WoW: The War Within Ultimate Guide for Retribution Paladins

Known as the epitome of purity and righteousness in Azeroth, Retribution Paladins have remained strong leading up to the release of World of Warcraft: The War Within. With their impressive damage output and remarkable ability to sustain, they continue to be a top choice for both group activities and solo adventures at high levels.

The most recent updates to the specification have only enhanced the capabilities of the class, particularly with the effective alteration to the mastery being the standout change.

The addition of Hero Talent trees has expanded the possibilities for buildcrafting and enhanced the already formidable arsenal of the Ret Paladin. It is important to note that there are also some nerfs, so be sure to continue reading for our comprehensive guide to the Retribution Paladin in The War Within.

Retribution Paladin Class Changes in The War Within

A Paladin in WoW: The War Within — Blizzard Entertainment

Although there hasn’t been a major overhaul of the Ret Paladin’s toolkit, there have been some beneficial evolutionary updates that players should take note of. The most noteworthy alteration is Mastery: Highlord’s Judgement, which has received a significant increase in its Holy damage bonus (now at 12%) and has also gained a 6% chance to trigger Judgement damage.

Radiant Glory remains a powerful ability as it enables Avenging Wrath to activate for 8 seconds without any actions required when utilizing Wake of Ashes. Unfortunately, Retribution Aura has been removed, taking away one of the main reasons for choosing this specialization for raids. However, it is still expected to maintain high damage output and will not be excluded from raid groups.

Retribution Paladin Talents, Hero Talents, and Build

The talent build we have chosen to utilize is perfectly suited for Mythic+ runs, providing essential AoE capabilities and impressive damage output in all situations. When selecting Paladin talents, there is minimal deviation from the standard build used for raids, dungeons, and any other scenarios.

While Cleanse Toxins and Blinding Light may not be included in a standard Paladin raid loadout, they are essential abilities for higher level Mythic+ dungeons. These skills can make all the difference when seeking a moment to heal or be healed. Additionally, they are valuable assets for any Ret Paladin leveling build when exploring the open world.

This talent tree also offers other useful abilities, such as Rebuke for interrupting spellcasts, Blessing of Sacrifice, Blessing of Protection, and Divine Toll (which is crucial for your damage rotation). Additionally, it is filled with stat boosts, cooldown reductions, and ability enhancements that greatly increase your character’s effectiveness in various areas.

The Talent breakdown for Retribution Paladin in The War Within — Blizzard Entertainment/dexerto

Our Retribution-specific talents prioritize a Mythic+ build centered around Crusading Strikes, which strikes a balance between strong cleave damage and sustained DPS for single-target attacks. Despite potential downtime in your rotation, Crusading Strikes remains the most efficient strategy for maximizing damage output.

The primary distinction in the talent setup for raids occurs near the conclusion of this guide, where it prioritizes Penitence, Burning Crusade, and Searing Light. Despite the proc chance on the latter, it should not dissuade you from utilizing it due to its significant AoE capabilities. Additionally, the Radiant damage it adds to several abilities provides numerous opportunities for it to activate.

To enhance the effectiveness of Mastery: Highlord’s Judgment, players can also utilize powerful talents such as Highlord’s Wrath and Adjudication, which increase damage output and chance of procs. As expected, this skill tree also allows for the mastery of key abilities in ret damage and provides useful utilities like Shield of Vengeance.

Some remarkable direct ability enhancements also greatly boost the spec’s overall effectiveness. Boundless Judgment increases Holy power generation from using Judgment and also has the potential to activate Mastery: Highlord’s Judgment. Additionally, Tempest of the Lightbringer adds an extra wave of light to Divine Storm, making it even more powerful as your main tool for dealing AoE damage.

One important aspect to note is the use of convenient tools that can aid in playing the spec more smoothly during difficult tasks. A standout feature is Guided Prayer, which will automatically cast a Word of Glory at 60% effectiveness when the player’s health drops below 25%. Additionally, the Art of War ability has a 20% chance to reset the cooldown of Blade of Justice, minimizing potential downtime in various situations.

Custom Hero Talents

The Retribution Paladin’s new Hero Talent options are generally powerful, but currently the Templar tree is performing better than the Herald of the Sun in both raids and Mythic+. The Templar tree centers around Hammer of Light, a damaging ability that relies on Holy power and is particularly effective in single-target and small-group fights. While the adjustments made to the Herald tree have improved its potential for spread damage, it still falls short in comparison to the Templar tree’s overall output.

