Paladin Tank for Guide Season of Discovery Phase 2

Welcome to Wowhead's Paladin Tank guide for Season of Discovery Phase 2! This guide offers valuable insights to enhance your Paladin Tank experience in WoW Classic. In Phase 1, runes, especially hand of atonement, introduced long-awaited features, providing taunt and mana regeneration. Phase 2 brings Light Pod, converting Attack Power into spell power, reshaping gear preferences and reducing reliance on niche caster items.

This phase also introduces a shockadin kit with The Art of War and Light Infusion, blending heavy infantry and healing for a unique cleric build. The guide covers class changes, viability, strengths, weaknesses, best specialization, spell rotation, and optimal stats. Explore talent builds, leveling tips, and best-in-slot gear recommendations to tackle new challenges efficiently. Whether you're a seasoned Paladin Tank or exploring this role, this guide equips you for success in the evolving Season of Discovery!

Viability and Runes of Paladin Tank

Paladín tank viability remains unquestionable in Phase 2, marked by substantial performance enhancements through runes and spell interactions. Notably, Light Pod introduces spell power to most gear, alongside the impactful The Art of War rune package encompassing martyrdom seal, Exorcist, and The Art of War. This synergy allows for critical strike-triggered resets on Exorcismo, establishing a distinct tanking identity for Paladins in the Season of Discovery.

While Paladin tanks fall within the middle tier of overall performance, they boast unique strengths, particularly in AoE tanking. Although overshadowed by single-target damage dealers in raid scenarios, Paladin tanks shine in threat generation. Applying Bendición de Salvación to the highest threat DPS in a party makes them exceptionally effective at maintaining aggro. Sustained single-target threat may face challenges, but the high burst potential, coupled with the The Art of War package, helps smooth out damage curves during cooldowns.

Runes

1.  Seal of Martyrdom

2.  Exorcist

3.  Sheath of Light

4.  The Art of War

5.  Hand of Reckoning 

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

1. AoE and Cleave Potential: Access to potent AoE damage through abilities like Consecration, Avenger's Shield, and Divine Storm.

2. Group Utility: Exceptional group utility and management tools, including Blessing of Protection, Hammer of Justice, Purify, and more.

3. Ranged Pull Tools: Impressive ranged pull options with Exorcism or Avenger's Shield, providing versatility in engaging enemies.

Weaknesses:

1. Cooldown Dependency: Reliance on longer cooldowns for reactive tools to handle straggler adds, which may limit immediate responsiveness in certain situations.

2. Mobility Limitations: Complete lack of on-demand mobility and gap closers in their toolkit, potentially posing challenges in quickly adjusting position or responding to dynamic encounters.

Best Specialization for Paladin Tank

1. Hybrid Protection: The Paladin tanking ability in Season of Discovery transcends specific specializations, with major buffs benefiting the class as a whole. Most talents are optional, enabling tank Paladins to express themselves through various specs deep holy, retribution, or hybridized. While a deep protection spec, particularly with talents like Holy Shield, becomes optimal in later phases, the current focus lies on the versatility offered by hybridization.

2. Protection Spec (Early Phase 2): In Phase 2, reaching deep protection talents like Holy Shield may not provide full benefits. Instead, a hybrid approach is recommended, targeting strong early talents in each tree. Beyond Improved Righteous Fury in the protection tree, diminishing returns are observed. Heading into the holy tree for talents like Consecration nicely complements the protection tree.

3. Holy Spec (Offensive Package): For those desiring a more offensive package while retaining the protection sword & board playstyle, going holy wholesale is a strong option. Progressing beyond Consecration to Holy Shock provides a potent single-target damage spell and a reactive healing ability, offering a versatile combination.

4. Retribution Spec (Offensive Tanking): For followers of the Light and its alterations, entering the Retribution tree, either as a hybrid tank or fully committing to a 2-handed build, represents the most offensive tanking specialization. Resembling a retribution paladin, this spec sacrifices some damage for survivability, ideal for outdoor content or PvP, while maintaining the capacity to tank dungeons and raids in Phase 2.

How to Play Paladin Tank

1. Tanking at Lower Levels: Effectively managing immediate resources and understanding your current setup are crucial when tanking at lower levels. As the tank, set the pace for your group, choosing challenges wisely. In solo play, emulate a standard Paladin, whether adopting the traditional sword & board protection or the two-handed retribution style. Maintain relevant blessings and keep your chosen seal active during combat. Buff uptime and effective debuffs on the primary target are essential.

