Paladin Healer in the Season of Discovery Guide

The Season of Discovery heralds a groundbreaking era for Paladin Healers with the introduction of the Rune System. This innovative system not only unlocks spells from different game versions, including Seal of Light and Crusader Strike but also unveils entirely new spells like Martyr's Seal. Dive into Wowhead's Talent Calculator to start shaping your strategic build early on!

Specifically for Paladin Healers, Seal of Light and Divine Sacrifice stand out as popular additions, elevating healing and support capabilities. Exemplar's Insight brings a refreshing change, providing the Alliance with its version of the Horde's Tremor Totem. Divine Storm is a noteworthy addition, allowing Paladin Healers to contribute damage during moments not demanding direct healing. These spells usher in a more diverse and active playstyle, deviating from the conventional one or two-button rotations of Classic Era Paladins.

Best Runes for Paladin Healer in Season of Discovery

Chest Rune

Legs Rune

Depending on the content you are doing:

Gloves Rune

Best Talents Builds for Paladin Healer in Season of Discovery- Phase 1

Strengths and Weaknesses

At present, Paladin Healers find themselves on the lower end of the healing spectrum, lacking robust rune options compared to their counterparts. The challenges intensify in Blackfathom Deeps, with its prolonged fights exacerbating the impact of the absence of Illumination. Many encounters also offer limited opportunities to maximize Seal of Light's potential.

However, Paladins shine through their inherent group benefits, providing a substantial stat boost to the entire party through auras and blessings. This becomes particularly potent at lower levels, where gear options are limited.

Strengths:

1. Extremely High Mana Efficiency: Fueled by Flash of Light.

2. High Single Target Healing Throughput: Leveraging Holy Light and Seal of Light.

3. Versatile Utility: Offering Blessing of Protection, Inspiring Presence, Blessing of Kings, and Divine Sacrifice.

4. Unmatched Survivability: Enhanced by Mail Armor and Divine Protection.

Weaknesses:

1. Lack of Instant Cast Spells: Absent at level 25.

2. Limited AoE Healing Options: Less consistent compared to other healers.

3. Mana Efficiency Dependency: Relies on Illumination for optimal mana use.

4. Limited Viable Rune Options: Restricting strategic choices.

How to Play a Paladin Healer

Typically, healers do not have a set rotation, as the spells they need to press can change depending on the moment, however, there is a loose priority system you can follow for guidance.

Priority List:

1. If a player is in serious danger, be sure to use spells such as Blessing of Protection and Lay on Hands to save them.

2. If you are taking a lot of damage and need to focus on healing, use Divine Protection to stay safe and keep healing!

3. If the rune is selected, ensure Seal of Light is applied to a party member at all times, usually the tank.

4. Use Holy Light if a player is taking heavy damage and needs a big heal.

5. Flash of Light is your primary heal during times of manageable damage, as it is more mana efficient.

6. If the rune is selected, cast Holy Shock if players are taking little to no damage to regenerate some mana.

7. In the event players are taking very little to no damage, and mana isn't a concern, cast Holy Wrath to do damage and light healing.

8. Maintain Devotion Aura if your group is taking a lot of damage or Retribution Aura if you want to speed up clear times.

Stats and Gear for Paladin Healers:

This section will continue to be expanded upon as new gear is revealed in Season of Discovery, and as the level cap increases. Stat priorities may change as the class unlocks new abilities and talents. Here are the stat priorities best pieces of gear for a Paladin Healer in Phase 1:

Stat Priority:

1. Intellect

2. Mp5 (Mana per 5 Seconds)

3. Healing Power

4. Crit Chance

5. Stamina

6. Armor

7. Spirit

Your primary goal as a Paladin Healer is keeping your teammates alive, so we prioritize stats that reflect that. Without Illumination, Crit Chance has a lower priority, and most spells do not scale very strongly with Healing Power at low levels. This means your main priority is being able to cast as many spells as possible through stacking Intellect and Mp5.

