Retribution Paladin Raid Guide
Welcome to the Retribution Paladin Raid guide for the World of Warcraft patch 11.0.5! This guide covers everything you need to know to understand your character! Are you starting out and leveling up from 70? Check out the leveling guide!
Overview
Hero Talents
Templar is focused on Single target with stacked cleave from Shake the Heavens, while Herald of the Sun is focused on buffing your Divine Storm and a dealing damage via dots from Dawnlight.
- Casting Wake of Ashes Grants you Hammer of Light a 5 Holy Power spender that replaces Wake of Ashes until it’s used.
- Over time you gain stacks of Light's Deliverance. At 60 Stacks, you gain a freeHammer of Light that you must cast before Wake of Ashes since they have the same key bind.
Shake the Heavens Interactions
- After casting Hammer of Light you gain Shake the Heavens which casts an Empyrean Hammer on your target every 2 seconds for 8 seconds, which can be extended by Higher Calling
- Shake the Heavens also grants you 12% haste for 6 seconds.
Empyrean Hammer Interactions
- Casting any Holy Power spender triggers an Empyrean Hammer which activates Wrathful Descent if it crits. Shake the Heavens triggers an additional Empyrean Hammer.
- After casting Hammer of Light you instantly trigger 2 Empyrean Hammers on your main target.
- Sanctification
- Trying to maintain a high stack is very important, casting Divine Toll grants you 1 stack per enemy hit.
Defensive Traits
- Sacrosanct Crusade
- Wake of Ashes grants you an absorb shield while Hammer of Light heals you upon use.
Dawnlight Interactions
- Wake of Ashes causes your 2 next Holy Power spenders to apply Dawnlight to your target. This debuff radiates damage around the target for 8 seconds. Additionally , when you activate Avenging Wrath or Crusade you also apply Dawnlight on 4 nearby targets and start Sun's Avatar.
- As long as there is any Dawnlight DoT active your Holy Power spenders gain 5% additional damage. On top of this every time you apply any Dawnlight you gain 2% Haste for 12 seconds which can overlap.
- Wake of Ashes grants you Divine Purpose.
Divine Storm and Hammer of Wrath gain some new passives
- Second Sunrise
- They have a 15% chance to be casted again for 30% effectiveness.
- Luminosity
- They both gain 10% increased damage.
- Sun Sear
- When they critical strike any target they burn the target for some radiant damage for 4 seconds.
- Blessing of An'she
- Your overtime effects have a chance to buff your next Hammer of Wrath by 200% and make it usable on the target regardless of its health.
Defensive Traits
- Eternal Flame
- Replaces Word of Glory and also heals a small amount over 16 seconds, and its healing is increased by 25% when used on your self.
- Illumine
- When you have Dawnlight on a target its now slowed by 50%.
Talents
Templar
Templar
Herald of the Sun
Herald of the Sun
When to use this Spec
Use this spec for single-target raid encounters as it is your standard build for single-target damage. It leverages the combo of Radiant Glory and Crusade, but you also use Execution Sentence for single-target burst damage. For a detailed guide on playstyles and priority lists, check the deep dive section below to learn how to fully optimize this build!
Gameplay Altering Talents
Discover all talents that significantly alter your gameplay within the Spec and Class Talent trees. This section gives a concise overview of these talents and their applications but for a more detailed look check out the Rotation and Deep Dive sections below.
Spec Tree
- Radiant Glory
- Automatically activates Crusade when you cast Wake of Ashes.
- Execution Sentence
- A strong single-target burst cooldown.
- Executioner's Will increases its duration by 4 seconds.
- Every time Wake of Ashes is ready make sure to combo this.
- Final Verdict
- Your main single-target Holy Power spender.
- Divine Arbiter
- At 25 stacks your next Holy Power spender casts an additional attack dealing damage to enemies within 6 yards.
- Boundless Judgment
- Your Judgment generates an additional Holy Power.
- Improved Blade of Justice
- 2 charges of Blade of Justice instead of 1.
- Crusading Strikes
- Generates 1 Holy Power every 2nd auto attack, replaces your Crusader Strike.
- Look below in Deep Dive to see how to play around this.
- Empyrean Legacy
- Every 20 seconds after you press Judgment it empowers your next Final Verdict also use Divine Storm.
- Art of War
- Your auto attacks have a 20% chance to reset Blade of Justice.
