, a shield, Seal of Fury's absorbs and Blessing of Kings make you hard to kill, and Blessing of Freedom makes you hard to slow. Use that to hold objectives, carry flags and protect your healers.

Burst

• Seal of Fury: Keep it up with a shield on: rank 2 adds 9 Holy damage per swing and an absorb shield equal to 50% of that damage. The client doesn't say what its Judgement's taunt does to a player.
• Hammer of Justice: Start with a 3 sec stun so the target can't move or answer.
• Judgement: Holy damage right away while they are stunned.
• Swift Judgement: Reset Judgement and use it again for free.
• Holy Strike: Weapon damage plus Holy damage. Press it whenever it is ready.

Control

• Hammer of Justice: Stun the player about to capture your point or kill your flag carrier, or stop an enemy healer's cast.
• Blessing of Freedom: On your flag carrier or yourself: immunity to movement impairing effects for 10 sec, longer with Guardian's Favor.
• Blessing of Protection: Stops a Warrior or Rogue from hurting an ally for 6 sec. Guardian's Favor shortens its cooldown.

Staying alive

• Blessing of Kings: On yourself before the fight: 10% more total stats, so more health and Mana.
• Devotion Aura: Always on: rank 3 gives 275 extra armor to party members within 30 yards, and Improved Devotion Aura adds to it.
• Holy Light: Heal yourself between hits. Rank 3 heals 142 to 168.
• Divine Protection: For 8 sec you are immune to attacks and spells but can't attack. Use it to land a Holy Light on yourself or to wait for help.
• Lay on Hands: A heal on yourself equal to your maximum health when you are about to die. It drains all your Mana.

Battlegrounds

You are a defender. Stand on a control point or next to your flag carrier, keep Devotion Aura up for everyone near you, and make attackers waste their time on you. Hammer of Justice is for the player trying to capture a point or kill your carrier, Blessing of Freedom keeps your carrier running through slows and roots, and Blessing of Protection saves a carrier or healer from Warriors and Rogues. You can carry a flag yourself: Seal of Fury's absorbs, Blessing of Kings and Holy Light on yourself make you slow to kill, though without a speed boost you need an escort. Blizzard's new 15 vs 15 battleground, Darkspear Islands, mixes strategic control points with Arathi Basin-style flag captures and defense, which suits a defender. It opens for beta testing later.

Open-world PvP

On the PvP ruleset, a Protection Paladin wins by not dying. When you are ganked, fight from behind your shield: Seal of Fury's absorbs, Holy Light between hits, Divine Protection when their burst lands, and Lay on Hands if it still goes wrong. Many attackers run out of cooldowns before you do. Blessing of Freedom gets you out of slows and roots when you would rather leave. You won't kill much alone, so near contested quest areas travel with a friend: they do the killing while you protect them with Blessing of Protection and Hammer of Justice. Blizzard's notes say a Rogue's Sap now flags the Rogue for PvP when used on a PvP-flagged target, so a Rogue who saps you can be attacked by your friends.

Matchups

• vs Warrior: Warriors hit hard, Hamstring you, and from 18 can Disarm you. Your armor and Defense help most here. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to Hamstring. When they use Retaliation at 20, stop swinging from the front and heal yourself with Holy Light instead. Save Divine Protection for their burst and Hammer of Justice to break their momentum.
• vs Rogue: Rogues rely on their opener and burst. Plate and Blessing of Kings blunt it, and once the opener is over you can outlast them. Evasion only raises their dodge chance, so heal yourself during it rather than swinging into it. Hammer of Justice stops them when they try to finish you, and Blessing of Protection makes an ally they target immune to their attacks for a while.
• vs Hunter: Hunters kite you with Concussive Shot and Wing Clip and let their pet hit you. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to the slows so you can close the gap, and Hammer of Justice holds them once you are in its short range. If you can't reach them, stand on your objective: they have to come to you to take it.
• vs Mage: Mages freeze you with Frost Nova, slow you and Polymorph you. Blessing of Freedom before you close in makes you immune to the freeze and slows. From 20, Blink frees them from stuns, so use Hammer of Justice after they Blink. Mages wear cloth, so once you are on them every swing counts, and Divine Protection stops their spells too.
• vs Warlock: Warlocks wear you down with damage over time and Fear. You have the health to outlast the damage: heal yourself with Holy Light and stay on them. Hammer of Justice stops a Fear cast if you are close enough. Their pet is a demon, so Exorcism can hit it.
• vs Priest: Priests shield and heal themselves, and Psychic Scream makes enemies within 8 yards flee. Hammer of Justice stops their heals. Purify removes Devouring Plague, which is a disease. Dispel Magic can remove a beneficial spell from you, so check that Blessing of Kings is still on.
• vs Shaman: Shamans hit hard in melee with their weapon imbues, shock you, and slow you with Earthbind Totem and, from 20, Frost Shock. Earthbind Totem has only 5 health: one hit destroys it, or Blessing of Freedom ignores it. Hammer of Justice stops their heals, and Purge can remove a magic effect from you, so check your Blessing.
• vs Druid: Druids root you with Entangling Roots, heal in caster form and switch to Bear or Cat Form to fight. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to the roots, and Hammer of Justice stops a Healing Touch or Regrowth. A Druid who keeps healing can outlast you, so save the stun for their heal.

