Template:Classguides
Things Paladins want Non-Paladins to Know
- Not all of us have Blessing of Kings. BoK requires that we spend no less than 11 talent points in the protection tree.
- We have no HoT. We do, however, have the most mana efficient heals in the game, and are more than capable of main-healing instances.
- We can tank, but it is difficult for us to keep aggro if other group members start attacking immediately. This is especially true if we are do not have Improved Righteous Fury.
- We use Plate and two-handed weapons to just as much effect as Warriors and other classes in many cases. Not giving us a chance to roll on these items because you see us as healers is not fair.
- Warriors, do not roll on Paladin armor over a Paladin. We need the INT, you do not.
- Be sure you know how Paladin's expectation and abilities before asking them into your group. A holy paladin expects to heal. A protection paladin expects to tank or give support. A retribution paladin expects to DPS (lol). All three can remove disease, poison, and magic debuffs. And all paladins can main- or even solo-heal a 5-man instance if they have given the effort to develop a healing set. Don't go solely on spec.
- Remember paladins are casters too. We need time to replenish mana. Please treat us with the same respect that you give to Priests, Druids, Mages, Warlocks and Hunters who need to drink between pulls, especially if we are tanking or healing.
- Paladins will usually pick the most appropriate buff for your class.
- Judgement of Light is highly valuable to many classes. However, if you have asked along a Protection or Retribution Paladin, don't be surprised to see Judgment of the Crusader on the mob instead of light or wisdom.
- The Holy Tree is widely regarded as the best PvE/PvP build, due to the sustained DPS provided from Holy Shock and other abilities. Also keep in mind that this has changed since consecration is no longer a learned talent. But for this tree to be an effective build Holy Paladins will largely want to roll on spell damage gear.
- We cannot cast Divine Intervention on ourselves. It does have a 60-minute cooldown, not reducible through talents. It does kill the paladin that casts it. It is useless if cast on a class that cannot res or on a druid that has already spent their Rebirth.
Things non-Paladins want Paladins to know
- Learn when to use your different auras. Far too many paladins don't know to switch their aura as needed.
- Learn to use Judgement of Justice. Use it on mobs that tend to flee and don't rely on Hamstring or any other debuff that slows running.
- Make sure you stock up on your reagents before you arrive. Five minute blessings or the inability to cast Divine Intervention will not get you invited back.
- Please note that as of patch (2.0.3), Blessing of Might now affects ranged attack power as well as melee attack power, making this a possible blessing for hunters now. Good Hunters should still stay at range, since the hunter should only melee if they are forced into close combat.
- Please use the best choice of Judgement for all the party members. If you're with a Warrior, a Feral Druid, a Rogue, and a Priest, don't put Judgement of Wisdom down.
- Please know when Consecration and Avenger's Shield are appropriate. If any crowd control is in the radius, or if there is only one mob, they are not appropriate. If the Warrior is having a hard time holding aggro and is rushing to the Cloth-clad players, or if you're the main tank, they may be appropriate.
- If a 5-man group has a tank and a dedicated healer, then by all means, feel free to DPS. However, be prepared to heal if the situation arises.
- Not everyone in the group has the survivability you do. Make sure everyone is ready before you initiate combat, and do not become overzealous and rush into a group of mobs.
General tips
Rogue
If the rogue is good at using Feint, then the best you can do is tank the mob while the Rogue does DPS. Be sure to heal your buddy from any AoE damage. Judgment of Light is a rogue's best friend, as they will pull lots and lots of free health out of it (you will too). Blessing of Might works wonders on a rogue, but be certain to have Consecrate and Righteous Fury up and running. Leather is awfully squishy compared to your plate. If all else fails, go for Blessing of Salvation. They may whine, but it's much better if you do the tanking. Devotion Aura is a must, as it provides a healthy boost to their armor. At some levels, you may double their armor rating without breaking a sweat.
Warrior
The one class equally qualified to tank as yourself. Let him/her take the aggro, heal as needed. Judgement of Light works almost as well here as it does for Rogues. Blessing of Might is the preferred blessing (while Blessing of Kings ranks a second for HP improvement). Put up Devotion Aura for its armor buff by default, but don't hesitate to put a resistance aura on if a casting mob shows up. The Warrior has plenty of armor without your buff. If you are low on mana and the tank is about to wipe it is very beneficial to use Lay on Hands. If you have the improved version, it not only heals the target even if you have only one mana point left, but also delivers a 30% bonus to their armor value for 2 minutes. This should prolong the warrior's lifespan, and in turn the rest of your group.
Priest
If you're in the back of the raid with a priest and a mob suddenly starts hammering him, try to draw aggro away.
