Holy
Holy Paladin’s updates are focused on removing various inconsequential healing sources and cutting secondary tracking buffs. We are also reducing the amount of mid-range cooldowns they have access to as we felt there were a few too many in that space and making sure Aura Mastery is a satisfying and impactful button press instead. Light of Dawn is also getting an update to its targeting, now being a circular radius around the paladin rather than a frontal cone. Getting the perfect angle for Light of Dawn could sometimes be difficult, and we don’t feel like it matched our combat approachability goals.
Protection
We’re addressing some pain points Protection Paladin has been experiencing at the start of combat with competing priorities and abilities clashing. Protection Paladins were subject to significant pressure and tension between defensive abilities, Holy Power generation, generating and maintaining threat, and an immediate need to place Consecration. We are also aiming to streamline by paring back on the number of layers of short-duration or low-impact defensive abilities in order to concentrate power into fewer moving parts.
Retribution
As we head into Midnight, we’re taking a close look at a couple of things such as how Retribution Paladin generates Holy Power, the amount of spells needed to cast for setup, the Hero Talent balance and the design of the third gate in the spec tree.
Currently, we feel the choices in the 3rd gate are too limiting, forcing players to pick between single-target and AoE effectiveness with little flexibility. To address this, we’re redesigning some abilities while removing some others. The most impactful change here happening with Execution Sentence and Final Reckoning. In Midnight, we’ve decided to combine these two abilities into one powerful ability that is useful both in AoE and in single target situations.
For Holy Power generation, we’re looking into the amount of passive over time effects. A key focus here is Crusading Strikes. While it has served Retribution very well in some areas, over time it has become an invisible, passive Holy Power generator that’s difficult to track and lacks meaningful interaction. We’re shifting emphasis toward Templar Strikes. Another important change will be coming to Divine Resonance, with the aim of giving players more agency and clarity in their Holy Power generation.
Going back to the amount of spell casts, one change we would like to address is Divine Hammer. We know many enjoyed its interactions with the Templar Hero Talents. But on the other hand, many found it stressful to manage on top of other abilities such as Execution Sentence. In Midnight, with approachability in mind, we decided to find a different place for Divine Hammer inside the Templar Hero Talent tree as a key AoE component. This change will allow us to be more flexible with the tuning of Empyrean Hammers and Hammer of Light and find a healthier balance between Herald of the Sun and Templar Hero talent trees.
We’re also exploring ways to make Art of War and Righteous Cause feel more impactful and distinct, while shifting more power back into Holy Power spenders like Final Verdict and Divine Storm to reinforce their importance in the rotation.