Retribution Paladin Guide: Midnight Season 2 Builds, Rotation

This Retribution Paladin guide covers Midnight Season 2 on patch 12.1.5: Herald of the Sun vs Templar, the apex talent and Folio runes, the opener and priority list, cooldowns, stats, best weapon and trinkets, Mythic+ utility, and Ret in PvP, where it's one of the strongest specs this season. Blizzard's October 27 class tuning didn't change Retribution (Icy Veins hotfix summary). Builds and priorities follow Icy Veins' Retribution Paladin guide and Method, cited inline.

Quick summary

• Hero tree: Herald of the Sun is the default for raid and Mythic+ (Icy Veins and Method). Templar has a small single-target edge, better defensives and stronger burst AoE.
• Generator: Crusading Strikes, which is "significantly stronger" than Templar Strikes (Icy Veins).
• Core loop: Avenging Wrath, Execution Sentence, Wake of Ashes, Divine Toll, then spend Holy Power at 5. Final Verdict on one target, Divine Storm on 2+.
• Stats: item level first, then Mastery > Haste > Crit > Versatility.
• Best trinkets: Voracious Heart of Ula'tek (active) and Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique (passive).
• Ret is S tier in PvP on our Midnight PvP tier list: second of 27 DPS specs in Solo Shuffle and Battleground Blitz on the October 28 ladders.

Retribution Paladin strengths and weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
Strong Avenging Wrath burst and sustained cleave with Herald (Icy Veins)	Holy Power waste is "unavoidable" with some talents
Utility: Intercession battle res, Blessing of Protection, Sacrifice and Freedom, Devotion Aura	"Very few strong trinkets" this tier besides two raid trinkets
Self-sustain from Word of Glory and Lay on Hands	Word of Glory costs Holy Power, so you lose damage when you heal
Simple priority-based rotation (Method)	Burst AoE is weaker on Herald than Templar

In top-end Mythic+, Ret appeared in 6.8% of the world's top 2,000 timed keys on October 28 (Raider.IO), the fifth most common DPS spec but far behind the Subtlety, Elemental and Arms core. Our Mythic+ tier list compares it with other key specs.

Best Ret Paladin build: Herald of the Sun or Templar

Content	Pick	Why
Raid, single target	Herald of the Sun or Templar	Both viable. Templar has a small edge, and Herald does better with Power Infusion (Icy Veins)
Raid, sustained cleave	Herald of the Sun	"Prominence of sustained cleave in The Venomous Abyss"
Mythic+	Herald of the Sun	Method and Icy Veins default. Better low-target cleave
Burst AoE pulls	Templar	"For burst AoE, Templar is much stronger"
Delves and open world	Templar Delves build	Short fights with lots of movement. Use M+ builds for long high-level Delves

How each plays:

• Templar: Wake of Ashes unlocks Hammer of Light, a big AoE Holy Power spender, plus passive AoE from Divine Hammer and Empyrean Hammer.
• Herald of the Sun: Wake of Ashes applies Dawnlight damage-over-time effects, and talents like Walk Into Light strengthen Hammer of Wrath.

Talent swaps:

• In Templar M+, take Sanctify instead of Jurisdiction for more AoE.
• With either tree, Radiant Glory instead of Execution Sentence keeps cooldowns from desyncing. It's easier with tanks who pull unpredictably.
• Templar single target can take Divine Exaction and Quickened Invocation for some passive cleave.

Take the apex talent and Folio runes

Light Within strengthens Art of War procs: your next Blade of Justice deals more damage and extra AoE, and Holy Power spenders deal more during Avenging Wrath. Cast Blade of Justice as soon as you have two Art of War stacks, even at 4 Holy Power. At 5 Holy Power, spend first.

Omnium Folio:

Tier	Rune
1	Rune of Unleashed Fire
2	Rune of Void-Tainted Shell
3	Rune of Lingering
4	Rune of Masterful Cunning
5	Rune of Overload

Retribution Paladin opener

The opener is the same for single target and AoE (Icy Veins). Build Holy Power before your burst.

