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Paladin Armor

What is best for Paladin gear really depends on how you have spent your talent points (how you are spec'ed) and what you are doing. For example if you are playing mainly PvP, then you will have different requirements than someone spec'ed the same that is raiding. The same goes for leveling, where the gear requirements are different.

Leveling Gear

While leveling up you really need to just focus on what is better for your primary stats. If you are Retribution then that means Strength and Stamina, Holy would use Intelligence and Stamina, while Protection would focus on Stamina and Intelligence. Anything else is just icing on the cake. Every quest reward that grants those stats in a bigger number than you have already is obviously going to be an upgrade. Anything not better can just be sold off.

While leveling it really isn't about the perfect items, because once you do find that perfect item, it's time to replace it already. So simply go with anything that improves your core stats.

PvP Gear

PvP gear at level 70 is relatively simple. You need to still focus on the same core stats as leveling or PvE, however they become secondary to Stamina and Resilience. All you need to do is get the PvP set appropriate to your build. For Holy that is the Ornamented Gladiator's set, Retribution is the Scaled Gladiator's set and Protection is the Lamellar Gladiator's set. Each set has all of the stats you need for PvP. Which, interestingly enough is resilience followed by stamina, then the rest of the stats and bonuses related to your build.

PvE Endgame Gear

This is the gear set that most players spend the most time gathering. This is where you really want to find the best of everything that you can. Therefore it gets a little more complicated, so it is broken down into a stats and bonuses section that describes what you need for each build type.

Stats

As a Paladin the stats you require vary on your build. For a Retribution build you will be looking for Strength, Agility and Stamina as primary stats. For a Holy build, Intelligence and Stamina are key. Lastly a Protection build will be looking for Stamina and Agility. As all of your abilities require mana to use, all builds require a base amount of Intelligence. For many builds though as long as you have a decent base mana pool, other stats are more critical.

The balancing act for all stats is not a simple thing. For almost any build more intelligence is a good thing as it allows you to fight or heal longer. Even as a tank, more mana allows you to heal yourself if needed, however you are then spending time healing instead of tanking. The same balancing applies to Strength, Agility and Stamina for a Retribution build. Agility allows you to hit and crit more often, while strength allows you to hit harder, the choice is personal as to the best way to split points.

Effects

Once again the effects that are critical to a paladin are different based on your build. The simple answer is that for a Protection build you need: +defense, +dodge, +parry, +block and +spell damage, for a Holy build you need +healing and +mana over time, while a Retribution build needs +crit, +to hit and +attack power.

The complicated answer is that for each of these builds the balancing act comes into play again. Is it better to have +10 defense or +10 block or +10 spell damage on a protection based Paladin. Much of the choice is up to you as a player. However we have a guide to help figure out these bonuses that you can find here: What's with all these crazy new numbers?

Paladins have many weapon and armor options available to them. They cannot however just pick up anything and fight with it. They can use:

• Any type of Armor (Plate after level 40)
• Maces
• Swords
• Axes (trained)
• Pole arms (trained)

Note that to use axes and pole arms, you must pay a Weapons Trainer to train you. Check out the Weapons Guide for where to find the best Weapons Trainer for you!

Going with a 1 handed sword, mace or axe allows you to fight with a shield in your other hand. This is your standard defensive gearing. Using any of the 2 handed weapons gains DPS but loses a lot of your armor. If you are Holy or Protection spec'ed then you will find most of your time spent fighting with a sword n' board (ie: shield), however if you are Retribution spec, expect to fight with big 2 handed weapons.

Each class has a different set of gear that is specifically for them and has some of the best stats in the game. Here are the names of each set and where most of the parts are located. If you’re interested in the details of each set then have a look at our Ten Ton Hammer’s Database where you can search and find any item you’re looking for.

Legend:
- DS: Dungeon Set (Rare to Epic Quality)
- Tier: Tiered Set (Epic Quality)

You can find a list of all the items in the set at Blizzards set item site here: High Level Armor Sets .

Have comments or suggestions? Thought of something that has been missed? Found an error? We would love to hear from you! Please post in our Paladin Class guide forum, or email me at messiah@tentonhammer.com