I really enjoy playing paladin in current WoW, specifically Prot and Ret occasionally, but everyone I speak to basically says if you are not healing (something I’ve never done) that you are basically useless and can’t contribute to any PvE content.
I’m not trying to be a worlds first raider to top tier player I just want to be able to compete all the content and be a bare bones AotC raider as either prot or Ret.
Is there any hope for me fellow light bros ? ![:frowning:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/frowning.png?v=6" ":frowning:")
This is just one of those things that is overblown. So, yes Ret isn’t optimal in raids but you can definitely still raid as that spec. You won’t be pulling insane dps but you won’t be doing nothing. There is a video on youtube testing ret dps and in pre bis I think you can still pull 250-300 dps. Prot is pretty useless in raids though, you can tank dungeons with it but raid tanking is most likely a no go.
Holy is the most optimal, ret is sub optimal, and prot isn’t viable (for raids)
Partypooper is correct
That’s the meta mindset, and primarily true if you’re going to try to get into high-end raid guilds (or, at least, the ones that try to sell themselves as such). Your choice whether those people are the ones you want to play with. If so, you’ll have to kneel at their altar and play their way.
Otherwise, there are many other people, many other guilds, who will be happy to get 40 people online at the same time. If you learn the class and talents and skills well, and demonstrate your all-around utility, as well as be there and be prepared, you will likely find people to group with and eventually raid with.
NOTE: There’s no hope of being “a bare bones AotC raider” in WOW Classic. For anyone. There is no such thing, thank the Light.
You can technically raid as any spec in the game, because every raid can be done without 40 people in it. The question you need to ask is if you’ll be even remotely effective and pulling your weight in the raid.
As Partypooper said above, a lot of what you are hearing is overblown.
To be fair, will you be a main tank in raids in Classic? More than likely not, ever. That will be a warrior. But pally’s can be a good off-tank in raids. We had a really good pally off-tank on our raid team back in Vanilla. You can tank dungeons as a pally as well. As far as the spec to do those things, I will be honest and say I can’t remember the spec of our pally that was an off-tank on our raid team, but he did a really good job.
One of my best friends mained a pally back then for some time and tanked most dungeons for us and we did perfectly fine with him taking.
If you like PvP at all, pally’s can also be very good and ridiculously hard to kill in PvP at times.
Yeah I see myself as a competent player and I will definitely become much more competent based on how much time I will be playing the character just getting to level cap in the first place.
I know I’m not going to be part of an actual hardcore raid team so I guess my concern is will the majority of the community be made of googlers who want what the internet says is best or will it be made up of players who want to just team up with 40 people and try their best to take the boss down.
… I know it’s hard to tell but I dunno I was hoping to gain some reassurance lol
Prepare for several posts talking about optimal viable and all that stuff. The short answer is no, you will not raid.
I suggest you go on over to realm player and look through the raid logs on pservers. See how many raids have a paladin DPSing. You will rarely see one, and when you find one you will understand why. The DPS is just that terrible.
Prot is even worse, simply because mechanics prevent you from being able to tank several encounters. Nobody wants a tank that can’t even tank half the time.
Also i’d like to say if you really enjoy playing Paladin in retail WoW, i’d suggest just playing retail WoW. Prot and Ret and both miles different in classic than they are in retail, and far less useful.
To put it mildly, if you were to be able to raid as either of them, you would actively be a hindrance to your raid.
SPELLADIN says, “Hold my beer…”
Ret paladins are 100% fine for raids. You will run into Min/Maxer hard core no life types who want to perfectly optimize every spot in the raid… just like retail. … but those aren’t the only people that exist, they are just a loud minority.
Now, Prot Pallies are great for all 5-10 man dungeons, but they have a very large disadvantage in comparison to Warriors and Druids as far as raids go. Not that it is impossible, you just need to put A LOT of work into your prot pally and find people who are open minded. I personally would have a prot pally tank a raid, no problem… if it doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out and we can try a different tank.
The reason a lot of Pallies FEEL forced to be a healer is because Holy Pallies are arguably the best healer in the game… throughput/efficiency-wise, and are always desired/needed.
Unfortunately for you, Holy Paladin is, like, the strongest support class in Classic. Especially in PvP. One of the reasons Ret and Prot are so disregarded is because the alternative is just so stunningly good.
If you’re looking to do more than 5 man dungeons you will heal, is basically what will happen. You may make some friends who take a ret paladin or off-tank, and with 40 people the damage difference won’t be as noticeable, and with only one ret or prot paladin, it won’t break a raid.
However, you will have a tough time finding anything past 5 mans if you choose to do so.
However, PvP on the other hand…Pallies are awesome. I had a hard, hard time killing them. And in the open world you can just bubble hearth, which is annoying as all get out.
I’d say it depends on not just how good your in game play is but your social skills as well. Aside from cutting edge guilds, people also put weight behind people they enjoy having around even if it means a sub optimal spec.
ew please dont say “ayyy ohhh tea see” in this forum
Just change your name to Efsand and you will be fine ![:laughing:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/laughing.png?v=6" ":laughing:")
Simple answer, you are far more likely to get a spot as a healer than you are as a DPS or tank. The whole optimal/viable discussion, min/maxing, etc. is fine discussion fodder but reality dictates you’ll likely end up putting on a teal dress like the rest of us - embrace it.
Raid/guild turnover is a way of life in 40-mans and even if you manage to make it in initially as Ret/Prot, odds are you will be asked at some point to go Holy.
um no that would open you up to a world of pain…
What he says. There’s no shame in it. Holy is powerful. You can’t be burst down, you can deny kills like no other, and your mana pool lasts for days. They make and break encounters.
It’s a completely different class, especially if you plan to raid.