Class guide
Holy Paladin Guide for WoW Forever
Holy Paladin builds for WoW Forever. A Level 30 dungeon healer and Light's Vigil raid healing at 60, with healing priority, mana tips and gear.
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Variants
Overview
Holy Paladin is the plate-wearing tank healer of WoW Forever, and Forever gives it the tools it never had in Classic. Holy Shock is now a tier 5 talent you pick up at 30, and trainers teach new ranks at 40, 48 and 56. Light's Vigil at the bottom of the tree gives you a party heal. Reverence lets 30% of your mana regeneration continue while casting, and Infusion of Light turns your crits into faster Holy Lights.
Your job is keeping one or two targets alive through big, steady damage. Holy Light is the biggest single heal you cast, Flash of Light is the cheap, quick top-up, and Holy Shock is the instant heal you save for the moment a tank drops. Every crit from Holy Light, Flash of Light, Holy Shock and Light's Vigil gives mana back through Illumination.
Play Holy if you want to heal tanks in dungeons from 13 to 60, and in the raids opening December 9, Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit.
Strengths
- Big, efficient single-target heals. Holy Light with Healing Light and Blessing of Light on the tank keeps it topped through heavy boss damage.
- Plate armor from 40, and Divine Shield. You survive the mistakes that kill cloth healers.
- Mana on crit: Illumination refunds half the base cost of every critical heal, and Holy Power adds 5% crit to all of them.
- An instant heal and a party heal: Holy Shock every 10 seconds, and Light's Vigil when the whole group takes damage.
- Utility: Blessing of Protection, Lay on Hands, Divine Intervention, Cleanse and a Blessing on every player.
Weaknesses
- Light's Vigil is your only group heal, and it's expensive. A raid full of damage outpaces you.
- No heals over time. Every heal you cast is a direct heal you have to time.
- Holy Light is a 2.5-second cast. Pushback and movement cost you more than an instant healer.
- Weak solo. Level as Retribution and switch to Holy for dungeons.
- No interrupt. Hammer of Justice is your only way to stop a cast.
What's new in Forever
- Holy Shock is a tier 5 Holy talent that needs 20 points in the tree, with trained ranks at 40, 48 and 56. It heals an ally or hits an enemy, instantly, every 10 seconds.
- Light's Vigil (tier 7): mark an ally or enemy for 30 seconds. Your next Holy Shock on them triggers no cooldown. On an ally it heals their whole party. On an enemy it deals Holy damage and refunds 75% of Light's Vigil's mana. Trainers teach new ranks at 50 and 60.
- New Holy talents: Voice of Truth (6 seconds of immunity to Silence and Interrupts), Reverence, Infusion of Light (Holy Shock and Flash of Light crits cut your next Holy Light's cast time by 1 second), Divine Precision and Consecrated Ground.
- Illumination now needs Reverence 3/3 and refunds 50% of the spell's base cost on 100% of your critical heals, Light's Vigil included.
- Holy Power gives +15% crit to Holy Shock and Holy Strike and +5% to every other spell.
- Healing Light now covers Holy Shock, Spiritual Focus protects 70% of your Holy Light, Flash of Light and Light's Vigil casts from pushback, and Purifying Power makes Cleanse and Purify 20% cheaper.
- Lay on Hands no longer stops your mana regeneration.
- Blessings last 1 hour, Greater Blessings too, and Blessing of Kings is baseline at 20.
- Resistance auras cover the whole raid, not only your party.
Talents
The dungeon healing build for 20 to 30. Divine Intellect and Healing Light make every heal bigger and every pull cheaper, Reverence keeps you regenerating while you cast, and Illumination hands mana back on every crit. Holy Shock lands at 30. This build heals but kills slowly, so level as Retribution between dungeon runs (see the leveling guide) and switch when you heal groups.
Split 21/0/0 · 21 points at level 30 · Open in calculator
Talent order
- Levels 10–14: 5/5 Divine Intellect. +10% Intellect: a bigger mana pool and more spell crit.
