I wouldn’t worry about what preforms the best. This is TBC, and most of the content is extremely easy. Play what you enjoy, and you’ll have a better time. A good ret will out dps a bad hunter/lock.
Also, PvP rets can be nasty in BGs. If you get lucky, you can two piece someone. Just remember no class is garbage, it’s some classes out perform others.
Paladin Master Race
the haters probably eat pineapple pizza why trust them
Are paladins outclassed in pve? Raids typically want one of each spec. Thats 3 slots for paladins, which is more than most classes get, not to mention being one of the few classes where all 3 specs are viable and desired in raids. And prot pallies are the undisputed kings of heroic tanking.
In pvp pallies arent a fotm class but holy pally/arms warrior is entirely viable in 2s. As is resto shaman/ret.
Thanks a lot for each and every reply guys. I understand now that paladins are a viable choice. However, after analyzing it a bit, I realize I’m really not a big fan of how the class plays and will be rerolling as a more active class like warrior or warlock.
This is the way - if you enjoy your class and are good at it you will find a raid spot.
I’ve always enjoyed Holy paladin. While leveling, you can try out a hybrid Holy/Ret spec known as “Shockadin”, which incorporates Holy Shock into an offensive rotation. The damage isn’t bad, and your surivivabilty is really high due to plate+shield+Holy spec. IMO, it’s the most fun way to level a paladin, and for PvP (if you ever decide to do that), it’s a solid option.
Play what you want and find friends that don’t give a f* what you play
Just like so many others have said here, play what you like, play what you have fun with, and forget about what the Negative Nancy’s think. Its your TBC time and your subscription so have fun!
Ive got a lvl 42 alliance pally i moved to TBC and have been having a blast. I can do most anything that quests throw at me. Im self sufficient almost all the time, which is great since I play her solo. People are always thankful when I stumble over them and they’re in need of a heal or some tank and spank to finish off their mob. They’re happy for my buffs, even if those only last 5 (now 10) mins lol. Its been an amazing feeling for me to set goals and complete those, all while seeing my pally get stronger.
I rolled a belf pally on May 19th launch day and I’m having a blast yet again. I’ve been moving from mob to mob quickly and I still have the first small stack of drinks they give you at the start. Ive seen lots of other belf pally toons and everyone is having fun. You have fun too!!
*Edit to change velf to belf because phone auto correct thinks its smarter than me😅
Warlock APM is lower than ret in tbc.
If you want something a great deal more interesting in terms of pacing-
Rogue and feral are pretty quick. Plus you get stealth. Good luck with your choice.
What sort of monster doesn’t eat pineapple pizza though?
Ham, pineapple, extra cheese, on thin crust pizza. Delicious.
The only real Paladins are Human Paladins. If you want to be a Paladin then you should reroll.
Most of what you said before this was incorrect.
This however is a red flag. Re-roll something you like playing.
Stop worrying about what other people say. Contrary to the current gamer mentality, maximum optimization and min/max meta are not requirements to be successful in this game. Folks need to stop parroting stuff they read/hear.
Trust me. I’m playing a Belf dagger rogue in TBC. Every youtube video on rogues in TBC say not to play them for PvE, that melee classes are garbage in early TBC, and that if you do decide to play a rogue you need to be combat swords. I guarantee I get a raid spot regardless.
This is the only important part for character choice. If you aren’t having fun with a class, don’t play it. You are only level 10 though. Many classes feel terrible until the early 20s.
Meanwhile, we have threads also on the front page like this:
Prot paladin is the best overall tank (once geared up and uncrushable) in TBC for many reasons, holy is exceptional, and ret is playable and every 25 man raid will want 1.
I never raided in TBC (actually I didn’t play at all during the TBC era, came back during wrath) but just looking at the classes and seeing that a player can have a blessing from each paladin…that seems like you’d want a couple in your raid. Kings on everyone, Sanctuary on tanks, wisdom on casters. Might on melee dps… Lots to offer. Not to mention the different auras. Would be awesome to have them all.
I think paladin’s are a force multiplier.
My first character was the meme, Human Ret Pally. He wasn’t the most exciting to play, until I went engineering and picked up “Goblin Rocket Launcher”, then I started to giggle every time I pulled a pack of mobs, it was so much fun.
In original BC, our guild used a Ret Paladin for AE tanking trash - and the reason we brought him along was the ‘friend of guild leader’ factor. Nor was this all that unusual - Paladins became increasingly rare in raids as the expansion wore on.
Now, maybe subsequent knowledge has changed this ‘meta’. We’ll find out.
However, I think it likely that the automatic assumption of “let’s bring every buff/debuff!” is incorrect. For example, looking at the (sketchy) dps comparisons between Balance Druids and pure dps, it’s very likely that the dps contribution of a Balance Druid plus the overall raid impact of their buffs/debuffs is less than simply bringing another dps.
What does this mean for Paladins? We’ll see. But a lot of those buffs/debuffs probably aren’t as worthwhile as you may think.
Consider Blessing of Salvation. This is awesome in a world of stacked Fury Warriors. In BC? Slightly less so. Your healers don’t need it. Your tanks and Hunters don’t want it. The value of Salvation involves a fairly small number of players in the raid and is the difference between their natural and artificial threat ceilings. How much damage is that? Is that enough damage, when added to the damage a Paladin does, to equal or exceed just bringing a pure dps?
I don’t know the answer off-hand and we collectively won’t know until we start getting decent parses from a lot of raids. But unless you’re thinking about the game in this fashion, you’re probably going to be blindsided by the meta once it settles.
Bro who are you even talking to?
All paladin specs are viable. The real negative is the massive number of them that will be floating around. It may be tough to get a raid spot as a paladin just because of the number of people competing for each spot.