- Vanguard's Momentum
- Generates 2 Holy Power instead of 1 on enemies below 20%.
- Hammer of Wrath has 2 charges now instead of 1.
- Holy Flames
- If a target has Expurgation you deal 3% increased holy damage to it, Divine Storm can spread it up to 4 targets.
Class Tree
- Divine Toll
- Casts Judgment on your target.
- Mainly used for its Holy Power gain.
- Divine Steed
- Move at 100% movement speed for 3 seconds.
- Cavalier Grants you 2 charges instead of 1.
- Move at 100% movement speed for 3 seconds.
- Lay on Hands
- A strong single-target heal that can be used to save friendly targets.
- Blessing of Protection
- Great way to avoid aggro or prevent Physical damage.
- Blessing of Sacrifice
- Perfect to use on tanks or players dealing with certain spells during boss fights.
- Rebuke
- A kick to interrupt any spell.
- Blessing of Freedom
- You become immune to slow effects for 8 sec.
- Unbound Freedom
- When you cast Blessing of Freedom on another player you also gain it and both of you also gain 30% movement speed
- Holy Aegis
- Armor and Crit increased by 4%
- Lead the Charge
- When you cast Divine Steed you now reduce your teammate's movements spells by 3-sec pr use.
- Of Dusk and Dawn
- After you cast 3 generators your next spender deals 30% more damage you can stack this.
- Lightbearer
- 10% of any healing you get is put on your melee camp as well.
- Light's Revocation
- you can now use Divine Shield even tho you have Forbearance, and now you gain a small shield after your Divine Shield is over.
Hero Talents
For more info visit the Hero Talent section above.
- Zealous Vindication
- Sanctification
- Unrelenting Charger
When to use this Spec
This build allows you to spam Divine Storm while your generators cleave everything around you. And don't forget constant AoE from Shake the Heavens combo this with Wrathful Descent.
Talent Adjustments
Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.
Spec Tree
- Added
- Burning Crusade
- Searing Light
- Blessed Champion
- Empyrean Power
- Tempest of the Lightbringer
- Light of Justice
- Blade of Vengeance
- Removed
- Vanguard's Momentum
- Rush of Light
- Swift Justice
- Empyrean Legacy
- Divine Arbiter
- Divine Arbiter
- Holy Flames
Class Tree
Nothing Changed.
Hero Talents
For more info visit the Hero Talent section above.
Swapped To Templar
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Sanctification
- Unrelenting Charger
When to use this Spec
This build utilizes Herald of the Sun as your hero talent pick.
Talent Adjustments
Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.
Spec Tree
Nothing Changed.
Hero Talents
For more info visit the Hero Talent section above.
Swapped To Herald of the Sun.
- Gleaming Rays
- Spender deal 5% more damage while any Dawnlight is active.
- Will of the Dawn
- Faster movement speed while above 80% and when you fall below 35% you grain a small burst of speed once every 1 min.
- Blessing of An'she
- Your damaging spells have a chance to make your Hammer of Wrath be used with increased damage.
When to use this Spec
This build allows you to spam Divine Storm while your generators cleave everything around you. This build also utilizes Herald of the Sun as your hero talent pick.
Talent Adjustments
Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.
Spec Tree
- Added
- Burning Crusade
- Searing Light
- Blessed Champion
- Empyrean Power
- Tempest of the Lightbringer
- Light of Justice
- Blade of Vengeance
- Removed
- Vanguard's Momentum
- Rush of Light
- Swift Justice
- Empyrean Legacy
- Divine Arbiter
- Holy Flames
Class Tree
Nothing Changed.
Hero Talents
For more info visit the Hero Talent section above.
Swapped To Herald of the Sun.
- Gleaming Rays
- Spender deal 5% more damage while any Dawnlight is active.
- Will of the Dawn
- Faster movement speed while above 80% and when you fall below 35% you grain a small burst of speed once every 1 min.
- Blessing of An'she
- Your damaging spells have a chance to make your Hammer of Wrath be used with increased damage.
Rotation
Tier Set
- 2-Set: Blade of Justice Has its damage increased by 15%. Wake of Ashes Has its damage increased by 10%.
- 4-Set: Casting Wake of Ashes increases your damage by 8% for 8 seconds.
Single-Target
To read more about Radiant Glory head down to the Deep Dive section!
