Paladin

Historica

A paladin is a fighter that follows a holy cause. The paladin fights for what ever she thinks is right, and the holy cause dont have to be of religious nature. But it have to be important to the paladin.

Alliance paladins often follows the light. The mainstream religion of the population of Eastern Kingdoms and it's colonies in kalimdor.

The horde side paladin is only from blood elfs that have the order as a tradition but the holy cause in not defined.

Tecnical

Paladins is one of the most powerfull classes in the game. It excells in allmost anything it does.

It have the strongest heals, a really decent melee dps and the tanking is exceptional compared to aggro generation.

Where the paladin have it strong sites. It have some really, obvious weak sides too. Where it excells there is a counter point that limits the paladin from total perfection, and helps giving the paladin what little balance that might be needed.

Holy

Weaksides: No HOT or Area/group heals.

Strongsides: Incredible fast and strong heals.

A holy paladin stack's spellpower and haste rating. A paladin with mana problems might want to stack crit chance to get the regen running for a longer period of time.

The paladins main role in raids is to keep the heavy dammage up. To compensate for crushing blows and high hits. They take crude and heavy chunks of the dammage that the tanks recieve. And they are good at it.

A good paladin healer can keep two tanks alive using beacon of light on one tank and just let the other tank in the flow. But this isn't as easy as it sound as the tanks often takes asyncronous dammage and the heals must be timed. But teamed with a druid the paladin can take the crude parts of the dammage, where the druid can polish the incomming heals making the healing flow steady.

A paladin can allso be used for raid healing as they often have so low cast time that a paladin can keep small but potent heals running on several raid members over a short period of time.

Retribution

Weaksides: Slow attacks with a 2 handed weapon, yet another dps.

Strongsides: High dammage.

A protection paladin stacks strength and attackpower. A paladin with low hit rating might want to stack hit. Until such satisfied level is achieved.

A retribution paladin is reallly high dammage. I mean really high dammage. About the best dps on the melee market, The paladin is depended on mana generation, in the fight the same way that a warrior wants rage generated. For beginner paladin such can be hardly achieved. But with some gear it really isnt a problem.

Protection

Weaksides: Low Migration.

Strongsides: High Threat Generation, AOE tanking.

A protection paladin stacks stamina and parry rating. A paladin that isn't crit-imune most certainly wants to stack defence untill atleast 540 is achieved, as being crit imune is a must for heorics and raids.

The paladins main role is to keep groups of mobs away from the raid. Or to co tank with another tank in boss fights, where 2 tanks are needed. Because of the tanks, extreme ability to keep large groups under control the paladin is often used for group fights. In ICC there is several places where groups are placed as chalenges, and a paladin should be a first choise to pass those challenges. A paladin is allso usable as in Gluth's fight in naxxaramas, to keep the skeletons undercontrol if a mage or a hunter isn't present in the raid. It is good to keep the option as in some cases the classes for the runs are limited for 10 man raids.