Retribution Paladin Guide — Class Guides · WoW Burning Crusade

Two-handed melee damage from seals and judgements, with crits and utility for the group. The usual leveling tree.

A plate-wearing holy warrior who heals with the Light, protects with blessings, auras and seals, and fights in melee. Paladins heal, tank or deal damage with a two-handed weapon. More about the paladin

Class: Paladin
Roles: Damage
Used for: Raids and dungeons, Leveling, Player versus player
Top talent: Crusader Strike
Popular builds: 2
Version: WoW Burning Crusade

How to play

Retribution in The Burning Crusade is a real raid spec: Crusader Strike is your main attack, your Seal adds damage to every swing, and Sanctified Seals, Fanaticism and Vengeance raise your crit. Improved Sanctity Aura raises your group's damage.

The rotation is a priority list: Judgement and Crusader Strike when ready, Consecration and Exorcism (on undead and demons) as mana allows, putting your Seal back after each Judgement. Avenging Wrath lines up with Bloodlust and trinkets. Advanced players 'twist' seals, swinging with Seal of Command and switching to Seal of Blood at the right moment for extra damage.

Retribution's raid value goes beyond its damage: Improved Sanctity Aura, a Judgement on the boss and Blessing of Might help everyone.

At a glance

Single-target damage
Damage to groups
Survivability
Utility for the group
Solo play and leveling
Ease of play

Rated 1 to 5 against the other specs in WoW Burning Crusade.

Rotation and priorities

1Your damage Seal up: Blood (Horde), Vengeance or Command (Alliance).
2Judgement when ready, then put the Seal back.
3Crusader Strike whenever it is ready.
4Consecration and Exorcism (undead and demons) when mana allows.
5Avenging Wrath with Bloodlust and trinkets.
6Hammer of Wrath on targets below 20% health.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

A wanted raid spot thanks to Sanctity Aura and Judgements.
Strong burst with Avenging Wrath and crits.
Self-healing and plate make leveling safe.

Weaknesses

Mana problems in long fights.
Seal twisting is hard to master.
Less damage than the pure damage classes.

Stats and gear

Stat priority

Most valuable first. Bars compare each stat with the best one; a cap in the note means the stat drops off once you reach it.

1
Weapon damageslow two-handers suit Seal of Command
2
Strength2 attack power each
3
Hitto 142 rating
4
Critical strike
5
Expertise
6
Intellect

What to look for

A slow two-hander: Seal of Command procs and seal twisting work best with slow weapons.
Strength, crit and hit, with a little Intellect.
Strength gems in red sockets.

Items worth chasing

GorehowlA raid two-handed axe.
Dragonspine TrophyAttack power and a haste proc in a trinket.
Bloodlust BroochA burst of attack power on use.

Builds

Each bar splits the build's talent points by tree.

Holy
Protection
Retribution

Crusader Strike Avenger
DamagePvELeveling
1145
5/11/45
Retribution for raids and leveling: Crusader Strike and Sanctity Aura for damage, Vengeance and Fanaticism for crits, and Blessing of Kings for the group.
- Sanctity Aura 1/1
- Sanctified Seals 3/3
- Repentance 1/1
- Fanaticism 5/5
- Crusader Strike 1/1
Open in the talent calculator Theorycrafting Talent order by level
Repentance Crusader
DamagePvP
2041
0/20/41
Battleground Retribution: Repentance and Improved Hammer of Justice to control, Crusader Strike and Seal of Command for burst, and Blessing of Kings.
- Sanctity Aura 1/1
- Vengeance 5/5
- Sanctified Seals 3/3
- Repentance 1/1
- Crusader Strike 1/1
Open in the talent calculator Theorycrafting Talent order by level

Key talents

Crusader Strike · top talent, up to 1
An instant strike that causes 110% weapon damage and refreshes all Judgements on the target.
Crusade · tier 4, up to 3
Increases all damage caused against Humanoids, Demons, Undead and Elementals by 3%.
Two-Handed Weapon Specialization · tier 5, up to 3
Increases the damage you deal with two-handed melee weapons by 6%.
Sanctity Aura · tier 5, up to 1
Increases Holy damage done by party members within 30 yards by 10%. Players may only have one Aura on them per Paladin at any one time.
Improved Sanctity Aura · tier 5, up to 2
The amount of damage caused by targets affected by Sanctity Aura is increased by 2%.
Vengeance · tier 6, up to 5
Gives you a 5% bonus to Physical and Holy damage you deal for 30 sec after dealing a critical strike from a weapon swing, spell, or ability. This effect stacks up to 3 times.
Sanctified Judgement · tier 6, up to 3
Gives your Judgement spell a 100% chance to return 80% of the mana cost of the judged seal.
Sanctified Seals · tier 7, up to 3
Increases your chance to critically hit with all spells and melee attacks by 3% and reduces the chance your Seals will be dispelled by 100%.
Repentance · tier 7, up to 1
Puts the enemy target in a state of meditation, incapacitating them for up to 6 sec. Any damage caused will awaken the target. Only works against Humanoids.
Fanaticism · tier 8, up to 5
Increases the critical strike chance of all Judgements capable of a critical hit by 15% and reduces threat caused by all actions by 30% except when under the effects of Righteous Fury.

Retribution abilities by level

When each ability arrives: trained abilities at the level a trainer first teaches them, talent abilities (gold frame) at the first level the talent can be taken.