Opener
Your main goal in your opener should be to get to 3 Holy Power by using Blade of Justice followed up by Divine Toll before starting in your Execution Sentence window. There are also 2 different openers you can play with, if you see that Divine Toll is not ready for your burst window and it's a few seconds behind dont hold your Execution Sentence simply follow the 2nd version below.
The Crusading Strikes trait has an RNG factor that affects when you gain Holy Power. Specifically, Holy Power is gained on the 2nd auto attack, but this can vary due to the RNG factor. During your opener, be aware of this variability. Suppose you don't gain Holy Power as expected. In that case, you may need to use a generator ability to fill in the gaps or skip 1 generator as Crusading Strikes as already gained you the Holy Power that's needed to cast Templar's Verdict in your Execution Sentence window.
Blade of Justice Into Divine Toll Opener.
Quick Divine Toll Opener.
Delayed Divine Toll with Judgment as first Opener.
Priority List
This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.
- Cast Templar's Verdict (When close to 5 Holy Power, to not mess up your burst windows with overcapped Holy Power).
- Cast Execution Sentence on cooldown.
- Cast Wake of Ashes on cooldown to proc Radiant Glory (with 2 Holy Power).
- Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
- Cast Blade of Justice (to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames).
- Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
- Cast Hammer of Wrath (During Avenging Wrath or on any target below 20%).
- Cast Judgment (if 3 Holy Power or below).
- Cast Blade of Justice (if 3 Holy Power or below).
To read more about Avenging Wrath head down to the Deep Dive section!
Opener
Your main goal in your opener should be to get to 3 Holy Power by using Blade of Justice followed up by Divine Toll before starting in your Execution Sentence window. There are also 2 different openers you can play with, if you see that Divine Toll is not ready for your burst window and it's a few seconds behind dont hold your Execution Sentence simply follow the 2nd version below.
The Crusading Strikes trait has an RNG factor that affects when you gain Holy Power. Specifically, Holy Power is gained on the 2nd auto attack, but this can vary due to the RNG factor. During your opener, be aware of this variability. If you don't gain Holy Power as expected, you may need to use a generator ability to fill in the gaps or skip 1 generator as Crusading Strikes as already gained you the Holy Power thats needed to cast Templar's Verdict in your Execution Sentence window.
Standard Opener
Delayed Divine Toll Opener
Priority List
This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.
- Cast Templar's Verdict (When close to 5 Holy Power, to not mess up your burst windows with overcapped Holy Power).
- Cast Execution Sentence on cooldown.
- Cast Avenging Wrath on cooldown.
- Cast Wake of Ashes (on cooldown with 2 Holy Power).
- Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
- Cast Blade of Justice (to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames).
- Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
- Cast Hammer of Wrath (During Avenging Wrath or on any target below 20%).
- Cast Judgment (if 3 Holy Power or below).
- Cast Blade of Justice (if 3 Holy Power or below).
AoE
To read more about Radiant Glory head down to the Deep Dive section!
Opener
If you are going to overcap on Holy Power by using Divine Toll early in the combo, you can delay it to after your Hammer of Light.
Multitarget / AoE Priority List
- Cast Divine Storm if you’re close to 5 Holy Power.
- Cast Final Reckoning on cooldown.
- Cast Wake of Ashes on cooldown to proc Radiant Glory if you are at <=2 Holy Power.
- Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
- Cast Blade of Justice to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames.
- Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
- Cast Judgment if you are low on Holy Power or to keep up Sanctification.
- Cast Divine Storm if you have 3 Holy Power.
- Cast Hammer of Wrath on any target below 20%.
To read more about Avenging Wrath head down to the Deep Dive section!
Opener
If you are going to overcap on Holy Power by using Divine Toll early in the combo, you can delay it to after your Hammer of Light.
Multitarget / AoE Priority List
- Cast Divine Storm if you’re close to 5 Holy Power.
- Cast Avenging Wrath on cooldown.
- Cast Final Reckoning on cooldown.
- Cast Wake of Ashes on cooldown if you are at 2 Holy Power.
- Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
- Cast Blade of Justice to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames.
- Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
- Cast Judgment if you are low on Holy Power or to keep up Sanctification.
- Cast Divine Storm if you have <= 3 Holy Power.
- Cast Hammer of Wrath on any target below 20%.
