Continuing the discussion from Midnight: Curse of Ula’tek PTR Development Notes:
General Feedback:
www.wowhead.com/news/a-shocking-tier-set-holy-paladin-class-changes-and-tier-set-review-382188
Holy Paladin needs a complete revamp with a better “Fantasy Forward Approach.”
- Playing a “Caster Paladin” isn’t rewarding with our current DPS/Filler Spells.
- Playing a “Melee Paladin” isn’t rewarding with our DPS, mobility, Cooldowns and Healing kit.
- Playing a “Something-in-between Paladin” isn’t rewarding, as our overall kit doesn’t feel like it supports it. (IE: Hover + Verdant Embrace supporting Evokers)
Paladins, [the class], need a Class Tree Revamp with a better distinguished identity of our “Powerful Healing Cooldowns” versus our “Utility.” With a Modern Redesign to Divine Toll(Holy Prism).
Holy Paladins, [the spec], needs more Dev/Game guidance in becoming a specialized healer, whether that is a Caster, a Melee Healer, or Something-in-Between. With a full rework/update to the tree and more fun and engaging cooldowns. 
Paladin - Holy
Mythic+ / PvP
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Issue 1: The % amount of this bonus feels too high, show casing how underwhelming the abilities are baseline.
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Feedback: As a player, whenever a set increases the effect of an ability by over 25% it no longer really feels like a “bonus” but a “most have” effect (or whatever) for our Spec to optimally perform.
It makes it feel like FoL and Greater Judgement are intentionally undertuned without the set equipped, and will most likely be an adjustment moving into a future patch. -.-’
For example, this makes an empowered Flash of Light effectively heal 50% more simply because a character has the tier set equipped. This creates a feeling that a significant part of the specialization’s power is locked behind acquiring the set, making Hpal feel like it doesn’t fully come online until several weeks into the season.
The developer note makes sense from the perspective of optimizing the tier set once it is obtained, but I think it overlooks the player experience of getting there.
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Issue 2: Holy Paladin aren’t really getting a “bonus” after X weeks, but are more so asked to relearn the spec halfway through the season.
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Feedback: This feels like an issue with the PTR vs Live Servers, where on the PTR I log into the game, buy my 4 set instantly from Vendor and Teleport to the instance and go.
If the 4-piece fundamentally changes Holy Paladin’s rotation, then players are not simply gaining a bonus after a few weeks—they are being asked to relearn the specialization halfway through the season.
That may be an interesting challenge for players who enjoy optimization, but it creates a disconnect for the casual player base that has already spent an X amount of weeks playing around the existing baseline gameplay.
Tier sets should create new opportunities within the spec for sure, but it does not feel like it should redefine the spec after players have already learned it.
Especially due to the Catalyst Timing and how varied everyone’s experience is with acquiring the 4 set.
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Issue 3: The Kiss/Curse mechanic feels like its working against itself with how Infusion of Light interacts with Mana.
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Feedback: The 4-Set Bonus creates a strange gameplay loop where the set makes Infusion FoL more mana efficient while making the spell (Holy Light) that enables that efficiency more expensive.
Instead of feeling like we are being rewarded for utilizing the tier set, it feels like mana is simply being moved from one part of the rotation to another.
Again, this feels like something that directly changes the core gameplay of the specialization. It feels like those types of changes are usually better suited for talents or baseline tuning – not tier sets. =/
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Issue 4: Divine Overload already exists….and “Opting out of the 4 piece”
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Feedback: Divine Overload is a player choice talent. Players choose to accept the increased mana cost because they value the additional Holy Light healing.
The 4-Set Bonus is different because once acquired, that drawback becomes mandatory.
One thing to note is that the 4-set is not only providing the Holy Light interaction. It also includes the 20% chance for Judgment to grant Infusion of Light, which means the set has multiple valuable effects tied together.
The 4-Set Holy Light mana penalty is effectively mandatory because the rest of the tier set provides significant value that we are expected to use.
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Issue 5: Judgement consuming the Identity of Holy Shock
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Feedback: For whatever reason, Paladins really struggle with the design of spells having their own unique identity.
Judgement kindof consumed Hammer of Wrath, and this tier set makes it feel like Judgement is on the verge of consuming Holy Shock as well.
Judgement has a similar mana cost and cooldown to Holy Shock, generates 1 Holy power and interacts with a lot of different talents…. but Judgement has the benefit of dealing damage and preventing damage at the same time.
This 4-Set Bonus adding Infusion to Judgement feels like it completely overshadows Holy Shock and pushes us further into that “1-button does all” gameplay.
I’m bias because I think Paladins need a fantasy forward redesign. Paladins are designed “backwards” compared to the rest of the game, which makes them lack utility and causes spells like BoP/SW, LoH, and BoSac extremely hard to balance. With a growing list of “Spec-Only Class Tree Talents.”
But these Paladin Tier Sets feel like situations where the fundamental gameplay direction of the Spec should be established through baseline or talent designs rather than being introduced through tier sets.
PTR vs Live Servers – It really feels like a player’s understanding of how Paladins should be played, should not drastically change depending on whether they have acquired their 4-Set bonus X weeks into the season.
Blizzard seems to be designing healers and tanks around spreadsheet optimization first, rather than prioritizing fun, engaging gameplay with impactful abilities that actually feel exciting to use.