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This article has information on how to play paladins as DPS.

The Retribution Paladin charges their Holy Power with almost every strike until they can unleash it in even more devastatingly powerful attacks. They make for an excellent solo player, concentrating on upgrades to their weapons, with far less attention to armour and stamina. To them, the stats of their armour are infinitely more important than the actual protection level of it. The stats of their chosen armour should always be geared for strength and critical hits, in order to kill the enemy before they can kill you.

It is easy to dub the Paladin as pure melee class - the Retribution Paladin however can make good use of range attacks 'Judgment' and later, 'Exorcism'. The cooldown of these attacks is too long to fight a battle with them, but they can still be used to cause damage from a distance and charge their Holy Power even as the Paladin charges in for the fight. Alternatively they can use these abilities simply to pull one or two enemies away from mobs at a time.

Unlike Protection and Holy Paladins, the Retribution Paladin forgoes their shield option for more damaging and slower two-handed weapons. Most incapacitating moves have limited use since they can deal spell damage when disarmed, deal weapon damage when silenced, and have limited ranged spell capabilities for when they are knocked back. Additionally even if they are a melee class, 'rooting' type attacks aren't always effective since Retribution Paladins can use Emancipate to break free from roots and slows.

Regardless, when fighting bosses or other players it is always worth remembering "You can't deal damage if you're dead." As a hybrid healing class, you have the ability to heal yourself or your allies with Flash of Light or Word of Glory. However, it is not recommended to use Word of Glory as it lowers your overall DPS.


Weapons and Armor[]

Retribution Paladins benefit the most from using 2-handed Swords, Maces, Axes, and Polearms. While using only 2-handed weapons, Retribution Paladins benefit from [Sword of Light], increasing all melee damage done.

Retribution Paladin benefit the most from using Plate armor. While using only plate armor, Retribution Paladins benefit from [Plate Specialization (paladin)], increasing Strength by 5%.

Paladin DPS Abilities[]

  • [Crusader Strike]: An instant strike that causes weapon damage and grants a charge of Holy Power.
  • [Hammer of the Righteous]: An AoE that deals low weapon damage on the target and some Holy damage against other enemies within range. Useful when fighting 3 or more enemies. Generates 1 Holy Power.
  • [Judgment]: A ranged ability that deals Holy damage and generates 1 Holy Power. Useful when the target is out of melee range.
  • [Exorcism]: A strong ranged spell. Has a 20% chance to reset from autoattacks. 15 second cooldown.
  • [Templar's Verdict]: A powerful instant weapon attack that causes a high weapon damage. Consumes 3 Holy Power.
  • [Divine Storm]: An AoE that deals Holy damage to all enemies within range. Consumes 3 Holy Power.
  • [Hammer of Wrath]: An instant-cast ranged finishing move when the target reaches below 20% health or during [Avenging Wrath]. Useful against enemies that are running away. It also generates a charge of Holy Power.
  • [Avenging Wrath]: An ability that increases all damage and healing done for a short time. Useful when the Paladin needs to Burst. Also known as "wings" due to its visual effect.
  • [Seal of Truth]: Causes your melee attacks to deal extra Holy damage and applies a weak DoT effect. Useful for small extra DPS and to make rogues and druids have a difficult time stealthing due to DoTs breaking stealth.
  • [Seal of Justice]: Causes your melee attack to deal extra Holy damage and slows the target for a few seconds. Useful in PvP when you don't want the target from getting away from you.
  • [Hammer of Justice]: A stun effect. Useful when you need to keep the target in place for a few seconds.
  • [Rebuke]: Interrupts spellcasting and prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 4 sec.

Stats[]

  • Haste increases your attack speed and casting speed. Haste also reduces the cooldown of your abilities thanks to [Sanctity of Battle].
  • Critical strike gives you a chance to deal stronger than normal damage or healing.


Paladin Rotation[]

As a Retribution Paladin, remember that your objective is to generate 3 or more Holy Power then spend the Holy Power on [Templar's Verdict], [Divine Storm], or [Final Verdict] to deal more damage. Do note this guide will only teach you the basics of Retribution Paladin and will not teach you in-depth rotation.

Single Target Rotation

  1. Open with [Judgment] or [Exorcism] then followed by the other.
  2. Use [Crusader Strike] when you are in melee range.
  3. Use [Templar's Verdict].
  4. Repeat.

Multiple Target Rotation (for 3 targets or more)

  1. Open with [Judgment] or [Exorcism] on a primary target then followed by the other.
  2. Use [Hammer of the Righteous] when you are in melee range of your primary target.
  3. Use [Divine Storm].
  4. Repeat.
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