Deep Dive
- When talented into Radiant Glory, you cannot use Avenging Wrath or Crusade directly. Instead, using Wake of Ashes triggers the cooldown you have chosen in your talents for a few seconds. Additionally, there is a small chance that any Holy Power spender can proc your chosen talent for an additional 5 seconds, this extends your Crusade or Avenging Wrath if it procs while the spell is active.
- Never sit on Wake of Ashes since Final Reckoning has a 1-minute cooldown and Execution Sentence has a 30-second cooldown. Delaying Wake of Ashes also delays all of your other cooldowns.
Execution Sentence
- When you have chosen Execution Sentence as your minor cooldown, it is optimal to use Wake of Ashes after Execution Sentence. This is because the gain from getting Avenging Wrath does not affect Execution Sentence, and you want the full uptime on wings during the Execution Sentence window. Try to have 3 Holy Power ready right before Execution Sentence goes off cooldown so you can use it instantly.
With Hero Talent Templar
With Hero Talent Herald of the Sun
Final Reckoning
- The optimal Wake of Ashes usage, when you have chosen Final Reckoning, is to use Wake of Ashes after Final Reckoning. Try to have 3 Holy Power ready right before using Final Reckoning so you can instantly spend your Holy Power.
With Hero Talent Templar
With Hero Talent Herald of the Sun
- Choose this talent when boss fights or dungeons allow you to never miss a cooldown window.
- Never sit on Avenging Wrath for more than a few seconds, as most of your damage comes from combining it with other 1-minute cooldowns. As mentioned earlier, always use Avenging Wrath first unless you are using Execution Sentence, in which case follow the specific strategy explained below.
- Delaying Avenging Wrath also delays your other minor cooldowns.
- When using trinkets, do not hold your Avenging Wrath, as it does not significantly buff the overall damage of trinkets but it does increase their crit chance.
- For trinkets with a 90-second cooldown, use them on cooldown unless you have a trinket that provides a massive mastery or strength buff. In that case, try to align it with Avenging Wrath.
- The main reason to play this talent is if there is a boss where you can really utilize your strong 2-minute cooldown burst, or if you have heavy haste with Radiant Glory, which grants you a decent amount of proc wings.
- Optimal usage is to make sure to instantly use Templar's Verdict to quickly build up your stacks. Aim to get to 7-10 stacks before using Execution Sentence or Final Reckoning for the most damage. However, be mindful of the fight or dungeon scenario. If holding these cooldowns for later in the Crusade window means losing a full usage overall, it is better to use them early to ensure you get an extra usage.
Below you can see an explanation of how to delay your Execution Sentence or Final Reckoning in your Crusade window.
Minor Cooldown
To reach your full potential, you must also know how to maximize your minor cooldowns.
- Your plan during Execution Sentence is to fit as many spenders as possible within its duration. It's not strong outside of Avenging Wrath or Crusade due to its short burst window and lack of initial damage.
- Always cast Execution Sentence before Avenging Wrath.
- Use Execution Sentence on cooldown to ensure it aligns with other cooldowns.
- If you are playing Radiant Glory, make sure to use Execution Sentence before Wake of Ashes.
With Hero Talent Templar
With Hero Talent Herald of the Sun
- Your big AoE cooldown Final Reckoning, it's mainly used for AoE or in fights where getting good single target usage out of Execution Sentence is not possible.
- It puts a 12-second debuff on the target, increasing your single-target Holy Power spenders by 30% and other spenders by 15%.
- Optimal usage of Final Reckoning is to combo it with your other 1-minute cooldowns such as Avenging Wrath, since they share the same cooldown.
- If playing Crusade, try to save Final Reckoning for when you are at 7-10 stacks before using it. This provides the most damage overall since Crusade lasts 30 seconds.
- If playing Radiant Glory, refer to the opener/prioritization list above for usage instructions.
General Retribution Mechanics
If you don't respect the basics, you cannot master Retribution Paladin.
Crusading Strikes
- This replaces your auto-attacks and your normal Crusader Strike spell, becoming its own auto-attack that generates 1 Holy Power every 2nd attack. Below there is a WeakAura for tracking this, so you know when it's close to proccing. Always keep an eye on it to avoid going above 5 Holy Power and wasting a full proc.
