Holy Paladin Healing Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities — The War Within (11.0.5)

Last updated on Oct 21, 2024 at 21:00 by Mytholxgy 30 comments
General Information

On this page, you will learn how to optimize the rotation of your Holy Paladin, depending on the type of damage your group is receiving. We also have advanced sections about cooldowns, procs, etc. in order to minmax your healing output and your mana efficiency. All our content is updated for World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.0.5).

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Holy Paladin rotation.

1.

Holy Paladin Rotation Guide for The War Within

Welcome to our Rotation page for Holy Paladins. On this page, you will find everything you need to know about actually playing the spec in Raiding and Mythic+ scenarios.

1.1.

Holy Paladin Rotations

Each of the sections below explain the rotation for Holy Paladin depending on the build you choose and the content you are doing.

2.

Holy Paladin Rotation

The buttons below can be used to select between curated Raiding and Mythic+ loadouts. You can also use the switches below to add or remove individual talents you may also be using:

Raid — Casting Raid — Melee Avenging Crusader Mythic+
Talent Selections, etc.
Beacon of Light Icon Beacon of Light Beacon of Virtue Icon Beacon of Virtue Crusader's Might Icon Crusader's Might
Avenging Wrath Icon Avenging Wrath Avenging Crusader Icon Avenging Crusader Tyr's Deliverance Icon Tyr's Deliverance
Awestruck Icon Awestruck Barrier of Faith Icon Barrier of Faith Holy Prism Icon Holy Prism
Inflorescence of the Sunwell Icon Inflorescence of the Sunwell Empyrean Legacy Icon Empyrean Legacy Veneration Icon Veneration
Divine Favor Icon Divine Favor Righteous Judgment Icon Righteous Judgment Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer
Holy Paladin Explained Raid — Casting Raid — Melee Avenging Crusader Mythic+
2.

Spell Priority for Holy Paladin

Regardless of build choice, your primary focus will be casting as many Holy Shock Icon Holy Shocks as possible, as well as spending as much Holy Power as possible through one of: Light of Dawn Icon Light of Dawn, Word of Glory Icon Word of Glory (or Eternal Flame Icon Eternal Flame), or Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous. When you can do none of the above, you will begin casting abilities that are less important or serve as maintenance buffs that you need to keep on cooldown as much as possible (think Holy Prism Icon Holy Prism).

When no healing is needed, the priority will change slightly, and your goals will be to keep Consecration Icon Consecration down as much as possible and spending Holy Power on Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous. If you end up talenting into Righteous Judgment Icon Righteous Judgment, then you will want to also keep Judgment Icon Judgment on cooldown to have a chance at spawning extra consecrates.

When you select a desired build, you will be given much more detailed priority lists that explain how and when to use each ability.

3.

Holy Paladin — Raid Casting Build

When playing this build, keep in mind that despite being a "Casting" build, you will still want to stay towards melee. This will allow you to not only auto-attack the boss, but also gain value from abilities such as Crusader Strike Icon Crusader Strike, Consecration Icon Consecration, and even the rare Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous.

Where this build differs from the "melee" build is that it focuses on consuming Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light as much as possible to gain extra healing through not only the proc consumption, but the extra Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock and Holy Power spender casts

