Cataclysm Classic Retribution Paladin Stat Priority

The stat priority for Retribution Paladin is as follows:

1. Strength
2. Hit Rating (to 8%)
3. Expertise Rating (26 Expertise Cap)
4. Mastery
5. Critical Strike Rating
6. Haste Rating

Strength is your primary source of Attack Power which all of your damaging abilities scale off of. We will rarely if ever have to choose between Strength and other stats as it is a Primary stat. Strength also scales with Blessing of Kings making it an even more valuable stat.

At Level 85:

• 1 Strength = 2 Attack Power

Hit Rating is another great way to deal damage and more importantly land our abilities, in Cataclysm it is especially important to hit your Crusader Strike ability to generate Holy Power to be able to keep your Inquisition buff active and deal damage with your Templar's Verdict ability. Auto Attacks hitting is also a massive part of your DPS rotation as proccing The Art of War enables you to use Exorcism in your rotation. As a Retribution Paladin we are aiming to achieve 8% Hit rating to be Melee attack hit capped. If you find yourself playing Draenei be aware that your Heroic Presence racial grants an additional 1% Hit Rating passively.

At Level 85:

• 120.1 Hit Rating = 1% Hit Chance

Expertise Rating reduces the chance that the target will Dodge or Parry At 26 Rating which is what we are aiming for you will have completely remove any boss level mobs ability to Dodge your attacks, while attacking from behind boss mobs will not be able to Parry so we have no real reason to add anymore Expertise past the cap of 26 as we will rarely if ever be attacking from in front of the mob. Keep in mind Glyph of Seal of Truth will grant you 10 Expertise making it much easier to reach this cap.

Rating	Skill	Percent	Information
30.02	1	0.25%	1 Expertise Skill
691	23	5.75%	Dodge cap on bosses when racial is active: Sword Specialization, or Mace Specialization.
781	26	6.5%	Dodge cap on bosses without racial
1592	53	13.25%	Parry cap on bosses when racial is active: Sword Specialization, or Mace Specialization.
1682	56	14%	Parry cap on bosses without racial

Mastery is the new stat added in during Cataclysm and provides a different, unique benefit for every single specialization in the game. For Retribution Paladins, Mastery gives Hand of Light, which increases the damage dealt by your Templar's Verdict, Crusader Strike and Divine Storm based off of the amount of Mastery you have. As your primary generators and spenders of Holy Power this makes Mastery an entirely passive DPS increase to abilities you are already using in your rotation.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Mastery Rating = 1% Mastery

Critical Strike rating is a great stat but not quite as strong as Mastery, Hit, or Expertise and is still a DPS increase compared to Haste. We do not have any talents or abilities that directly scale with Critical Strike Rating but the bonus damage from Critically Striking is never a bad thing.

At Level 85:

• 179.28 Crit Rating = 1% Crit

Haste rating is our lowest priority secondary stat, while the increased Attack Speed allows for more The Art of War procs and it scales with our Sanctity of Battle stat it ends up consistently performing worse than Critical Strike Rating. Reforge this stat into a higher priority stat like Mastery or Critical Strike Rating.

At Level 85:

• 128.05 Haste Rating = 1% Haste