Retribution Paladin Raid Guide (2024)

• Casting Wake of Ashes Grants you Hammer of Light a 5 Holy Power spender that replaces Wake of Ashes until it’s used.
• Over time you gain stacks of Light's Deliverance. At 60 Stacks, you gain a freeHammer of Light that you must cast before Wake of Ashes since they have the same key bind.

Shake the Heavens Interactions

• After casting Hammer of Light you gain Shake the Heavens which casts an Empyrean Hammer on your target every 2 seconds for 8 seconds, which can be extended by Higher Calling
• Shake the Heavens also grants you 12% haste for 6 seconds.

Empyrean Hammer Interactions

• Casting any Holy Power spender triggers an Empyrean Hammer which activates Wrathful Descent if it crits. Shake the Heavens triggers an additional Empyrean Hammer.
  • After casting Hammer of Light you instantly trigger 2 Empyrean Hammers on your main target.
• Sanctification
  • Trying to maintain a high stack is very important, casting Divine Toll grants you 1 stack per enemy hit.

Defensive Traits

• Sacrosanct Crusade
  • Wake of Ashes grants you an absorb shield while Hammer of Light heals you upon use.

Dawnlight Interactions

• Wake of Ashes causes your 2 next Holy Power spenders to apply Dawnlight to your target. This debuff radiates damage around the target for 8 seconds. Additionally , when you activate Avenging Wrath or Crusade you also apply Dawnlight on 4 nearby targets and start Sun's Avatar.
• As long as there is any Dawnlight DoT active your Holy Power spenders gain 5% additional damage. On top of this every time you apply any Dawnlight you gain 2% Haste for 12 seconds which can overlap.
• Wake of Ashes grants you Divine Purpose.

Divine Storm and Hammer of Wrath gain some new passives

• Second Sunrise
  • They have a 15% chance to be casted again for 30% effectiveness.
• Luminosity
  • They both gain 10% increased damage.
• Sun Sear
  • When they critical strike any target they burn the target for some radiant damage for 4 seconds.
• Blessing of An'she
  • Your overtime effects have a chance to buff your next Hammer of Wrath by 200% and make it usable on the target regardless of its health.

Defensive Traits

• Eternal Flame
  • Replaces Word of Glory and also heals a small amount over 16 seconds, and its healing is increased by 25% when used on your self.
• Illumine
  • When you have Dawnlight on a target its now slowed by 50%.

When to use this Spec

Use this spec for single-target raid encounters as it is your standard build for single-target damage. It leverages the combo of Radiant Glory and Crusade, but you also use Execution Sentence for single-target burst damage. For a detailed guide on playstyles and priority lists, check the deep dive section below to learn how to fully optimize this build!

Gameplay Altering Talents

Discover all talents that significantly alter your gameplay within the Spec and Class Talent trees. This section gives a concise overview of these talents and their applications but for a more detailed look check out the Rotation and Deep Dive sections below.

Spec Tree

• Radiant Glory
  • Automatically activates Crusade when you cast Wake of Ashes.
• Execution Sentence
  • A strong single-target burst cooldown.
  • Executioner's Will increases its duration by 4 seconds.
  • Every time Wake of Ashes is ready make sure to combo this.
• Final Verdict
  • Your main single-target Holy Power spender.
• Divine Arbiter
  • At 25 stacks your next Holy Power spender casts an additional attack dealing damage to enemies within 6 yards.
• Boundless Judgment
  • Your Judgment generates an additional Holy Power.
    • Combining this with Swift Justice provides the most Holy Power.
• Improved Blade of Justice
  • 2 charges of Blade of Justice instead of 1.
• Crusading Strikes
  • Generates 1 Holy Power every 2nd auto attack, replaces your Crusader Strike.
  • Look below in Deep Dive to see how to play around this.
• Empyrean Legacy
  • Every 20 seconds after you press Judgment it empowers your next Final Verdict also use Divine Storm.
• Art of War
  • Your auto attacks have a 20% chance to reset Blade of Justice.
• Vanguard's Momentum
  • Generates 2 Holy Power instead of 1 on enemies below 20%.
  • Has 2 charges now instead of 1.
• Holy Flames
  • If a target has Expurgation you deal 3% increased holy damage to it, Divine Storm can spread it up to 4 targets.