Herald of the Sun (Icy Veins; Method matches):

1. Blade of Justice.
2. Avenging Wrath.
3. Potion and on-use trinkets.
4. Execution Sentence.
5. Wake of Ashes.
6. Final Verdict, twice. On AoE, Divine Storm.
7. Divine Toll.
8. Continue with the priority.

Templar with Execution Sentence (Method): Blade of Justice, Avenging Wrath, trinkets and potion, Execution Sentence, Wake of Ashes, Hammer of Light, Divine Toll.

Templar with Radiant Glory: Blade of Justice, trinkets and potion, Wake of Ashes, Hammer of Light, Divine Toll.

Retribution Paladin rotation and priority

Single target (Icy Veins, condensed):

1. Avenging Wrath. Skip it with Radiant Glory.
2. Execution Sentence.
3. Hammer of Light (Templar) after Wake of Ashes, or with a Light's Deliverance proc when Wrath or Sentence is about to end, the proc is expiring, or the target is dying.
4. Divine Storm with a Divine Arbiter proc at 5 Holy Power.
5. Final Verdict at 5 Holy Power.
6. Wake of Ashes.
7. Divine Toll.
8. Blade of Justice at 2 Art of War stacks.
9. Hammer of Wrath at 2 charges.
10. Divine Storm with Divine Arbiter.
11. Final Verdict.
12. Hammer of Wrath, Blade of Justice, Judgment.
13. Templar Strikes or Templar Slash, then Crusader Strike.

AoE, 2+ targets (Icy Veins). Same order, but swap the spenders: Final Verdict with a Divine Arbiter proc at 5 Holy Power, then Divine Storm at 5. Final Verdict also moves up when Empyrean Legacy is active.

Method's extra rule: you can spend at 4 Holy Power if a Crusading Strikes auto-attack is about to land. Crusading Strikes generates Holy Power from auto-attacks. Method also tells Templar not to actively spend Divine Arbiter procs in single target with Seal of the Templar. That's one of the places it differs from Icy Veins.

Tier set. The Season 2 set increases Divine Purpose's proc rate and boosts your other spenders after a proc is consumed. In single target, weave in Divine Storm after spending Divine Purpose. In AoE, weave in Final Verdict.

Manage Holy Power and time

Icy Veins says you manage two resources: Holy Power and time.

• Don't keep generating at 5 Holy Power just to use a cooldown.
• Before pressing a generator at 4, check whether you'll gain Holy Power in the next global cooldown anyway, for example from a Crusading Strikes swing.
• Some waste is unavoidable, especially with Walk Into Light, so focus on cutting the avoidable waste.
• Keep your Judgment and Expurgation debuffs on the target, since they boost your spenders (Method).

Example. You're at 4 Holy Power with Blade of Justice ready and a Crusading Strikes swing about to land. Blade would generate more than the one Holy Power you have room for. Spend first (Final Verdict at 4, per Method), let the swing land, then Blade.

Retribution Paladin cooldowns

Cooldown	How to use it
Avenging Wrath	Raises damage and Crit chance (15% per Method) and turns Judgment into Hammer of Wrath. Use it before other cooldowns. With Crusade, you gain Haste per Holy Power spent, up to 20% (Method), but you don't need to rush stacks (Icy Veins)
Execution Sentence	Deals AoE damage up front, then hits the main target 10 seconds later based on damage done. Use it before Wake of Ashes and keep AoE-ing during it
Stat on-use trinkets	Use with Avenging Wrath. Alternate between two trinkets if you have them
Damage on-use trinkets	Use inside Wrath. Wrath raises their Crit chance but not their damage

Defensives: Divine Protection, Divine Shield and Blessing of Protection. As Templar, Sacrosanct Crusade turns Wake of Ashes into a defensive. Passive defensive nodes include Guided Prayer, Obduracy, Sanctified Plates and Blessing of Dusk.

