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Leveling a Paladin to 30
How to level a Paladin in WoW Forever from 1 to the level 30 beta cap: seals, Judgement, auras and blessings, every ability as you learn it, the published leveling talent builds at 20 and 30, what to press, class quests, gear, dungeons, and the mistakes new Paladins make.
The WoW Forever beta has been capped at level 30 since the 1 October 2026 maintenance (build 1.60.1.70170), and Blizzard hasn't said when the cap will rise again. Abilities, talents and tooltips here come from the Forever beta client. Anything taken from Classic's data, such as class quest givers and places, is labelled, because Forever may have changed it. See Level 30 build goes live for everything the new build brought.
The Paladin in a nutshell
The Paladin is a holy warrior who fights in melee, heals and protects. You can do all three jobs: deal damage with a big weapon (the Retribution talent tree), tank, meaning hold enemies' attention in a group so they hit you instead of your friends (Protection), or heal your group (Holy). While leveling you mostly hit things in melee and heal yourself between fights, whichever tree you pick.
Your resource is Mana. Everything you cast costs some, and you get it back by drinking or by waiting out of combat. At low levels Mana is often what forces you to stop, so the leveling builds lean on talents that make your spells cheaper.
The Forever client lets Paladins wear cloth, leather and mail from level 1 and plate from level 40, and carry a shield. Your weapons are one- and two-handed axes, maces and swords, plus polearms from level 20. Paladins can't use bows, guns or thrown weapons; the ranged slot holds a libram, a holy book with a small bonus, such as Tenets of the Silver Hand, a Paladin-only libram at level 20 that's new in Forever.
Good at
- Staying alive. Heavy armor, a heal you can cast on yourself, and emergency buttons like Divine Protection and Lay on Hands make Paladins hard to kill.
- Short downtime. You heal yourself between fights instead of eating, although you still drink for Mana.
- Helping a group. Every Paladin brings an aura for the whole party and a blessing for each player, and can bring the dead back to life.
Not so good at
- Killing fast at the very start. Before your talents and Holy Strike arrive, fights take a while.
- Reaching enemies at range. Exorcism only works on Undead and Demons, so you have no ranged attack against most enemies.
- Stopping casters and runners. Blizzard says Paladins still have no interrupt and can't slow enemies the way some classes can. Hammer of Justice, a stun, is your main answer to both.
Paladins still lack an interrupt, still cannot slow targets the way some other classes can, and still rely on the Seal and Judgment system to access their taunt rather than pressing a single-purpose button. Blizzard, World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap
Choosing a race
Three races can be Paladins in WoW Forever: Human and Dwarf for the Alliance, and Undead for the Horde. Undead Paladins are new in Forever and are the only way to play a Horde Paladin. Blizzard reworked the racials so every race has two active abilities and two passive ones, tuned to give a similar amount of power, so pick the faction and look you like. These are the racials that matter most for a Paladin, from the Forever client's tooltips:
| Race | Faction | Racials that help a Paladin |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Alliance | Sword Specialization (more critical strike chance with swords, spells included), The Human Spirit (more Spirit, which helps Mana come back between fights), Will to Survive (breaks out of stuns) |
| Dwarf | Alliance | Mace Specialization (more critical strike chance with maces, spells included), Stoneform (less Physical damage taken, clears bleeds, poisons and diseases), Big Game Hunter (more damage to Beasts) |
| Undead | Horde | Touch of the Grave (your attacks sometimes drain health), Cannibalize (restores Health and Mana on Humanoid or Undead corpses), Will of the Forsaken (breaks Fear, Charm and Sleep) |
Racial tooltips are from the Forever beta client and are still being tuned.
Undead Paladins get their own story. According to Blizzard's Found Photos panel recap, it follows on from the Forsaken Kingdom campaign, and Bandarion Keep in the Whispering Wood of Tirisfal Glades is a key location. At level 60 they get their own epic mount quest.
Whereas Alliance paladins claim their epic charger in the name of Redemption, the paladins of the Forsaken ride in the name of Retribution. Blizzard, World of Warcraft: Forever Found Photos Panel Recap
Read more in Races, classes and reworked racials.