Class Tree

• Divine Toll
  • Casts Judgment on your target.
  • Mainly used for its Holy Power gain.
• Avenging Wrath
  • Your main cooldown, it empowers everything you do.
• Divine Steed
  • Move at 100% movement speed for 3 seconds.
    • Cavalier Grants you 2 charges instead of 1.
• Lay on Hands
  • A strong single-target heal that can be used to save friendly targets.
• Blessing of Protection
  • Great way to avoid aggro or prevent Physical damage.
• Blessing of Sacrifice
  • Perfect to use on tanks or players dealing with certain spells during boss fights.
• Rebuke
  • A kick to interrupt any spell.
• Unbound Freedom
  • Allows you to use Blessing of Freedom on another member.

Hero Talents

For more info visit the Hero Talent section above.

• Zealous Vindication
  • After you cast Hammer of Light you instantly trigger 2 Empyrean Hammers on your main target.
• Sanctification
  • Casting Judgment grants Empyrean Hammer 10% increased damage for 10 seconds. This effect stacks so trying to maintain high stacks is very important.
  • Casting a Divine Toll grants you 1 stack per enemy hit by its Judgment.
• Unrelenting Charger
  • Your Divine Steed lasts 2 seconds longer and grants you 130% movement speed for the first 3 seconds

When to use this Spec

Use this build when you need a longer burst than the 8 seconds gained from Radiant Glory. The full 23 seconds from the Avenging Wrath and Divine Wrath combo makes you powerful for a longer duration and could be handy on some fights.

Talent Adjustments

Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.

Spec Tree

• Added
  • Avenging Wrath
    • Empowers your 1 min cooldowns.
  • Divine Wrath
    • Adds 3 seconds to your Avenging Wrath.

• Removed
  • Crusade
    • This was replaced by Avenging Wrath.
  • Radiant Glory
    • To make full use of your 23 seconds of Avenging Wrath, avoid using this as it prevents that.

When to use this Spec

Use this build when you need more cleave on your raid fights without losing the ability to single target. This build allows your generators to cleave and enables your Templar's Verdict to somtimes cleave from Judge, Jury and Executioner.

Talent Adjustments

Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.

Spec Tree

• Added
  • Judge, Jury and Executioner
    • Your holy power generators have a small chance to make your Templar's Verdict cleave up to 3 additional targets at 80% effectiveness.
  • Blessed Champion
    • Your Judgment and Crusader Strike now Cleaves to 4 additional targets.
  • Blade of Vengeance
    • Blade of Justice now Cleaves to 5 nearby enemies and additionally debuffs them with Expurgation.

• Removed
  • Holy Flames
  • Zealot's Fervor
    • 2 points.

When to use this Spec

This is your main AoE build, ideal for fights with constantly spawning adds or when you're on add-clearing duty. It's also effective for fights with 2-3 bosses up at the same time. This build allows you to spam Divine Storm while your generators cleave everything around you. check the deep dive section below to learn how to fully optimize this build!

Talent Adjustments

Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.

Spec Tree

• Added
  • Blade of Vengeance
    • Blade of Justice now Cleaves to 5 nearby enemies and additionally debuffs them with Expurgation.
  • Blessed Champion
    • Your Judgment and Crusader Strike now Cleaves to 4 additional targets.
  • Tempest of the Lightbringer
    • When you cast Divine Storm it now hits an additional time for 20% of the base damage and hits anyone up to 20 yards away.
  • Burning Crusade
    • Your Divine Storm deals 5% increased damage.
  • Searing Light
    • Your spells have a small chance to call down a blast of AoE damage around you!
  • Empyrean Power
    • Crusading Strikes has a 5% to make your next Divine Storm free and deal 15% more damage.

• Removed
  • Vanguard's Momentum
  • Rush of Light
  • Blades of Light
  • Divine Arbiter
  • Executioner's Will
  • Holy Flames

Class Tree

• Added
  • Divine Purpose
    • Small chance to grant you a free Holy Power spender such as Divine Storm.

• Removed
  • Vengeful Wrath
    • This talent is not as strong without Vanguard's Momentum.

To read more about Radiant Glory head down to the Deep Dive section!

Opener

Your main goal in your opener should be to get to 3 Holy Power by using Blade of Justice followed up by Divine Toll before starting in your Execution Sentence window. There are also 2 different openers you can play with, if you see that Divine Toll is not ready for your burst window and it's a few seconds behind dont hold your Execution Sentence simply follow the 2nd version below.

