Safest way to quest or dungeon spam. Low damage, but unmatched survivability, emergency buttons, and easy dungeon invites. Best used in groups; solo is slow but steady.
Strengths
Plate + shield + bubbles = very hard to kill.
Unlimited mana with downranking/Seal/Judgement of Wisdom.
Blessings/Auras for group; Lay on Hands + bubble saves runs.
Weaknesses
Solo kill speed is slow; rely on auto-attacks and seals.
Limited AoE without Consecration ranks; gear-dependent spell power.
Weapon upgrades matter less; spell power gear harder to find while leveling.
Talents by Level (Classic 1-60)
Early (10-29)
Improved Blessing of Wisdom 2/2; Divine Intellect 5/5.
Healing Light 3/3; Improved Judgement 2/2 in Retribution.
Pick up Consecration for AoE/tagging.
Mid (30-44)
Illumination 5/5 for crit mana returns.
Spiritual Focus 5/5 (pushback protection).
Divine Favor for guaranteed crit heals.
Late (45-60)
Holy Power 5/5, Holy Shock for instant heal/burst.
Lay on Hands improvements; Improved Blessing of Wisdom maxed.
Retribution splash: Benediction/Imp Judgement for less downtime.
Quest as hybrid: keep Seal/Judgement of Wisdom rolling, use Consecration on packs, and downrank Holy Light/Flash of Light to never go OOM.
Rotation & Playstyle
Solo Rotation
Seal of Righteousness (or Command if available) → Judgement → re-Seal.
Consecration on 2+ mobs; Hammer of Justice to secure casts.
Use Holy Shock as execute/burst; keep Judgement of Wisdom up.
Healing
Downrank Flash of Light for efficiency; Holy Light for big hits.
Keep Blessing of Wisdom/Salvation on DPS; Kings if raid buff available.
Use Divine Favor + Holy Light for tank spikes; Lay on Hands as last resort.
Survival/Utility
Divine Shield to reset; Blessing of Protection vs physical bursts.
Cleanse poisons/diseases; Purify magic on self with bubble if needed.
Aura swapping: Concentration when casting, Devotion when tanking hits.
Dominant tank healer with Light’s Grace and strong cooldowns. Dungeon leveling is smooth with endless mana from Spiritual Attunement; questing still slow but safe.
Holy Shock for instant heal/spot DPS; Blessed Life optional for PvP.
Sanctified Light for crit; Aura Mastery not yet available.
Late (68-70)
Divine Illumination (cooldown mana saver).
Improved BoK (Prot tree) if group lacks Kings.
Precision in Ret for hit if you judge/melee often.
Rotation (TBC)
Healing
Maintain Light’s Grace by casting Holy Light every 12s.
Flash of Light spam for light damage; HL for tanks/spikes.
Divine Illumination + Holy Light for tough bosses; Avenging Wrath if not locked by Forbearance needs.
Solo
Seal/Judgement of Wisdom; melee between Holy Shock/Consecration.
Keep BoW on self; swap to BoP/Bubble to survive heavy pulls.
Use Exorcism/Holy Wrath vs undead/demons in Outland.
Survival/Utility
Blessing of Sacrifice to prevent pushback; BoP on clothies under threat.
Cleanse poisons/diseases/magic; Aura swap for encounter needs.
Lay on Hands for emergencies; Divine Shield to reset pulls.
Zone & Dungeon Path (TBC)
Level
Zone/Dungeon
Notes
60-62
Hellfire / Ramps / BF
Spiritual Attunement makes healing free; pick up early spell power rings.
62-65
Zangarmarsh / SP / UB
Great healing trinkets; Coilfang drops mp5 gear.
65-68
Terokkar / Sethekk / SLabs
Strong caster plate/mail; practice Cleanse on casters.
68-70
Nagrand / Netherstorm / Mech
Badge farm in Mech/Bot; BoP friendly targets on stun packs.
Why Holy in WotLK?
