WoW Forever: Protection Paladin
About the Class
A Protection Paladin holds enemies with Holy magic and blocks blows with a shield. 
Righteous Fury increases threat, 
Seal of Fury ties 
Judgement to a taunt, and 
Consecration helps you hold a pack. Using your mana and defensive abilities correctly matters more than maximum damage.
Paladins use mana and can support the group with Blessings, auras and healing. Pick your role in advance: gear and ability order for tanking, healing and damage differ significantly. In Forever, Seals are not consumed by Judgement, and Blessings last longer than in Classic.
Strengths
- Easy threat generation on groups of enemies.
- Shield, block and defensive talents.
- Blessings and help for allies in dangerous situations.
Weaknesses
- Expensive spells drain mana quickly.
- Your taunt is tied to your Seal and Judgement.
- Casting spells with a cast time is risky while taking a flurry of hits.
Stat Priority
- 1Stamina
- 2Defense
- 3Spell Power
- 4Intellect
- 5Strength
Stamina gives you a Health buffer, and Defense lowers the chance of being crit and improves your defensive stats. Spell Power increases threat from Holy magic, and Intellect lets you sustain expensive abilities longer. Do not trade important survivability for a small damage gain.
Talents
Rotation (Ability Priority)
The opener is a set sequence of abilities you use as you engage an enemy. Memorising it helps initiate your rotation in the most optimal way possible.
- 1Seal of Fury
- 2Judgement
- 3
Holy Strike - 4Consecration
- Righteous Fury — turn it on before the pull
- Seal of Fury — keep it up while tanking
- Judgement — for threat and a taunt when you need one
- Holy Strike — extra threat; Consecration — on packs, keeping your mana in mind
Important Abilities
Ability | Use |
|---|---|
 Blessing of Freedom | Free an ally from a slow or root |
 Blessing of Protection | Protect against physical damage; the target temporarily cannot make physical attacks |
 Divine Shield | Survive a dangerous situation; a tank needs to account for losing the enemy's attention |
 Lay on Hands | Restore Health in an emergency, keeping your remaining mana in mind |
 Exorcism | Deal extra damage to Undead or demons |
Coordinate Blessings with other Paladins. Do not hand out Blessing of Protection carelessly to the active tank or to a fighter who needs to keep making physical attacks right now.
Best in Slot (BiS)
Best in Slot (BiS)Enchants, Gems, Consumables
Enchants and Enhancements
ConsumablesBest Race
Ruthless grants extra critical strike. It is useful for both damage and healing; your weapon choice and personal comfort matter more than the small differences between races.
Stoneform grants extra protection and removes certain harmful effects. For a tank, one more way to survive a dangerous window is especially valuable.
This is the Horde race available to Paladins. 
Will of the Forsaken helps against the matching crowd control effects. Your faction choice determines your race here, so also consider your group's composition.
Best Professions
Blacksmithing lets you craft weapons and armor, and 
Mining provides ore. This pair is especially handy for a tank or a weapon-based damage dealer. Healers also need the right stats: plate armor alone does not make an item the best choice for healing.
Alchemy together with 
Herbalism supplies consumable buffs and mana recovery. 
Engineering gives you extra gadgets, and 
Enchanting lets you enhance your gear.
FAQ
Can I start the game with this specialization?
Yes, but solo questing and tanking call for different preparation. For dungeons, bring a shield, turn on your threat buff and check your mana in advance.
Do I need to reapply the seal after every Judgement?
No. In Forever, Judgement keeps your Seal. Refresh it when it expires, or swap it for the effect your chosen tree needs.
What weapon types can a paladin use?
One-handed and two-handed swords, axes and maces, as well as polearms. Missing weapon skills are learned from weapon masters. A tank also needs a shield.
Where to get gear before raids?
From dungeons, quests and professions. The upgraded dungeon sets require a quest chain. The selection above is a guideline; the final decision depends on your role and the stats you have already collected.
What matters most to keep track of in combat?
Your Health pool, your mana and the timing of your taunts. Pressing Judgement under your tanking Seal can be a mistake when another tank is supposed to hold the boss.
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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