The Crusading Strikes trait has an RNG factor that affects when you gain Holy Power. Specifically, Holy Power is gained on the 2nd auto attack, but this can vary due to the RNG factor. During your opener, be aware of this variability. If you don't gain Holy Power as expected, you may need to use a generator ability to fill in the gaps or skip 1 generator as Crusading Strikes as already gained you the Holy Power thats needed to cast Templar's Verdict in your Execution Sentence window.

Standard Opener

Delayed Divine Toll Opener

Priority List

This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.

1. Cast Templar's Verdict (When close to 5 Holy Power, to not mess up your burst windows with overcapped Holy Power).
2. Cast Execution Sentence on cooldown.
3. Cast Wake of Ashes on cooldown to proc Radiant Glory (with 2 Holy Power).
4. Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
5. Cast Blade of Justice (to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames).
6. Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
7. Cast Hammer of Wrath (During Avenging Wrath or on any target below 20%).
8. Cast Judgment (if 3 Holy Power or below).
9. Cast Blade of Justice (if 3 Holy Power or below).

To read more about Avenging Wrath head down to the Deep Dive section!

Opener

Your main goal in your opener should be to get to 3 Holy Power by using Blade of Justice followed up by Divine Toll before starting in your Execution Sentence window. There are also 2 different openers you can play with, if you see that Divine Toll is not ready for your burst window and it's a few seconds behind dont hold your Execution Sentence simply follow the 2nd version below.

The Crusading Strikes trait has an RNG factor that affects when you gain Holy Power. Specifically, Holy Power is gained on the 2nd auto attack, but this can vary due to the RNG factor. During your opener, be aware of this variability. If you don't gain Holy Power as expected, you may need to use a generator ability to fill in the gaps or skip 1 generator as Crusading Strikes as already gained you the Holy Power thats needed to cast Templar's Verdict in your Execution Sentence window.

Standard Opener

Delayed Divine Toll Opener

Priority List

This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.

1. Cast Templar's Verdict (When close to 5 Holy Power, to not mess up your burst windows with overcapped Holy Power).
2. Cast Execution Sentence on cooldown.
3. Cast Avenging Wrath on cooldown.
4. Cast Wake of Ashes (on cooldown with 2 Holy Power).
5. Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
6. Cast Blade of Justice (to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames).
7. Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
8. Cast Hammer of Wrath (During Avenging Wrath or on any target below 20%).
9. Cast Judgment (if 3 Holy Power or below).
10. Cast Blade of Justice (if 3 Holy Power or below).

To read more about Radiant Glory head down to the Deep Dive section!

Opener

If you are going to overcap on Holy Power by using Divine Toll early in the combo, you can delay it to after your Hammer of Light.

Multitarget / AoE Priority List

1. Cast Divine Storm if you’re close to 5 Holy Power.
2. Cast Final Reckoning on cooldown.
3. Cast Wake of Ashes on cooldown to proc Radiant Glory if you are at <=2 Holy Power.
4. Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
5. Cast Blade of Justice to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames.
6. Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
7. Cast Judgment if you are low on Holy Power or to keep up Sanctification.
8. Cast Divine Storm if you have 3 Holy Power.
9. Cast Hammer of Wrath on any target below 20%.

To read more about Avenging Wrath head down to the Deep Dive section!

Opener

If you are going to overcap on Holy Power by using Divine Toll early in the combo, you can delay it to after your Hammer of Light.

Multitarget / AoE Priority List

1. Cast Divine Storm if you’re close to 5 Holy Power.
2. Cast Avenging Wrath on cooldown.
3. Cast Final Reckoning on cooldown.
4. Cast Wake of Ashes on cooldown if you are at 2 Holy Power.
5. Cast Hammer of Light to proc Shake the Heavens.
6. Cast Blade of Justice to keep up Expurgation and Holy Flames.
7. Cast Divine Toll on cooldown.
8. Cast Judgment if you are low on Holy Power or to keep up Sanctification.
9. Cast Divine Storm if you have <= 3 Holy Power.
10. Cast Hammer of Wrath on any target below 20%.