The Templar talents for Ret Paladin in WoW: The War Within — Blizzard Entertainment/dexerto

We have provided the Templar talent build that we prefer, along with the recommended Herald of the Sun nodes, for those who may be interested in experimenting with a different approach to playing.

The Herald of the Sun Hero Talents for WoW: The War Within — Blizzard Entertainment/dexerto

Stat Priority

As expected, Strength remains the main stat that will decrease for Paladins when acquiring gear, and it should still be the top priority. Additionally, it is recommended to prioritize building in the following order:

Strength
Mastery
Critical Strike = Haste
Versatility

Mastery enhances the Paladin’s fundamental abilities and talents, providing a significant advantage to the class in any situation. Critical Strike increases the likelihood of inflicting additional damage with any offensive ability or attack. Haste decreases the overall cooldown time and individual cooldowns for essential skills such as Crusader Strike. Versatility amplifies damage output and decreases damage taken, proving especially valuable in challenging circumstances.

Rotation

Playing as a Retribution Paladin has the advantage of being forgiving in terms of rotation. While it is crucial to execute the rotation correctly in high keys or Mythic raids, making a mistake in the order of abilities will not completely hinder your damage output.

Similar to other classes, effectively utilizing the Ret Paladin requires efficient management of resources, specifically Holy Power. It is important to consistently generate Holy Power until reaching the maximum of 5, in order to fully utilize powerful abilities such as Final Verdict for maximum damage output.

There are minor differences in the rotation depending on whether you are focusing on a single target or using cleave abilities. However, the recommended approach for initiating engagements remains the same:

Divine Toll/Judgment
Blade of Justice
Execution Sentence

Next, it is recommended to use either Final Verdict for single enemies or Divine Storm for AoE, and then continue with the following rotation:

Wake of Ashes
Blade of Justice
Hammer of Wrath
Final Verdict/Divine Storm
Divine Toll
Judgment
Blade of Justice
Final Verdict/Divine Storm

There is definitely flexibility in using alternate abilities above, especially when Divine Toll is on cooldown. As long as you continue to generate Holy Power consistently, you should be able to deal respectable damage in a timely manner.

Retribution Paladin Tier Set Breakdown

Despite not being outright terrible, the bonuses offered by Ret Paladin’s tier sets are not particularly inspiring compared to those of other classes and specializations. They lack the groundbreaking qualities that were more common in previous expansions and seasons.

The main ability in the first season of The War Within is Wake of Ashes, which serves as a focal point for both traditional and new Hero Talent trees. However, there is a clear issue that arises when considering the 4-piece tier set bonus.

The bonus increases the damage of Wake of Ashes by 8% for 8 seconds. To make the most of this, it is recommended to use the powerful Execution Sentence ability within that time frame.

Regrettably, this creates a dilemma as the tier set bonus clashes with both Ret Paladin Hero Talent trees, which prioritize the use of Wake of Ashes early to fully utilize its power. It is advisable to stick to the recommended rotation for this ability instead of attempting to optimize the potential of the tier set at this moment.

Gems and Enchants

In The War Within, gems are straightforward to understand as each specialization receives a primary stat boost gem in the first socket. Retribution Paladins should keep an eye out for Culminating Blasphemite, which grants +181 Primary Stat for Strength.

When it comes to Enchants, there is some room for experimentation and building depending on the activity you are pursuing. Our suggestions are as follows:

Slot	Enchantment
Weapon	Enchant Weapon – Authority of the Depths/Enchant Weapon – Stonebound Artistry
Cloak	Enchant Cloak – Chant of Winged Grace/Enchant Cloak – Whisper of Silken Avoidance
Chest	Enchant Chest – Crystalline Radiance
Bracers	Enchant Bracer – Chant of Armored Avoidance
Legs	Stormbound Armor Kit
Boots	Enchant Boots – Scout’s March
Rings	Enchant Ring – Radiant Mastery/Enchant Ring – Cursed Mastery

This is our comprehensive guide on how to play Retribution Paladin in WoW: The War Within Patch 11.0.2. If you are considering switching roles, we also offer a detailed analysis of Tank and Healer specializations.