The Paladin

One of the three primary tanking souls, the Paladin packs the most punch for players dedicated to protecting their allies and punishing their foes. Most tank builds will want to build heavily around the Paladin no matter what their ultimate focus is.

Pros

• Highest mitigation of all souls
• Excellent threat generation
• Multiple self heal talents and abilities
• Can lower enemies damage output
• Can shield all party members from large amounts of damage
• Nearly impossible to kill

Cons

• Limited AoE threat
• Weak against magic based attacks
• Low damage output

Overview

Out of all the tanking souls, the Paladin feels the most like a tank quicker than any of the others. Using shield enhancements stuns and debilitating attacks to control the battlefield, the Paladin is a powerful bulwark that can make low level tanking a breeze. Early on in both the root and the advancement trees there are several threat generating abilities that help the Paladin keep a firm grasp on unruly mobs. There simply is no way around devoting considerable points into the Paladin tree no matter what style of tank you ultimately become.

Solo Play

While most players will devote one of their roles at least to a more traditional DPS based solo spec, it is still possible to solo as a Paladin. One of the drawbacks to being a Paladin is a lower overall damage output than many of warrior souls, but the tradeoff in survivability means you won’t be at a complete disadvantage. One on one a Paladin can whittle down even some epic mobs and solo some rift bosses if enough cooldowns are available.

Group Play

A good Paladin will have more friends than they know what to do with as you will be the primary tank of choice for many encounters. A highly forgiving spec at lower levels, the Paladin is a great soul to learn the basics of tanking with and experienced players will quickly master its nuances for maximum performance.

Pairs Best With

Reaver

Another tanking soul, the Reaver fills in the few gaps in the Paladin’s gleaming armor. Adding AoE threat and some extra punch on the damage end, the benefits of a Reaver soul are felt almost immediately. At a mere 6 points in you gain Soul Sickness, a nice DoT, in the root tree and buff it to heal you for 50% of its damage in the advancement tree. Even though the master of entropy and death may seem the polar opposite to the bearer of the light, this is an excellent pairing.

Warlord

While many people may overlook the Warlord as being a relatively weak soul, its buffing and enhancement abilities are a excellent way to round out the Paladin. Passive abilities that reduce incoming damage that are coupled with the Paladin’s already impressive mitigation will make you a healers dream. Astute warriors will use the various shouts and cooldowns afforded by the Warlord to round out a top notch tanking build. My personal favorite is a 3 minute cooldown called “No Permission to Die” that turns a fatal blow into a 50% of max health heal, a devastating ability in PvE and PvP alike.