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Protection Paladin

Tank specialisation · Tier A in Mythic+, 0.7% 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. 1Empowering Venom+0.1s50%
  2. 2Sentinel+0.6s100%
  3. 3Hand of Reckoning+0.7s75%
  4. 4
Light's Potential
+0.8s
50%
  • 5Divine Toll+1.2s100%
  • 6Sacred Weapon+2.6s50%
  • 7Shield of the Righteous+2.7s100%
  • 8Hammer of Wrath+3.6s100%
  • 9Avenger's Shield+4s100%
  • 10Blessed Hammer+4.3s50%
  • 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.

    • Shield of the Righteous52 casts→Hammer of Wrath23%Blessed Hammer23%Judgment19%
    • Blessed Hammer47 casts→Shield of the Righteous35%Judgment17%Hammer of Wrath15%
    • Judgment36 casts→Blessed Hammer38%Judgment18%Shield of the Righteous18%
    • Hammer of Wrath30 casts→Blessed Hammer33%Avenger's Shield27%Shield of the Righteous20%
    • Avenger's Shield24 casts→Shield of the Righteous58%Judgment17%Hand of Reckoning8%
    • Consecration13 casts→Avenger's Shield23%Judgment23%Blessed Hammer23%

    Ability usage

    Casts per minute across 20 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

    5 fights where almost all damage went to the boss

    1. 1Shield of the Righteous19.8per min
    2. 2Blessed Hammer14.6per min
    3. 3Judgment11.3per min
    4. 4Avenger's Shield7.0per min
    5. 5Hammer of Wrath6.7per min

    Multi-target

    10 fights with substantial add damage

    1. 1Shield of the Righteous17.3per min
    2. 2Blessed Hammer15.3per min
    3. 3Judgment12.7per min
    4. 4Hammer of Wrath

    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 50 best-geared synced characters. Averaged per player, so one heavily geared character cannot define the answer for everyone.

    • Haste29.8%726 avg
    • Mastery24.4%582 avg
    • Versatility24.3%558 avg
    • Critical Strike21.5%538 avg

    What PvE players are playing

    Talent choices across 50 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.

    • Adjudication90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Ardent Defender90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Avenger's Shield90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Avenging Wrath90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Blessed Hammer90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Consecrated Ground90%

      43 players · Class

    • Crusader's Judgment90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Divine Purpose90%

      43 players · Class

    • Divine Resonance90%

      43 players · Class

    • Divine Toll90%

      43 players · Class

    • Empyrean Authority90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Focused Enmity90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Glory of the Vanguard90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Grand Crusader90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Guardian of Ancient Kings90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Imbued Shield90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Refining Fire90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Shining Light90%

      43 players · Specialization

    • Blessing of Spellwarding88%

      42 players · Specialization

    • Blinding Light88%

      42 players · Class

    • Rebuke88%

      42 players · Class

    • Bulwark of Righteous Fury85%

      41 players · Specialization

    • Gift of the Golden Val'kyr85%

      41 players · Specialization

    • Light of the Titans85%

      41 players · Specialization

    • Relentless Inquisitor85%

      41 players · Specialization

    • Righteous Protector85%

      41 players · Specialization

    • Improved Ardent Defender83%

      40 players · Specialization

    • Instrument of the Divine83%

      40 players · Specialization

    • Unbound Freedom83%

      40 players · Class

    • Zealot's Paragon83%

      40 players · Specialization

    • Bulwark of Order81%

      39 players · Specialization

    • Sentinel81%

      39 players · Specialization

    • Undying Embers81%

      39 players · Specialization

    • Blessing of Protection79%

      38 players · Class

    • Lead the Charge79%

      38 players · Class

    • Guided Prayer75%

      36 players · Class

    Near-universal picks (16)taken by 90%+ — effectively baseline
    • Auras of the Resolute100%

      48 players · Class

    • Blessing of Dusk100%

      48 players · Class

    • Blessing of Freedom100%
    Rarely taken (99)under 15% — situational or out of favour
    • Golden Path13%

      6 players · Class

    • Divine Reach10%

      5 players · Class

    • Aurora8.3%

      4 players · Hero

    Import a real build

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

    • Chaddopala

      ysondre · EU3,551

    • Sacredx

      silvermoon · EU3,522

    • Sooniiz

      frostmourne · US3,512

    • Executionèr

      hyjal · US3,495

    • Scalol

      tichondrius · US3,397

    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
    • Retribution
    6.3per min
  • 5Avenger's Shield5.6per min
  • 6Consecration1.9per min
  • 48 players · Class

  • Blessing of Sacrifice100%

    48 players · Class

  • Cavalier100%

    48 players · Class

  • Divine Steed100%

    48 players · Class

  • Fist of Justice100%

    48 players · Class

  • Holy Aegis100%

    48 players · Class

  • Lay on Hands100%

    48 players · Class

  • Sanctified Plates100%

    48 players · Class

  • Seal of Might100%

    48 players · Class

  • Unbreakable Spirit100%

    48 players · Class

  • Hammer of Wrath96%

    46 players · Class

  • Inspired Guard96%

    46 players · Class

  • Greater Judgment94%

    45 players · Class

  • Vengeful Wrath92%

    44 players · Class

  • Blessing of An'she8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Born in Sunlight8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Consecration in Flame8.3%

    4 players · Specialization

  • Dawnlight8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Endless Gleam8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Eternal Flame8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Gleaming Rays8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Luminosity8.3%

    4 players · Hero

  • Second Sunrise8.3%

    4 players · Hero