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WoW Forever Paladin Leveling Guide (1-60)

Level as Retribution with a slow two-handed weapon. Forever gives Paladins much more to press: Holy Strike at 6, a Judgement that no longer eats your seal, and Consecration plus Blessing of Kings as trainer spells at 20. Righteous Fury comes at 10. Seal of Command comes with your 11th Ret point at 20.

Recommended spec
Retribution
Updated
Game version
1.60.1

In short

  • Retribution with a slow two-hander is the standard leveling spec.
  • Judgement no longer consumes your seal and has a 10 sec cooldown.
  • Holy Strike at 6 is a new instant attack with a 10 sec cooldown.
  • Consecration and Blessing of Kings are trainer spells at 20, not talents.
  • Righteous Fury and Seal of Fury at 10 let you tank low dungeons early.
  • Dual spec at 40: Retribution for quests, Protection or Holy for groups.

Level 1 to 60 at a glance

  1. 1Seal of Righteousness
  2. 4JudgementBlessing of Might
  3. 6Holy StrikeSeal of the Crusader
  4. 8Hammer of Justice
  5. 10Righteous FurySeal of FuryLay on Hands
  6. 14Blessing of Wisdom
  7. 20ConsecrationBlessing of KingsExorcismSeal of Command
  8. 25Sacred Arbiter
  9. 30Repentance
  10. 34Divine Shield
  11. 38Seal of Wisdom
  12. 40Unsealed Wrath
  13. 44Hammer of Wrath

Why this spec

Classic Paladins leveled slowly: one seal, one Judgement and long gaps between swings. Forever fills those gaps. Holy Strike gives you an instant attack every 10 sec, Judgement leaves your seal in place, and Consecration arrives at 20 for every spec. Retribution builds on that: Sacred Arbiter makes Holy Strike hit harder and refresh your Judgement effects, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization adds 6% Physical and Holy damage, and Vengeance stacks after crits. Benediction and Sanctified Judgement keep your mana up between pulls. Protection is worth it if you want to tank dungeons, since Righteous Fury and Seal of Fury both come at 10. Holy is the dungeon healer spec. With dual spec at 40 you do not have to commit to one for long.

Level by level

1-10Seal, Judgement, Holy Strike

You start with Seal of Righteousness, Holy Light and Devotion Aura. Judgement and Blessing of Might come at 4. In Forever, Judgement releases your seal on the target without consuming it, with a 10 yd range and a 10 sec cooldown, so it is now a regular attack button. Holy Strike at 6 is a new instant strike on a 10 sec cooldown that deals weapon damage plus Holy damage. Seal of the Crusader and Divine Protection also come at 6, Hammer of Justice at 8. New spells are not placed on your bars for you, so drag them in after every trainer visit.

  • Seal of Righteousness
  • Judgement
  • Blessing of Might
  • Holy Strike
  • Seal of the Crusader
  • Hammer of Justice

10-20Talents open, Righteous Fury and Seal of Fury

At 10 you get Righteous Fury, the new Seal of Fury, Lay on Hands and Blessing of Protection, plus your first talent point. Seal of Fury adds Holy damage to every hit and, with a shield equipped, an absorb worth half of it. Since a 30 Oct hotfix, judging it also taunts for 3 sec. That makes low-level tanking possible early. For questing, put your first points into Retribution: Benediction cuts the cost of instant spells, then Conviction and Improved Judgement. Blessing of Wisdom at 14 helps with mana. Hall of Thanes (13-18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20) are the two new dungeons in this range.

  • Righteous Fury
  • Seal of Fury
  • Lay on Hands
  • Blessing of Wisdom
  • Retribution Aura

20-30Consecration, Kings and Seal of Command

Level 20 is a big trainer visit. Consecration and Blessing of Kings are now trainer spells for every Paladin. Consecration has an 8 sec cooldown and deals extra damage to the first four enemies that walk into it, so it is your main tool for two or three mobs at once. Exorcism and Flash of Light also come at 20. Your 11th point buys Seal of Command, which gives your hits a chance to add Holy damage worth 70% of your weapon damage. At 25, with 16 points in Ret, take Sacred Arbiter: more Holy Strike damage and a refresh of all your Judgement effects on the target.

