by Medeor on Jan 20, 2009
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Gear is what drives us.
Gear is what we seek; it’s what defines our characters
(except for the gnome name Shinhumper, then it’s a name that
defines the character). When a newly created Paladin heads out into the
world, they will start collecting gear from the first level. The
questions start forming early, “Is this good for
me?” For the gear magnet Paladin that can wear everything
(except plate until level 40 and then can wear it all), the decisions
become much more difficult. But they don’t need to be. There
aren’t that many key statistics players really need to
evaluate when making decisions on which gear to wear. Don’t
lose sleep over whether or not a piece of gear is an
“up” (as in upgrade), we’re here to help.
This is preliminary guide for new Paladins. If you have completed The
Obsidian Sanctum with three drakes up, then you already know what you
need. For those wanting a quick how-to manual for a new Paladin, then
read on.
Two Types of Gear
There are definitely more than two types of gear, but during the course
of playing the game, you only need to worry about two. The first type
of gear is “Leveling Gear” and the second is
“Level Cap Gear” for the end game. Rolling through
old world Azeroth and the Outlands, you should spend almost zero time
evaluating leveling gear. With the speed of leveling and the abundance
of gear available, the focus should be on three stats per piece of
gear. Those three stats will determine if you should equip it or
vendor/disenchant the gear in question. Which three stats? Glad you
asked. For each of the three primary Paladin talent trees, highlighted
below are three (or four) key statistics for determining gear
advantages.
Wait a minute before we get started!
Sub Level 80 Gear Stats
Before we get rolling, there is an important thing to keep in mind.
While leveling, do not, I repeat, do not chase gear or gear sets. The
level 60 Lightforge set was the defining gear for Paladins before The
Burning Crusade, but now it is an antique that should stay in the
garage. Gear below level 70 will be replaced so fast that any
additional work put into getting that gear will feel like a waste
(unless you are into the “immersion thing,” and
then have at it). The key to keeping gear decisions simple is to focus
on the important stats for the type of Paladin you decide to play. The
type of Paladin is based on how talent points are spent. For this
guide, it is assumed that a character is heavily weighted in one of the
three trees (i.e. a Protection Paladin means the character has gone
deeply if not all the way down the protection talent tree).
Another helpful hint
during leveling, “Use all weapons”
This is really two helpful hints. Always use the best weapon you can
get your hands on. Whether it’s a one handed axe, or two
handed mace, try them all out. It may help you better understand which
way you want to play your Paladin, and it will also keep your weapon
skills up. Using different weapons as as you level up, you will keep
your weapon skills at a respectable level. There is nothing more
frustrating than seeing a sweet weapon drop and not able to use it
immediately because a weapon skill is two out of three hundred.
Now on to the show.
Healers Heed These Words
The holy Paladin (sometimes called a Healadin) is gearing up for
casting spells, namely healing and cleansing spells. With that in mind,
the gear of choice can be any blend of cloth, leather, mail or plate.
Since Healadins tend to stand back away from the action, cloth is
acceptable. Holy Paladins typically carry one handed maces (maces tend
to be spell power heavy), and shields which provide some armor and more
importantly healing stats.
Try to stay in the heaviest armor available (stick with plate when
given a choice). Once the holy Paladin starts entering Northrend (Wrath
of the Lich King content), the gear choices start getting a little more
difficult as spell haste, critical strike ratings, spirit and mana/5
seconds become more important. Without getting into serious theory of
why each stat is better than another, following is a list of key stats
for holy Paladins in their level of priority (highest first):
Protection Preference
Protection Paladins are the tanking arm of the Paladin arsenal. The
tank’s job is to wade into the fray and draw the attention of
the foes by building threat (or agro). Paladin tanks generate threat
typically by using specific spells that amplify holy threat, thus
ensuring the bad guys won’t run at the healers with their
game faces on.
The protection Paladin will be garbed in plate, all lesser armor need
not apply. If the tankadin (as they are often referred) is going to
lead with his/her face, then it better be protected! The protection
Paladin carries a shield and one handed weapon. In contrast to the holy
Paladin, intellect takes a back seat for Tankadins and strength,
agility, stamina and defense come to the forefront. Here’s
why:
The Retribution Reference
The retribution Paladin has finally become a force with which to be
reckoned. The typical weapon of the retribution Paladin is a two handed
sword, axe or mace. The bigger and badder the weapon, the better! Armor
values and spell ratings are out the window, for the retribution
Paladin it’s all about bringing the pain.
Sharing some of the same stat bonus desires as the tankadin, the
retribution Paladin (Retadin) wants strength, agility and attack power.
Beyond the three key stats, Retadins will want to seek out hit rating,
expertise and crit chance. Even though Paladins want intellect due to
damage from spells, the damage components of the Retadin are centered
on strength as the key ingredient. The optimal stats include:
What does it all mean?
This guide is a starting point, not an end-game min/max guide for
theory-crafters. The goal is to provide the primary stats new Paladins
should evaluate when leveling up and starting to assemble sets for
dungeon running. Opening up a character sheet will provide a myriad of
stats and some are very important, others not – all depending
on how the Paladin is built and played. By using the key stats
highlighted above, Paladins of every flavor can determine if a new
weapon or piece of gear is an upgrade. Above all else, have fun and
experiment with different combinations and see what works best for you.