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Retribution Paladin

Damage specialisation · Tier S in Mythic+, 9.9% of the sample

PvE GuideRaid logs, Mythic+ players and PvE buildsACTIVEPvP GuideRated ladder talents, gear stats and builds

Opener

The order abilities first landed across 4 top-parsing pulls, with the median time into the fight. The percentage is how many of those parses used the ability at all — a step at 100% is the opener, one at 60% is a choice some players make.

  1. 1Algeth'ar Puzzle+0.5s50%
  2. 2Blade of Justice+0.8s100%
  3. 3Crusading Strikes+1.3s100%
4
Light's Potential
+1.5s
50%
  • 5Avenging Wrath+1.8s100%
  • 6Wake of Ashes+2.6s100%
  • 7Execution Sentence+3.5s100%
  • 8Final Verdict+4.1s100%
  • What follows what

    What was pressed next, counted over every observed pair. This is the closest a log gets to a priority list — but it describes behaviour, not a rule: a player casting Execute because it lit up looks the same here as one following a plan.

    • Crusading Strikes102 casts→Final Verdict37%Crusading Strikes17%Hammer of Wrath15%
    • Final Verdict58 casts→Crusading Strikes79%Blade of Justice7%Hammer of Wrath5%
    • Hammer of Wrath24 casts→Crusading Strikes54%Final Verdict46%
    • Divine Storm14 casts→Crusading Strikes57%Hammer of Wrath36%Final Verdict7%
    • Blade of Justice12 casts→Crusading Strikes55%Avenging Wrath18%Final Verdict18%
    • Wake of Ashes5 casts→Crusading Strikes80%Final Verdict20%

    Ability usage

    Casts per minute across 19 top-parsing kills in The Venomous Abyss. Per minute rather than totals, so a long fight does not read as a heavily used ability.

    Single target

    7 fights where almost all damage went to the boss

    1. 1Crusading Strikes42.1per min
    2. 2Final Verdict15.4per min
    3. 3Divine Storm15.3per min
    4. 4Blade of Justice7.0per min
    5. 5Hammer of Wrath3.4per min
    6. 6Judgment2.4per min

    Multi-target

    10 fights with substantial add damage

    1. 1Crusading Strikes44.1per min
    2. 2Final Verdict19.9per min
    3. 3Divine Storm11.2per min
    4. 4Blade of Justice

    Fights are sorted by how much damage landed on boss units rather than by a hand-kept list of which encounter is the AoE one, so the split stays right after a retune. Fights in between are left out of both columns.

    Updated 31/08/2026. These are observed casts, not a recommended priority — the order reflects how often an ability came up, which is not the same as when to press it.

    Secondary stats

    Secondary stat split across the 100 best-geared synced characters. Averaged per player, so one heavily geared character cannot define the answer for everyone.

    • Mastery32.7%788 avg
    • Versatility27.8%633 avg
    • Critical Strike20.3%512 avg
    • Haste19.2%476 avg

    What PvE players are playing

    Talent choices across 588 synced characters playing this specialisation. These are observed picks, not recommendations — they say what the ladder is doing, not what you should do.

    Where builds differ

    Taken by between 15% and 90% of players. This is where the real decisions are.

    • Empyreal Ward90%

      519 players · Class

    • Judgment of Justice88%

      510 players · Specialization

    • Recompense88%

      509 players · Class

    • Heart of the Crusader84%

      485 players · Specialization

    • Lightbearer83%

      482 players · Class

    • Burn to Ash83%

      478 players · Specialization

    • Aurora79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Blessing of An'she79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Born in Sunlight79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Dawnlight79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Endless Gleam79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Eternal Flame79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Gleaming Rays79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Illumine79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Luminosity79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Second Sunrise79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Solar Grace79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Sun Sear79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Sun's Avatar79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Walk Into Light79%

      456 players · Hero

    • Radiant Glory72%

      415 players · Specialization

    • Blessing of Protection70%

      407 players · Class

    • Holy Ritual69%

      396 players · Class

    • Lead the Charge68%

      395 players · Class

    • Blessed Champion62%

      360 players · Specialization

    • Blessed Calling47%

      274 players · Class

    • Holy Reprieve43%

      251 players · Class

    • Obduracy29%

      169 players · Class

    • Light's Countenance28%

      164 players · Class

    • Execution Sentence27%

      155 players · Specialization

    • Righteous Protection22%

      130 players · Class

    • Bonds of Fellowship19%

      112 players · Hero

    • Divine Exaction19%

      112 players · Hero

    • Divine Hammer19%

      112 players · Hero

    • Endless Wrath19%

      112 players · Hero

    • Hammerfall19%

      112 players · Hero

    Near-universal picks (50)taken by 90%+ — effectively baseline
    • Auras of the Resolute100%

      578 players · Class

    • Blessing of Freedom100%

      578 players · Class

    • Divine Steed100%
    Rarely taken (122)under 15% — situational or out of favour
    • Blade of Vengeance14%

      82 players · Specialization

    • Cleanse Toxins14%

      80 players · Class

    • Judge, Jury and Executioner14%

      79 players · Specialization

    Import a real build

    Loadouts from the highest-rated synced players of this specialisation. Paste straight into the game.

    • Khumi

      ragnaros · US3,661

    • Noxstyl

      hyjal · EU3,586

    • Lialazer

      blackhand · EU3,563

    • Allstarz

      antonidas · EU3,537

    • Saven

      moon-guard · US3,523

    Learn the spec

    This page measures what players do. For rotation, stat priority and matchup play, these are the references.

    • WowheadpveRotation, stat priority, gear and consumables. The most complete free PvE reference.
    • Icy VeinspveRotation walkthroughs and talent reasoning, written for players learning a spec.
    • Raider.IOpveMythic+ routes, affix planning and dungeon-by-dungeon breakdowns.

    Other Paladin specs

    • Holy
    • Protection
    6.9per min
  • 5Judgment3.1per min
  • 6Hammer of Wrath3.0per min
  • 578 players · Class

  • Fist of Justice100%

    578 players · Class

  • Lay on Hands100%

    578 players · Class

  • Sanctified Plates100%

    578 players · Class

  • Seal of Might100%

    578 players · Class

  • Unbreakable Spirit100%

    578 players · Class

  • Hammer of Wrath100%

    576 players · Class

  • Blessing of Dusk99%

    575 players · Class

  • Blessing of Sacrifice99%

    571 players · Class

  • Blinding Light99%

    571 players · Class

  • Vengeful Wrath99%

    571 players · Class

  • Inspired Guard98%

    568 players · Class

  • Light's Revocation98%

    568 players · Class

  • Holy Aegis98%

    565 players · Class

  • Blessing of Dawn11%

    63 players · Class

  • Stoicism11%

    61 players · Class

  • Tempest of the Lightbringer9.7%

    56 players · Specialization

  • Eye for an Eye8.5%

    49 players · Class

  • Punishment8.5%

    49 players · Class

  • Fear No Evil5.2%

    30 players · Class

  • Golden Path4.2%

    24 players · Class

  • Improved Blessing of Protection3.8%

    22 players · Class

  • Faith's Armor3.6%

    21 players · Class