The Retribution Paladin remains as one of the best and fastest levelers in Wrath of the Lich King. Ret Paladins become stronger on all fronts dealing more damage through new spells such as Divine Storm and continued self sustainability through abilities like Judgements of the Wise, providing Paladins with Replenishment for much greater mana efficiency, as well as The Art of War for fast instant healing or being used to cast Exorcism instantly to deal more damage. Exorcism can be used on all enemies in Wrath of the Lich King.
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Gameplay
Previously renown for having very limited AoE abilities, Ret Paladins gain welcomed buffs to its AoE toolkit by receiving changes to Seal of Command, as well their new Divine Storm ability. The reworked Judgement system also makes it much easier to sustain your health and mana while leveling substantially. In the early levels you will use either Judgement of Light or Wisdom to upkeep your health or mana pool, giving you much less downtime drinking and eating.
Rotation
The Retribution Paladin damage rotation comes down to a “first come first serve” priority system.
This means whichever ability that has the highest priority should be used if it’s off cooldown.
Single Target Rotation
Make sure Seal of Command is active (Or Seal of Righteousness in earlier levels)
Judgement of Light or Wisdom > Crusader Strike > Divine Storm > Exorcism > Consecration > Hammer of Wrath
If you are <70% health you may consider using The Art of War proc for a Flash of Light on yourself instead of the instant Exorcism cast. Note it’s advised to not use Consecration on a single target unless you are at full mana or you’re fighting an elite. Frequent casts of Consecration will cause you to run out of mana fast, resulting in downtime drinking.
AoE Rotation
Make sure Seal of Command is active
Judgement of Light or Wisdom > Consecration > Divine Storm > Holy Wrath if Undead or Demons > Hammer of Wrath when available > Crusader Strike > Exorcism
As stated above, you may consider using The Art of War for instant Flash of Light healing on yourself as you will most likely need it when fighting several monsters at the same time rather than on Exorcism.
Stat Prio
Hit Rating > Strength > Attack Power > Stamina > Expertise > Critical Strike Rating/Agility > Haste Rating/Armor Penetration
Note that some stats aren’t obtainable until higher levels, but the above are the general stats to prioritize while leveling from 1 to 80
Glyphs
Major Glyphs:
Glyph of Judgement and Glyph of Seal of Command. If mana is not an issue you can switch to Glyph of Exorcism. Remember Exorcism has a cast time until you have The Art of War talented which makes it an instant cast when it procs.
Minor Glyphs:
Glyph of Sense Undead
Glyph of Lay on Hands
Glyph of Blessing of Might