Ret Paladin stat priority, gems and enchants

Source	Order
Icy Veins	Item level > Mastery > Haste > Crit > Versatility. No breakpoints
Method	Strength > Mastery > Haste > Crit > Versatility

Why Mastery leads (Icy Veins). Mastery: Highlord's Judgment boosts all Holy damage, including Holystrike and Radiant, and gives Judgment a chance to deal extra Holy damage. Haste speeds up Crusading Strikes' Holy Power and your generator cooldowns. Versatility gains value from trinket damage.

Gems: one Indecipherable Eversong Diamond, then Flawless Masterful Peridot in every other socket.

Slot	Best (Icy Veins and Method)	Cheaper option (Method)
Weapon	Rite of the Hash'ey + Thalassian Phoenix Oil	Arcane Mastery
Helm	Empowered Rune of Avoidance	Empowered Blessing of Speed
Shoulders	Amirdrassil's Grace	Akil'zon's Swiftness
Chest	Mark of the Worldsoul	Mark of Nalorakk
Legs	Forest Hunter's Armor Kit	Blood Knight's Armor Kit
Boots	Lynx's Dexterity	Farstrider's Hunt
Rings	Eyes of the Eagle	Zul'jin's Mastery

Consumables:

• Flask: Flask of the Magisters.
• Potion: Potion of Recklessness, but only if your Versatility is close to zero and Haste isn't your highest stat. Otherwise use Light's Potential.
• Health: Concentrated Silvermoon Health Potion, plus a Warlock Healthstone, which doesn't share its cooldown.
• Food: a Strength food such as Royal Roast, or a feast.
• Rune: Void-Touched Augment Rune.

Races: Dwarf for Alliance (Stoneform removes all dispellable debuffs, including bleeds), Tauren or Blood Elf for Horde. The differences are minimal.

Ret Paladin BiS gear, best weapon and trinkets

Raid priorities (Icy Veins):

• Maze-roa, Warlord's Fury: best weapon, from the Coiled Altar.
• Voracious Heart of Ula'tek: best on-use trinket, from Ula'tek.
• Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique: best passive trinket, also from the Coiled Altar. It needs the Maze-roa set bonus for full cleave value.

Dungeons to farm: Ruby Life Pools, The Blinding Vale and Altar of Fangs all drop weapons and useful trinkets. Murder Row also drops a good weapon.

Tier	Trinkets
S	Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique, Voracious Heart of Ula'tek
A	(none)
B	Gebbo's Bottomless Bag, Keeper's Seething Core, Vile Vial of Volatile Venom, Blazebinder's Hoof, Font of Venomous Rage, Twisted Horror's Tendril
C	Sapling of the Dawnroot, Resonant Bellowstone, Sszorak's Ferocity, Merektha's Fang, Idol of the War Loa, Tattered Amani War Banner, Tumor of the Swarm
D	Seed of the Devouring Wild, Coiled Fangstone, Ruby Whelp Shell

Use Nebulous Voidcores to target a specific item, with no duplicates of earlier rolls. You get them as a Great Vault choice, and since 12.1.5 Orin Straylight near the Catalyst in Silvermoon also gives one free each week (Icy Veins). Ascendant Venomstones, live since October 20, upgrade fully upgraded Hero- or Myth-track weapons, trinkets and necks; ten stones take a Myth piece from 334 to 340. Put them on Maze-roa first. If you're filling a slot with a craft, see our crafted gear guide.

Retribution Paladin in Mythic+: utility and stops

Interrupts and stops (Icy Veins):

• Rebuke: your main interrupt.
• Hammer of Justice: a 6-second single-target stun for casts you can't kick.
• Blinding Light: disorients enemies within 10 yards, which works as an AoE interrupt.
• Wake of Ashes: a 5-second AoE stun, but only on Demons and Undead.
• Turn Evil: fears an Undead, Aberration or Demon for up to 40 seconds.

