Paladin leveling guide
Levels 1–60Alliance: Human, DwarfHorde: Undead
Alliance: Human, Dwarf
Horde: UndeadYour plan in game
Open your talent plan in Polestar:
/polestar talentsLevel as Retribution (quickest solo, with a two-hander and Seal of Command) or Protection (safe group pulls, dungeon-tank ready). Holy suits raids; it can level through its melee build, more slowly, if you want to heal dungeons on the way.
Polestar ships 3 leveling talent plans for Paladins (Holy, Protection and Retribution), 7 class quest guides, and Paladin steps in 14 leveling guides.
Who can be a Paladin
In WoW: Forever Paladins are open to 3 races on both sides. Each race starts on its own route and joins its side's shared road; the guides carry the Paladin steps for you.
Alliance
- HumanElwynn Forest 1–13Its road: 26 guides to level 60
- DwarfDun Morogh 1–13Its road: 26 guides to level 60
Horde
- UndeadTirisfal Glades 1–13Its road: 24 guides to level 60
Leveling talent plans
Adapted from a community talent site's leveling builds; the notes are written for Polestar. Every pick is checked against Forever's own Paladin talent tree (client 1.60.1.70450). Sources are named on Credits & data sources.
Each plan is written one point a level from 10. Points that come sooner (a Legacy talent can grant them from level 5) bring the picks sooner: in the game the plan follows its order, not the levels.
Holy
31/0/20 · 51 picks, levels 10–60
| Levels | Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | Divine IntellectStart with Divine Intellect: more mana means you can melee and still cover your own (or a group's) healing. | 1–5 | Holy |
| 15–17 | Improved SealsImproved Seals raises every seal and Judgement here, which is where Holy's leveling damage comes from. | 1–3 | Holy |
| 18–19 | Healing Light | 1–2 | Holy |
| 20–22 | ReverenceReverence keeps a trickle of regen going while casting; three ranks unlock Illumination. | 1–3 | Holy |
| 23 | Healing Light | 3 | Holy |
| 24–25 | Spiritual Focus | 1–2 | Holy |
| 26–30 | IlluminationIllumination refunds mana on critical heals and is the heart of Holy's staying power. | 1–5 | Holy |
| 31 | Divine Favor | 1 | Holy |
| 32 | Holy ShockHoly Shock is a talent on Forever: an instant heal or Holy hit, handy for emergencies and for pulling. | 1 | Holy |
| 33–34 | Infusion of Light | 1–2 | Holy |
| 35–39 | Holy PowerHoly Power raises Holy Shock's crit chance, feeding Illumination and Infusion of Light. | 1–5 | Holy |
| 40 | Light's VigilLight's Vigil turns Holy Shock into a group-heal burst; this is the signature Forever Holy talent. | 1 | Holy |
| 41–45 | BenedictionThe remaining 20 points go to Retribution: cheaper spells and more melee crit while questing, ending in Seal of Command. | 1–5 | Retribution |
| 46–47 | Improved Judgement | 1–2 | Retribution |
| 48–52 | Conviction | 1–5 | Retribution |
| 53 | Seal of Command | 1 | Retribution |
| 54–56 | Sanctified Judgement | 1–3 | Retribution |
| 57–58 | Holy Conduit | 1–2 | Retribution |
| 59–60 | Pursuit of Justice | 1–2 | Retribution |
Protection
10/41/0 · 51 picks, levels 10–60
| Levels | Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | RedoubtOpen with Redoubt: blocking pays off at once, and Shield Specialization needs all five ranks. | 1–5 | Protection |
| 15–17 | PrecisionPrecision and Anticipation help you land hits and dodge them while questing with a shield. | 1–3 | Protection |
| 18–19 | Anticipation | 1–2 | Protection |
| 20 | Improved Seal of FuryImproved Seal of Fury and Improved Righteous Fury begin the mana and mitigation cycle Forever tanking is built on. | 1 | Protection |
| 21–23 | Improved Righteous Fury | 1–3 | Protection |
| 24–26 | Shield Specialization | 1–3 | Protection |
| 27–28 | Sacred Duty | 1–2 | Protection |
| 29 | Swift JudgementAround 20 points in, you match the usual dungeon-tank setup: Shield Specialization, Sacred Duty and Swift Judgement are complete. | 1 | Protection |
| 30–32 | Anticipation | 3–5 | Protection |
| 33 | Templar's BulwarkTemplar's Bulwark is an absorb cooldown that scales with your health, and Holy Shield later in the plan requires it. | 1 | Protection |
| 34–36 | One-Handed Weapon Specialization | 1–3 | Protection |
| 37–41 | Iron CreedIron Creed adds threat and damage reduction to Holy Strike while Righteous Fury is active. | 1–5 | Protection |
| 42 | Holy ShieldHoly Shield is the capstone: more block uptime, with Holy damage each time you block. Ideal for pulling packs. | 1 | Protection |
| 43–47 | ToughnessLeftover points buy armor, a quicker Hammer of Justice, and Holy Strength and seal damage for leveling. | 1–5 | Protection |
| 48–50 | Improved Hammer of Justice | 1–3 | Protection |
| 51–55 | Divine Strength | 1–5 | Holy |
| 56–58 | Improved Seals | 1–3 | Holy |
| 59–60 | Healing Light | 1–2 | Holy |
Retribution
10/0/41 · 51 picks, levels 10–60