• When talented into Radiant Glory, you cannot use Avenging Wrath or Crusade directly. Instead, using Wake of Ashes triggers the cooldown you have chosen in your talents for a few seconds. Additionally, there is a small chance that any Holy Power spender can proc your chosen talent for an additional 5 seconds, this extends your Crusade or Avenging Wrath if it procs while the spell is active.
• Never sit on Wake of Ashes since Final Reckoning has a 1-minute cooldown and Execution Sentence has a 30-second cooldown. Delaying Wake of Ashes also delays all of your other cooldowns.

Execution Sentence

• When you have chosen Execution Sentence as your minor cooldown, it is optimal to use Wake of Ashes after Execution Sentence. This is because the gain from getting Avenging Wrath does not affect Execution Sentence, and you want the full uptime on wings during the Execution Sentence window. Try to have 3 Holy Power ready right before Execution Sentence goes off cooldown so you can use it instantly.

With Hero Talent Templar

With Hero Talent Herald of the Sun

Final Reckoning

• The optimal Wake of Ashes usage, when you have chosen Final Reckoning, is to use Wake of Ashes after Final Reckoning. Try to have 3 Holy Power ready right before using Final Reckoning so you can instantly spend your Holy Power.

With Hero Talent Templar

With Hero Talent Herald of the Sun

• Choose this talent when boss fights or dungeons allow you to never miss a cooldown window.
• Never sit on Avenging Wrath for more than a few seconds, as most of your damage comes from combining it with other 1-minute cooldowns. As mentioned earlier, always use Avenging Wrath first unless you are using Execution Sentence, in which case follow the specific strategy explained below.
• Delaying Avenging Wrath also delays your other minor cooldowns.
• When using trinkets, do not hold your Avenging Wrath, as it does not significantly buff the overall damage of trinkets but it does increase their crit chance.
• For trinkets with a 90-second cooldown, use them on cooldown unless you have a trinket that provides a massive mastery or strength buff. In that case, try to align it with Avenging Wrath.

• The main reason to play this talent is if there is a boss where you can really utilize your strong 2-minute cooldown burst, or if you have heavy haste with Radiant Glory, which grants you a decent amount of proc wings.
• Optimal usage is to make sure to instantly use Templar's Verdict to quickly build up your stacks. Aim to get to 7-10 stacks before using Execution Sentence or Final Reckoning for the most damage. However, be mindful of the fight or dungeon scenario. If holding these cooldowns for later in the Crusade window means losing a full usage overall, it is better to use them early to ensure you get an extra usage.

Below you can see an explanation of how to delay your Execution Sentence or Final Reckoning in your Crusade window.

• Your plan during Execution Sentence is to fit as many spenders as possible within its duration. It's not strong outside of Avenging Wrath or Crusade due to its short burst window and lack of initial damage.
• Always cast Execution Sentence before Avenging Wrath.
• Use Execution Sentence on cooldown to ensure it aligns with other cooldowns.
• If you are playing Radiant Glory, make sure to use Execution Sentence before Wake of Ashes.

With Hero Talent Templar

With Hero Talent Herald of the Sun

• Your big AoE cooldown Final Reckoning, it's mainly used for AoE or in fights where getting good single target usage out of Execution Sentence is not possible.
• It puts a 12-second debuff on the target, increasing your single-target Holy Power spenders by 30% and other spenders by 15%.
• Optimal usage of Final Reckoning is to combo it with your other 1-minute cooldowns such as Avenging Wrath, since they share the same cooldown.
• If playing Crusade, try to save Final Reckoning for when you are at 7-10 stacks before using it. This provides the most damage overall since Crusade lasts 30 seconds.
• If playing Radiant Glory, refer to the opener/prioritization list above for usage instructions.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

• You can immune Stalker Netting on Heroic difficulty if you use Blessing of Freedom or Divine Shield.
• Brutal Crush Is a frontal Cleave so do NOT stand in front.
• When it casts ‍Hulking Crash it’s going to teleport to the middle and knock everyone back so make sure to save Divine Protection for it.
  • You can also immune the knockback and the damage with Blessing of Protection.
• Rotate defensive abilities on Carnivorous Contest when it is your turn to soak.
  • If there is a Demonic Gateway Close to the boss you can quickly escape when you are being pulled towards the boss during Carnivorous Contest.
• Make sure to save Divine Steed for when you pick up Chunky Viscera.
  • On mythic you can use Blessing of Freedom on Bile-Soaked Viscera.
  • Additionally, a Demonic Gateway can be used during Ready to Feed to speed up the feeding process of the boss.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

• Do note that the group you are assigned to changes your cooldowns slightly as you want to deal more to adds compared to the boss. Try to not miss any of your Execution Sentence burst windows, but be prepared that it has to be either delayed for a few seconds so it can be used on an add instead of the boss.

