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TBC Classic Retribution Paladin Guide (Phase 3)
by FourenUpdated 8 minutes read views
About the Class
Retribution Paladin is a plate-wearing melee fighter and one of the most sought-after in a raid thanks to buffs no one else can provide. New talents have also increased its personal damage. The specialization brings the raid +3% critical strike chance against the target via Improved Seal of the Crusader, +2% to the damage the target takes via Improved Sanctity Aura, and every 
Crusader Strike refreshes all Judgement debuffs on the boss.
Strengths
- A powerful burst-damage cooldown,
Avenging Wrath. - Several control options:
Hammer of Justice and 
Repentance. - Strong buffs and utility: blessings, auras and
Divine Intervention. - In a critical situation it can heal the raid.
- Spells hit harder against undead and demons.
Weaknesses
- The main seal,
Seal of Blood, deals damage to you. - Low mobility: closing the gap to the target is difficult.
- The main defensive cooldowns cannot be used together with Avenging Wrath.
Stat Priority
Paladin Retribution Stats Priority
- 1Hit Rating
- 2Expertise Rating
- 3Strength
- 4Attack Power
- 5Haste Rating
- 6Armor Penetration
- 7Agility
- 8Critical Strike Rating
Talents
Talents
Ability Priority
Abilities Priority
Seal of the Crusader + 
Judgment — once at the start of the fight to apply Judgement of the Crusader; after that the debuff refreshes itself from Crusader Strike- Seal of Blood — keep it up at all times; for the Alliance this is Seal of the Martyr
- Crusader Strike — on cooldown
Hammer of Wrath — as soon as the target drops below 20% health- Judgment — on cooldown; it is off the global cooldown, so cast the seal in the same macro with it
Consecration — sparingly: only against multiple targets or against enemies immune to physical damage
Exorcism — situationally against undead and demons; it does not scale with attack power and is never worth delaying Crusader Strike or Judgment for
Priority with Seal Twisting
Seal twisting is an advanced technique where a single swing gets the bonuses of two seals at once. It requires a weapon-speed tracker.
- Seal of the Crusader + Judgment — to apply the debuff
- Crusader Strike — on cooldown, preferably under an active Seal of Blood
Seal of Command rank 1 — if the next swing is 1.6 seconds away or more- Seal of Blood — 0.4 seconds before the swing
- Judgment — only under Seal of Blood, never under Seal of Command
- Consecration and Exorcism — in free windows, the lowest priority
Important Abilities
Important Abilities
+30% damage for 20 seconds, but it applies Forbearance and locks out 
Divine Shield, 
Divine Protection and 
Blessing of Protection on yourself
Divine Shield, Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection on yourself
heals for your entire health pool and grants the target 900 mana, but drains all of your mana
immunity to physical damage for 10 seconds, but the target cannot attack
transfers part of an ally's damage to you
removes slowing and immobilizing effects for 10 seconds
Spell Ranks
Seal of Command is always taken at rank 1 when twisting: you never judge it anyway, and the seal's effect is identical at all ranks.
