I was looking at raider io and saw that ret is about the highest played spec at keys 10+. Just wondering why that is? It sounds dumb, and probably is, but I struggle to main a class or spec when so many play it.
Was Rey as popular before the rework ?
Very easy spec to play, tons of survivability, and a damage profile almost tailormade for M+.
Ret (and paladins in general) was always very popular, it just wasn’t good before, but the rework brought the spec to never seen before heights (and also made every other class want a rework for their favorite spec).
Ret is getting quite a few key nerfs in TWW though. So whether or not they will remain meta is up in the air.
Not sure if I would use the term Meta for Ret Paladin.
Easy…we were chosen by The Light! 
That being said, as I’ve stated in another forum, it’s a pain in the @$$ trying to get into keys when I see so much pink in spots I’m trying to get in. The nerve of those other rets. 
This.
Ret has everything a player could ask for. It has top shelf survivability, excellent damage with no ramp up time, very strong utility, the ability to help with every DF affix, the best single target stun in the game, ranged attacks that help them dodge mechanics that cripple other melee, and its all tied up in a theme (holy knight) that is extremely popular in high fantasy settings.
Its also relatively easy to play and can be played with zero addons (besides the general DBM type stuff).
Don’t let the doomers in this sub convince you otherwise- ret is very strong right now.
Its meta adjacent. The only reason it isn’t meta is because its melee and the meta tank is a Monster chugging spider monkey that bounces all over the place. If any of the other tanks were meta right now then ret would be, too.
It is still the first alternate choice for groups chasing meta if one of the meta specs isn’t available, and it is the best choice for pugs because of its carry ability.
That makes sense.
As a PuG… enjoyer, sounds like Ret would be a good main. I thoroughly enjoy the ability to help others while providing good DPS. I also main a class with a tank or healing role so I can get into groups easier; therefore, my class choices are limited.
Just be warned that Ret’s strength in pugs is a double-edged sword. It is extremely good, but because of how good it is it is also extremely popular (as you previously mentioned). No group is going to take two of them, so it can be frustrating trying to find groups that don’t already have a ret in them.
You ain’t never lied. Rets popularity is also something of a curse, so to speak.
Yes, Paladin was always popular cause alot of people love the aesthetics of it (not me, I hate it). But now, besides that, ret is like the best class design in the game.
Is like “easy” to play, but not boring.
It is fun, flashy, have tons of utility, survivability and quality of life.
Their rotations are to the point, no BS, effective and fun.
It has everything honestly, even range attacks being a melee.
I just won’t play one cause I can’t stand the yellow glow spam 
.
Being a Death Knight, you’re not worthy of the Light! 
Yes. Paladins are good do hero and are one of the most popular classes in any RPG. Hunter is also a very popular class because pets.
Ret has been one of the most popular specs for a very long time. Paladin in general is a class that is played a lot.
Because its the most fun class/spec you could possibly play in an MMO
I resisted for months but finally gave in and plan on maining my Ret instead of my UH DK for TWW. Ret is just a modern well oiled machine that rewards good play while DKs are stuck in 2008-2016 and it shows.
I salute you for sticking with DK but ill take my yellow spam and abilities that feel impactful over DnD cleave, pimple popping and 45 second cds.
Wait…
As much as I love being a Warrior of the Light, from what I can gather from the various videos I’ve seen and players’ comments, DK is doing nothing short of phenomenal for TWW. Heck, some Youtubers have flat out stated DK is probably the “best” melee dps for TWW.
I’m glad for them. They’ve been okay-ish in the past, so I’m glad they get their time to shine.
That’s because you’ve been blessed by the Light, my son.
i cant wait for the majority of ret rerollers suddenly reroll away cause ret loses a lego and does beans damage compared to other melee
Think it’ll happen? The fact there are so many is a big reason I decided not to main mine.
first reroll wave happened cause ret stopped being “complexed” second (the biggest) reroll wave happened cause rets lego got buffed 91727861816 times and ret itself got giga buffed. since ret didnt hvae a proper skill ceiling it allowed lower tier to feel good about their numbies. tww will humble alot of people
Oh boy, and they are refusing to change that once again.
This company is so stubborn it’s actually funny.
Well, you remember Mage’s Rune of Power, right?
Players had to cry over 10 years for the removal of that particular nonsense
Its a mixed bag for DKs. They have received many excellent changes, but they also have many design elements that will chafe a lot of players. For instance:
-The majority of the cleave (all three specs) is tied to Death & Decay. If a dps DK gets paired with a “can’t stop won’t stop” tank then their aoe dps will be awful. Blood will struggle when the pack needs to be moved a lot for mechanics or ground effects.
-All three specs have various damage ramps in their kit. Self-buffs are something that the player has to keep track of and will often fall off outside of the player’s control. These can even fall off between dungeon packs if the tank is pulling too slow, or may never fully ramp if the pack dies quickly.
-The class brings no raid buff and their utility is situational at best. Deathgrip is fun, but not as useful as non DKs think it is. Gorefiend’s Grasp (the aoe grip) is crazy useful, but that one is limited to Blood.
-Unholy is still a zookeeper spec and not everybody likes that.
-Frost is still trying to balance multiple playstyles, and history has shown us that whichever of the playstyles you prefer has a pretty good chance of not being the optimal one.
-Both dps specs are highly cooldown dependent (less so with the changes) and can feel gimpy outside of cooldowns. Unholy’s bonkers numbers are the result of PI during their cooldown window.
-All three specs have very poor mobility unless they take a specific hero tree. They make Ret look like an Olympic sprinter.
-Balancing has not happened yet. Most of the videos praising DKs in the beta revolve around how much damage they can do. There is no way to know if that will last. The tier lists that rank classes for “fun to play” don’t rank DKs nearly as high as the “likely to be meta” lists do.