Seals, Judgement, auras and blessings
These four ideas are the heart of the Paladin. Once they click, the class is easy to play.
Seals
A Seal is a buff you cast on yourself that adds something to every swing of your weapon. It lasts 30 seconds, and only one can be active at a time. Keep one up in every fight, and recast it when it runs out.
- Seal of Righteousness (level 1) adds Holy damage to each melee attack. Slower weapons cause more Holy damage per swing. It's your leveling seal until your talents give you something better.
- Seal of the Crusader (level 6) makes you attack 40% faster for less damage per hit. Its real use is its Judgement, below.
- Seal of Fury (level 10), new in Forever, is the tanking seal. Your swings deal extra Holy damage, and while you carry a shield each swing also gives you a small absorb shield.
- Seal of Command is a Retribution talent you can take at 20. It gives your swings a chance to deal extra Holy damage based on your weapon damage.
- Seal of Justice (level 22) gives your swings a chance to stun, and its Judgement stops an enemy from running away.
- Seal of Light (level 30) gives your swings a chance to heal you, for when you need staying power more than damage.
Judgement
Judgement (level 4) releases your Seal's energy on an enemy for an extra effect, and each Seal has its own. Seal of Righteousness's Judgement deals Holy damage, and Seal of Fury's Judgement deals Holy damage and makes the enemy attack you. Seal of the Crusader's Judgement makes the enemy take more Holy damage for 40 seconds, and your melee swings keep refreshing it.
The big change in Forever: Judgement does not use up your Seal. In Classic you had to recast the Seal after every Judgement; now you just press Judgement every time it's ready. Swift Judgement, also new, finishes Judgement's cooldown at once and makes your next Judgement free, for a quick second hit or a second taunt. It is a Protection talent that opens at level 25, and both level 30 Protection builds take it.
Auras
An aura is always on while you choose it, and it affects every party member near you. You can run one at a time, and each player can only have one aura from each Paladin. Devotion Aura (level 1) gives extra armor and is your default. Retribution Aura (level 16) deals Holy damage to any enemy that hits a party member. Switch to it when several enemies are hitting you. Blizzard's September 24 notes say Retribution Aura now grows with your spell power, but in the 1 October build it uses the target's spell power instead of yours, a known issue Blizzard has listed. Concentration Aura (level 22) helps party members keep casting while they are hit, which matters most when you heal.
Blessings
A blessing is a buff you put on one player, yourself included, and in Forever they last 1 hour. Each player can have only one blessing from each Paladin. Blessing of Might (level 4) adds melee attack power, the one to keep on yourself for damage. Blessing of Wisdom (level 14) restores 12 mana every 5 seconds, the one to use if you keep stopping to drink. Blessing of Protection (level 10) and Blessing of Freedom (level 18) are short emergency blessings: the first protects a player from physical attacks, the second frees them from slows and roots. Blessing of Salvation (level 26) lowers the threat a player causes, which is the one to give your group's damage dealers when you tank.
Watch out: Blessing of Protection and Blessing of Freedom replace that player's other blessing from you, so buff them again afterwards. Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection also both apply Forbearance for 1 minute, and neither can be used while it's active, so using one blocks the other.
Abilities by level
You learn new abilities from a Paladin trainer in your starting area and in the capital cities. This table lists everything the trainer teaches up to level 30, straight from the Forever client:
Everything a Paladin learns up to level 30, from the Forever client. Some come from a class quest instead of the trainer; a Classic quest is Classic's data, not yet confirmed in Forever.
The seals, auras and blessings are covered above. Here are the other abilities that matter, in the order you get them:
- Holy Light, level 1: your heal. Between fights, heal yourself with it instead of eating.
- Holy Strike, level 6, new in Forever: an instant strike that deals part of your weapon damage plus Holy damage. It has a short cooldown, and you press it every time it's ready, whatever your spec.
- Divine Protection, level 6: for 6 sec nothing can hurt you, but you can't attack either. Use it to survive, then heal.
- Hammer of Justice, level 8: stuns the target for 3 sec. It's your only way to stop a caster or a runner.
