Beginner paladin: how to choose between Holy, Prot and Retribution
Which spec is more user-friendly to start with?
It depends on what you call “friendly”.
Retribution
It's usually the simplest gateway for those who want to start playing and evolving without taking on tanks or healers straight away.
Protection
It's great for those who like to lead a group, but require more responsibility in dungeons.
Holy
It is very powerful, but for beginners it can be the most pressured for decisions and positioning.
Difference in gameplay between the three specs
Holy
healing, damage reading, mana and cooldown
Prot
pull pace, threat, route and survival
Retribution
melee pressure, burst, uptime and utility
The right choice has more to do with your profile than the week's ranking.
Ease of entry into groups by function
Holy
find group easy
Prot
I think the group is very easy, but the group will also demand a lot
Retribution
fits well, but competes for more spots than healer and tank
Learning curve for those just starting out
More direct
Retribution
More demanding at a group pace
Protection
More demanding in decision making
Holy
Gear dependence and adaptation cost
Holy, Prot and Ret use very different bases. This means that switching specs too early can result in:
- extra expense
- crooked gear
- feeling of a character standing still
If you're starting out, it's worth defining a clear main spec before playing too much dual role.
Recommendation by play style
I want to play with less initial pressure
Retribution
I want to find an easy group and I like to lead the pace
Protection
I want a strong healer and I am calm enough to learn
Holy
Minimum recommendation
For Paladin beginner:
- choose the role before choosing the hype
- don't switch specs too soon
- use Ret as the most direct route if in doubt
- go with Prot or Holy only if you like the responsibility of the role
Paladin is very strong, but it becomes much lighter when the first spec choice matches your way of playing.
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