Overview

Retribution Paladin is a two-handed melee DPS spec built around Holy Power management and burst damage windows. The core loop is generating Holy Power through Blade of Justice, Judgment, and Hammer of Wrath, then spending it on Final Verdict (single-target) or Divine Storm (AoE) — with Avenging Wrath as the primary burst window that defines every damage phase. Midnight removed several Dragonflight abilities (Final Reckoning, Of Dusk and Dawn, Divine Arbiter) and reworked Hammer of Wrath, Radiant Glory, and Templar mechanics significantly.

Unique utility: Blessing of Sacrifice, Blessing of Protection, Lay on Hands, off-healing capabilities, strong personal defensives (Divine Shield, Divine Protection).

Core principle: Never waste Holy Power. A significant portion of Retribution damage comes from spending Holy Power — overcapping it is a consistent, meaningful damage loss. Use cooldowns together and frequently rather than hoarding them.

Hero Talent Paths

Path	Identity	Notes
Templar	Hammer of Light as a powerful Holy Power spender; Empyrean Hammers during burst windows	Recommended for all content — slightly ahead in damage across the board
Herald of the Sun	Dawnlight periodic damage; enhanced Divine Storm and Hammer of Wrath	Viable; less than 1% damage difference — choose based on preference

Strengths

• Accessible priority system — does not harshly punish mistakes
• Strong defensive and self-healing options (Divine Shield, Divine Protection, Word of Glory)
• Off-healing and utility for group content
• Powerful burst damage during Avenging Wrath windows
• Strong single-target cooldown potential

Weaknesses

• Limited mobility — Divine Steed is the only real movement tool
• Low skill ceiling; less nuanced mastery expression at high end
• Utility can be redundant in coordinated high-end content
• Cooldown-dependent burst; lower damage outside Avenging Wrath windows

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Stat Priority

Priority	Stat	Notes
1	Strength	Always follow item level
2	Mastery	Mastery: Highlord's Judgment — increases Holy damage dealt and gives Judgment a chance to blast for bonus Holy damage
3	Haste	Reduces GCD and cooldowns on Crusader Strike, Judgment, Blade of Justice, Hammer of Wrath
4	Critical Strike	Scales with Heart of the Crusader in AoE situations; equal priority to Haste
5	Versatility	Lowest priority — flat damage/reduction with no synergistic scaling

Balance all secondary stats — do not stack a single stat exclusively. Mastery and Haste are slightly ahead, but the gap between all four secondaries is small. Item level upgrades in Strength almost always win.

Diminishing Returns Thresholds

Stat	DR Threshold
Critical Strike	1,380 rating
Haste	1,320 rating
Mastery	1,380 rating
Versatility	1,620 rating

Sim your character on Raidbots for personalized stat weights at your gear level.

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Talent Builds

Templar is the default recommendation. Both Radiant Glory and Execution Sentence variants are competitive — the choice affects your cooldown profile rather than overall output.

Templar — Radiant Glory Variant (Raid)

30-second cooldown profile. Radiant Glory automatically triggers Avenging Wrath when Wake of Ashes is cast, with Quickened Invocation and Divine Exaction providing better passive cleave. Drops Execution Sentence. Good for fights with frequent target switching.

Templar — Execution Sentence Variant (Raid)

Standard 1-minute burst build. Strong single-target focus with well-defined burst windows. Best for sustained single-target encounters.

Templar — Mythic+

Swaps the least impactful single-target talents for AoE options: Tempest of the Lightbringer, Blade of Vengeance, and Blessed Champion instead of Heart of the Crusader and Judgment of Justice. Improves area damage significantly.

Herald of the Sun (Raid/M+)

Minor damage gap vs Templar. Favours additional button presses via Dawnlight and enhanced Divine Storm. Viable if the playstyle is preferable.

Import strings: Wowhead renders talent import strings dynamically — they aren't available via static fetch. Visit wowhead.com/guide/classes/paladin/retribution/talent-builds-pve-dps to copy current in-game strings directly.