  1. Keep Beacon of Light Icon Beacon of Light and Beacon of Faith Icon Beacon of Faith on two ranged targets who have weak survivability (Hunters, Shadow Priests, Boomkins, etc).
  2. Use Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer as much as possible during a fight. Every buff can be safely placed upon yourself with only Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer requiring any additional thought (when possible, aim to have it up during cooldowns.)
  3. Keep Holy Prism Icon Holy Prism on cooldown as much as possible to proc Dawnlight Icon Dawnlight. When possible, you will want to use Holy Prism during Awakening Icon Awakening to generate extra Sun's Avatar Icon Sun's Avatar procs.
  4. Keep Barrier of Faith Icon Barrier of Faith on cooldown as much as possible to proc Dawnlight Icon Dawnlight. When possible, you will want to use Holy Prism during Awakening Icon Awakening to generate extra Sun's Avatar Icon Sun's Avatar procs. You will generally want to use this on the tank who has aggro of the boss, or someone taking very high damage per second (think debuffs).
  5. Cast Eternal Flame Icon Eternal Flame when you have the Empyrean Legacy Icon Empyrean Legacy proc off cooldown.
  6. Spend Holy Power on Light of Dawn Icon Light of Dawn or Eternal Flame Icon Eternal Flame.
  7. Cast Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock as much as possible.
  8. Aim to cast Holy Light Icon Holy Light when you have both a Divine Favor Icon Divine Favor proc availableAND a Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light proc.
  9. Spend remaining Holy Power if possible.
  10. Consume Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light when you cannot Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock and do not have enough Holy Power to use Light of Dawn Icon Light of Dawn or Word of Glory Icon Word of Glory.
  11. Keep Tyr's Deliverance Icon Tyr's Deliverance on cooldown as much as possible.
  12. Cast Judgment Icon Judgment when you cannot do any of the above.
  13. Cast Hammer of Wrath Icon Hammer of Wrath when you cannot do any of the above.
4.

Holy Paladin — Raid Melee Build

Where this build differs from typical "Casting" builds is that you will be primarily using Crusader Strike Icon Crusader Strike as your filler global. By talenting into Crusader's Might Icon Crusader's Might, you allow yourself to gain extra Holy Shock Icon Holy Shocks while still generating Holy Power and outputting extra damage.

  1. Keep Beacon of Light Icon Beacon of Light and Beacon of Faith Icon Beacon of Faith on two ranged targets who have weak survivability (Hunters, Shadow Priests, Boomkins, etc).
  2. Use Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer as much as possible during a fight. Every buff can be safely placed upon yourself with only Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer requiring any additional thought (when possible, aim to have it up during cooldowns.)
  3. Keep Holy Prism Icon Holy Prism on cooldown as much as possible to proc Dawnlight Icon Dawnlight. When possible, you will want to use Holy Prism during Awakening Icon Awakening to generate extra Sun's Avatar Icon Sun's Avatar procs.
  4. Keep Barrier of Faith Icon Barrier of Faith on cooldown as much as possible to proc Dawnlight Icon Dawnlight. When possible, you will want to use Holy Prism during Awakening Icon Awakening to generate extra Sun's Avatar Icon Sun's Avatar procs. You will generally want to use this on the tank who has aggro of the boss, or someone taking very high damage per second (think debuffs).
  5. Cast Eternal Flame Icon Eternal Flame when you have the Empyrean Legacy Icon Empyrean Legacy proc off cooldown.
  6. Spend Holy Power on Light of Dawn Icon Light of Dawn or Eternal Flame Icon Eternal Flame.
  7. Cast Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock as much as possible.
  8. Aim to cast Holy Light Icon Holy Light when you have both a Divine Favor Icon Divine Favor proc availableAND a Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light proc.
  9. Spend remaining Holy Power if possible.
  10. Consume Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light when you have a proc available and nothing else to do, generally through casting Judgment Icon Judgment.
  11. Keep Tyr's Deliverance Icon Tyr's Deliverance on cooldown as much as possible.
  12. Cast Judgment Icon Judgment when you cannot do any of the above.
  13. Cast Hammer of Wrath Icon Hammer of Wrath when you cannot do any of the above.
5.

Holy Paladin — Avenging Crusader

This build plays a bit unique in the fact that it takes Avenging Crusader Icon Avenging Crusader and specs into Lightsmith instead of the common Herald of the Sun. It places a high emphasis on Judgment Icon Judgment and Crusader Strike Icon Crusader Strike in order to output as much healing as possible.