- During your opener or any cooldowns during a fight, your Holy Power might vary. You could start with 4-5 Holy Power right before Execution Sentence, which means you need to press Templar's Verdict instantly before any other spell. This might make your opener look different, so it's important to understand the priority list to know what to press and when.
Mastery
- Retribution Paladins Mastery: Highlord's Judgment has been reworked for the new expansion. It now makes Judgment not only buff your spenders but also have a chance to proc extra holy damage to your main target. As mastery has been a weak point for a long time, this change is significantly beneficial.
Understanding Mechanics
Rotational min-maxing is just one aspect of mastering a specialization, but there are numerous other key mechanics that influence your performance. Use the following guides to improve them.
Nerub-ar Palace
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Offensive Cooldown Usage
Boss Tips
- You can immune Stalker Netting on Heroic difficulty if you use Blessing of Freedom or Divine Shield.
- Brutal Crush Is a frontal Cleave so do NOT stand in front.
- When it casts Hulking Crash it’s going to teleport to the middle and knock everyone back so make sure to save Divine Protection for it.
- You can also immune the knockback and the damage with Blessing of Protection.
- Rotate defensive abilities on Carnivorous Contest when it is your turn to soak.
- If there is a Demonic Gateway Close to the boss you can quickly escape when you are being pulled towards the boss during Carnivorous Contest.
- Make sure to save Divine Steed for when you pick up Chunky Viscera.
- On mythic you can use Blessing of Freedom on Bile-Soaked Viscera.
- Additionally, a Demonic Gateway can be used during Ready to Feed to speed up the feeding process of the boss.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
- Do note that the group you are assigned to changes your cooldowns slightly as you want to deal more to adds compared to the boss. Try to not miss any of your Execution Sentence burst windows, but be prepared that it has to be either delayed for a few seconds so it can be used on an add instead of the boss.
Defensive Cooldown Usage
Use Shield of Vengeance for damage mainly, so either use it before your burst windows or after.
If you're assigned to Group 1:
If you're assigned to Group 2:
Boss Tips
- Save Divine Steed to easily keep up with Spewing Hemorrhage.
- If you ever feel you are about to get caught by the geysers you can immune them with Divine Shield.
- Use Divine Protection when Crimson Rain is being cast.
- You could also use Divine Shield to immune it or use Lay on Hands to fully heal yourself up.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
Boss Tips
- Use Divine Protection or Shield of Vengeance whenever you are targeted by Decimate or Decimates are about to hit Cosmic Simulacrums.
- Run out during Shattering Sweep.
- Make sure to have your Divine Steed ready in case you are targeted by Phase Blades.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
The boss is flying away at certain times, the first one is at 1:24 which may affect your Execution Sentence windows.
Boss Tips
- Stun Infested Spawn with Hammer of Justice if one is getting away.
- Move out with Spinneret's Strands.
- Try to not use Divine Steed but instead Blessing of Freedom as it gives you 30% movement speed from Unbound Freedom, as you want to save your Divine Steed for other abilities.
- Use Divine Steed to keep up with the boss.
- When the boss flies away, look out for a Demonic Gateway to quickly help you move to the boss.
- Use Shield of Vengeance if you are targeted by Rolling Acid as it gives you free damage and a small defensive.
- You can always combo this with Divine Protection.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
If you decide that your raid needs more cleave or AoE on the adds you can change your Execution Sentence burst windows to allow your Wake of Ashes to hit the adds as well. This may mean you need to delay it on the pull which results in a tiny overall loss in single-target.
Defensive Cooldown Usage
Use Shield of Vengeance for damage mainly, so either use it before your burst windows or after.
Boss Tips
- Use Rebuke to interrupt Poison Burst which is cast by Voracious Worms.
- Make sure to instantly kill the Voracious Worm first then swap to the Colossal Spider if they spawn in the same pack, the Blood Parasites are going to simply be AoE'd down by other classes or yourself if you choose to go more of a cleave setup.
- Try to save Divine Steed for when you get Experimental Dosage to quickly move to your assigned egg.
- Rotate defensive abilities on Unstable Web.
- Move out of the raid with Unstable Web to not cause a Web Eruption which roots anyone nearby.
- You can use Blessing of Freedom to remove this.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
Use Shield of Vengeance for damage mainly, so either use it before your burst windows or after.
Boss Tips
- Rotate Defensive abilities on Nether Rift and Starless Night.