  • Consecration
  • Blessing of Kings
  • Exorcism
  • Flash of Light
  • Seal of Command
  • Sacred Arbiter

30-40Repentance and Vengeance

Your 21st point buys Repentance, a 6 sec incapacitate for Humanoids on a 1 min cooldown that helps when a pull adds a third enemy. Vengeance, in the same row, stacks up to five times after a non-periodic crit, which pairs with the crit from Conviction. Seal of Light and Divine Intervention come at 30, Divine Shield at 34 and Seal of Wisdom at 38. Champion of the Light at 35 adds spell damage from your Intellect and speeds up Hammer of Wrath. Past 30, pick the quest hub with the most quests near your level.

  • Repentance
  • Vengeance
  • Seal of Light
  • Divine Shield
  • Seal of Wisdom
  • Champion of the Light

40-50Unsealed Wrath, plate and dual spec

At 40 your 31st point buys Unsealed Wrath, the new Ret capstone. Your attacks store copies of your active seal, and swapping to a different seal releases them. Plate Mail joins your armor list at 40. Dual spec also opens at 40, and talents are changed at a class trainer in a major city. A Protection or Holy second spec makes dungeon groups much easier to find. Hammer of Wrath arrives at 44 for enemies at or below 20% health. Krol'dok Stronghold (40-45) is the new dungeon here.

  • Unsealed Wrath
  • Hammer of Wrath
  • Judgement
  • Holy Strike

50-60Last talents and endgame zones

Holy Wrath comes at 50 and hits all Undead and Demons within 20 yards, which is useful in the Plaguelands. Your Retribution tree fills up in this range, so spend the last points on Divine Strength in Holy for 10% more Strength, then start Improved Seals. Burning Steppes and Western Plaguelands open from 50, Winterspring and Eastern Plaguelands from 53. The new dungeons are Alcaz Island Prison (48-53), Blackmaw Hold (55-60) and Shaper's Terrace (58-60). Mount Hyjal is the new zone at 60.

  • Holy Wrath
  • Divine Strength
  • Improved Seals
  • Blessing of Kings

Class quests

Quest, NPC and place names are kept in English, as in the game. Which quest you get depends on your faction and race.

Horde

  1. 12
    A Lesson in DivinityUnlocks RedemptionUndeadStarts at Bandarion Keep, Tirisfal Glades, Danitha Morr
  2. 20
    The Moonsilver BladeUnlocks WeaponUndead

Alliance

  1. 12
    The Tome of DivinityUnlocks RedemptionHumanStarts at Stormwind, Duthorian Rall
  2. 12
    The Tome of DivinityUnlocks RedemptionDwarfStarts at Ironforge, Tiza Battleforge
  3. 20
    The Tome of Valor / The Test of RighteousnessUnlocks Weapon
  4. 22
    Must be DelgrenUnlocks Cloak
  5. 60
    Summoning the ChargerUnlocks Epic chargerStarts at Stormwind, Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker

Talent plan

Retribution44
  1. 5Deflection
  2. 5Benediction
  3. 2Improved Judgement
  4. 3Conviction
  5. 3Sanctified Judgement
  6. 3Vindication
  7. 2Unyielding Faith
  8. 1Seal of Command
  9. 2Pursuit of Justice
  10. 2Eye for an Eye
  11. 1Sacred Arbiter
  12. 3Two-Handed Weapon Specialization
  13. 2Turn Evil
  14. 1Repentance
  15. 3Vengeance
  16. 5Champion of the Light
  17. 1Unsealed Wrath
Holy7
  1. 5Spiritual Focus
  2. 5Divine Strength
  3. 3Healing Light
  4. 2Reverence
  5. 2Improved Seals
  6. 2Purifying Power
  7. 1Divine Favor
  8. 5Illumination
  9. 2Holy Conduit
  10. 2Divine Precision
  11. 2Infusion of Light
  12. 1Oath of Light
  13. 2Consecrated Ground
  14. 1Holy Shock
  15. 2Boundless Light
  16. 5Holy Power
  17. 1Light's Vigil
LevelsTalents
10–14
  • Benediction5/5
15–19
  • Conviction3/3
  • Improved Judgement2/2
20–24
  • Seal of Command1/1
  • Sanctified Judgement3/3
  • Pursuit of Justice1/2
25–29
  • Sacred Arbiter1/1
  • Two-Handed Weapon Specialization3/3
  • Pursuit of Justice2/2
30–34
  • Repentance1/1
  • Vengeance3/3
  • Vindication1/3
35–39
  • Champion of the Light5/5
40–40
  • Unsealed Wrath1/1
41–50
  • Vindication3/3
  • Deflection5/5
  • Eye for an Eye2/2
  • Unyielding Faith1/2
51–60
  • Unyielding Faith2/2
  • Turn Evil2/2
  • Divine Strength5/5
  • Improved Seals2/5

How to fight

Single target

  1. Put up Seal of Righteousness, or Seal of Command after 20, before the pull.
  2. Judgement as you close in; it no longer consumes the seal.
  3. Holy Strike on cooldown.
  4. Exorcism on Undead and Demons.
  5. From 44, Hammer of Wrath at 20% health or less.
  6. Refresh the seal when it runs out after 30 sec.