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Rotation & Cooldowns

Core Abilities Reference

Ability	Role	Notes
Blade of Justice	Holy Power generator	High priority; elevated further by Art of War procs
Judgment	Holy Power generator	Maintains Expurgation DoT on target — never let it expire
Hammer of Wrath	Holy Power generator	Usable during Avenging Wrath; elevated priority with Art of War procs
Wake of Ashes	Holy Power generator + cooldown	Generates 5 Holy Power; resets Hammer of Light availability
Divine Toll	Holy Power generator	Instant Judgment on 5 targets; 45-sec cooldown
Final Verdict	Primary Holy Power spender (ST)	Use at 5 Holy Power, or freely as needed
Divine Storm	Primary Holy Power spender (AoE)	Use on 2+ targets (AoE build) or 3+ targets (ST build)
Hammer of Light (Templar)	Holy Power spender	Powerful; use after Wake of Ashes or at 50 Light's Deliverance stacks (free cast)
Execution Sentence	Damage cooldown	Damage dealt during the window counts toward the delayed detonation
Avenging Wrath / Crusade	Primary burst cooldown	+20% damage (Avenging Wrath) or stacking Haste (Crusade); use before other cooldowns
Templar Strike / Templar Slash	Filler combo (Herald)	Low-priority filler when all generators are on cooldown

Key proc: Art of War — procs from auto-attacks, elevating Blade of Justice and Hammer of Wrath priority. Do not let an Art of War proc expire.

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Opener — Templar Execution Sentence

Step	Action
Pre-pull	Flask, weapon oil, food
1	Avenging Wrath
2	Light's Potential potion + on-use trinkets
3	Execution Sentence
4	Wake of Ashes
5	Divine Toll
6	Hammer of Light
→	Resume normal priority

Opener — Templar Radiant Glory

Step	Action
Pre-pull	Flask, weapon oil, food
1	Light's Potential potion + on-use trinkets
2	Wake of Ashes (triggers Avenging Wrath via Radiant Glory)
3	Divine Toll
4	Hammer of Light
→	Resume normal priority

Opener — Herald of the Sun

Step	Action
Pre-pull	Flask, weapon oil, food
1	Avenging Wrath
2	Light's Potential potion + on-use trinkets
3	Execution Sentence
4	Wake of Ashes
5	Final Verdict × 2
6	Divine Toll
→	Resume normal priority

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Single-Target Priority — Templar (Execution Sentence)

1. Avenging Wrath
2. Execution Sentence
3. Hammer of Light
4. Final Verdict (at 5 Holy Power)
5. Wake of Ashes
6. Divine Toll
7. Blade of Justice (Art of War proc active)
8. Final Verdict
9. Blade of Justice
10. Hammer of Wrath
11. Judgment

Single-Target Priority — Templar (Radiant Glory)

1. Hammer of Light
2. Final Verdict (at 5 Holy Power)
3. Wake of Ashes
4. Divine Toll
5. Blade of Justice (Art of War proc active)
6. Final Verdict
7. Blade of Justice
8. Hammer of Wrath
9. Judgment

Single-Target Priority — Herald of the Sun

1. Avenging Wrath
2. Execution Sentence
3. Final Verdict (at 5 Holy Power)
4. Wake of Ashes
5. Divine Toll
6. Hammer of Wrath (Art of War proc active)
7. Blade of Justice (Art of War proc active)
8. Final Verdict
9. Hammer of Wrath
10. Blade of Justice
11. Judgment
12. Templar Strike / Templar Slash (filler)

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AoE Priority — Templar (Execution Sentence)

Replace Final Verdict with Divine Storm at 5 Holy Power. Priority otherwise mirrors single-target:

1. Avenging Wrath
2. Execution Sentence
3. Hammer of Light
4. Divine Storm (at 5 Holy Power)
5. Wake of Ashes
6. Divine Toll
7. Blade of Justice (Art of War proc)
8. Divine Storm
9. Blade of Justice
10. Hammer of Wrath
11. Judgment

Switch to AoE rotation at 2+ targets with an AoE build, or 3+ targets with a single-target build.

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Cooldown Reference

Cooldown	Notes
Avenging Wrath	Primary burst CD. Use before all other cooldowns — everything else gains value inside this window. Never hoard.
Execution Sentence	Damage dealt during the window counts toward the final detonation. Keep enemies in range and maintain priority list throughout.
Wake of Ashes	Generates 5 Holy Power; enables Hammer of Light. Use on cooldown — Radiant Glory players: this triggers Avenging Wrath automatically.
Divine Toll	Use on cooldown; time with ≤2 Holy Power to avoid wasting generated stacks.
Hammer of Light	Use after Wake of Ashes (5 Holy Power cost) or when reaching 50 Light's Deliverance stacks (free). Do not sit on free casts.
Trinkets	Stat-proc trinkets gain critical strike bonus during Avenging Wrath. Use on-use trinkets with every Avenging Wrath window.

