Ret Best In Slot

admin  4/11/2022
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Hi, and welcome to the Method Retribution Paladin guide, written by Ranishka. With a few occasional breaks from the game, I have been a ret main since vanilla. In the past I’ve had a more casual approach to the game and focused on PvP, until I started raiding semi-hardcore back in BfA, and have been playing ret at an increasingly higher level ever since.

Paladin PvE Retribution DPS. Often characterized as a button mashing spec for beginners, Retribution Paladins are nevertheless an important part of any raid with their buffs and utility abilities. This is the only set that is absolutely worth using, and Ret Paladins will use all its five pieces. The stats and bonuses of this set are well suited for Ret, making it the first set really worth taking. You will use this set for the remainder of WoW Classic. Retribution Paladin AQ40 Best in Slot Gear (BiS) - WoW Classic Head.

Ret has always been a niche spec, but in later expansions it has seen some play due to it frequently being a viable choice, and even strong in certain encounters. Listed below are some strengths and drawbacks of the spec:

Ret

Strengths:

  • Very strong AoE burst.
  • Good ST burst.
  • Provides certain utilities for the raid like immunity soaking, blessings, lay on hands etc.
  • Decent self-sustain, with being a hybrid class and being able to heal when needed.

Weaknesses:

  • Lacks raid-wide utility like Anti-Magic Zone, Rallying Cry etc.
  • Low mobility, with divine steed being the only movement-ability (it did get a lot better with two charges and 6sec steed though).
  • Sustained ST damage is low compared to other classes.
  • Lacks a damage reduction ability, which makes it hard to survive certain hits without externals.

Ret Pally Best In Slot

Disclaimer: At this moment, kyrian is the best option for rets in every situation, and this guide won’t cover the other covenants. This means the guide won’t apply the same way to readers playing other covenants (for whatever reason). The guide does not cover PvP either, as it has specific tunings and is a whole different game in certain regards.

Best In Slot Balance

What has changed

9.1 Changes:

For ret there were almost zero tuning changes to the spec itself in 9.1. It did however receive a legendary for kyrian, which has been the go-to legendary for most rets since the patch hit:

Virtuous command also received a bug-fix, making it refresh the duration on consecutive judgement hits. Not very noticeable, but makes it slightly better, especially with the new legendary.

Truth’s wake also received a bug-fix, making it do the correct (higher) amount of damage. Usually not a good pick regardless, but it could be used in M+.

A new endurance conduit was also added for all classes, which gives provides the player with good sustain in all situations:

Apart from that, ret is very much in the same spot as it was in Castle Nathria. It’s not bottom tier, but not soaring at the top either. It is still not the best pick for most raid comps, but completely viable if you already have what you need in the setup, and it can even outperform other classes if played correctly.

Retribution Paladin Enchants is current for Cataclysm, Patch 4.0, Patch 4.0.6 and Patch 4.1. The Cataclysm enchants are now updated and current for Cataclysm. There are a few kinks to work out, but everything is pretty much straight-forward.

Everyone wants the best possible enchants for their Ret Paladins, so I have the best in slot (BiS) enchant list for each gear slot. I will try to keep this list updated as frequently as possible, but luckily for us, the best enchants are usually cemented in stone, unless a very high level enchant is released in a patch as a raid drop.

Ret Paladin Enchants

Warrior Best In Slot

  • Head: Arcanum of the Wildhammer (Alliance) or Arcanum of the Dragonmaw (Horde) – +60 Strength, +30 Mastery, Revered reputation with Wildhammer or Dragonmaw
  • Cloak: Greater Critical Strike – +65 Critical Strike
  • Shoulder:Greater Inscription of the Jagged Stone – +50 Strength, +25 Critical Strike, Exalted reputation with Therazane
  • Chest: Peerless Stats – +20 Stats
  • Bracers:Enchant Bracer – Major Strength – +50 Strength (Greater Assault – +50 Attack Power if Major Strength unavailable)
  • Gloves:Mighty Strength – +50 Strength
  • Belt:Ebonsteel Belt Buckle – Extra belt gem socket
  • Legs: Dragonscale Leg Armor – +190 Attack Power, +55 Critical Strike
  • Feet:Greater Assault – +32 Attack Power
  • Weapon:Landslide or Avalanche *

*Landslide is the best enchant for Retribution Paladins, but if you cannot afford the mats or enchant, Avalanche is your next best bet.

Ret Paladin Best In Slot Shadowlands

Ret Paladin Profession Specific Enchants

  • Leatherworking:Draconic Embossment – Strength (Wrist) – +130 strength
  • Inscription: Lionsmane Inscription (Shoulder) – +130 Strength, +25 Critical Strike
  • Tailoring: Swordguard Embroidery – Chance for 1000 Attack Power for 15 seconds
  • Blacksmithing: Socket BracerandSocket Glove – Adds an extra gem slot to bracers and gloves
  • Enchanting: Enchant Ring: Strength – +40 Strength (+80 strength on 2 rings)
  • Jewelcrafting: Bold Chimaera’s Eye – +67 Strength (3 gems max)
  • Engineering: Tazik Shocker (Gloves) – 4320 to 5280 Nature damage at long range, once every 2 minutes.

Bracers and Boots, Attack Power enchants from Wrath?

Wow Ret Pally Best In Slot

Yes, because of the value of strength and its equivelant attack power in terms of DPS, both these enchants from Wrath work well for us. Bracers get a +50 strength enchant in Patch 4.0.6, so those will be better than the AP enchant, but if that particular enchant is unavailable, stick with the AP.

Wow Ret Paladin Best In Slot

I see Paladins still using Beserking on level 85 weapons?

Me too. No clue why. Avalanche isn’t dirt cheap, but it won’t break the bank either…

No Hit or Expertise enchants?

It seems to be the better choice to Reforge for hit or expertise caps, and go with the enchants listed above. Strength and Attack Power (which translates to strength) are just too powerful at this current point in time. The only exception is for boot enchants, where mastery or hit must be chosen. Hit cap first, then Mastery.

Which professions are best for stat buffs?

Right now…Leatherworking, Tailoring, and Enchanting seem to provide the largest bonuses, Leatherworking by far the best. Tailoring is debatable since it is a procced buff. Will have more info when Cataclysm is released.