- Purify, level 8: removes a poison and a disease from a friendly target.
- Lay on Hands, level 10: heals a friendly target for your maximum health, but drains all your Mana. It's for real emergencies, and it has a very long cooldown.
- Redemption, level 12: brings a dead player back to life out of combat.
- Exorcism, level 20: a ranged Holy attack that only works on Undead and Demons. Against them it's also a way to pull from range.
- Flash of Light, level 20: a fast, small heal. Up to level 30 Holy Light heals far more for your Mana, so use Flash of Light only when a heal has to land quickly.
- Consecration, level 20: consecrates the ground under you, dealing Holy damage over 8 sec to enemies who enter it, with extra damage to the first 4. It is your area attack against a group of enemies, but it costs a lot of Mana, so don't use it on one.
- Blessing of Kings, level 20: a blessing that raises a player's total stats by 10% for 1 hour. It replaces your other blessing on that player, like every blessing.
- Sense Undead, level 20: shows nearby Undead on your minimap. In Classic's data it comes from The Tome of Valor quest chain (see class quests below).
Levels 21 to 30
These are all within the level 30 cap. New abilities first, then the new ranks worth knowing about:
- Concentration Aura, level 22: party members within 30 yards get a 35% chance to ignore spell interruption when damaged.
- Seal of Justice, level 22: each swing has a chance to stun for 2 sec, and its Judgement prevents the enemy from fleeing for 10 sec. Use it on enemies that run away at low health.
- Turn Undead, level 24: makes an Undead enemy flee for up to 10 sec. Damage may break it, and only one target can be turned at a time.
- Blessing of Salvation, level 26: reduces all the threat a player generates by 30% for 1 hour.
- Shadow Resistance Aura, level 28: extra Shadow resistance for everyone nearby.
- Divine Intervention, level 30: removes a party member from harm's way at the cost of your own life. They are immune to harmful attacks but can't act while it lasts.
- Seal of Light, level 30: each swing has a chance to heal you for 39.
- Holy Light (Holy Light rank 4) at level 22 heals 267 to 307, and Holy Light (rank 5) at level 30 heals 425 to 479.
- Blessing of Might (Blessing of Might rank 3) at level 22 gives 40 attack power, and Seal of the Crusader (Seal of the Crusader rank 3) arrives at the same level.
- Hammer of Justice (Hammer of Justice rank 2) at level 24 stuns for 4 sec.
- Blessing of Wisdom (Blessing of Wisdom rank 2) at level 24 restores 18 mana every 5 seconds, and Blessing of Protection (Blessing of Protection rank 2) at the same level lasts longer.
- Seal of Fury (Seal of Fury rank 3) at level 25 adds 14 Holy damage to each swing.
- Retribution Aura (Retribution Aura rank 2) at level 26 deals 12 Holy damage to each enemy that strikes a party member.
- Flash of Light (Flash of Light rank 2) at level 26 heals 62 to 70.
- Holy Strike (Holy Strike rank 4) at level 28 deals 36% weapon damage plus 21 to 27 Holy damage, and Exorcism (Exorcism rank 2) at level 28 deals 132 to 150 to Undead and Demons.
- Consecration (Consecration rank 2) at level 30 deals 24 Holy damage over 8 sec, plus 56 more to the first 4 enemies.
- Devotion Aura (Devotion Aura rank 4) at level 30 gives 390 additional armor.
- Lay on Hands (Lay on Hands rank 2) at level 30 also restores 250 of the target's mana.
- If you took the Seal of Command talent, its rank 2 comes at 30: Seal of Command Judges for 76 Holy damage, or 146 to 160 if the target is stunned or incapacitated.
Above the current cap, the next big defensive button is Divine Shield at level 34.
Talents: which spec to level with
You get your first talent point at level 10 and one more each level, so 11 points by level 20 and 21 points by level 30. The Paladin has one talent tree with three sections, Holy, Protection and Retribution, and each row of a section needs 5 more points in that section than the row above it. The fourth row opens at 25 with 15 points in the section, and the fifth at 30 with 20 points. You spend them at your talent pane (press N).