- Use Divine Shield as an emergency button. For example, if you get hit by multiple Twilight Massacres.
- Use Divine Steed if you are targeted by Twilight Massacre to correctly spawn it far away.
- The main thing to keep an eye out for on this boss is the position of each Nether Rift. Their placement dictates how much you get pulled towards them. Try to position yourself in a way that each Nether Rift is at a similar distance to you.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
Boss Tips
- Use Shield of Vengeance to cover Venomous Rain as the dot damage quickly breaks it.
- You can also immune off the stacks with Divine Shield.
- Use Divine Steed to quickly run out after getting pulled in by Web Vortex to break the chain you have with another player.
- Alternatively, use Demonic Gateway to negate the pull-in effect.
- Stun Call of the Swarm with Hammer of Justice since they fixate the closest target.
Offensive Cooldown Usage
Defensive Cooldown Usage
Boss Tips
Phase 1
- Start off with using Blessing of Sacrifice on the tank and using Shield of Vengeance on yourself prepull.
- Utilize Blessing of Freedom on Silken Tomb to fully immune the root effect.
- You should Blessing of Freedom another player as you are playing Unbound Freedom Talent.
- Use Divine Toll on pull as your first global as this makes it line for a perfect 2nd use right when the Silken Tomb spawns to instantly got to 8 stacks of Sanctification. Your 3rd should be ready when they are about to spawn for another nice lineup.
- In the Intermission use Divine Protection on the first pull in and use Divine Shield on the 2nd pull to fully immune the grip, use Shield of Vengeance at some point during the phase as the ticking damage can be a lot at times.
- On the 2nd pull in you can also use Blessing of Sacrifice on another player as you are immune.
Phase 2
- Dont use Wake of Ashes or Execution Sentence on the first mob before you go up, as you want to send all your cooldowns instantly on the first platform.
- On the 2nd platform your cooldowns should come ready as you are running up, instnaly use them even tho you have some holy power ready.
- When you get to the 3rd platform if you have around 5 seconds left on Wake of Ashes and you already made it to the last enemy do not use it as its going to ruin every line up for you in p3, if you are fast just pop Wake of Ashes as soon as you get to the top and use Execution Sentence as soon as you can target the last mob.
Phase 3
- Use Wake of Ashes and the rest of your cooldowns as soon as you land if you played the last phase perfect.
- Dont hold your cooldowns much on this phase most I would is 2-3 sec for a better lineup to kill adds if your guild needs it. You are really strong on boss damage here and your passive cleave enough for you as long as boss is moved around.
- Use Divine Shield if you are the target of Royal Condemnation, if not use everything else you have as this is the only thing that can kill you.
Stat Priority
Understand your secondary stat priority and the tertiary stats needed for optimal performance during Raid boss fights as a Retribution Paladin. For more detailed information, visit the Stats and Attributes guide.
Higher Item level items are better in most scenarios. For an accurate representation of what item to equip you should use Simcraft! A static "Stat Priority" is just a starting point and can easily shift depending on your individual gear.
- All secondary stats are affected by diminishing returns. Click here to learn more!
Tertiary
- Avoidance - Great stat to reduce the damage intake of "Area of Effect" abilities.
- Leech - Provides additional healing through damage dealing.
- Speed - Niche tertiary that can be very useful and has been proven useful in the past. Makes playing certain mechanics a lot easier.
Gear
| Slot | Item | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Entombed Seraph's Casque | Tier Slot |
| Neck | Sureki Zealot's Insignia | Sikran |
| Shoulder | Entombed Seraph's Plumes | Tier Slot |
| Cloak | Wings of Shattered Sorrow | Rasha'nan |
| Chest | Entombed Seraph's Breastplate | Tier Slot |
| Wrist | Devoted Offering's Irons | Queen Ansurek |
| Gloves | Entombed Seraph's Castigation | Tier Slot |
| Belt | Nether Bounty's Greatbelt | Nexus-Princess |
| Legs | Entombed Seraph's Greaves | Tier Slot |
| Boots | Boots of the Black Bulwark | The Bloodbound Horror |
| Ring 1 | Seal of the Poisoned Pact | Queen Ansurek |
| Ring 2 | Writhing Ringworm | Broodtwister |
| Trinket 1 | Mark of Khardros | Grim Batol |
| Trinket 2 | Ara-Kara Sacbrood | Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
| Weapon | Anub'arash's Colossal Mandible | The Silken Court |
Below you are presented with a good list of farmable alternatives that are obtainable outside of WoW’s weekly lockout system. While replaced in time as you progress, these offer immediate character power.