- Levels 15–17: 3/3 Healing Light. +12% healing from Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock.
- Levels 18–19: 2/2 Spiritual Focus. A 70% chance to ignore pushback on Holy Light and Flash of Light. Dungeon mobs hit healers.
- Levels 20–22: 3/3 Reverence. 30% of your mana regeneration continues while casting.
- Levels 23–24: 2/2 Purifying Power. 20% cheaper Purify and Cleanse. It also unlocks tier 4.
- Levels 25–29: 5/5 Illumination. Every critical heal refunds half its base mana cost.
- Level 30: 1/1 Holy Shock. An instant heal every 10 seconds, for the moment the tank drops faster than Holy Light can land.
Flexible points
- Dungeons with lots of Fear casters: move Purifying Power into 2/2 Unyielding Faith. Fears on you last 30% shorter, and it still unlocks tier 4.
The raid healing build. 33 points in Holy take every healing and mana talent, Holy Power for 5% crit on all your heals, and Light's Vigil. The 18 points in Protection buy Guardian's Favor for a 3-minute Blessing of Protection, Sacred Duty for a 4-minute Divine Shield, a 45-second Hammer of Justice, and armor and Defense to survive the hits that land on you.
Split 33/18/0 · 51 points at level 60 · Open in calculator
Holy: 33 points
- 5/5 Divine Intellect: +10% Intellect.
- 3/3 Healing Light: +12% healing from Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock.
- 2/2 Spiritual Focus: 70% of your casts ignore pushback.
- 2/2 Unyielding Faith: fears on you last 30% shorter. A feared healer is a dead tank.
- 3/3 Reverence: 30% regeneration while casting.
- 2/2 Purifying Power: 20% cheaper Cleanse.
- 1/1 Voice of Truth: 6 seconds of immunity to Silence and Interrupts, every 3 minutes. Cast it before a boss's silence and keep healing through it.
- 2/2 Infusion of Light: a Holy Shock or Flash of Light crit makes your next Holy Light 1 second faster.
- 5/5 Illumination: half the base cost back on every critical heal.
- 1/1 Divine Favor: a guaranteed crit every 2 minutes. Put it on Holy Light for a big crit and an Illumination refund, or on Holy Shock to add an Infusion of Light.
- 1/1 Holy Shock: your instant heal.
- 5/5 Holy Power: +15% crit on Holy Shock and +5% on every other heal. More crits, more Illumination.
- 1/1 Light's Vigil: the party heal.
Protection: 18 points
- 5/5 Toughness: 10% more armor from items.
- 5/5 Anticipation: +20 Defense Skill, so fewer crits land on you when adds reach you.
- 2/2 Guardian's Favor: Blessing of Protection every 3 minutes.
- 2/2 Sacred Duty: +4% Stamina and a minute off Divine Shield and Divine Protection.
- 1/3 Precision: unlocks tier 4.
- 3/3 Improved Hammer of Justice: Hammer of Justice every 45 seconds. It's your interrupt on trash.
Flexible points
- Farming dungeons at 60: move Unyielding Faith into 2/3 Divine Precision: +12% hit with Holy spells, so your Holy Shock and Exorcism damage misses less while you clear trash.
The Intellect build. Champion of the Light in Retribution adds healing equal to 100% of your Intellect, so every Intellect upgrade is a healing upgrade too. You give up Holy Power, Light's Vigil and Voice of Truth to get it. Take this build when your raid has other group healers and your job is Holy Light on the main tank.
Split 23/0/28 · 51 points at level 60 · Open in calculator
Holy: 23 points
- 5/5 Divine Intellect: +10% Intellect, which Champion of the Light turns into healing.
- 3/3 Healing Light, 2/2 Spiritual Focus, 3/3 Reverence: bigger heals, no pushback, regeneration while casting.
- 2/2 Purifying Power: cheaper Cleanse, and the path to tier 4.