The fifth row is where the new big talents sit: Holy Shock for Holy, an instant heal or Holy blast, Templar's Bulwark for Protection, an absorb shield equal to your maximum health, and Vengeance or Repentance for Retribution. They are talents, so the trainer won't list them.
If you have not recently changed your talents, the cost is now 1 silver to re-spec. This is temporary for the Beta only. After your first talent reset, the subsequent cost will be much higher, but it will drop to 1 silver after 1 hour has passed. Blizzard, WoW Forever Beta Development Notes (September 24)
ForeverDB has a published leveling build for each tree at 20 and at 30. You can see every point and the reason for it on the Paladin builds page, and plan your own in the talent calculator.
| Build | Talents at 20 | Added by 30 | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retribution: Seal of Command leveling | Benediction 5, Improved Judgement 2, Conviction 3, Seal of Command 1 | Conviction to 5, Sanctified Judgement 3, Pursuit of Justice 2, Vindication 1, Sacred Arbiter 1, Vengeance 1 | A two-handed build. Benediction makes every instant spell cheaper, and nearly everything you press is instant. Seal of Command becomes your seal at 20. By 30, Sanctified Judgement refunds seal Mana on every Judgement, Sacred Arbiter makes Holy Strike hit 20% harder, Pursuit of Justice speeds up travel, and Vengeance arrives at exactly 30. |
| Protection: Sword and board leveling | Redoubt 5, Precision 1, Benediction 5 | Precision to 3, Anticipation 2, Shield Specialization 3, Improved Seal of Fury 1, Sacred Duty 1, Swift Judgement 1 | One-handed weapon and shield with Seal of Fury. Redoubt raises your block chance while enemies hit you, and Benediction cuts Mana costs. By 30, Shield Specialization makes your blocks restore Mana, so you rarely drink, and Swift Judgement gives you a free extra Judgement. It doesn't reach Templar's Bulwark; the tank build does. |
| Holy: Holy melee leveling | Divine Intellect 5, Improved Seals 3, Healing Light 2, Reverence 1 | Divine Strength 5, Benediction 5 | You still fight in melee, but stay in the healing section. Improved Seals boosts every seal and Judgement in Forever, Healing Light makes your self-heals stronger, and Reverence keeps some Mana coming back. By 30, Divine Strength adds harder swings and Benediction makes your seals, Judgement, Holy Strike and Consecration cheaper. You can still heal dungeons along the way. |
Summaries of the published level 20 and level 30 leveling builds (11 and 21 points). Talent tooltips are from the Forever client, which shows the values of every rank.
Which one should you pick?
- Retribution if you want to kill things fastest while you level. It's the published build that the builds page describes as killing quickly, and the only leveling build that reaches the fifth row by 30.
- Protection if you want to tank dungeons, or you like never having to stop. You kill more slowly but rarely die.
- Holy if you want to heal dungeons while you level. Expect slower solo fights. For a dedicated healer, the level 30 healing build on the builds page goes down to Holy Shock instead.
Blizzard's Deep Dive panel said Consecration and Blessing of Kings would be baseline, meaning every Paladin gets them, and in the current beta client both are trainer abilities at level 20. It works the other way for some new spells: Voice of Truth, Swift Judgement, Templar's Bulwark and Holy Shock are talents, so you find them in the talent pane, not at the trainer.
What to press
This is the leveling order from the published builds, in plain terms. Skip steps you haven't learned yet.
One enemy (Retribution)
- Keep a blessing on yourself: Blessing of Might for damage, or Blessing of Wisdom if Mana keeps running out.
- Put up your seal: Seal of Righteousness until level 20, then Seal of Command from your talents.
- Walk in and fight. Press Judgement every time it's ready. It doesn't use up your seal.
- Press Holy Strike every time it's ready.
- Against Undead and Demons, use Exorcism whenever it's ready. It does nothing to other enemies.
- For a burst, stun with Hammer of Justice and then Judge. Seal of Command's Judgement deals far more to a stunned target.
- On elites, judge Seal of the Crusader once first so the target takes more Holy damage, then change back to your main seal. With Sacred Arbiter in the level 30 build, Holy Strike keeps that Judgement refreshed, so one can last the whole fight.
