Introduction
Welcome to the Method Retribution Paladin guide, written by Nurseos. I have been playing WoW since WotLK and joined the hardcore scene in Throne of Thunder raid of Mists of Pandaria. I have been playing Paladin since WotLK and was a Ret main through all Cataclysm and MoP raids. During MoP I was turning into a multiclass player and since WoD Ret has turned into one of my high prio alts to play on farm and I brought it through all expansions except BfA till nowadays.
Ret Paladin has always been a niche spec, and you won’t see it often in World First raid setups, however for semi-hardcore and more casual guilds it is a very solid DPS spec. Listed below are some strengths and drawbacks of the spec:
Pros
- Very easy to play;
- Strong 1 min or 2 min CD burst;
- Strong AoE, especially against 5 targets;
- Increased range of main spells and auto attacks;
- Big supportive toolkit such as Lay on Hands, Blessing of Protection, Blessing of Sacrifice, Blessing of Freedom, Auras and new combat res - Intercession;
- Has a lot of Defensive abilities such Divine Shield, Shield of Vengeance and Divine Protection
Cons
- Doesn’t have a versatile build for mixed fights. Only ST or only AoE;
- Low sustain damage outside of the burst windows
- Low mobility
- If you are the only paladin in your raid group you might be forced to play with Devotion Aura instead of Retribution Aura
What has changed
Changes in Patch 10.2.5
- Wake of Ashes damage increased by 20%.
- Truth’s Wake damage increased by 28%.
- Seething Flames damage increased by 28%.
- Blade of Justice damage increased by 20%.
- Final Verdict damage increased by 10%.
These changes will be a ~5% buff for Single Target and ~3% for AoE. However, none of these changes affect rotation, gear choices, enchantments etc.
Changes in Patch 10.2
Updated talents, gearing, stats, races & consumables, playstyle & rotation to account for small changes in 10.2