Paladin.
Your Arena of Champions guide.

Your Paladin game plan

Paladin can fill a dedicated healing role as Holy or a melee damage role as Retribution, with a shared support kit that deserves attention in either case. This version uses Mana; familiar Warcraft names do not establish a Holy Power rotation. Our starting recommendation is to plan the next defensive trade before committing your stun or damage cooldown. Freedom, Cleanse and emergency protection can preserve a teammate's opportunity, but Forbearance links several of the largest saves. Those restrictions make sequencing and target awareness more useful than pressing every available protection at once.

Choose your Paladin specialization

Holy

HealerA tier

Holy contributes several distinct ways to support a partner, including targeted and nearby recovery. It fits this profile well when the pair respects healing position and preserves major protection for the opponent’s meaningful commitment.

Holy Shock

A flexible targeted action on either side of the fight.

Beacon of Light

A marked-ally healing connection to plan around.

Light of Dawn

Recovery aimed at allies near the Paladin.

Watch the tradeoff: Coverage is not the same as limitless healing. Position and the cost of longer recovery casts matter when the opponent can keep pressure going.

Try this: Choose a Beacon plan before the gates open and avoid spending every defensive answer in the first exchange.

See the placement notes →

Retribution

DamageA tier

Retribution connects melee pressure to useful recovery and control options. That combination suits a coordinated pair that decides when to keep attacking and when the damage player must spend attention helping the teammate survive.

Templar's Verdict

A direct strike at the core of the melee plan.

Divine Storm

Nearby damage with associated friendly recovery.

Repentance

A control that needs a clean, coordinated target.

Watch the tradeoff: Support and offense compete for timing and mana. Repentance can also lose its purpose if the pair continues damaging the controlled target.

Try this: Call when you switch from attacking to assisting, so the partner does not spend another answer unnecessarily.

See the placement notes →

Holy: keep healing targets connected

Holy Shock works on a friend or an enemy, so verify the target before using your flexible instant action. Beacon of Light copies healing toward its bearer, and only one Beacon can be active: applying it elsewhere moves the effect. We would choose that recipient according to who is taking pressure rather than change it without a plan. Holy Light offers a larger cast, while Flash of Light gives a shorter recovery cast. Light of Dawn heals nearby allies around the Paladin. Its positioning requirement means retreating far from everyone can remove the benefit you expected from that button.

Retribution: connect damage and support

Crusader Strike restores resource while attacking, and Templar's Verdict spends Mana for a melee hit. Divine Storm combines nearby enemy damage with allied healing, making its surrounding targets relevant. Avoid using that area damage beside the opponent you just put into breakable Repentance. We would align Avenging Wrath with partner pressure and a target you can keep within reach, rather than activate it during a long pursuit. Hammer of Justice supplies a stun, and Rebuke interrupts at melee range. Spending both together may be unnecessary if the team needs a second stop immediately afterward.

Know what each protection gives up

Blessing of Freedom removes roots and prevents roots and slows while active. Blessing of Protection instead grants physical immunity; it does not promise immunity to all magic. Divine Shield supplies full immunity but also pacifies the Paladin. These are different answers with different offensive consequences. Forbearance prevents Divine Shield, Blessing of Protection and Lay on Hands from protecting an affected target. Lay on Hands also drains the caster's resource, so we would consider the recovery plan after that save. Cleanse may solve a smaller problem without consuming the team's largest remaining protection; identify the actual threat before choosing.