| Slot | Item | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Entombed Seraph's Casque | Tier Slot |
| Neck | Trailspinner Pendant | Mists of Trina Scithe |
| Shoulder | Entombed Seraph's Plumes | Tier Slot |
| Cloak | Troggstitched Drape | Grim batol |
| Chest | Entombed Seraph's Breastplate | Tier Slot |
| Wrist | Bracers of Umbral Mending | Grim batol |
| Gloves | Entombed Seraph's Castigation | Tier Slot |
| Belt | Girdle of Somber Ploys | The Dawnbreaker |
| Legs | Entombed Seraph's Greaves | Tier Slot |
| Boots | Ballast Sinkers | Siege of Boralus |
| Ring 1 | Seal of the City Watch | Siege of Boralus |
| Ring 2 | Umbriss Band | Grim batol |
| Trinket 1 | Skarmorak Shard | The Stonevault |
| Trinket 2 | Ara-Kara Sacbrood | Ara-Kara, City of Echoes |
| Weapon | Wild Hammer | Grim batol |
Trinkets
Below you can find active and passive alternatives to our recommended trinkets. Do note that some trinkets are better than others depending on the raid boss.
Active Trinket alternatives
- Mark of Khardros
- When used you gain a massive amount of mastery for 15 seconds with a 1 min 30 sec cooldown.
- Great to combine with Radiant Glory since Wake of Ashes only has a 30-second cooldown which makes this line up alot.
- Skarmorak Shard
- Gain a large amount of Mastery when used for 15 seconds with 1 min 30 seconds cooldown, When killing adds you gain a small amount of Mastery for 15 sec stacking up to 5 times.
- Great to combine with Radiant Glory since Wake of Ashes only has a 30-second cooldown which makes this line up alot.
- Treacherous Transmitter
- After completing a small task you gain a large amount of strength for 15 seconds with a 1 min 30seconds cooldown.
- Great to combine with Radiant Glory since Wake of Ashes only has a 30-second cooldown which makes this line up alot.
- Signet of the Priory
- 2-minute cooldown trinket that when used you gain a large amount of your highest secondary stat for 20 seconds. Very powerful burst trinket when playing Crusade as it has the same cooldown.
- Oppressive Orator's Larynx
- Your attacks have a chance to proc a small amount of strength for 30 seconds, you can also use this trinket for a small amount of dot damage for 3 seconds with a 2-minute cooldown.
- Ravenous Honey Buzzer
- Leap forward dealing a large amount of fire damage to anyone hit by the leap, 1 min 30 seconds cooldown so don't delay any of your main cooldowns for it as it doesn’t change the damage from the trinket.
Passive Trinket alternatives
- Ara-Kara Sacbrood
- Your abilities have a chance to grant you a large amount of strength which can stack making this a very powerful passive trinket.
- Void Pactstone
- Your abilities have a chance to explode on nearby enemies for a small amount of shadow damage, when this procs you gain also a small amount of haste for 10 seconds.
Embellishments
- Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension
- On your crafted 2h weapon.
- Writhing Armor Banding
- The optimal slots to craft on are Wrists, Boots, Waist, or Cloak depending on your available gear.
or
- 2x Dawnthread Lining
- Gain a small amount of Critical Strike while above 80% Health.
- It is a good choice if you have over 80% health most of the time and during your cooldowns.
- The optimal slots to craft on are Wrists, Boots, Waist, or Cloak depending on your available gear.
Remaining Sparks
- Crafted items are 636 item level and regular items are 639 on max item level, therefore, it's not beneficial to equip crafted items outside of your 2x embellishments unless you don't have access to other high item level gear on that slot.
Simcraft
To find the best combination of gear available to you or identify the best possible upgrades, visit our Simcraft guide to learn how to utilize Simcraft easily and effectively.
Consumables
- Phials
- Flask of Alchemical Chaos -- maximum DPS with an rng element.
- Flask of Tempered Mastery -- More stable DPS.
- Food
- Feast of the Midnight Masquerade
- Combat Potion
- Tempered Potion
- Health Potion
- Algari Healing Potion -- a big burst of healing.
