Level a Paladin in World of Warcraft: Forever as Retribution with a two-handed weapon: Holy Strike arrives at level 6, your Seal now stays up when you Judge, and Consecration is baseline at level 20, so a Paladin has far more to press while leveling than it did in 2004. Protection is the strong alternative if you like pulling several monsters at once, since Consecration hits its first four targets hardest and Righteous Fury now comes at level 10.
Below is why we pick Retribution, the talents to take first, when the key abilities arrive, the class quests and the zones where a Paladin shines. It is checked against Blizzard’s Deep Dive panel recap, which covers the Paladin rework, and its beta development notes up to the November 2 launch notes, as of November 7.
Which Spec to Level a Paladin As
Blizzard’s goal is to make Paladins “effective as tanks, healers, or Retribution melee damage dealers” while keeping their gaps: no interrupt, no real slow, and fewer ranged options against anything that is not Undead or a Demon.
| Spec | How it levels | Why pick it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retribution (our pick) | Two-hander, Seals and Holy Strike | Steady damage, plate armor and self-heals | Mana runs low on long sessions |
| Protection | One-hander, shield, Consecration | Pulls two to four monsters safely | Slower on single targets |
| Holy | Healer | Dungeon groups love you | Very slow solo |
Retribution is our pick for most players. Holy Strike is an instant Holy-damage weapon strike, its cooldown is now 10 seconds after Blizzard made Improved Holy Strike baseline in the beta, and its damage per rank went up so every new rank is an upgrade. Seals are no longer consumed by casting Judgement, which Blizzard says cuts “the busy work of recasting them.”
Protection levels well for players who like big pulls. Consecration is baseline at level 20 with “high damage and threat on the first four targets it hits,” Righteous Fury now trains at level 10, and Seal of Fury, the new tank Seal, adds small absorb shields. It is also the spec to use if you tank dungeons on the way up; our best tank guide compares it with Warriors and Druids.
Paladin Talents to Take First
Talents start at level 10, and the milestone talents open at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points, which is levels 20, 25, 30 and 40 if every point goes into one tree. The launch notes rebuilt much of Retribution, so this order uses only talents Blizzard has placed in Forever’s tree:
- Levels 10 to 19: Conviction, which moved to the second row and now gives 2, 4 or 6% critical strike chance with all spells and attacks, and Sanctified Judgement, also on the second row, which restores Mana.
- Levels 20 to 24: Seal of Command, which Vengeance now requires, and Unyielding Faith, which moved to the third row.
- Levels 25 to 29: Two-Handed Weapon Specialization, now on the fourth row. It raises both Holy and Physical damage by 2, 4 or 6% with a two-hander and lowers your threat.
- Levels 30 to 39: Vengeance, which now stacks five times, Sacred Arbiter (more Holy Strike damage, and it refreshes your Judgements), Champion of the Light (spell damage from Intellect, plus a faster Hammer of Wrath) and Repentance.
- Level 40: Unsealed Wrath, the new 31-point talent. Your melee attacks store copies of your active Seal, and swapping Seals spends them for extra Seal activations.
Protection players should look at Templar’s Bulwark, an absorb shield based on your maximum Health that moved up to the third row, Shield Specialization for Mana from blocks, and Shieldsworn, the bottom-row talent that cuts Holy Strike’s cooldown by 4 seconds and makes it strike with your shield. Our talent reset guide covers changing builds later.
Key Paladin Abilities by Level
| Level | What you get |
|---|---|
| 6 | Holy Strike, an instant Holy damage weapon strike |
| 10 | Righteous Fury (moved down from 16) and your first talent point |
| 20 | Consecration, now baseline for every Paladin |
| 40 | Dual Specialization, plus riding |
Blessing of Kings is baseline in Forever too. Blizzard removed Blessing of Light, Salvation and Mass Salvation at launch, so do not go looking for them.
Paladin Class Quests
Blizzard has not published Forever’s Paladin quest list, and Undead Paladins are new, so their quests are new as well. In the original game, Alliance Paladins learned Redemption from a class quest at around level 12 and got their first mount from a class quest at 40. Visit your Paladin trainer at those levels and take whatever they offer.
Where Paladins Shine
Blizzard says Paladins “remain especially strong against Undead and Demons” through Exorcism, Holy Wrath and Turn Undead. Lean into it: Duskwood in the 20s, and later the Plaguelands, are full of Undead, and Blizzard’s launch notes reclassified some satyrs as Demons (“They are now 100% more scared of Paladins”). Retribution’s new Turn Evil talent lets Turn Undead work on Demons too.
Paladins can be Human or Dwarf on the Alliance, or Undead on the Horde, new to Forever. Our best Paladin race guide covers the racials. From your starting zone, follow your faction’s route: Westfall or Loch Modan for the Alliance from level 10, Silverpine Forest or The Barrens for Undead Paladins.
Paladin Leveling Tips
- Keep a Seal up and Judge on cooldown. The Seal no longer falls off when you Judge, so you only recast it when it expires.
- Manage your Mana. Drink when you must; Sanctified Judgement helps, and Undead Paladins get Mana back from Cannibalize.
- Train every time. Blizzard’s launch notes put class training from 1 to 60 at about 206 to 207 gold for every class.
- Drag new abilities onto your bars. Since launch, learning a spell no longer adds it to your action bars.
- Keep your weapon skill up when you switch weapon types; our guide to where to train weapon skills has the trainers.
Every WoW Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Paladin spec for leveling in WoW Forever? Retribution with a two-handed weapon, in our view. Holy Strike at level 6, Seals that survive Judgement and Consecration at 20 make it far faster than the original game’s Paladin.
Is Protection good for leveling a Paladin? Yes, especially if you like pulling several monsters. Consecration hits its first four targets hardest, and Righteous Fury now comes at level 10.
What level do Paladins get Consecration in WoW Forever? Level 20. It is now a baseline ability instead of a talent.
What level do Paladins get Holy Strike? Level 6. It is an instant weapon strike that deals Holy damage.
Do Paladins have an interrupt in WoW Forever? No. Blizzard kept that gap on purpose, along with the lack of a real slow.