Cataclysm Classic Holy Paladin Guide

This page contains all relevant information needed for Holy Paladin before the release of Cataclysm Classic. Be sure to check back as we get closer to the release date, as this page will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.

Yes! Holy Paladin remains the king of Tank healing and is quite strong throughout all phases of Cataclysm due to their incredible toolkit. Abilities like Beacon of Light, while changed, are still incredibly strong. The weaknesses of Holy Paladin has largely been addressed with the addition of movement speed in the Speed of Light talent, as well as the addition of ways to heal multiple targets at once with Light of Dawn. The addition of Holy Power has also given us a new resource to manage and new abilities Light of Dawn and Word of Glory to make our healing arsenal even more diverse.

Strengths

• Consistent two-target healing thanks to Beacon of Light.
• Scales incredibly with gear, especially late game.
• Ability to dispel Magic, Poison and Diseases with Cleanse.
• Incredibly powerful healing on stacked targets thanks to Holy Radiance and Light of Dawn.

Weaknesses

• Even with the additions of Holy Radiance and Light of Dawn the ability to heal multiple targets when not stacked is very lacking.
• Incredibly mana-hungry
• Positioning is incredibly important to be able to take advantage of Light of Dawn
• Maximum Holy Power generation requires being in Melee range to Crusader Strike.

With the addition of Tauren now being able to choose Paladin, the decision is largely up to you. Tauren is naturally tankier due to their Endurance racial, while Blood Elf will regenerate considerably more Mana thanks to Arcane Torrent. Both are strong options, but if your intention is purely to play Holy Paladin then Blood Elf will likely yield better results, especially in PvE.

As Alliance, the default choice will be Human; thanks to the rework to Spirit now giving in-combat Mana regeneration to all healers, The Human Spirit is far too strong to pass up.

1. Engineering — Engineering is still one of the best Professions in the game and is made even stronger for Tanks with the addition of two new Tinkers, Synapse Springs and Grounded Plasma Shield. Synapse Springs provide a ton of Intellect which pairs incredibly with our Avenging Wrath cooldown allowing you to get even more casts off while the buff is active. The Grounded Plasma Shield allows us to mitigate incoming damage in situations where Divine Protection may be on cooldown and you need Divine Shield for something else. Nitro Boosts are also incredibly important especially as a Paladin where your mobility options are so limited.
2. Tailoring — The tailoring cloak enchants Lightweave Embroidery and Darkglow Embroidery both offer massive benefit depending on if you find yourself in a situation where you need more Mana regen or just need some added throughput though pairing the Lightweave Embroidery proc with your Divine Plea is a great way to regenerate a ton of Mana while still being able to heal effectively.
3. Blacksmithing — Lets you add an extra socket to both your Gloves and Bracers thanks to Socket Gloves and Socket Bracer. As a Holy Paladin Intellect is incredibly valuable compared to secondary stats and these bonus sockets only become more valuable as the expansion progresses onward and Epic Gems are introduced.

Addons and Macros can greatly improve your quality of life during Cataclysm. Listed below are some of our recommendations on Addons and Macros to help get the most out of your time playing the game.