The Holy Paladin is a single-target healer in Forever: strong on the tank, weak on group damage. Flash of Light is your most efficient heal, Oath of Light sits on the tank permanently, and your only answer to group damage is an expensive combination of Light's Vigil and Holy Shock. The rankings put Holy at B, but raids still usually want two paladins for blessings and seals.
Talents and builds
The links open the talent calculator with the finished build, including why the points go where they go.
- Raid: Holy raid (Light's Vigil) (points 31/8/12). Deep Holy for Holy Power, Boundless Light and the Light's Vigil capstone, with Illumination and Infusion of Light for mana and faster Holy Lights.
- Dungeons: Holy dungeon (points 34/5/12). Dungeon healing with Holy Shock, Boundless Light and Light's Vigil, Holy Power for crits and five points in Benediction from Retribution for cheaper instant spells.
- PvP: Holy PvP (points 32/7/12). Holy for battlegrounds: Holy Shock for instant heals, more points in Protection for survival, Benediction from Retribution.
We have not checked a dedicated Holy Paladin leveling build yet.
Where it ranks
| Category | Tier | Range |
|---|---|---|
| PvE healers | B | C–A |
| PvP (battleground/open world) | A | B–A |
| Leveling | C | D–B |
- PvE healers: Excellent tank and single-target healing (Holy Shock, Light's Vigil), but last in group healing in the simulation. The new lists say A or B.
- PvP (battleground/open world): Mostly A: Holy Shock heals instantly, Voice of Truth protects against silence and interrupts for 6 seconds.
- Leveling: B and D: hardly any damage of your own while questing, but quickly invited to dungeon groups.
The tiers combine several tier lists and level-60 simulations. Raid logs only exist from 9 December, so treat this as a snapshot. Every spec side by side: rankings.
Which heal when
- Oath of Light on the tank, and keep it there. It boosts Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock on that target.
- Flash of Light as your main heal. It heals the most per mana.
- Holy Light for big damage spikes and when Infusion of Light procs: a crit with Holy Shock or Flash of Light makes your next Holy Light within 15 seconds 1 second faster.
- Light's Vigil and Holy Shock as group healing: Light's Vigil on one target before predictable group damage, then Holy Shock on the same target after the damage lands. The Shock then heals that target's whole party and triggers no cooldown. It is very expensive, so only when many in the group are missing health.
- Holy Shock otherwise only in emergencies or while moving. Its healing per mana is poor.
Boundless Light gives Holy Shock 30% crit chance, but only on targets without Oath of Light, so you rather Shock other players than the tank. On the boss, keep Seal of Light up if no other paladin does, otherwise Seal of Wisdom.
Cooldowns
- Divine Favor: your next Flash of Light, Holy Light or Holy Shock is a guaranteed crit. With 5/5 Illumination that also refunds half its base cost and can trigger Infusion of Light.
- Lay on Hands heals for your maximum health and sets your mana to zero. For a healer it is the very last button.
- Divine Shield, Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection share Forbearance. Blessing of Protection blocks physical damage, but the target can't attack, so never on the active tank.
- Divine Intervention on a healer who can resurrect, once the wipe is certain.
- Voice of Truth (from level 20) makes you immune to silences and interrupts for 6 seconds.
Stats
Healing power, then Intellect, Spirit, mana per 5 seconds and crit. Intellect is strong because it raises both your mana pool and your spell crit for Illumination and Infusion of Light. Spirit pays off because 2/2 Reverence keeps 30% of your regeneration running while you cast. In Forever, Holy Power raises the bonus of critical heals, not the crit chance.
Common mistakes
- Using Light's Vigil too often and running dry fast.
- Holy Shock as a routine heal.
- Spending mana on optional damage.
- Casting expensive heals before they are needed.
- Blessing of Protection on the tank or on someone who has to keep attacking.
Leveling
Solo, Holy kills much more slowly than Retribution. As a healer, though, you find dungeon groups quickly. Pursuit of Justice is considered the key leveling talent, because it makes you faster. Many level as Retribution and use Holy through dual talent specialization for dungeons.
In raids
You heal the tank and single targets, bring one blessing per paladin and target (Kings, Might or Wisdom), an aura and Cleanse against poison, disease and magic. Blessing of Salvation no longer exists in Forever. For group damage you need priests or shamans next to you.
Further reading
- Paladin class guide: races, new abilities and every build of the class
- The other specs: Protection Paladin, Retribution Paladin
- Raid comp planner: put your raid together and see which buffs are still missing
- Paladin talent calculator: plan your own build and share it as a link
Frequently asked questions
Is Avenging Wrath in WoW Forever?
No. The paladin has no such damage or healing cooldown in Forever. Divine Favor for a guaranteed crit is the closest thing.