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Enchants & Gems

Enchants

Slot	Enchant
Weapon	Enchant Weapon — Acuity of the Ren'dorei
Helm	Enchant Helm — Empowered Blessing of Speed
Shoulders	Enchant Shoulders — Akil'zon's Swiftness
Chest	Enchant Chest — Mark of the Worldsoul
Legs	Forest Hunter's Armor Kit
Boots	Enchant Boots — Farstrider's Hunt
Ring	Enchant Ring — Eyes of the Eagle

Gems

Socket	Gem
Prismatic socket	Indecipherable Eversong Diamond
All other sockets	Flawless Quick Amethyst

Consumables

Type	Item	Notes
Flask	Flask of the Magisters
Combat Potion	Light's Potential	Use with every Avenging Wrath window
Health Potion	Silvermoon Health Potion
Weapon Buff	Thalassian Phoenix Oil
Augment Rune	Void-Touched Augment Rune
Food	Royal Roast	Hearty Harandar Celebration as group feast alternative

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Best in Slot Gear

Season 1 BiS. The 4-piece Luminant Verdict tier set (head, shoulders, chest, legs) is the priority acquisition target.

Slot	Item	Source
Weapon	Bellamy's Final Judgement	Lightblinded Vanguard (raid)
Head	Luminant Verdict's Unwavering Gaze	Tier Set
Neck	Amulet of the Abyssal Hymn	Midnight Falls (raid)
Shoulders	Luminant Verdict's Providence Watch	Tier Set
Cloak	Adherent's Silken Shroud	Crafting
Chest	Luminant Verdict's Divine Warplate	Tier Set
Wrists	Spellbreaker's Bracers	Crafting
Gloves	Voidclaw Gauntlets	Seat of the Triumvirate (M+)
Belt	Hate-Tied Waistchain	Crown of the Cosmos (raid)
Legs	Luminant Verdict's Greaves	Tier Set
Boots	Greaves of the Unformed	Chimaerus (raid)
Ring 1	Sin'dorei Band of Hope	Belo'ren (raid)
Ring 2	Eye of Midnight	Midnight Falls (raid)
Trinket 1	Umbral Plume	Belo'ren (raid)
Trinket 2	Gaze of the Alnseer	Chimaerus (raid)

Trinket tiers — S: Umbral Plume, Radiant Plume, Gaze of the Alnseer | A: Heart of Ancient Hunger, Solarflare Prism, Algeth'ar Puzzle Box | B: Light Company Guidon, Vessel of Tortured Souls, Heart of Wind

Crafted priority (early season): Blood Knight's Warblade with Arcanoweave Lining embellishment → Spellbreaker's Bracers (wrists) with Arcanoweave Lining. Adherent's Silken Shroud for cloak later in the season.

Upgrade priority: Weapon first → strong trinkets → high-budget slots (chest, helm, legs) for maximum Strength gains per crest.

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Tips & Common Mistakes

• Never overcap Holy Power — this is the central rule of the spec. At 5 stacks, any generator you press is a wasted GCD. Build to 3–5, spend, repeat.
• Keep Expurgation active — Judgment applies a DoT that needs to stay on your target. Letting it expire is a passive DPS loss that compounds over a fight.
• Use cooldowns together, not apart — Avenging Wrath, Execution Sentence, potions, and on-use trinkets should land in the same window. Misaligned cooldowns significantly underperform compared to a clean combined burst.
• Art of War procs are time-sensitive — the proc elevates Blade of Justice (and Hammer of Wrath) priority immediately. Letting it expire while pressing lower-priority abilities is a consistent mistake at all skill levels.
• Hammer of Light free casts — at 50 Light's Deliverance stacks, Hammer of Light is free. Never sit on a free cast. It should be pressed immediately.
• Radiant Glory players: Wake of Ashes is your burst trigger — you don't manually press Avenging Wrath. Wake of Ashes does it for you. Build your cooldown alignment around Wake of Ashes timing, not a separate Avenging Wrath keybind.
• Mobility is limited — plan for it — Divine Steed is your only real gap-closer. On fights with forced movement, plan your movement windows around ability casts, not through them.