  1. Keep Beacon of Light Icon Beacon of Light and Beacon of Faith Icon Beacon of Faith on two ranged targets who have weak survivability (Hunters, Shadow Priests, Boomkins, etc).
  2. Use Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer as much as possible during a fight. Every buff can be safely placed upon yourself with only Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer requiring any additional thought (when possible, aim to have it up during cooldowns.)
  3. Keep Sacred Weapon Icon Sacred Weapon on cooldown as much as possible.
  4. If at 5 Holy Power, make sure to spend.
  5. Cast Judgment Icon Judgment as much as possible.
  6. Cast Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock as much as possible.
  7. Keep Holy Prism Icon Holy Prism on cooldown as much as possible.
  8. Keep Barrier of Faith Icon Barrier of Faith on cooldown as much as possible.
  9. Cast Word of Glory Icon Word of Glory when you have the Empyrean Legacy Icon Empyrean Legacy proc off cooldown.
  10. Cast Crusader Strike Icon Crusader Strike.
  11. Spend Remaining Holy Power on Light of Dawn Icon Light of Dawn or Word of Glory Icon Word of Glory.
  12. Keep Tyr's Deliverance Icon Tyr's Deliverance on cooldown as much as possible.
  13. Cast Hammer of Wrath Icon Hammer of Wrath when you cannot do any of the above.

It is important to note that your rotation slightly differs when inside and outside of Avenging Crusader Icon Avenging Crusader. When inside of this cooldown, your priority, above all else, will be to keep Judgment Icon Judgment and Crusader Strike Icon Crusader Strike on cooldown. You will also want to be triggering Blessed Assurance Icon Blessed Assurance between each Crusader Strike cast. Because of this, your in Avenging Crusader Icon Avenging Crusader rotation will look something like this:

  1. Cast Judgment Icon Judgment
  2. Spend Holy Power
  3. Cast Crusader Strike Icon Crusader Strike
  4. Cast Judgment Icon Judgment

When you do not have Holy Power to spend, you can instead cast Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock to help you generate Holy Power between casts. The goal is to follow that rotation as closely as possible to maximize your Avenging Crusader Icon Avenging Crusader healing. When you are outside of this cooldown, you can follow the standard rotation detailed above.

6.

Holy Paladin — Mythic+

Many of the priorities you would use in raiding content will stay the same in Mythic+. The main exception to this is the increased importance of Consecration Icon Consecration, Judgment Icon Judgment, and Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous in order to output extra damage because no healing is needed.

  1. Keep Beacon of Light Icon Beacon of Light and Beacon of Faith Icon Beacon of Faith on two ranged targets who have weak survivability (Hunters, Shadow Priests, Boomkins, etc).
  2. Use Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer as much as possible during a fight. Every buff can be safely placed upon yourself with only Blessing of Summer Icon Blessing of Summer requiring any additional thought (when possible, aim to have it up during cooldowns or large packs)
  3. Keep Sacred Weapon Icon Sacred Weapon on cooldown as much as possible.
  4. Keep Consecration Icon Consecration active at all times.
  5. Cast Judgment Icon Judgment as much as possible.
  6. Keep Holy Prism Icon Holy Prism on cooldown as much as possible.
  7. Keep Barrier of Faith Icon Barrier of Faith on cooldown as much as possible.
  8. Cast Word of Glory Icon Word of Glory when you have the Empyrean Legacy Icon Empyrean Legacy proc off cooldown.
  9. Spend Holy Power on Word of Glory Icon Word of Glory when healing is needed, or Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous when no healing is needed.
  10. Cast Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock as much as possible.
  11. Aim to cast Holy Light Icon Holy Light when you have both a Divine Favor Icon Divine Favor proc availableAND a Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light proc.
  12. Spend remaining Holy Power if possible.
  13. Cast Hammer of Wrath Icon Hammer of Wrath when you cannot do any of the above.
  14. Consume Infusion of Light Icon Infusion of Light when you have nothing else to do and a proc available.
  15. Keep Tyr's Deliverance Icon Tyr's Deliverance on cooldown as much as possible.

