The 30-second version
- Always have a Seal and a Blessing on. Check before every fight.
- Press Judgement and Holy Strike whenever they're ready. Your weapon does the rest.
- Heal yourself instead of resting. Lots of mana left after a fight? Cast Holy Light on yourself.
- You have emergency buttons. Use them before you're at 10% health, not after.
Is Paladin right for you?
Seals and Judgement
Almost all of your damage comes from this simple loop. Learn it and you've learned the class.
Which Seal should I use?
Seal of Righteousness (level 1) is your default. At level 20 you can take Seal of Command as a talent; it's better with slow, hard-hitting two-handed weapons. Not sure? Use Seal of Command once you have it.
At level 6 you also learn Seal of the Crusader, which makes the enemy take more holy damage. It's a small bonus for long fights; skip it while you're learning.
Where every button goes
Each key has the same job for every class, so you always know where to look. The level shows when you get each ability; nothing ever moves once it's placed. (Not sure how to set up your keys? Start Here covers it.)
Keep these on a second bar
Things you use between fights, not during:
How to fight one enemy
Repeat this for every mob. You'll have it memorized in an hour.
↺ Then pick the next target and start again.
Your emergency buttons
Paladins are one of the hardest classes to kill. Most deaths happen because these buttons were never pressed. When a fight goes wrong, go down this list.
Why can't I use two shields in a row?
Divine Protection and Divine Shield give you Forbearance, which blocks both of them for 1 minute. Plan on one shield per emergency.
Watch out for Blessing swaps
Blessing of Protection (and Blessing of Freedom, which frees you from slows) replaces your normal Blessing. Remember to put Blessing of Might or Kings back on afterwards.
Hammer of Justice A 3-second stun: just enough time to cast Holy Light safely. Level 8.
Divine Protection 6 seconds immune to all damage. You can't attack, so heal up or run. Level 6.
Lay on Hands Heals you to full instantly, but drains all your mana. Usable every 20 minutes. Level 10.
Blessing of Protection6 seconds immune to physical attacks (like swords and claws), and you can't attack either. Level 10.
Divine Shield10 seconds immune to everything, though your damage is halved. The ultimate escape. Level 34.
What changes as you level
Remember to visit your trainer every 2 levels to learn new abilities.
Seal, Judgement, Holy Strike, Holy Light, Hammer of Justice.
Lay on Hands, Blessing of Protection, and your first talent point.
Class quest to learn Redemption (bring dead players back to life).
Big level: Consecration, Exorcism, Blessing of Kings, and a weapon quest.
Repentance (talent): put an enemy to sleep.
Divine Shield: immune to everything.
Your own Paladin mount quest, and Dual Specialization.
Max level. Choose to tank, heal, or deal damage.
About the level 20 weapon quest
Starting at level 20, Paladins can begin a long quest for a powerful two-handed weapon: Verigan's Fist for Alliance, Wolfsbane for Horde. It takes you across both continents over several levels, and it's worth it.
Which spec should you pick?
Paladins have three talent trees. For leveling, go Retribution. You can switch to tanking or healing later.
Retribution
Hit hard with a big two-handed weapon. Kills enemies fastest on your own.
- Best for: leveling solo
- Damage role in groups
Protection
Shield in hand, you keep enemies focused on you so your group stays safe.
- Best for: tanking dungeons
- Forever gives Paladins much better tanking tools
Holy
Keep your group alive with powerful heals.
- Best for: healing dungeons and raids
- Always in demand
Where to put each point
You get 1 talent point every level from 10 to 60. Slide to your level to see where your next point goes. Points marked ★ give you a new button.
How do I spend a talent point?
Press N to open your talents. Click a talent to put a point in it. Trees unlock row by row: you need 5 points in a tree to open the next row. Made a mistake? Your class trainer can reset your talents for a small fee.
Build: 35 Retribution / 16 Holy, from Icy Veins (updated Oct 17, 2026). Pre-launch; may change.
What to upgrade
When you get a new item, check it for these stats, in this order. Higher on the list matters more.
What armor can I wear?
Paladins wear mail, and later plate. But don't be afraid of lighter armor: if a leather or cloth item has lots of Spell Power, it's often worth wearing anyway.
- A two-handed weaponThe bigger its damage per second (DPS), the better. Upgrade it whenever you can.
- Spell PowerSurprisingly, most of your damage outside normal swings comes from Spell Power.
- StrengthMakes your weapon swings and Holy Strike hit harder.
- IntellectMore mana for healing yourself. From level 35 it also adds damage.
Top 5 beginner mistakes
Fighting without a Seal
You lose a big chunk of your damage without noticing.
Check for the glow on your weapon before every fight.
Sitting down to eat with full mana
You waste time resting when you could just heal.
Holy Light yourself after fights, and save food for when your mana is low too.
Dying with emergency buttons ready
Lay on Hands or Divine Protection were sitting there unused.
Below 30% health and still losing? Press one.
Using Consecration on a dying enemy
It takes 8 seconds to deal its full damage and costs a lot of mana.
Save it for 2+ enemies or long fights.
Forgetting your Blessing after an emergency
Blessing of Protection replaces your normal Blessing.
After the danger passes, recast Might or Kings.
Go deeper
Ready for advanced builds and min-maxing? These sites go into much more depth.