If you notice that a fight is getting out of hand and a wipe is imminent, use you Divine Intervention on the Priest to prevent a wipe. Yes, you'll be sacrificed, but the Priest is placed out of combat, and will be able to resurrect the group. Furthermore, you don't take durability damage from Divine Intervention.
For a two-man pairing with a priest, bless them with Blessing of Salvation. Priests are aggro magnets, and are very squishy, yet they'll still be your main source of DPS. To counter this, you'll want to keep Righteous Fury up and do as much holy damage as you can. Counting on healing aggro to keep the mobs off the priest is not viable as a paladin, since the reduced threat on paladin heals means you'll have to heal 4 times as much damage as the priest is doing just to match his aggro. Don't forget that you can use your Righteous Defense skill to taunt up to 3 mobs off of someone. Devotion Aura will upgrade their fragile bodies to be able to withstand a small hit or two. For retribution specced Paladins, Sanctity aura may be used with caution to increase the damage both of you can do.
If a priest (or other squishie) gets swamped due to some AoE they used, you can pop a Blessing of Protection around them, which will cause the mobs to look elsewhere (usually you). One tactic in a larger group is for the Paladin to provide buffs for the party pre-combat, and then just be the priest's "bodyguard", only drawing aggro from mobs that go after the priest.
Mage
Mages love paladins with Concentration Aura. In raids, use blessing of salvation on them. Do not give them Blessing of Wisdom unless there is a 2nd pally in the group. Salvation is much more useful than Wisdom in raids. Expect some water in return.
In a two-man team, use Salvation as well. A mage is a glass cannon, and the most fragile thing imaginable. Make sure that the mage withholds his/her mighty instant-casts to the end of the fight, or you may watch mobs sprint off to eat something squishier. If you have Consecration, be careful not to break polymorph with it. As stated above, get water from them but be polite when you ask. Judgement of The Crusader stacked with Seal of Righteousness gives you the highest DPS with increased threat (feel free to substitute Seal of Command for Righteousness if you have it, Retribution Paladins). Righteous Fury goes without saying.
Druid
As two hybrids, you'll have a large amount of flexibility partnering with a druid. Both of you can heal, tank, or dps, so work out your roles based on your strengths from talents and gear. Your judgement should reflect the druid's choice of forms: Light for feral forms, Wisdom for casters. Blessing of Kings (if you have it) is the best blessing for a Druid, due to the increase to all attributes aiding in all their forms. Any other blessing is too form specific, and doesn't sync up with the druid's massive bag of tricks. To their end, Faerie Fire is a must. Devotion Aura is the Aura of choice.
Shaman
Judge the target appropriately. Enhancement shamans like Light, Elemental Combat shamans like Wisdom. Their totems will stack with your blessings/auras, though not of the same type (e.g. Fire Resistance Aura/Totem will not stack). The Paladin should be tanking as well as possible, where the Shaman is DPSing. The paladin should also do the healing if possible for more aggro.
Hunter
Bless the Hunter with Kings (if you have it), or Wisdom, depending on what they prefer. Give their pet might, and do your best to tank for them. If the pet takes aggro, don't sweat too much. Most pets are quite capable of handling aggro. Heal as necessary. If you retain aggro, don't worry either. The Hunter's Feign Death skill gets rid of aggro on the hunter, so the hunter doesn't have to take aggro. Devotion Aura's your strongest here. If encountering casting mobs, let the pet tank and put up the most applicable aura. Hunter's pets have very strong magic resistance.
Paladin
Paladin + Paladin is the most survivable pair alive. Like Warrior/Warrior, one of you should be the main tank, depending on where your talents are located. Protection Paladins are your choice of tank, then Holy, then Retribution. The non-tank should be Retribution, then Holy, then Protection. The main tanking Paladin goes with shield + weapon, where the other goes with the biggest, nastiest two handed weapon they have. Light and Wisdom judgements add to your survivability, as you both will receive constant infusions of health and mana. The non-tank Paladin should heal the tank as necessary. Devotion Aura + Concentration Aura is a good combo, but feel free to switch to resistance for casters, retribution for increased damage, or sanctity for more damage. Pick your Blessings however you want, as there are few bad choices.
Warlock
Bless with Wisdom, and your aura of choice is Devotion. Blessing of Salvation may become necessary depending on circumstance. The best pets for this are imp or succubus for added DPS. Seduce could be used, but it's usually better just to let the succubus lay into things for DPS. Judgement of choice on your target is Wisdom, because the mana regen lets you tank better, and keeps him casting without the need for Life Tap.