Several enemies
- Switch to Retribution Aura: every enemy that hits you takes Holy damage.
- Keep your seal up, and Judge and Holy Strike your main target.
- Stun the second enemy, or a caster, with Hammer of Justice.
- From level 20, drop Consecration under two or more enemies (three or more for Retribution). It costs a lot of Mana, so don't use it on one.
Protection
- Carry a shield and keep Seal of Fury up. Its absorb shields only work with a shield equipped.
- Press Judgement and Holy Strike whenever they're ready. From 25, Swift Judgement gives you a second Judgement right away, which is also a second taunt.
- Run Devotion Aura, or Retribution Aura when you pull several enemies at once. With Shield Specialization's Mana on block, pulling two at a time pays off.
- Against a pack, drop Consecration once they are on you.
- Heal yourself with Holy Light between fights.
Healing a dungeon at 30 (Holy)
- Keep the tank up with Holy Light, your rank 5 Holy Light, and cast a lower rank for steady damage to save Mana.
- Use Flash of Light, Flash of Light rank 2, only for quick top-ups.
- With the level 30 healing build, press Divine Favor right before an emergency Holy Light or Holy Shock to make it a guaranteed critical heal, and use Holy Shock when a heal must land now or while you move.
- Run Concentration Aura on pulls where enemies hit you while you cast.
Tip: Between fights, heal yourself with Holy Light, then drink if your Mana is low. Starting the next fight with full health and Mana is faster than stopping halfway through it.
Class quests
Speculation: Classic data: the quests below are in the Forever client, but who gives them, where they start and what they rewarded come from Classic's data. Forever may have moved or changed them.
At level 1, Classic's data has a note that sends you to your trainer: Consecrated Letter from Marshal McBride for Humans, and Consecrated Rune from Sten Stoutarm for Dwarves. Do it: it's free experience and shows you where your trainer stands.
At level 12, The Tome of Divinity is the Paladin quest chain. Classic's data has it starting here:
| Given by | Where (Classic data) | For |
|---|---|---|
| Brother Wilhelm | Elwynn Forest | Humans |
| Azar Stronghammer | Dun Morogh | Dwarves |
| Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker | Stormwind City | Dwarves |
| Brandur Ironhammer | Ironforge | Humans and Dwarves |
Starts of The Tome of Divinity (level 12). Giver and place from Classic's data.
The chain then moves between Duthorian Rall and Stephanie Turner in Stormwind, Tiza Battleforge, John Turner and Muiredon Battleforge in Ironforge, Henze Faulk in Elwynn Forest, Narm Faulk in Loch Modan and Gazin Tenorm in Stormwind.
Speculation: In Classic, The Tome of Divinity was how Paladins learned Redemption. The Forever client still has the spell that quest casts to teach you Redemption (level 12), so the chain most likely still rewards it, but nobody has confirmed it in the beta yet.
From level 20, The Tome of Valor and The Test of Righteousness take you between Stormwind, Westfall and the road outside Ironforge. Every step is level 25 or lower, so you can finish the whole chain under the level 30 cap. Classic's data has these steps:
| Quest | Level | Given by | Where (Classic data) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Test of Righteousness | 21 | Duthorian Rall | Stormwind City |
| The Test of Righteousness | 22 | Jordan Stilwell | Outside Ironforge |
| The Tome of Valor | 23 | Duthorian Rall | Stormwind City |
| The Tome of Valor | 25 | Daphne Stilwell | Westfall |
Steps of the level 20 to 25 Paladin chain. Quest levels, givers and places from Classic's data.
Speculation: In Classic, this chain ended with Verigan's Fist, a two-handed hammer. The Forever client still has it as a Paladin-only item, so it may still be the reward. Classic's data also has the last Tome of Valor step teach Sense Undead.
The next class quest in the client, The Tome of Nobility, is a level 40 quest, above the current cap. Classic had no Undead Paladins, so there's no Classic data for their quests. Blizzard has said their story centers on Bandarion Keep in Tirisfal Glades (see above).
