WoW: Forever Paladin Guide: Best Spec, Talents and Leveling

These picks are editorial, not Blizzard's, and none of them ranks specs by raid damage. Blizzard expects a large tuning pass once it has data from players past level 30.

• Talents: open at level 10, with changes made at a class trainer in a major city.
• Dual spec: level 40. Blizzard floated 30 on its podcast, but no change has been announced.
• Class training: between 206 and 207 gold in total from 1 to 60.

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Which spec should a Paladin level with?

Level as Retribution unless a regular dungeon group is already waiting for you. A solo player needs roughly 10-15 seconds per ordinary creature, so a spec built around weapon swings and Holy Strike suits that pace well.

Protection is a sensible compromise if dying costs you more time than slow kills do, and it gets you into groups easily. Holy works in a group but is the weakest solo choice, because its talents mostly reward healing.

Which talents should a Paladin prioritize?

The trees changed heavily before launch, so this guide gives priorities. Plan the exact build in our WoW: Forever Talent Calculator, which reads the game client.

Levels 10-20

Spend early points in the first Retribution rows, then take Seal of Command at 11 points. Two-Handed Weapon Specialization opens at 16 points and Vengeance at 21. Per Wowhead, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization now raises physical damage only and also cuts threat at max rank, so it is a damage talent and not a tanking one. Vengeance triggered from non-periodic critical strikes in Blizzard's beta notes.

Levels 20-40

Move toward talents that strengthen Holy Strike and your spell damage. Sacred Arbiter boosted Holy Strike in Blizzard's beta notes and Champion of the Light adds spell damage from Intellect and shortens the Hammer of Wrath cast.

Levels 40-60

Aim for Unsealed Wrath at 31 points and buy dual spec for your group role. It stores a copy of your active Seal for 15 seconds, up to 3 stacks, and an attack with a different Seal spends them. Holy players get Divine Favor at 11 points, Holy Shock at 21 and Light's Vigil at 31.

What changed for Paladins compared to Classic?

The biggest change is that Seals now stay active after Judgement, which frees your rotation and your mana. Most of the other changes follow from that and from Blizzard's push to give all three specs real jobs.

• Holy Strike: an instant Holy weapon attack learned at level 6.
• Seal of Fury: a Protection tanking Seal with small absorbs, and its Judgement taunts from 10 yards.
• Consecration: learned by every Paladin at 20, but it only damages the first 4 enemies.
• Righteous Fury: trained at 10, with +33% threat plus +90% threat from Holy damage.
• Lay on Hands: a 20-minute cooldown instead of 1 hour.
• Resistance auras: cover the whole raid within 30 yards.
• Blessings: Kings is baseline; Salvation, Mass Salvation, Revoke and Blessing of Light are gone.
• Seal twisting: no longer baseline, and Blizzard moved it behind Retribution talent choices.

Which race is best for a Paladin?

Faction decides first, since characters can only group within the same ruleset and faction. Forsaken are the Horde's Paladin race, while Alliance players pick Human or Dwarf.

• Human: Ruthless gives +1% critical strike chance, and the Human Spirit passive gives +10% Spirit. This is the pick for Retribution and Holy.
• Dwarf: Artisan's Precision gives +1% hit chance, and Stoneform reduces Physical damage while purging Bleeds, Poisons and Diseases. This is the pick for Protection.
• Forsaken: Touch of the Grave has a 20% activation chance for Paladins on a 15-second internal cooldown, and Will of the Forsaken removes Charm, Fear and Sleep.

Forsaken Paladins have one odd class quest. In Rediscovering the Light, every Holy Light on an Injured Deathguard hurts you, so start it at full health.

What role does a Paladin fill in a group?

A Paladin can fill any group role, and Protection or Holy gets you into dungeons faster than Retribution does. In a 10-player or 20-player raid, Holy is the safest slot to plan around, based on Blizzard's added group healing and not on any measured results.

What mistakes should Paladins avoid?

Most early Paladin mistakes come from old Classic habits. These are the ones that cost the most time.

• Forgetting new ranks: newly learned spells no longer land on your action bars, so drag them there after every trainer visit.
• Overpulling for Consecration: it stops at 4 enemies, so large pulls add danger without adding damage.
• Downranking heals: beta tooltips showed spells far below your level getting less benefit from healing power.
• Skipping weapon quests: Verigan's Fist for Alliance and Wolfsbane for Forsaken come at about level 20 and carry a Holy proc.
• Respeccing often: Blizzard says the price climbs quickly and resets once per week, so wait for dual spec.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Paladin leveling spec in WoW: Forever?

Retribution is the recommended leveling spec. It combines weapon damage, Holy Strike from level 6 and Consecration from level 20. Protection is a slower, sturdier alternative, and Holy is best kept for groups. Blizzard plans a large tuning pass, so advice for levels 30 to 60 may shift.

Can Undead be Paladins in WoW: Forever?

Yes. Undead Paladin is one of six new race and class combinations in WoW: Forever, which gives the Horde a Paladin option through the Forsaken. Their class quest, Rediscovering the Light, asks you to heal Injured Deathguards with Holy Light, and each cast damages the Paladin.

Can Paladins tank in WoW: Forever?

Yes. Protection has Seal of Fury, a tanking Seal that favors fast weapons and adds small absorbs. Its Judgement taunts from 10 yards, and Righteous Fury is trained at level 10 with extra threat from Holy damage. Paladins still have no interrupt, so groups must plan for casters.

When do Paladins get dual spec in WoW: Forever?

Dual specialization is available at level 40. Blizzard developer Josh Greenfield mentioned on the official podcast that 30 was being discussed, but no change has been announced. Talent changes are made at a class trainer in a major city, and respec prices climb quickly before resetting weekly.

Is Blessing of Salvation in WoW: Forever?

No. Blizzard's launch development notes removed Blessing of Salvation along with Mass Salvation, Revoke and Blessing of Light. Damage dealers now manage threat without that help. Blizzard raised the threat bonus of Druid Bear forms to compensate, and Blessing of Kings is now baseline.

Do Paladins have an interrupt in WoW: Forever?

No. Paladins still lack both an interrupt and a slow in WoW: Forever. That hurts Retribution most in PvP, where opponents can kite or finish casts. In dungeons, plan for another party member to handle casters, and use your stuns and crowd control where possible.