| Levels | Talent | Ranks | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | BenedictionBenediction lowers the mana cost of Judgement, Holy Strike and seals, so you rest less between fights. | 1–5 | Retribution |
| 15–16 | Improved Judgement | 1–2 | Retribution |
| 17–19 | Conviction | 1–3 | Retribution |
| 20 | Seal of CommandSeal of Command is the main two-hander seal for leveling; take it as soon as it opens. | 1 | Retribution |
| 21–23 | Sanctified JudgementSanctified Judgement gives mana back and is the prerequisite arrow for Vengeance. | 1–3 | Retribution |
| 24–25 | Conviction | 4–5 | Retribution |
| 26–28 | Vindication | 1–3 | Retribution |
| 29 | Sacred ArbiterSacred Arbiter strengthens Holy Strike and keeps Judgements rolling, and completes the 20 points row 5 asks for. | 1 | Retribution |
| 30–32 | VengeanceVengeance, then Two-Handed Weapon Specialization: the crit-driven damage core of the two-hander plan. | 1–3 | Retribution |
| 33–35 | Two-Handed Weapon Specialization | 1–3 | Retribution |
| 36–37 | Pursuit of JusticePursuit of Justice adds run speed. Champion of the Light is left out while the Retribution Aura spell-power bug keeps spell damage low. | 1–2 | Retribution |
| 38–39 | Holy Conduit | 1–2 | Retribution |
| 40 | Twist of LightTwist of Light makes swapping seals cheaper and adds seal echoes; it is Forever's seal-twisting talent. | 1 | Retribution |
| 41–42 | Instrument of Law | 1–2 | Retribution |
| 43–47 | Divine StrengthSpare points go to Divine Strength and Holy's Improved Seals for damage, then Deflection for survival. | 1–5 | Holy |
| 48–50 | Improved Seals | 1–3 | Holy |
| 51–52 | Healing Light | 1–2 | Holy |
| 53–57 | Deflection | 1–5 | Retribution |
| 58 | Repentance | 1 | Retribution |
| 59–60 | Eye for an Eye | 1–2 | Retribution |
Paladin class quests
7 class quest guides for Paladins, each a guide of its own in Polestar's Class menu.
- Tyr's Watch and Redemption9–13Horde · UndeadRedemption, Skullthumper, Driftwood Smasher, Salvaged Wooden Tower Shield
- Rescuing Lumina Windsinger18–24Horde · UndeadUndercity and Earthen Ring reputation
- Verigan's Fist20–30AllianceVerigan's Fist, Bastion of Stormwind
- Cloak of the Divine Storm22–30AllianceCloak of the Divine Storm
- Paladin Warhorse40–60AllianceSummon Warhorse
- Holy Mightstone50–56AllianceHoly Mightstone
- Paladin Charger60AllianceSummon Charger
Paladin steps on the leveling routes
Steps the zone guides show only to Paladins (a few to one or two other classes as well): class quests on the way and visits to your trainer.
Alliance
- Dun Morogh1–13Dwarf, Gnome
Consecrated Rune, Tome of Divinity, The Tome of Divinity, Honor Students, Ride to Ironforge, Gryth Thurden
- Elwynn Forest1–13Human
Consecrated Letter, Tome of Divinity, The Tome of Divinity
- Stranglethorn Vale, Dustwallow Marsh & Swamp of Sorrows40–43
The Tome of Nobility
Horde
- Tirisfal Glades1–13Undead
A Difficult Path, Rediscovering the Light, Coming to Terms, Continue Your Training, As Above, So Below, The One That Got Away
Trainer visits Silverpine Forest & Orgrimmar 16–20, The Barrens 19–24, Desolace & Hillsbrad Foothills 30–33, Arathi Highlands, Badlands & The Barrens 37–40, Feralas & Tanaris 42–44, Feralas, Dustwallow Marsh & Swamp of Sorrows 44–46, Azshara, Feralas & Stranglethorn Vale 49–51, Winterspring & Feralas 54–56, Eastern Plaguelands, Winterspring & Tanaris 56–58, Felwood, Moonglade & Winterspring 58–60
Paladin gear
What Polestar's gear advice counts as a Paladin's, and how it weighs stats for each spec. It reads your spec from your talent points; before you spend any it uses Retribution.
- Armor
- Mail, Plate from level 40
- Off hand
- Shields; Librams (relic slot)
- Weapons
- One-handed axes, Two-handed axes, One-handed maces, Two-handed maces, Polearms, One-handed swords, Two-handed swords
| Spec | Stats | Own weights |
|---|---|---|
| Holy (healer) | Intellect 1 · Spirit 0.5 · Stamina 0.45 · Strength 0.15 | Every level |
| Protection (tank) | Stamina 1 · Strength 0.5 · Agility 0.5 · Intellect 0.4 | To level 59 |
| Retribution | Strength 1 · Agility 0.55 · Stamina 0.5 · Intellect 0.35 · Spirit 0.15 | Every level |
How Polestar helps a Paladin level
- One route, your class's steps in it. The guides show the steps for your race and class and skip the rest, so the Paladin quests above turn up where they belong on your road, and a waypoint arrow walks you to every goal.
- Your talent plan on the talent frame. Pick a plan (or let Polestar follow your spec): a ring marks the next talent while a point is unspent, each talent shows where it comes in the plan, and a chat line names the next pick when a point is waiting. Nothing is spent for you. Open it with
/polestar talents; the settings are under Options, Questing, Talents. - Gear advice for your spec. Quest rewards and items in your bags that are upgrades for your Paladin get a green arrow, and a turn-in names the reward to take.