Group utility:

• Intercession: combat resurrection.
• Devotion Aura: 3% less damage taken for the group.
• Cleanse Toxins: removes Poison and Disease from a group member.
• Blessing of Protection: physical immunity for 10 seconds. Use it on players who pulled aggro.
• Blessing of Sacrifice: reduces an ally's damage taken by 30% for 12 seconds. You take the damage it prevents.
• Blessing of Freedom: 8 seconds of immunity to movement impairment.
• Lay on Hands: heals for your maximum health.

Affix	What to do
Ascendant	Blinding Light is your only AoE stop for the orbs. Hammer of Justice and Rebuke work on single orbs
Voidbound	Kill the Void Emissary when it spawns. No talent changes needed
Pulsar	Soak orbs orbiting other players. Keep a Divine Steed charge for this
Devour	Remove it with Cleanse Toxins, Word of Glory, Lay on Hands or Blessing of Freedom. With Unbound Freedom, Freedom on an ally clears both of your debuffs

See our Season 2 dungeon guide and the interrupt coordination guide.

Retribution Paladin in PvP

Ret is S tier on our Midnight PvP tier list. On Murlok's October 28 ladders it's second of 27 DPS specs in Solo Shuffle and Battleground Blitz and seventh in 3v3, but 16th in 2v2. It also has the largest melee population on ArenaCoach's Shuffle ladder (14,068 characters) and wins 50.7% of rounds there.

Why it works in arena: Ret brings burst, Blessing of Protection, Freedom and Sacrifice for a partner, Lay on Hands, and Word of Glory self-healing, so it covers its own mistakes in a random Shuffle lobby. Why 2v2 is weaker: with only one partner, the healer has nobody to peel for them while you chase kills. The October 27 PvP hotfixes buffed Holy Paladin healing but left Ret unchanged.

Example: a Ret player who only plays 2v2 is in the spec's worst bracket (16th). The same character queuing Solo Shuffle or Blitz plays its best bracket (2nd in both).

Common Retribution Paladin mistakes

1. Spending Holy Power below 5 outside cooldowns. The core loop spends at 5.
2. Splitting Avenging Wrath, Execution Sentence and Wake of Ashes. They're meant to line up.
3. Using Final Verdict on 2+ targets. Switch to Divine Storm.
4. Healing with Word of Glory when a defensive would do. It costs Holy Power, which is damage.
5. Forgetting Rebuke. Ret is one of the group's reliable interrupts in keys.

Boosted, returning and alt players

• Returning from The War Within: Light Within is the new apex talent, so press Blade of Justice at 2 Art of War stacks. Crusading Strikes beats Templar Strikes.
• Boosted characters: import Herald Cleave/M+, and at first learn only the opener and the "5 Holy Power, spend" rule.
• Alts: the Templar Delves build is a good fit for open-world and low Delves.

If you also heal on your Paladin, see our Holy Paladin guide. Other Season 2 DPS guides include Elemental Shaman, Devourer Demon Hunter and Arms Warrior. More Midnight guides are on the World of Warcraft hub.

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FAQ

Is Retribution Paladin good in Midnight Season 2? Yes. It's S tier in PvP on our list, second in Solo Shuffle and Blitz. In Mythic+ it's a solid pick (6.8% of the top 2,000 keys) but not part of the top-key core.

What is the best weapon for Ret Paladin? Maze-roa, Warlord's Fury from the Coiled Altar (Icy Veins). It pairs with Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique for its set bonus, so roll that boss for both.

Herald of the Sun or Templar? Herald of the Sun for most raid and Mythic+ content. Templar for burst AoE, Delves or a small pure single-target edge.

What is the Ret Paladin stat priority? Item level > Mastery > Haste > Crit > Versatility (Icy Veins). Method agrees.

When do I switch to Divine Storm? At 2 or more targets (Icy Veins and Method).

What are the best Retribution trinkets? Voracious Heart of Ula'tek and Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique. Everything else is B tier or lower on Icy Veins.

Related guides

• Midnight PvP tier list
• Holy Paladin guide
• WoW Solo Shuffle beginner guide
• Midnight Season 2 Mythic+ dungeons and rewards
• WoW Mythic+ tier list