- 5/5 Illumination, 1/1 Divine Favor, 1/2 Infusion of Light: mana on crit, a guaranteed crit every 2 minutes, and a 0.5-second faster Holy Light after a Holy Shock or Flash of Light crit.
- 1/1 Holy Shock: your instant heal.
Retribution: 28 points
- 5/5 Benediction: 10% cheaper instants: Holy Shock, Cleanse and Blessings.
- 3/3 Sanctified Judgement: Judge your Seal of Wisdom on the boss and get 60% of the Seal's cost back.
- 2/2 Pursuit of Justice: 15% movement speed. You spend less time out of position.
- 1/1 Repentance: a 6-second incapacitate on a Humanoid in dungeons.
- Improved Judgement, Holy Conduit, Conviction, Vindication, Eye for an Eye, Sacred Arbiter, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization and Vengeance: the points that open tier 6.
- 3/3 Champion of the Light: healing equal to your Intellect.
Races
Best races
Alliance: Human. Sword Specialization gives +2% critical strike chance with all spells while you hold a one-handed sword. Every extra crit is an Illumination refund. The Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit, and Will to Survive breaks a stun every 3 minutes.
Alliance alternative: Dwarf. Mace Specialization gives +1% crit with all spells while you hold a mace. Stoneform cleanses Poisons, Diseases and Bleeds on yourself and cuts Physical damage taken by 10% for 8 seconds.
Horde: Undead. The only Horde Paladin. Will of the Forsaken breaks Fear, Charm and Sleep every 2 minutes: your answer to a boss that fears the raid. Cannibalize restores 7% of your health and mana every 2 seconds for 10 seconds from a Humanoid or Undead corpse: a free drink after trash.
All playable races
- Human: Sword Specialization, The Human Spirit, Will to Survive, Perception.
- Dwarf: Mace Specialization, Stoneform, Big Game Hunter, Find Treasure.
- Undead (Horde, new in Forever): Will of the Forsaken, Cannibalize, Touch of the Grave, Underwater Breathing.
Rotation
Before the pull
- Concentration Aura when the pack has casters or you expect to be hit, Devotion Aura otherwise.
- Blessing of Kings on the tank, Blessing of Wisdom on yourself and the other casters. They last an hour.
- Stand where you can reach the tank with Holy Shock (20 yards), out of Consecration and cleave. Holy Light and Flash of Light reach 40.
Healing priority
- Holy Light on the tank when they are missing more than a Holy Light heals. Start the cast before the damage lands, and step to cancel it if the tank is still full when it's almost done.
- Flash of Light for small damage and anyone who isn't the tank. It's a 1.5-second cast and much cheaper.
- Holy Shock when the tank drops fast or you have to move. It's instant, every 10 seconds.
- Purify Poisons and Diseases off the tank first, then the rest.
Emergencies
- Lay on Hands heals the tank for your full health and drains your mana. It no longer stops your regeneration, so you start refilling at once.
- Blessing of Protection on a DPS a mob is chasing. Physical attacks can't reach them for 8 seconds, and rank 3 at 38 makes it 10.
- Divine Protection on yourself if a pack turns on you. You can still heal during it.
Mana
Drink after every pull that took more than a third of your mana. Reverence keeps some regeneration running while you cast, but the real refill is drinking between packs.
Before the pull
- Blessings: agree with the other Paladins on who casts Greater Blessing of Kings, Greater Blessing of Wisdom, Greater Blessing of Might and Greater Blessing of Light. Each player gets one Blessing from each Paladin, and Greater Blessings now last an hour.
- Aura: Concentration Aura for your healing party, or the resistance aura the boss calls for: Fire Resistance Aura, Frost Resistance Aura or Shadow Resistance Aura.
- Light's Vigil on a member of the party that takes the first wave of damage.
Tank healing
- Holy Light is your main heal on the tank. Start it early, and cancel it by stepping if the tank is topped when the cast ends.
- Holy Light and Holy Light are cheaper ranks for steady damage. Use them when the tank takes a hit a lower rank covers.