Defensive Cooldown Usage

Use Shield of Vengeance for damage mainly, so either use it before your burst windows or after.

If you're assigned to Group 1:

If you're assigned to Group 2:

Boss Tips

• Save Divine Steed to easily keep up with Spewing Hemorrhage.
  • If you ever feel you are about to get caught by the geysers you can immune them with Divine Shield.
• Use Divine Protection when Crimson Rain is being cast.
  • You could also use Divine Shield to immune it or use Lay on Hands to fully heal yourself up.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

• Use Divine Protection or Shield of Vengeance whenever you are targeted by Decimate or Decimates are about to hit Cosmic Simulacrums.
• Run out during Shattering Sweep.
• Make sure to have your Divine Steed ready in case you are targeted by Phase Blades.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

The boss is flying away at certain times, the first one is at 1:24 which may affect your Execution Sentence windows.

Boss Tips

• Stun Infested Spawn with Hammer of Justice if one is getting away.
• Move out with Spinneret's Strands.
  • Try to not use Divine Steed but instead Blessing of Freedom as it gives you 30% movement speed from Unbound Freedom, as you want to save your Divine Steed for other abilities.
• Use Divine Steed to keep up with the boss.
  • When the boss flies away, look out for a Demonic Gateway to quickly help you move to the boss.
• Use Shield of Vengeance if you are targeted by Rolling Acid as it gives you free damage and a small defensive.
  • You can always combo this with Divine Protection.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

If you decide that your raid needs more cleave or AoE on the adds you can change your Execution Sentence burst windows to allow your Wake of Ashes to hit the adds as well. This may mean you need to delay it on the pull which results in a tiny overall loss in single-target.

Defensive Cooldown Usage

Use Shield of Vengeance for damage mainly, so either use it before your burst windows or after.

Boss Tips

• Use Rebuke to interrupt Poison Burst which is cast by Voracious Worms.
• Make sure to instantly kill the Voracious Worm first then swap to the Colossal Spider if they spawn in the same pack, the Blood Parasites are going to simply be AoE'd down by other classes or yourself if you choose to go more of a cleave setup.
• Try to save Divine Steed for when you get Experimental Dosage to quickly move to your assigned egg.
• Rotate defensive abilities on Unstable Web.
• Move out of the raid with Unstable Web to not cause a Web Eruption which roots anyone nearby.
  • You can use Blessing of Freedom to remove this.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Defensive Cooldown Usage

Use Shield of Vengeance for damage mainly, so either use it before your burst windows or after.

Boss Tips

• Rotate Defensive abilities on Nether Rift and Starless Night.
• Use Divine Shield as an emergency button. For example, if you get hit by multiple Twilight Massacres.
• Use Divine Steed if you are targeted by Twilight Massacre to correctly spawn it far away.
• Multiple stacks of Queensbane can be quite dangerous. Consider using a defensive!
• The main thing to keep an eye out for on this boss is the position of each Nether Rift. Their placement dictates how much you get pulled towards them. Try to position yourself in a way that each Nether Rift is at a similar distance to you.

Offensive Cooldown Usage

Defensive Cooldown Usage

Boss Tips

• Use Shield of Vengeance to cover Venomous Rain as the dot damage quickly breaks it.
  • You can also immune off the stacks with Divine Shield.
• Use Divine Steed to quickly run out after getting pulled in by Web Vortex to break the chain you have with another player.
  • Alternatively, use Demonic Gateway to negate the pull-in effect.
• Stun Call of the Swarm with Hammer of Justice since they fixate the closest target.

Below you are presented with a good list of farmable alternatives that are obtainable outside of WoW’s weekly lockout system. While replaced in time as you progress, these offer immediate character power.

#showtooltip Final Reckoning/cast [@cursor] Final Reckoning

#showtooltip Rebuke/cast [@focus] Rebuke

#showtooltip Hammer of Justice/cast [@focus] Hammer of Justice