WotLK Classic Retribution Paladin Guide (2024)

Last updated on Sep 24, 2023 at 13:42by Sellin10 comments

Welcome to our Retribution Paladin guide for WotLK Classic, tailoredfor PvE content. Here, you will learn how all you need to know to playRetribution Paladin proficiently. Click the links below to navigate the guideor read this page for a short introduction.

Paladins are capable of filling all three roles in Wrath and are competitive ateach, melee DPS healer, andtank. Eachspecialization will allow you to fill a specific niche because of the plentifulbuffs that no other class can offer.

In PvP, Retribution Paladinsare an extremely burst-dependent class that can oftentimes end fights extremelyquickly. Paladins are very versatile in that they have a button torespond to most any situation but these abilities usually have lengthy cooldownsand they are very susceptible to crowd controlling effects.Ret Paladins have powerful healing capabilities but are largely limited by a smallMana pool. Paladins are also one of the few classes that is able to Dispel Magicwhich is extremely useful in getting party members out of various forms of CC.

If you would like to see where Retribution Paladins fall in the overall rankingsamong DPS specs for both PvE and PvP in Wrath Classic, we have created pagesdedicated to explaining what classes and specializations are the best of the bestthrough multiple factors. However, ultimately, you should not let these listsdissuade you from playing what you enjoy.

In WotLK Classic, Paladins are able to be both Alliance and Horde.Blood Elf is the only Horde race that can be Paladin, while the Alliancecan choose between Draenei, Human, or Dwarf.

Blood Elf and Humanare the strongest races for Retribution Paladin PvE on each respective faction,with Blood Elves being due to the fact that they are the only choice as Horde. As Alliancethe decision is much harder to make and all races have considerable strengths,but the overall most balanced of the races would be Human thanks to their weaponbonuses and the usefulness of Will to Survive.

Blood Elf is the default choice if you are playing Horde, as they are the onlyrace that is able to be Paladin. Their racials are still quite goodas Paladins are quite dependent on Mana, which Arcane Torrenthelps with, as well as granting you additional magic resistances to bolsterPaladin's weakness against spellcasters.

Dwarf is in a unique spot, as Stoneform can be a powerful defensive cooldown ina situation where you are unable to cast Cleanse or have a nasty bleed on youand are taking a lot of Physical damage. Unfortunately, Find Treasureand Gun Specialization are both completely useless for Paladins in any kind of combatsituation.

Draenei offer a very situationally useful heal in Gift of the Naaru that,in an emergency, can save you or a party member. Heroic Presence is the mostpowerful racial though, as it allows you and people in your party to itemizecompletely differently because of the added Hit rating.

Perception is an extremely strong against any stealth class andcan net you a massive advantage in PvP. The Human Spirit is not particularlyuseful in any combat situation. Both Mace and Sword Specialization are quite strongearly on in lower gear levels and, even later on, might alter your gear choiceswhile maintaining Expertise.

Engineering is extremely important for Paladin both for thepersonal HPS increases added from the Cloak and Glove enchants, but especially theinsane amount of mobility that Nitro Boosts affixed to your boots willallow you. Engineering ends up being a slightly lower gain in stats than othercrafting professions but the overall utility that the Profession has to offermakes it a must-have for almost every class, especially ones that strugglewith mobility like Paladin.

Jewelcrafting is the single largest increase of statsof any of the crafting professions especially before the addition of Epic gems to thegame. Strength is the single strongest stat for a Retribution Paladinand this is the largest possible gain of it.

Engineering and Jewelcrafting are both chosen based on their endgame benefitsand do not offer any particularly beneficial gold farms.