- Holy Shock on cooldown when the tank needs it. A crit makes your next Holy Light 1 second faster.
- Flash of Light for damage between Holy Lights and for anyone who isn't the tank.
Light's Vigil
Light's Vigil is a 1.5-second cast on a 6-second cooldown that marks one ally for 30 seconds. Your next Holy Shock on that ally heals their whole party and triggers no cooldown. Cast Light's Vigil first, then Holy Shock the marked ally for the party heal, and your Holy Shock is still ready for the tank. It's expensive, so save it for the moment a party takes damage together. You can keep one Light's Vigil on each party.
Divine Favor
Divine Favor makes your next Holy Light, Flash of Light or Holy Shock a crit. Put it on Holy Light when the tank needs a big heal: you get the biggest crit you can land and an Illumination refund. On Holy Shock, the crit also triggers Infusion of Light for a 1.5-second Holy Light straight after.
Mana
- Every crit refunds half its base cost with Illumination. Holy Power and Divine Favor are mana talents as much as healing talents.
- Reverence keeps 30% of your regeneration running while you cast.
- Lay on Hands restores 550 mana to its target. Cast it on another healer when the fight is almost won and both of you are dry.
- Drink a Major Mana Potion at the first dip on progression bosses, so it's ready again two minutes later.
Tank healing
- Holy Light on the main tank, back to back. Champion of the Light adds your full Intellect to every cast, so max-rank Holy Light is the spell you fill your time with.
- Holy Shock when the tank spikes, or while you move.
- Flash of Light for the other tanks and for damage that doesn't need a Holy Light.
- Divine Favor on Holy Light for the biggest heal of the fight.
Mana
Without Holy Power, you crit less and Illumination refunds less. Two things replace it:
- Judgement of Wisdom from melee range. Judgement reaches only 10 yards, so this is a deliberate melee-healer step: walk in on the pull, cast Seal of Wisdom, Judgement the boss, and walk back out. Sanctified Judgement returns 60% of the Seal's cost, and for 40 seconds the raid's attacks and spells have a chance to restore mana to the attacker. Rejudge when the fight lets you step in, and skip it on bosses whose cleave or breath makes melee range unsafe.
- Benediction makes Holy Shock, Cleanse and your Blessings 10% cheaper.
Stat priority
Dungeon healing
- Spell Power
- Intellect
- Spirit
- Stamina
Spell Power adds to every heal, and at 30 even small amounts are a big share of Holy Light. Intellect is your mana pool and your crit. Spirit refills you between pulls, and Reverence turns some of it into mana while you cast.
Raid healing
- Spell Power
- Intellect
- Critical Strike
- Mana per 5 seconds
- Spirit
- Stamina
Spell Power makes every heal bigger. Intellect deepens your mana pool and raises your crit. Critical Strike is healing and mana at once: every crit is a bigger heal and an Illumination refund of half the spell's base cost. Mana per 5 seconds works while you cast, unlike Spirit, which Reverence only lets 30% through.
Champion healing
- Intellect
- Spell Power
- Critical Strike
- Mana per 5 seconds
- Spirit
Champion of the Light adds healing equal to your Intellect, and Intellect also gives mana and crit. Each point of Intellect beats a point of Spell Power, so take Intellect upgrades first and let Spell Power follow.
Gear
What to wear
You wear mail until 40 and plate from 40. For a healer, stats beat armor type: a cloth or leather piece with Spell Power, Intellect and Spirit beats a mail piece without them. The tank takes the hits.
Weapons
A one-handed weapon with Spell Power and a shield or off-hand with Intellect. As a Human, pick a sword for Sword Specialization's 2% crit; as a Dwarf, a mace for Mace Specialization's 1%.
What you're gearing for
Spell Power and Intellect on every slot, then Critical Strike and Mana per 5 seconds. Plate healing pieces are the goal, but a cloth, leather or mail piece with better healing stats beats a plate piece without them.
Enchants
- Enchant Weapon - Healing Power on your weapon.