Keep in mind that damage may occur in Mythic+ settings that you did not expect. If you are constantly spending Holy Power whenever possible, you may not have Holy Power available when healing is needed. For this reason, it can often be wise as a beginner player to only cast Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous when you have 4-5 Holy Power; that way, you can quickly generate extra Holy Power when healing is needed unexpectedly.

6.1.

Cooldown Usage for Holy Paladins

As a Holy Paladin, you have several healing cooldowns. You should use them as we explain below:

  1. Avenging Wrath Icon Avenging Wrath increases your healing done and damage done by 20% for 20 seconds. It is very useful during periods of high sustained damage.
  2. Divine Toll Icon Divine Toll is a strong burst heal that can be used to quickly generate Holy Power, or simply get your party healthy.
  3. Tyr's Deliverance Icon Tyr's Deliverance will buff your allies, increasing the healing you can do to them with Flash of Light Icon Flash of Light, Holy Light Icon Holy Light, and Holy Shock Icon Holy Shock. When using this ability, you will want to make sure you are casting these spells on buffed allies, as well as extending the duration as long as possible with the Boundless Salvation Icon Boundless Salvation.
  4. Lay on Hands Icon Lay on Hands should be used to save dying raid members, especially tanks.
  5. Blessing of Sacrifice Icon Blessing of Sacrifice lasts 12 seconds, transferring 30% of the damage taken by your target to you. The effect is automatically canceled if the transferred damage would cause you to fall below 20% health. This cooldown is excellent for reducing the damage taken by the tank or other raid members. Be cautious, however, because Blessing of Sacrifice can be dangerous to your own life if used without a damage reduction cooldown, such as Divine Protection Icon Divine Protection or Divine Shield Icon Divine Shield, or when simultaneous raid damage independently threatens your life such that the additional damage taken from Blessing of Sacrifice can lead to your death.
  6. Aura Mastery Icon Aura Mastery empowers your chosen aura, increasing its range to 40 yards and also improving its efficiency. It is a raid cooldown, and it should be used at a time designated by your healing officer or raid leader.
  7. Blessing of Protection Icon Blessing of Protection can be used to clear harmful physical damage debuffs and bleeds from the target. Be mindful of the fact that bosses will not attack targets affected by Blessing of Protection, though, so only cast it on the current tank if the off-tank is prepared to take over.
  8. Blessing of Freedom Icon Blessing of Freedom removes movement-impairing effects from the targeted raid member, which can be very useful in certain situations.
6.2.

Simplified Holy Paladin Rotation for Beginners

If the rotations above seem overwhelming to you, you might benefit from visiting our Easy Mode page, which outlines a close-to-optimal rotation in simpler terms.

6.3.

PvP

The content on this page is purely PvE-related. If you are looking for PvP Rotation Tips, please visit our PvP page below.

6.4.

Addons for Holy Paladin Rotation

Check out our Addons page below for some recommended Addons to get the most out of your Holy Paladin!

6.5.

Macros for Holy Paladin Rotation

Check out our Macros page below for some recommended Macros to get the most out of your Holy Paladin!

6.6.

Mythic+ Tips and Tricks for Holy Paladin

For information about Mythic+ as a Holy Paladin, please refer to our Mythic+ page.

7.

Questions for the Author

Thanks for reading my Rotation Guide for Holy Paladin. If you have any questions about it that you would like to ask me directly, feel free to contact me (Mytholxgy)on discord through either the Paladin Discord or through direct messages: mytholxgy.

8.

Changelog

  • 24 Oct. 2024: Avenging Crusader Rotation updated.
  • 21 Oct. 2024: Page updated for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Reviewed and Updated for The War Within.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Page Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Updated for Season 4.
  • 19 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Rotations updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Page Updated for 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 07 Aug. 2023: Updated rotation and added more info about Beacon of Light targetting.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Rotations updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 27 May 2023: Avenging Crusader rotation updated.
  • 01 May 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 24 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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