Best in Slot Gear (BiS)
Best in Slot Gear (BiS)Slot
Recommended Gear
Source
Head
Duplicitous Guise
Kil'jaeden — Sunwell Plateau
Neck
Clutch of Demise
Brutallus — Sunwell Plateau
Shoulders
Pauldrons of Berserking
Lady Sacrolash and Grand Warlock Alythess — Sunwell Plateau
Back
Cloak of Unforgivable Sin
Kil'jaeden — Sunwell Plateau
Chest
Bladed Chaos Tunic
M'uru — Sunwell Plateau
Wrists
Lightbringer Bands
Kalecgos — Sunwell Plateau
Hands
Gloves of Immortal Dusk
Leatherworking
Waist
Lightbringer Girdle
Brutallus — Sunwell Plateau
Legs
Felfury Legplates
Brutallus — Sunwell Plateau
Feet
Lightbringer Boots
Prophet of Sin — Sunwell Plateau
Ring 1
Band of Ruinous Delight
Lady Sacrolash and Grand Warlock Alythess — Sunwell Plateau
Ring 2
Hard Khorium Band
Jewelcrafting
Trinket 1
Shard of Contempt
Priestess Delrissa — Magisters' Terrace
Trinket 2
Blackened Naaru Sliver
M'uru — Sunwell Plateau
Weapon
Apolyon, the Soul-Render
Kil'jaeden — Sunwell Plateau
Libram
Libram of Avengement
Foreman — The Blood Furnace
Tier 6 Set — Lightbringer Armor
Tier 6 Set — Lightbringer ArmorSlot
Recommended Gear
Where It Drops
Head
Lightbringer War-Helm
Archimonde — Hyjal Summit
Shoulders
Lightbringer Shoulderbraces
Mother Shahraz — Black Temple
Chest
Lightbringer Breastplate
Illidan Stormrage — Black Temple
Hands
Lightbringer Gauntlets
Azgalor — Hyjal Summit
Legs
Lightbringer Greaves
Illidari Council — Black Temple
Wrists
Lightbringer Bands
Kalecgos — Sunwell Plateau (traded via Sunmote)
Waist
Lightbringer Girdle
Brutallus — Sunwell Plateau (traded via Sunmote)
Feet
Lightbringer Boots
Prophet of Sin — Sunwell Plateau (traded via Sunmote)
Enchants, Gems, Consumables
EnchantsHead
Arcanum of Ferocity
Shoulders
Might of the Scourge
Back
Enchant Cloak - Greater Agility
Chest
Enchant Chest - Exceptional Stats
Wrists
Enchant Bracer - Brawn
Hands
Enchant Gloves - Major Strength
Legs
Nethercobra Leg Armor
Feet
Enchant Boots - Dexterity
Weapon
Enchant Weapon - Mongoose
GemsMeta gem
Relentless Earthstorm Diamond
Red
Bold Crimson Spinel
Bold Living Ruby
Blue
Sovereign Shadowsong Amethyst
Sovereign Nightseye
Strength is your best stat, so almost every socket is filled with red gems. Use exactly two blue gems — that is how many you need to activate the meta gem. Socket bonuses are usually ignored.
ConsumablesFood
Spicy Hot Talbuk
or
Roasted Clefthoof
Flask
Flask of Relentless Assault
Battle Elixir
Elixir of Demonslaying
Potion
Haste Potion
Rune
Demonic Rune
or
Dark Rune
Sharpening Stone
Adamantite Weightstone
or
Adamantite Sharpening Stone
Drums
Drums of Battle
Sharpening stones are only needed if your group has no shaman with Windfury Weapon — that imbue is stronger than any stone.
Races
Human
Increases Spirit by 10%.
Sharply increases stealth detection for 20 seconds. 3-minute cooldown.
Increases reputation gained by 10%.
Increases expertise rating with one-handed and two-handed swords by 5.
Increases expertise rating with one-handed and two-handed maces by 5.
Dwarf
Removes and prevents bleeds, poisons and diseases for 8 seconds and increases armor by 10%. 3-minute cooldown.
Marks nearby chests on the minimap.
Increases Frost resistance by 10.
Draenei
Increases the hit chance of the whole party within 30 yards by 1%.
Heals the target over 15 seconds.
Increases Shadow resistance by 10.
Increases Jewelcrafting skill by 5.
Blood Elf
Steals mana from the target and applies an effect that stacks up to 3 times.
Silences enemies within 8 yards and consumes 
Mana Tap stacks, restoring mana.
Mana Tap stacks, restoring mana.
Increases all resistances by 5.
Increases Enchanting skill by 10.
Best Professions
Leatherworking
Provides 
Drums of Battle and Greater Drums of Battle — the most valuable raid contribution of any profession. You always need at least one leatherworker in the group.
Blacksmithing
Provides 
Lionheart Champion — a very strong weapon with accessible materials. Its 3.7-second swing speed pairs perfectly with Seal of Blood. You can switch the profession later once a better weapon drops.
Author
Fouren
Fouren has been playing World of Warcraft for over 15 years. He is an active player with 12 Cutting Edge achievements under his belt, and has reached the top 1% and 0.1% multiple times on various classes. His main classes are healers, particularly Holy Paladin.
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