Two or more enemies

  1. Consecration under the group after 20.
  2. Holy Strike and Judgement on the main target.
  3. Repentance or Hammer of Justice on a third enemy.
  4. Divine Protection or Lay on Hands if the pull goes wrong.

Tanking a dungeon

  1. Righteous Fury on before the pull.
  2. Seal of Fury with a shield; judging it taunts for 3 sec.
  3. Consecration on packs, Holy Strike on the main target.

Mana

  1. Blessing of Wisdom when mana runs short.
  2. Benediction makes instant spells cheaper, and Sanctified Judgement returns 60% of the seal's mana cost each time you judge.
  3. From 38, Seal of Wisdom on long fights.
  4. Sit at a campfire to drink and get rested at the same time.

Stats · Gear

Stats

  1. Strength for attack power; Divine Strength adds 10% in the 50s.
  2. Weapon damage: Holy Strike and Seal of Command scale with it, and slow weapons add more Holy damage per swing.
  3. Crit: Conviction adds 6%, and Vengeance stacks after each crit you land.
  4. Intellect for mana; Champion of the Light also turns it into spell damage.
  5. Hit: one hit stat covers melee and spells in Forever.

Gear

  • A slow two-handed weapon for Retribution; Two-Handed Weapon Specialization needs one equipped.
  • Mail until 40, when Plate Mail joins your armor list.
  • Keep a shield and a one-hander for tanking: Seal of Fury and Holy Shield both work off the shield.

Tips

  • Sit at a campfire for a while to get rested state; a Camp Tent gives 5% more rested XP.
  • Most crafted food adds 5% XP from kills.
  • Legacy has 16 points at launch. Well Rested, then Talented, starts your talent points as early as level 5.
  • Blessing of Kings gives 10% to all stats for an hour; keep it up on yourself while questing.
  • Training 1-60 costs about 206-207 gold in total, so budget for riding at 40.
  • Dungeon kill XP rose 50% on 9 Nov, and Paladins can tank from 10, so dungeon runs are worth it.
  • A 9 Nov hotfix fixed Consecration bonus damage when targets despawn.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting to judge because you think it removes your seal. In Forever it does not.
  • Leaving Holy Strike off your bars; new spells are not placed there for you.
  • Looking for Consecration in the talent tree. It is a trainer spell at 20 now.
  • Using Seal of Fury and Righteous Fury while questing solo when you do not need the threat.
  • Spending all your gold on training ranks before 40 and having nothing left for riding.

Questions

What is the best Paladin leveling spec in WoW Forever?

Retribution with a slow two-handed weapon. Holy Strike, a Judgement that keeps your seal and Consecration at 20 give it far more to do than Classic Ret. Protection works if you want to tank dungeons, and dual spec at 40 lets you keep both.

When do Paladins get Consecration in WoW Forever?

At level 20 from the class trainer. It is no longer a talent. It has an 8 sec cooldown and deals extra damage to the first four enemies that enter it, which makes it the main tool for multi-mob pulls. Ret gets it without spending a talent point.

Does Judgement still consume the seal in WoW Forever?

No. Judgement now releases your seal on the target without removing it. It has a 10 yd range and a 10 sec cooldown, and Improved Judgement cuts that by 2 sec. Use it whenever it is ready. You only refresh the seal when its 30 sec run out or you want a different one.

What level is Righteous Fury in WoW Forever?

Level 10. Older guides that say 16 are out of date. It raises all threat and adds more threat to Holy attacks, so you only need it when you tank. Keep it off while questing solo.

Can a Paladin tank dungeons while leveling?

Yes. Righteous Fury and Seal of Fury both come at 10, and judging Seal of Fury taunts for 3 sec. Consecration at 20 helps hold packs. Most players still quest as Retribution and use the dual spec slot at 40 for Protection.

Class and talent data (CC BY 4.0): talentsforever.com