Stats

Stamina, Armor, Defense, Strength, Hit, Intellect. Stamina is your whole job: the longer you stand on a point, the longer your team holds it. Armor and Defense cut melee damage, which is most of what Warriors, Rogues and Hunter pets deal to you. Strength and hit add a little damage and keep Seal of Fury's absorbs coming, and Intellect pays for Holy Light on yourself.

Tips

• Always wear a shield: Seal of Fury's absorbs only work with one, and the shield's armor is a big part of your defense.
• Each player can hold only one of your Blessings. Blessing of Freedom on yourself replaces Blessing of Kings, so re-apply Kings once you are safe.
• Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection share Forbearance, and so will Templar's Bulwark at 30. Plan which one you will need.
• Seal of Fury's Judgement taunts, but the client doesn't say what a taunt does to a player. Treat it as a damage button, not a peel.
• Stay within 30 yards of your team so Devotion Aura, and Improved Devotion Aura's healing bonus, reach them.

Retribution Paladin PVP guide

Retribution is the Paladin's PvP damage spec. Its strength is a burst window: Hammer of Justice, then Seal of Command's Judgement, which nearly doubles against a stunned target, then Swift Judgement for a second one. Plate, Divine Protection, Lay on Hands and Holy Light keep you alive between windows.

Burst

• Seal of Command: Keep it up. Your swings have a chance to deal extra Holy damage equal to 70% of weapon damage.
• Hammer of Justice: Stun the target for 3 sec to open the window.
• Judgement: On the stunned target: Seal of Command's Judgement deals 93 to 101 Holy damage instead of 48.
• Swift Judgement: Finishes Judgement's cooldown and makes the next one free. Judge again while the stun lasts.
• Holy Strike: Weapon damage plus Holy damage. Add it to the window, then keep it on cooldown.

Control

• Hammer of Justice: Your only stun and your only way to stop a cast. Decide before you press it: burst, or stopping a heal.
• Blessing of Freedom: On yourself to stay on a target that kites you: immunity to movement impairing effects for 10 sec.
• Blessing of Protection: Save an ally from Warriors and Rogues for 6 sec. They can't attack while it lasts.

Staying alive

• Divine Protection: 8 sec of immunity to attacks and spells. You can't attack, so use it to heal yourself with Holy Light.
• Holy Light: Rank 3 heals 142 to 168. Cast it when nobody is on you, or during Divine Protection.
• Lay on Hands: A heal on yourself equal to your maximum health. It drains all your Mana, so use it after your burst window, not before.
• Devotion Aura: Swap to it when melee players focus you: rank 3 gives 275 extra armor.
• Blessing of Freedom: Run back to your healer when you are slowed or rooted.

Battlegrounds

You are melee damage that can heal itself. Go after enemy healers and flag carriers: Hammer of Justice stops a healer's cast and opens your burst window on the same target. Blessing of Freedom keeps you on a carrier through slows and roots. When you are focused, don't die alone out of position: back toward your healer, use Divine Protection and heal yourself. On control points, you are the one who kills the lone defender or the player trying to capture. Blizzard's new 15 vs 15 battleground, Darkspear Islands, mixes strategic control points with Arathi Basin-style flag captures and defense, and opens for beta testing later.

Open-world PvP

On the PvP ruleset, Retribution is good at starting fights. Open with Hammer of Justice and your Seal of Command burst while the target is busy with a quest enemy, and finish with Holy Strike. If you are the one ganked, the same burst is your answer; if it fails, Divine Protection and Holy Light buy time, and Lay on Hands buys more. The level 30 PvP build adds Pursuit of Justice for faster movement, for catching or escaping. Near quest objectives, finish your own quest enemies first so a player doesn't catch you half-dead. Blizzard's notes say a Rogue's Sap now flags the Rogue for PvP when used on a PvP-flagged target, so a Rogue who saps you can be attacked by your friends.

