Paladin: Shield and threat
Organize a shield tanking allocation around block, Holy Shield and Righteous Fury. The second tree supports instant-spell costs and Judgement use.
Editorial planning guide, grounded in the supplied beta talent descriptions. The allocation and point order have been checked for legal ranks and prerequisites. Combat performance has not been simulated or game-tested.
When to use this plan
Righteous Fury must be active for its conditional reduction. Templar’s Bulwark applies Forbearance and cannot be used while Forbearance is active.
What you give up
This does not reach the Holy healing capstone or the deep Retribution seal interaction. Threat and survival still depend on the encounter and equipment.
Why these core choices?
Shield Specialization
Increases the amount of damage absorbed by your shield by 30%, and gives your blocks a 100% chance to restore 6% of your maximum Mana. May only occur once every 3 sec.
Selected rank 3 of 3. Requires Redoubt.Improved Righteous Fury
While Righteous Fury is active, all damage taken is reduced by 6%.
Selected rank 3 of 3.Templar's Bulwark
When activated, this ability grants you an absorb shield equal to 100% of your maximum health for 8 sec. Applies Forbearance for 1 min. Cannot be cast while Forbearance is active.
Selected rank 1 of 1.Holy Shield
Increases chance to block by 20% for 10 sec, and deals 110 Holy damage for each attack blocked while active. Damage caused by Holy Shield causes 20% additional threat. Each block expends a charge. 4 charges.
Selected rank 1 of 1. Requires Templar's Bulwark.Complete allocation
All 16 selected talents are listed below. Expand any talent to see the exact supplied description at the rank used by this plan.
Protection · 31 points
Redoubt 5 / 5
Damaging melee attacks against you have a 10% chance to increase your chance to block by 30%. Lasts 10 sec or 5 blocks.
Row 1. Read every rank →
Improved Seal of Fury 1 / 1
When Seal of Fury's shield is fully absorbed, restore 60 Mana, increased by 15% per level the attacker is above you, up to 45%.
Row 3. Read every rank →
Improved Righteous Fury 3 / 3 Core choice
While Righteous Fury is active, all damage taken is reduced by 6%.
Row 3. Read every rank →
Shield Specialization 3 / 3 Core choice
Increases the amount of damage absorbed by your shield by 30%, and gives your blocks a 100% chance to restore 6% of your maximum Mana. May only occur once every 3 sec.
Row 3 · Requires maximum Redoubt. Read every rank →
Sacred Duty 2 / 2
Increases your total Stamina by 4% and reduces the cooldown of your Divine Shield, Divine Protection, and Templar's Bulwark spells by 60 sec.
Row 3. Read every rank →
One-Handed Weapon Specialization 2 / 3
Increases the damage you deal with one-handed melee weapons by 7%.
Row 4. Read every rank →
Templar's Bulwark 1 / 1 Core choice
When activated, this ability grants you an absorb shield equal to 100% of your maximum health for 8 sec. Applies Forbearance for 1 min. Cannot be cast while Forbearance is active.
110 Mana | Instant | 5 min cooldown
Row 5. Read every rank →
Iron Creed 5 / 5
Increases the threat generated by your Holy Strike ability 25%. While Righteous Fury is active, Holy Strike also reduces your damage taken by 10% for 6 sec.
Row 6. Read every rank →
Holy Shield 1 / 1 Core choice
Increases chance to block by 20% for 10 sec, and deals 110 Holy damage for each attack blocked while active. Damage caused by Holy Shield causes 20% additional threat. Each block expends a charge. 4 charges.
150 Mana | Instant | 10 sec cooldown | Requires Shields
Row 7 · Requires maximum Templar's Bulwark. Read every rank →
Retribution · 20 points
Benediction 5 / 5
Reduces the Mana cost of all instant cast spells and abilities by 10%.
Row 1. Read every rank →
Improved Judgement 2 / 2
Decreases the cooldown of your Judgement ability by 2 sec.
Row 2. Read every rank →
Conviction 5 / 5
Improves your chance to get a critical strike with melee attacks by 5%.
Row 2. Read every rank →
Sanctified Judgement 3 / 3
Gives your Judgement ability a 100% chance to return 60% of the Mana cost of the judged seal.
Row 3. Read every rank →
Three valid adjustments
Each option below is a separate one-point change to the original plan. It preserves the point budget, row gates and prerequisites. Choose an effect you need; the options are not a damage ranking and should not be applied together without rechecking.
Sanctified Judgement → Pursuit of Justice
Move one point: Sanctified Judgement 3 → 2; Pursuit of Justice 0 → 1.
Effect after this change
Sanctified Judgement: Gives your Judgement ability a 66% chance to return 40% of the Mana cost of the judged seal.
Pursuit of Justice: Increases movement speed and mounted movement speed by 8%. This does not stack with other movement speed increasing effects.