Beacon of Light and Sacred Shield make Holy Paladin a premier tank healer. Leveling via dungeons is extremely fast; questing viable with Exorcism/Consecration buffs.
Spec: Beacon of Light, Sacred Shield, Infusion of Light, and Judgements of the Pure for haste. Take Divine Plea for mana return; ret splash for Benediction/Seals of the Pure if soloing more.
Talents by Level (70-80)
Early (70-73)
Holy Guidance, Illumination, Divine Favor.
Judgements of the Pure for haste after judging.
Sacred Shield for mitigation on tank/self.
Mid (74-77)
Infusion of Light for instant Flash of Light after crit Holy Shock.
Holy Shock, Aura Mastery (later patch), and Enlightened Judgements for hit range.
Divine Plea for mana on cooldown; time it during low damage.
Late (78-80)
Beacon of Light; place on tank or self when duoing.
Ret splash: Benediction, Seals of the Pure for solo DPS.
Optional: Improved Hammer of Justice for control while questing.
Rotation (WotLK)
Healing
Keep Beacon + Sacred Shield up; judge on cooldown for haste/mana.
Holy Shock on cooldown; Infusion procs → instant FoL/quick HL.
Divine Plea during low damage; use Avenging Wrath for burst healing.
Solo/Questing
Exorcism works on all targets (post-3.3); weave with Judgement.
Consecration on packs; Hammer of Justice to lock casters.
Keep Judgement of Wisdom for mana; swap to Light for sustain.
Survival/Utility
Hand of Freedom vs snares; Hand of Sacrifice to reduce pushback.
Hand of Protection on friends; Divine Shield to drop debuffs.
Aura Mastery + Concentration for heavy spell pushback phases.
Zone & Dungeon Path (WotLK)
Level
Zone/Dungeon
Notes
70-72
Howling Fjord / Borean Tundra
Nexus/UK for early healing gear; Beacon not yet needed but practice judging.
72-75
Dragonblight / Azjol-Nerub / OK
Sacred Shield value on tanks; watch burst AoE on AN bosses.
75-77
Grizzly Hills / Zul'Drak
Drak'Tharon for plate drops; quest while queueing dungeons.
77-80
Sholazar / Storm Peaks / Icecrown
HoL/HoS/Gundrak for badges; Beacon makes heroics safe.
Gear, Stats, and Enchants (All Versions)
Stat Priority
Intellect (mana + spell crit) > Spell Power > mp5/Spirit > Crit > Haste (more value in WotLK).
Stamina keeps you safe while face-tanking; avoid wasted hit unless meleeing.
Weapons
Use fast 1H + shield; prioritize Intellect/Spell Power.
Classic: SM Library mace, BRD/Strat spell power weapons.
TBC: Gavel of Unearthed Secrets (badge), Continuum Blade.
WotLK: Titansteel Guardian, heroic caster maces.
Enchants
Classic: +Spell Power to weapon, +Intellect to bracers.
TBC: Major Intellect, Healing Power; Shield: Intellect.
WotLK: +63 SP or +Black Magic, +Int to weapon; +25 Int to shield.
Pro Tips & Utility
Leveling Speed
Prioritize dungeon queues; you’re always in demand.
Tag with Holy Shock/Consecration; judge on cooldown for haste/mana.
Carry +mana food and potions; use Blessing of Wisdom on self.
Group Utility
Swap Hands: Freedom for roots, Protection for physical, Sacrifice to stabilize tanks.
Auras: Concentration for casters, Devotion for armor, Resistance auras when needed.
Cleanse constantly; you remove 3 debuff types baseline.
Survival
Bubble or BoP to safely drink/regen mid-fight.
Hammer of Justice to stop lethal casts; Divine Shield → Hearth as a last resort.
Keep First Aid leveled for fast bandage recovery after pulls.
Level Faster with RestedXP
Follow optimized Holy Paladin routes with dungeon-first paths and zero-downtime healing rotations tested for 2026 Anniversary realms.