2. Mana Management: Paladin tanks may face mana issues in solo situations, but leveraging enhanced survivability allows for riskier pulls. Hand of Reckoning and later Guarded by the Light improve mana sustainability during group-oriented content.

3. Seals Mechanic: Paladins have a unique mechanic called Seals, short-term buffs lasting 30 seconds. Seals provide a consistent on-hit bonus and empower your Judgment. Judgment, activated and consumed by the current seal, changes based on the active seal, influencing damage or applying debuffs. Judging and resealing takes one global cooldown.

Seals:

- Seal of Righteousness: Baseline seal, every Paladin starts with it.
- Seal of Command: High chance to trigger an attack, dealing damage based on weapon damage.
- Seal of the Crusader: Empowers attack power & speed, reduces damage; enhances holy damage.
- Seal of Martyr: New to Season of Discovery, deals damage and awards mana to the party.
- Seal of Justice: Primarily PvP-oriented, chance to stun on-hit.
- Seal of Light: Empowers melee hits, giving a heal chance per hit.
- Seal of Wisdom: Similar to Seal of Light, but for mana.

Rotation:

Season of Discovery runes offer powerful skills competing for priority. Your active skillset can change based on the specific needs of each pull. Gameplay focuses on using skills as they come off cooldown, employing a priority order that may vary with talents and runes.

Mana Conservation Tips:

- Apply Seal of Wisdom on single-target encounters.
- Downrank spells to reduce mana cost without sacrificing scaling.
- Consecration is a notorious mana hog; consider downranking if mana is a concern in single-target situations.

Hybrid Rotation:

- Exorcism
- Avenger's Shield (if runed)
- Judgment
- Divine Storm (if runed)
- Seal of Martyr > Seal of Command > Seal of Righteousness
- Consecration

Holy Rotation:

- Exorcism
- Avenger's Shield (if runed)
- Holy Shock
- Judgment
- Divine Storm (if runed)
- Seal of Martyr > Seal of Command > Seal of Righteousness
- Consecration

Retribution Rotation:

- Judgment
- Seal of Martyr > Seal of Command > Seal of Righteousness
- Divine Storm
- Exorcism

Stats and Gear for Paladin Tank

Stat Priority:

1. Stamina
2. Armor
3. Critical Strike
4. Hit
5. Strength
6. Agility

Stamina and armor are crucial for enhancing survivability, serving as primary stats for Paladin tanks. Strength, especially when combined with Radiance of the Crusader, becomes the primary offensive stat, contributing to DPS and threat growth. Critical strike is a valuable threat stat in Phase 2, with Seal of Martyr and The Art of War creating opportunities for double crits. However, it's essential to maintain a balanced approach and not stack critical strike at the expense of other stats. Hit, though typically prioritized, is less crucial in Phase 2 due to the relatively reduced necessity caused by the bosses in Season of Discovery.

Agility is a secondary stat that augments critical strike, dodge, and armor simultaneously, making it beneficial to pick up, but not to specifically target.

Gear Recommendations for Paladin Tank

1. Hakoo's Fist with Plates: Bind on equip gauntlets offering a lucrative stat spread. While expensive, they provide competitive stats for Paladin tanks.

2. Silverwing Sentinels & League of Arathor: Long grind items from Ashenvale PvP and the STV Blood Moon event. The Ashenvale PvP event aids Silverwing reputation until Revered, and the Blood Moon event can boost Arathor reputation to Exalted.

3. Radiance of the Crusader: A decent trinket usable throughout Phase 2, excelling in dungeon content. Its attribute of never missing makes it a solid pickup, available for purchase with 5 Silverwing Blood Coins from the STV Blood Moon event.

Best Races for Paladin Tank

With potential changes coming to Season of Discovery, the best race for Paladin tanks may come down to personal preference, as performance differences may be minimal. However, race selection could be influenced by the level bracket or the accessibility of items that make weapon skill racials redundant.

1. Dwarves:

- Stoneform: Valuable in PvP, cleansing effects like Rogue's Blind. The debuff cleanse and armor buff offer minor tanking utility.

- Frost Resistance: Negligible benefits.

- Treasure Finding: Adds flavor but lacks in-combat utility. *Gun Specialization* is irrelevant for Paladins.

2. Humans:

- Sword/Mace Specialization: Traditionally advantageous, but potential changes in Season of Discovery may impact its significance.

- Perception: Solid PvP racial, boosts stealth detection by 10 levels, preventing stealthy openers from rogues and ferals.

- Diplomacy: Facilitates faster faction reputation gain, offering efficiency.

- Human Spirit: Generally less impactful for Paladins, considering the potential irrelevance of Spirit in the grand scheme.

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