Greetings all, fellow ret pally here. What do you prefer your charater use between a two handed sword or a two handed hammer, and why?
Just want to hear peoples perspectives 
I tend to prefer bladed weapons over blunt weapons in general. I don’t have much of a nuanced reason for it; I suppose I simply prefer the aesthetic of swords and axes over maces and hammers, especially in WoW.
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^Agree, I’ve always preferred swords over maces simply for aesthetic reasons.
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Fair enough, they do have alot of good sword mog
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For some, it’s a cultural preference. I know many Alliance Paladins tend to prefer hammers and mauls, but my own people lean toward a preference for swords, or polearms. I lean to the latter, though less for Sin’dorei Cultural reasons, and more for… personal reasons. I have, shall we say, a personal attachment to my weapon.
Thats fair, very cool mog honestly.
Im getting into paladin rp again.
I really want to embody the retribution spec in my character and im little torn between a hammer and a sword. Trying to figure out what i would use.
Thank you again for your perspective.
Depends… my Sin’dorei Paladin prefers the elegance of a sword. My Human Paladin is a blacksmith’s son who spent a lot of time among dwarves… so Hammer time.
When it comes to swords they tend to be mostly found on my human mage of all people.
There is no such thing as an invalid choice, regardless of race.
True, i think my problem is trying to see which weapon would really symbolize retribution.
I want to roll with a hammer but i want to rp being skillful using a hammer as his main weapon.
But how do i rp beable to be defensive or blocking with a hammer how would i parry, or use a counter blow.
While im slowly learning to rp with a hammer some of it gets me flustered as i have always rped with a bladed weapon. The impression i get hammers are clumsy and unweldy, but thats just the impression, doesnt mean their not powerful or effective.
I just dont know how to rp being a very skilled hammer user.
Like for example solren attacks Drahliana with his great sword charging him with a over head slice.
How would you defend or parry such an attack?
Thats where i get stuck
Anyways thank you for the comment
One is n ot more retributive than the other. It’s not the weapon… it’s the 'tude.
Going to tell this guy his hammer isn’t retributive?
Or this one?
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True, i think i may go with a hammer i just need to figure out how to defend or explain how to parry.
I mean i could always say the light helps with that.
I just need to practice with it and give it more of a try,nothing stops me from going back to a sword if i dont like it
Thanks for the perspective:) btw cool hammers
You parry with the head or shaft.
The size makes up for the speed.
As retribution, you’re more focused on offense and self healing then defense.
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I have played Paladin from 2005. She has always had a sword. I have been Ret since BFA but before that I was both prot and holy and stubbronly used swords. Being able to mog was the best addition the game.
And there are only two swords I will ever use on her because the swords in the game, as it went on, just got more and more stupid with their size.
I don’t care how low poly it is.
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My silly reasoning might help.
Depends on the race and is because of animations.
Draeneis have decent 2 handed animations that work for both hammers ot swords, but better for swords.
Humans have terrible 2 handed animations for swords and hammers, so my Ret actually uses a polearm.
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I tend to lean towards swords. Through my many years playing I’ve never found a hammer that I find aesthetically pleasing.
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Thank you so much for all the responses very helpful thank you
It depends on a few things, mainly my mog and what content I’m doing. Just recently leveled this paladin and specifically did as much questing in zones with undead as possible (western and eastern plaguelands, some northrend) and when I’m there I set my mog as a more traditional human paladin mog and run with a hammer because a hammer is the best weapon for crushing the risen husks of the undead. Gotta break those limbs and smash those skulls, you know? When I’m doing content that pits me against living or demonic enemies, I use swords because cutting flesh, bleeding enemies, and piercing organs is more effective against the living.
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Also true, very good points. Thanks for sharing, great perspective.
Knight in armour with a sword is peak aesthetic.
Although some of the legion artifact hammers are fantastic too.
I also like doing a 2H axe every now and again to mix it up.
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I personally prefer for mine t use a sword, though, time was he probably would have used a hammer. He’s been around since the Second War, in which, the class fantasy of the Knights of the Silver Hand mostly used maces and hammers over swords. This is because they are largely inspired by the Templars of the Crusades way back in the early middle ages, who were forbidden to shed blood. Yet they still got into fights so… killing via blunt force trauma instead I guess.
Some of the books do have Paladins occasionally taking up a sword but only for very specific purposes.
All this said, my half-elven Paladin (raised in Lordaeron) still prefers to use swords and is no longer used to fighting with a hammer.
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Two-handed wise? Hammer
Single/Dual Wield? Sword.
I like the notion of a two handed hammer cause they look somewhat staff like and I looove staffs