Gear, weapons and professions
Retribution wants the slowest, hardest-hitting two-handed weapon you can find. Seal of Command's extra damage and Holy Strike both scale with weapon damage, so bigger hits mean bigger procs. Protection needs a one-handed weapon and a shield, since Seal of Fury's absorbs only work with a shield. Holy can fight with either while leveling.
Stat order from the class guides: Retribution wants weapon damage, then Strength, Hit, Critical Strike, Agility, Stamina and Intellect. Protection wants Defense, Stamina and Armor. Holy wants Healing Power, then Intellect and Mana regeneration. In Forever, melee and spell hit are one stat, which Blizzard says helps hybrids like Retribution, and bonus healing also gives a third as much bonus damage.
The Paladin PvE page has a gear list for every slot at level 20 and at level 30 for each spec, with where each item comes from. The gear planner lets you compare items. At 30, the Retribution list's top two-handers are Viscous Hammer (from lockboxes in Classic's data), Manual Crowd Pummeler from Crowd Pummeler 9-60 in Gnomeregan and Corpsemaker from Overlord Ramtusk in Razorfen Kraul (both Classic drop data). The Protection list at 30 is led by new Forever Blacksmithing mail such as Protector's Silvered Chain Shirt, Protector's Silvered Chain Leggings and Warder's Belt, with Painwalker Buckler, a new shield whose source isn't known yet, and Crest of Darkshire from the quest Bride of the Embalmer (Classic data). For Holy, Death Speaker Scepter from Death Speaker Jargba in Razorfen Kraul (Classic drop data) tops the weapon list.
Professions: Mining and Blacksmithing suit a Paladin, because Blacksmithing makes mail armor and weapons, and those crafted mail sets rank well in the gear lists at both 20 and 30. Blizzard's Deep Dive also says Blacksmiths can place a Sharpening Wheel at a campfire for an Attack Power buff. Since you heal yourself, you need First Aid less than most classes. See the professions guide for how to start.
Groups and dungeons
Paladins can fill any role, so you'll find groups easily. Whatever you play, give each player a blessing (Might for melee players, Wisdom for casters, Salvation for a damage dealer who keeps pulling threat) and run an aura for the party. After a fight, bring back anyone who died with Redemption.
- As a tank, pull and hold enemies with Seal of Fury, Judgement, Holy Strike, Consecration and Retribution Aura. Seal of Fury's Judgement makes the enemy attack you, and from level 25 the Swift Judgement talent gives you a second one straight away. The level 30 tank build adds Templar's Bulwark, an absorb shield equal to your maximum health. No trainer teaches Righteous Fury in the current client, so ask your group to give you a few seconds before they attack.
- As a healer, keep the tank alive with Holy Light, top up others with a lower rank of Holy Light, and remove poisons and diseases with Purify. You have no group heal up to level 30.
- As a damage dealer, let the tank hit first. Judge Seal of the Crusader on bosses, and use Hammer of Justice to stop a dangerous caster.
Before 20, the dungeons within reach are Ragefire Chasm and The Hall of Thanes (from level 13), Ruins of Lordaeron (from 15), Deadmines (from 16), Wailing Caverns (from 17) and Shadowfang Keep (from 18), with minimum levels from the Forever client. Start with Your first dungeon, and use the planner to look at the bosses before you go.
From 20 to 30, Blizzard's 1 October notes list these as open: Blackfathom Deeps (from 22 in the client), The Stockade (from 23), Razorfen Kraul (from 24), Gnomeregan (from 25), Razorfen Downs (Blizzard says 25+), the new Excavation Site: Wetlands (Blizzard says levels 26 to 31) and, right at the cap, Scarlet Monastery (from 30) and Uldaman (Blizzard says 30+). Excavation Site: Wetlands is a new 5-player dungeon, and the client has four bosses for it: Saltspine, Shadetooth, Highland Horror and Relic Guardian.
Watch out: Blizzard's 1 October notes say dungeon quests now reward 50% less extra experience beyond normal quest values. Dungeons are still good for gear, but don't count on their quests to carry your leveling.