- Enchant Bracer - Healing Power on your bracers.
- Enchant Chest - Major Intellect or Enchant Chest - Greater Stats on your chest.
Consumables
- Flask of Distilled Wisdom: 2,000 maximum mana for 2 hours, through death.
- Brilliant Mana Oil on your weapon: 15 mana every 5 seconds and more healing.
- Mageblood Elixir: 12 mana every 5 seconds for an hour.
- Major Mana Potion on every progression boss.
What you're gearing for
Intellect first on every slot, then Spell Power. Swap Spell Power pieces for Intellect pieces whenever the Intellect gain is bigger than the Spell Power you lose. Champion of the Light pays it back.
Enchants and consumables
- Enchant Weapon - Mighty Intellect on your weapon: +22 Intellect.
- Enchant Chest - Major Intellect on your chest.
- Flask of Distilled Wisdom, Brilliant Mana Oil and Major Mana Potion, as in the Light's Vigil build.
- Runn Tum Tuber Surprise for 15 Intellect while Well Fed.
Professions
Herbalism and Alchemy is the Holy pair. Alchemy makes Flask of Distilled Wisdom, Mageblood Elixir and Major Mana Potions, the consumables that decide how long you heal a boss. Herbalism supplies it.
Enchanting and Tailoring is the alternative: Tailoring makes cloth healing gear, and Enchanting puts healing enchants on it.
For gold while leveling, take Herbalism and Mining, then switch one of them at 60.
Group play and dungeons
Your job is keeping the tank alive, then the party, then yourself.
- Stay in range and out of melee. Holy Light and Flash of Light reach 40 yards. Holy Shock and Light's Vigil reach 20.
- Cleanse early. Cleanse removes a Poison, a Disease and a Magic effect at once, and Purifying Power makes it 20% cheaper.
- Blessings. Kings for everyone is the default. Blessing of Light on the tank increases every Holy Light you cast on them by up to 400.
- Blessing of Protection a DPS who pulled aggro. They can't attack during it, and physical attacks can't touch them.
- Blessing of Sacrifice (Blessing of Sacrifice) on the tank moves some of every hit onto you for 30 seconds.
- Hammer of Justice is your interrupt. Stun the add that's healing or fearing.
- Divine Intervention (Divine Intervention) saves one party member when a wipe is certain. Put it on a player who can resurrect the rest.
Tips
Holy Shock on a Light's Vigil target triggers no cooldown. Cast Light's Vigil, then Holy Shock the marked ally for the party heal, and you still have Holy Shock ready for the tank.
Divine Favor on Flash of Light wastes most of it. Put it on Holy Light for the biggest heal, or on Holy Shock for an Infusion of Light.
Cancel Holy Light instead of overhealing. Start early, and step to stop the cast if the tank is full when it's almost done. A wasted Holy Light costs 660 mana at max rank.
Divine Shield doesn't stop your healing. It halves the damage you deal, not the healing. Bubble and keep casting.
Blessings last an hour. Rebuff after deaths, not on every pull.
Train Holy Shock ranks at 40, 48 and 56. The talent teaches rank 1, and trainers sell the rest.
Macros
Holy Shock on your mouseover, or your target. Heal without switching targets.
#showtooltip Holy Shock
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Holy ShockHoly Light on your mouseover. Keep the boss targeted and heal from the raid frames.
#showtooltip Holy Light
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Holy LightFlash of Light that stops your current cast first. When a Holy Light won't land in time, this replaces it with a 1.5-second heal.
#showtooltip Flash of Light
/stopcasting
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Flash of LightLight's Vigil on your mouseover, for the party that's about to take damage.
#showtooltip Light's Vigil
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Light's VigilCleanse on your mouseover.
#showtooltip Cleanse
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] CleanseChangelog
- Guide published with Level 30 Dungeon Healer, Level 60 Raid and Level 60 Champion builds.
- Corrected Holy Shock and Light's Vigil range (20 yards) and stat naming (Spell Power); linked raids.