Matchups

• vs Warrior: Warriors match your melee damage and slow you with Hamstring. Blessing of Freedom keeps you on them, and Deflection's parry helps. Don't swing into Retaliation from the front at 20: step back and heal yourself while it runs. Your edge is healing: trade damage, heal during Divine Protection, then burst with Hammer of Justice and Judgement.
• vs Rogue: Rogues burst you from Stealth and Gouge you for up to 4 sec. Deflection helps against their swings. Evasion raises their dodge chance a lot, so heal yourself and wait it out rather than swinging into it. Save Hammer of Justice for after their opener, then burst them back with Seal of Command's Judgement on the stunned Rogue.
• vs Hunter: Hunters kite you. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to Concussive Shot and Wing Clip, so use it as you close in, then Hammer of Justice and burst. Watch for Freezing Trap from 20. Kill the Hunter, not the pet, unless the pet is all that is in reach.
• vs Mage: Mages die fast once you reach them, but they freeze and slow you, and Polymorph (up to 30 sec at 20) can take you out of the fight. Use Blessing of Freedom before you close in, then Hammer of Justice after they have used Blink, since from 20 Blink frees them from stuns. Divine Protection stops their spells too, so use it to walk through their burst.
• vs Warlock: Warlocks drain you with damage over time and Fear. Hammer of Justice a Warlock casting Fear if you are close enough, then burst them. Purify can't remove their curses, so kill them before the damage stacks up. Their pet is a demon, so Exorcism can hit it.
• vs Priest: Priests shield themselves, heal, and Psychic Scream enemies within 8 yards. Hammer of Justice their heal and burst through the shield. Purify removes Devouring Plague, which is a disease. Night Elf Priests have Elune's Grace, which makes your melee attacks miss more for a short time, so wait it out before your burst.
• vs Shaman: Shamans hit hard with weapon imbues, interrupt your heals with Earth Shock and slow you with Earthbind Totem and, from 20, Frost Shock. Earthbind Totem has only 5 health: kill it, or use Blessing of Freedom. Voice of Truth protects a Holy Light from Earth Shock, and Hammer of Justice stops their heals.
• vs Druid: Druids root you, shapeshift and heal. Blessing of Freedom makes you immune to Entangling Roots. Hammer of Justice stops a Healing Touch or Regrowth, and the stun also opens your Seal of Command burst on them.

Stats

Weapon DPS, Strength, Stamina, Hit, Critical Strike, Agility, Intellect. Seal of Command and Holy Strike both scale with weapon damage, so a slow, hard-hitting two-hander comes first. Strength and Stamina come next: you fight in melee, so you will be focused, and a dead Paladin deals no damage. Hit and crit keep your swings and seal procs landing, and Intellect pays for your Judgements and heals.

Tips

• Hammer of Justice and Swift Judgement both have a 1 min cooldown, so your burst window comes once a minute. Don't spend Hammer of Justice on a target you can't finish.
• Judgement and Hammer of Justice both have only a 10 yd range. Close in first.
• Each player can hold only one of your Blessings. Blessing of Freedom on yourself replaces Blessing of Might, so re-apply it after the fight.
• Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection share Forbearance, and so will Templar's Bulwark at 30, so only one of them can save you each minute.
• Voice of Truth isn't only for healers: it protects the Holy Light you cast on yourself during a fight from Kick and Earth Shock.

Checked against WoW Forever beta build 1.60.1.70009.

Paladin abilities

• Improved Flash of Light
• Improved Seal of Fury
• Sanctified Judgement
• Twist of Light
• Devotion Aura (level 1)
• Holy Light (level 1)
• Judgement of Righteousness (level 1)
• Seal of Righteousness (level 1)
• Swift Judgement (level 1)
• Blessing of Might (level 4)
• Judgement (level 4)
• Divine Protection (level 6)
• Holy Strike (level 6)
• Seal of the Crusader (level 6)
• Hammer of Justice (level 8)
• Purify (level 8)
• Blessing of Protection (level 10)
• Lay on Hands (level 10)
• Seal of Fury (level 10)
• Judgement of the Crusader (level 12)
• Redemption (level 12)
• Blessing of Wisdom (level 14)
• Retribution Aura (level 16)
• Blessing of Freedom (level 18)
• Exorcism (level 20)
• Flash of Light (level 20)
• Judgement of Command (level 20)
• Sense Undead (level 20)
• Voice of Truth (level 20)
• Concentration Aura (level 22)
• Judgement of Justice (level 22)
• Seal of Justice (level 22)
• Turn Undead (level 24)
• Judgement of Fury (level 25)
• Blessing of Salvation (level 26)
• Shadow Resistance Aura (level 28)
• Divine Intervention (level 30)
• Judgement of Light (level 30)
• Seal of Light (level 30)
• Templar's Bulwark (level 30)
• Frost Resistance Aura (level 32)
• Divine Shield (level 34)
• Fire Resistance Aura (level 36)
• Judgement of Wisdom (level 38)
• Seal of Wisdom (level 38)
• Blessing of Light (level 40)
• Hammer of the Righteous (level 40)
• Light's Vigil (level 40)
• Cleanse (level 42)
• Hammer of Wrath (level 44)
• Blessing of Sacrifice (level 46)
• Holy Wrath (level 50)
• Greater Blessing of Might (level 52)
• Greater Blessing of Wisdom (level 54)
• Greater Blessing of Kings (level 60)
• Greater Blessing of Light (level 60)
• Greater Blessing of Salvation (level 60)