Sanctified Judgement → Holy Conduit
Move one point: Sanctified Judgement 3 → 2; Holy Conduit 0 → 1.
Effect after this change
Sanctified Judgement: Gives your Judgement ability a 66% chance to return 40% of the Mana cost of the judged seal.
Holy Conduit: Reduces the mana cost of your Consecration, Holy Wrath, Exorcism, and Hammer of Wrath spells by 20%.
Sanctified Judgement → Vindication
Move one point: Sanctified Judgement 3 → 2; Vindication 0 → 1.
Effect after this change
Sanctified Judgement: Gives your Judgement ability a 66% chance to return 40% of the Mana cost of the judged seal.
Vindication: Gives your damaging melee attacks a chance to reduce the target's Attack Power by 67, and increase your Attack Power by 1% for 30 sec.
Level-by-level point order
This route reaches the complete allocation without a respec. It follows this guide’s core choices and prerequisites, rather than claiming an optimal speed-leveling route. Talented changes the level when each point becomes available, not the 51-point limit.
First point at level 10; all 51 points at level 60.
Use a Talented rank your character has actually unlocked in the Legacy system. This control models its point timing, not the rest of your Legacy allocation.
Show all 51 steps
| Level | Add one point | New rank | Tree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Redoubt | 1 / 5 | Protection |
| 11 | Redoubt | 2 / 5 | Protection |
| 12 | Redoubt | 3 / 5 | Protection |
| 13 | Redoubt | 4 / 5 | Protection |
| 14 | Redoubt | 5 / 5 | Protection |
| 15 | Toughness | 1 / 5 | Protection |
| 16 | Toughness | 2 / 5 | Protection |
| 17 | Toughness | 3 / 5 | Protection |
| 18 | Toughness | 4 / 5 | Protection |
| 19 | Toughness | 5 / 5 | Protection |
| 20 | Shield Specialization | 1 / 3 | Protection |
| 21 | Shield Specialization | 2 / 3 | Protection |
| 22 | Shield Specialization | 3 / 3 | Protection |
| 23 | Improved Righteous Fury | 1 / 3 | Protection |
| 24 | Improved Righteous Fury | 2 / 3 | Protection |
| 25 | Improved Righteous Fury | 3 / 3 | Protection |
| 26 | Precision | 1 / 3 | Protection |
| 27 | Precision | 2 / 3 | Protection |
| 28 | Precision | 3 / 3 | Protection |
| 29 | Improved Seal of Fury | 1 / 1 | Protection |
| 30 | Templar's Bulwark | 1 / 1 | Protection |
| 31 | Sacred Duty | 1 / 2 | Protection |
| 32 | Sacred Duty | 2 / 2 | Protection |
| 33 | One-Handed Weapon Specialization | 1 / 3 | Protection |
| 34 | One-Handed Weapon Specialization | 2 / 3 | Protection |
| 35 | Iron Creed | 1 / 5 | Protection |
| 36 | Iron Creed | 2 / 5 | Protection |
| 37 | Iron Creed | 3 / 5 | Protection |
| 38 | Iron Creed | 4 / 5 | Protection |
| 39 | Iron Creed | 5 / 5 | Protection |
| 40 | Holy Shield | 1 / 1 | Protection |
| 41 | Benediction | 1 / 5 | Retribution |
| 42 | Benediction | 2 / 5 | Retribution |
| 43 | Benediction | 3 / 5 | Retribution |
| 44 | Benediction | 4 / 5 | Retribution |
| 45 | Benediction | 5 / 5 | Retribution |
| 46 | Deflection | 1 / 5 | Retribution |
| 47 | Deflection | 2 / 5 | Retribution |
| 48 | Deflection | 3 / 5 | Retribution |
| 49 | Deflection | 4 / 5 | Retribution |
| 50 | Deflection | 5 / 5 | Retribution |
| 51 | Improved Judgement | 1 / 2 | Retribution |
| 52 | Improved Judgement | 2 / 2 | Retribution |
| 53 | Conviction | 1 / 5 | Retribution |
| 54 | Conviction | 2 / 5 | Retribution |
| 55 | Conviction | 3 / 5 | Retribution |
| 56 | Conviction | 4 / 5 | Retribution |
| 57 | Conviction | 5 / 5 | Retribution |
| 58 | Sanctified Judgement | 1 / 3 | Retribution |
| 59 | Sanctified Judgement | 2 / 3 | Retribution |
| 60 | Sanctified Judgement | 3 / 3 | Retribution |
Compare other Paladin plans
Party healing
Use Holy Shock and Light’s Vigil as the center of a party-healing plan, supported by healing and mana-return talents.
Read choices & leveling route →Load this buildTwo-handed questing
Use movement, seal and Judgement talents for a melee questing route, then reach Twist of Light. The route below shows when each point is taken.
Read choices & leveling route →Load this build