Common beginner mistakes
- Saving Judgement. Old Classic guides tell you to Judge only once, because it used up your seal. In Forever it doesn't, so Judge every time it's ready.
- Letting your seal drop. Seals last 30 seconds. Watch your buffs and recast before a fight, not halfway through it.
- Spamming Flash of Light. Up to level 30 Holy Light heals far more per point of Mana. Use Flash of Light only when you need a heal fast.
- Fighting without a shield in Seal of Fury. You lose its absorb shields.
- Using Exorcism on the wrong target. It only works on Undead and Demons.
- Pressing Divine Protection too early. You can't attack while it's up, and it stops Blessing of Protection for a minute. Save it for when you would otherwise die.
- Putting Blessing of Protection on the tank. They can't attack while it lasts, so they lose the enemies' attention. Use it on a healer or damage dealer who is being hit.
- Standing back. Judgement and Hammer of Justice only reach enemies close to you (10 yards in the client), so fight in melee rather than stepping in and out.
What Forever changed for Paladins
Compared with Classic, the Forever client and Blizzard's posts show these changes up to level 30. See the changes tab and the Paladin outlook for the full list.
- New abilities, flagged as new in the client: Holy Strike (level 6) and Seal of Fury (level 10). Holy Light and Flash of Light are also flagged: Holy Light from rank 3 on and both Flash of Light ranks up to 30 heal for less than in Classic Era. Consecration rank 2 and Exorcism rank 2 also deal less, while Retribution Aura rank 2 deals more.
- A new talent tree: one tree with Holy, Protection and Retribution sections, where every rank shows its own values. New talents you can reach by 30 include Reverence (Holy), Holy Shock (Holy), Sacred Duty (Protection), Swift Judgement (Protection), Templar's Bulwark (Protection), Sanctified Judgement (Retribution) and Sacred Arbiter (Retribution).
- Consecration and Blessing of Kings, talents in Classic, are trainer abilities at level 20 for every Paladin.
- Judgement no longer uses up your seal.
- Seal of the Crusader's Judgement lasts 40 seconds instead of 10, and your swings refresh it.
- Blessings last 1 hour instead of 5 minutes, though Blessing of Might gives less attack power per rank.
- The shared lockout after Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection is now called Forbearance, and Lay on Hands no longer interrupts your Mana regeneration.
- Retribution Aura deals more damage than in Classic Era, and Blizzard says it now scales with your spell power.
- Undead can be Paladins.
Holy Strike’s % of weapon damage per rank changed to 25%/29%/32%/36%/39%/43%/46%/50% (was 25%/25%/30%/30%/35%/35%/40%/40%). This increases Holy Strike’s damage at all points while leveling, and increases how much it contributes to your rotation. Blizzard, WoW Forever Beta Development Notes (September 24)
The same notes lowered Holy Strike's cooldown to 10 seconds and removed the Improved Holy Strike talent, making its effect part of the ability. They also fixed several Consecration bugs, cut Vengeance to 3 stacks and made it trigger from non-periodic critical strikes, and raised Sacred Arbiter's Holy Strike bonus to 20%. They change Righteous Fury's threat as well, but no trainer teaches Righteous Fury in the current client. For the whole game's changes, see our write-up of the September 24 development notes.
The 1 October build (1.60.1.70170)
The build that raised the cap to 30 also changed a few Paladin talents. The client matches Blizzard's notes:
- Redoubt, the first Protection talent that both Protection leveling builds max out, now raises your block chance by 4/8/12/16/20% per rank (was 6/12/18/24/30%).
- Holy Shield, a Protection talent at level 40 and above the current cap, now raises your block chance by 30% (was 20%).
- Champion of the Light, a Retribution talent at level 35 and above the current cap, now gives spell damage equal to 20/40/60% of your Intellect (was 33/66/100%). Blizzard says the old tooltip wrongly mentioned healing; it never increased healing, and the new tooltip no longer says so.
- Consecration's tooltip and a few talent tooltips were tidied up; their numbers didn't change.
- Known issue: Retribution Aura uses the target's spell power instead of the Paladin's.
Checked against WoW Forever beta build 1.60.1.70170.