The Protection Paladin tanks with spell power in Forever: nearly everything that generates threat scales with it, and your limit is mana. New are a real taunt through Seal of Fury, Templar's Bulwark as a big defensive cooldown, and Righteous Fury from level 10. It is strong on big packs, but the rankings still only put it at B.
Talents and builds
The links open the talent calculator with the finished build, including why the points go where they go.
- Leveling: Protection leveling (points 0/35/16). Starts in Retribution for Benediction (cheaper instant spells), Improved Judgement, Sanctified Judgement (mana) and Pursuit of Justice (15% movement speed), then fills Protection: Redoubt, Precision, Shield Specialization as the main mana source and Templar's Bulwark.
- Raid: Protection level 60 (points 0/35/16). Level-60 tank build: deep Protection with 16 points in Retribution for Deflection, Improved Judgement, Conviction, Sanctified Judgement, Pursuit of Justice and Sacred Arbiter.
- Dungeons: Protection dungeon (points 0/32/19). Dungeon tanking with Holy Shield, Shieldsworn and Redoubt; the Retribution points go into Deflection, Conviction and Sanctified Judgement.
- PvP: Protection PvP (points 23/28/0). Holy and Protection for PvP: Holy Shock for instant heals, the Protection tree for survival.
Where it ranks
| Category | Tier | Range |
|---|---|---|
| PvE tanks | B | C–S |
| PvP (battleground/open world) | C | D–B |
| Leveling | B | B–A |
- PvE tanks: Widest spread (C to S): Righteous Fury, Holy Shield and Consecration make him strong in dungeons, where several lists say S. In the newest simulation he is last in threat (C), which keeps him at B.
- PvP (battleground/open world): Drops from B to C: Holy Shield and Divine Shield make him tough, but he kills slowly; one list rates him D.
- Leveling: A and B: Consecration and Holy Shield for several mobs at once, hardly any downtime. Slow on single targets.
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.
Seals, Judgement and taunt
Righteous Fury is always on while tanking and raises your threat by 33%. Seal of Fury adds Holy damage to every swing, and with a shield you also get an absorb worth half of that damage. Judging it deals damage and taunts the target for 3 seconds; it is your only taunt.
Judgements are off the global cooldown, reach 10 yards and don't consume your seal. Since 11 November they count as ranged attacks and use your ranged hit chance. Swift Judgement gives you a second one on its own cooldown, for quick threat or a second taunt.
Rotation
Before the pull, Seal of Fury and Holy Shield. On the pull, Judgement, Swift Judgement and Holy Strike together, then Consecration. After that:
- Keep Holy Shield up: 30% more block for 10 seconds or four charges, and every block deals Holy damage.
- Holy Strike on cooldown. With Shieldsworn it is 4 seconds shorter, triggers Holy Shield and Shield Specialization without using charges and lets you block spells for 6 seconds. Iron Creed at 3/3 gives it 30% more threat and, with Righteous Fury, makes you take 6% less damage for 6 seconds.
- Judgement on cooldown.
- Exorcism against Undead and Demons.
- Consecration while your mana holds.
On packs, Consecration comes first; it only does full damage to the first four enemies that walk in. Spread Judgement, Swift Judgement and Holy Strike across different mobs. Don't cast Hammer of Wrath or Holy Wrath while tanking: during the cast you can't block, dodge or parry.
Cooldowns
- Templar's Bulwark: a shield worth 100% of your maximum health for 8 seconds. It applies Forbearance, so it shares the lockout with Divine Shield, Divine Protection and Blessing of Protection.
- Sacred Duty at 2/2 takes 60 seconds off Divine Shield, Divine Protection and Bulwark, and 10 seconds off Forbearance.
- Lay on Hands as an emergency heal that costs all your mana.
- Divine Shield and Divine Protection drop you from the threat table. As a tank you can taunt with Judgement first and then bubble.
Stats and mana
Stamina, then defense to 440 so bosses can no longer crit you, then spell power, Intellect and Strength. Spell power is your main threat stat. Blocking is mana too: Shield Specialization gives 4% of your maximum mana on a block, at most once every 3 seconds. Anticipation at 5/5 adds 20 defense.
Common mistakes
- Judging Seal of Fury on a raid boss the other tank should hold. As off-tank, switch to the seal you are assigned.
- Hammer of Wrath or Holy Wrath while tanking.
- Burning mana on Consecration or pulling with half a bar.
- Blessing of Protection on the active tank.
- Not pressing Holy Strike enough when you have Shieldsworn.
Leveling
Righteous Fury is available from level 10, so you can tank dungeons early. Consecration comes at 20. The leveling build goes into Retribution for Pursuit of Justice first and then into Protection, with Shield Specialization as your main mana source. While questing you pull three or four mobs and hold them with Consecration and Retribution Aura.
In raids
Both threat simulations put the Protection Paladin last, while the level-60 lists rate it A. What people like is the real taunt, Consecration on packs and the Bulwark. On top you bring blessings, an aura and Cleanse.
Further reading
- Paladin class guide: races, new abilities and every build of the class
- The other specs: Holy 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
Does the paladin have a taunt in Forever?
Yes. Judging Seal of Fury taunts the target for 3 seconds. Swift Judgement gives you a second Judgement on its own cooldown.