Stamina and Armor can allow you to take more damage and continue to focus on healing others, which can be the difference between life or death when a party pulls extra monsters on accident. Spirit, though the lowest priority of the healing stats, should still be taken over offensive stats like Strength or Agility for Paladin Healers.

Gear Recommendations for Paladin Healers - Phase 1

With Phase 1 capped at level 25, most of your items will be from Dungeons such as Shadowfang Keep, Blackfathom Deeps, and the Deadmines. Technically, there are some best-in-slot rare BoE drops from higher-level dungeons such as Razorfen Kraul and Gnomeregan, which can be quite difficult to obtain in this phase and are not worth farming. Here are some examples of gear to keep an eye out for:

1. Arugal's Belt: Drops from Arugal in Shadowfang Keep

2. Feline Mantle: Drops from Wolf Master Nandos in Shadowfang Keep

3. Arugal's Robe: Drops from Arugal in Shadowfang Keep

4. Mental Wristbands: While these bracers drop in Shadowfang Keep, they are a BoE rare drop from trash in the dungeon and are very rare!

5. Night Watch Pantaloons: From Morbent Fel in Duskwood

6. Serpent's Shoulders: From Willix the Importer in Razorfen Kraul

7. Ring of the Underwood: From Gilnid in The Deadmines

Best Races for Paladin Healers

Best Alliance Races

As Paladins are an Alliance-only class, you have two choices: Humans and Dwarves.

Humans

1. Mace Specialization and Sword Specialization

2. Human Spirit

3. Perception

The Mace Specialization and Sword Specialization are helpful while leveling and when using Holy Shock as a filler spell. If you plan on playing Retribution at endgame, Human will be your go-to, as they provide massive DPS increases.

Human Spirit is negligible and has no real impact on gameplay, as Paladins do not seek spirit nor have any talents that allow spirit regeneration in combat.

Perception can be useful in niche cases while leveling but isn’t a good enough reason to go human on its own.

Dwarves

1. Find Treasure

2. Frost Resistance

3. Gun Specialization

4. Stoneform

Find Treasure can be nice to help find some extra items while leveling but does interfere with other tracking like Find Herbs and Minerals, so you’d need to pick one or the other.

1. Frost Resistance has minimal uses as it’s such a small amount but can be beneficial in Naxxaramas.

2. Gun Specialization unfortunately has no benefits for Paladins as we cannot use guns.

3. Stoneform can be useful while leveling to mitigate some damage and has niche uses in AQ20 and AQ40 to help with poisons.

Neither are overly strong; you can comfortably pick whichever you prefer the looks of the best without worrying about meta choices like some other classes.

Overall, Human has a more consistent but slight edge thanks to the weapon specialization, whereas Dwarf has some very niche uses at endgame. You cannot go wrong either way unless you're planning on playing Retribution occasionally, in which case you should really go Human.

Best Professions for Paladin Healers

Engineering:

Engineering is the best profession for a Paladin Healer. Target Dummies are essentially an AoE taunt and a great tool to help your group get some breathing room during big pulls. Plus, throwables like Big Bronze Bomb give you AoE damage, the ability to pull from range, the ability to split-pull, and an additional interrupt if they stun. Engineering can make up for all things Paladins typically lack and more.

Engineering needs ore for its crafting, so it is typically paired with the gathering skill Mining.

Conclusion

The Season of Discovery brings both challenges and opportunities for Paladin Healers. While facing hurdles in specific raid scenarios, their unique strengths, including exceptional mana efficiency, potent single-target healing, and unrivaled survivability, position them as valuable assets to any group. The evolving Rune System introduces a dynamic layer to their playstyle, encouraging adaptability and strategic decision-making. As Paladins tread this new path, their supportive role in the ever-expanding world of Azeroth remains crucial.

In this Season of Discovery, Paladin Healers embark on a journey of adaptation and resilience. As you navigate the diverse landscapes of Azeroth, may your auras shine brightly, blessings be ever bountiful, and your healing prowess become a beacon of hope. Until our next encounter, may your adventures be epic, and your mana pool ever abundant. Safe travels, noble healers!

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