- Weapon Oil
- Ironclaw Whetstone -- If you have a bladed weapon; a Sword, an Axe or a Polearm.
- Ironclaw Weightstone-- If you have a blunt weapon; a Mace, a Staff or a Fist Weapon.
- Augment Rune
- Crystallized Augment Rune
- Sockets
- Deadly Onyx
- Culminating Blasphemite -- Unique, use one of each gem color to enhance your Culminating Blasphemite.
- Masterful Emerald
- Masterful Ruby
- Masterful Sapphire
Enchantments
| Head | Nerubian Gemweaver |
| Neck | Magnificent Jeweler's Setting 2x |
| Cloak | Enchant Cloak - Chant of Winged Grace |
| Chest | Enchant Chest - Crystalline Radiance |
| Wrist | Enchant Bracer - Chant of Armored Avoidance Nerubian Gemweaver |
| Waist | Nerubian Gemweaver |
| Legs | Stormbound Armor Kit |
| Boots | Enchant Boots - Scout's March |
| Ring 1 | Enchant Ring - Radiant Mastery Magnificent Jeweler's Setting 2x |
| Ring 2 | Enchant Ring - Radiant Mastery Magnificent Jeweler's Setting 2x |
| Weapon | Enchant Weapon - Authority of the Depths Or Enchant Weapon - Stonebound Artistry |
You buy Nerubian Gemweaver from the Great Vault Vendor to add sockets to your Helm, Wrists & Waist.
Races
For min-maxing a Retribution Paladin in Raid, different racial traits can provide a tremendous benefit to your character. If this is not your top goal, picking a race that fits your style or transmog works just as well since the DPS gain is not as massive as people make it out to be.
- Stoneform -- Dwarf
- Can dispel Magic and Bleed debuffs. Has been useful in the past on some bosses with Bleeds.
- War Stomp -- Tauren
- An AoE stun is beneficial since paladins currently lack one. Additionally, Endurance is very useful when doing high-level content.
- Fireblood -- Dark Iron Dwarf
- It can remove almost any debuff for a small damage buff.
- Arcane Torrent -- Blood Elf
- Removes 1 buff from a target around you.
- Embrace of Pa'ku -- Zandalari Troll
- Provides a small crit buff with an RNG proc rate. A great benefit of being Zandalari is that you can combo Regeneratin' and Divine Shield to heal yourself fully.
- Will to Survive -- Human
- Removes any stun effect on you, similar to a PvP trinket. The Human Spirit is the main reason to play as a human.
- Gift of the Naaru -- Draenei
- No particularly useful racial except for Heroic Presence.
- Light's Judgment -- Lightforged Draenei
- More of a just-for-fun racial, but don't forget Light's Reckoning – it explodes for a small amount of damage when you die!
Recommendation
In general, it's safe to say that if you care about min-maxing your DPS you should go with the highest DPS racial. That being said the story is a bit different if it's about pushing endgame Raid progression. Some help out massively to speed up the progression of certain bosses in dungeons or raids. Notably Dwarf with their Stoneform helped out on Tindral Sageswift & Fyrakk the Blazing in the latest Race to World First by having easy access to dispelling yourself at crucial points of the fights mentioned.
Macros
Discover recommended macros for Retribution Paladins during Raid encounters and watch a quick video guide on creating simple macros for your character.
Cursor macro / Focus Marcos
Cast Final Reckoning on your cursor.
#showtooltip Final Reckoning
/cast [@cursor] Final ReckoningCast Rebuke on your Focus without targeting it.
#showtooltip Rebuke
/cast [@focus] RebukeCast Hammer of Justice on your Focus without ever targeting it.
#showtooltip Hammer of Justice
/cast [@focus] Hammer of JusticeMouseover Macros
@Player Macros
Cooldown Marcos
Addons
Below, you see a screenshot of the author's User Interface for their Retribution Paladin, outlining which addons are used and how they are utilized in Raids to make your life easier.
Addons
WeakAuras
Changes this Patch
Patch 11.0.2
Patch 11.0.2
Patch 11.0
FAQ
Q: Is it worth to Judgment on 4 holy power and go above 5?
Q: Mobs target me after Blessing of Protection - Divine Shield why?
Credits
Written By: Narcolies
Reviewed By: Xerwo, Nicememes