Paladins get a new kind of Seal Twisting

Paladins in World of Warcraft: Forever lose the old Seal Twisting, but get a new and easier form of it. Twist of Light, the 31-point Retribution talent, takes its place, Blizzard writes in the last class deep dive. Holy gets Light’s Vigil and Protection a big shield.

The deep dive closes the series, after the Hunter and Druid, the Priest and Warrior, the Mage and Shaman and the Rogue and Warlock. Blizzard already showed Seal of Fury in a video on 3 October.

Talents start at level 10, with milestone talents at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points. Talents, Legacy talents included, are changed at a class trainer in a capital city. Dual Specialization unlocks at level 40. Everything can still change during the beta, says Blizzard.

For every Paladin

Holy Strike is a new ability at level 6. It deals instant Holy damage equal to 50% of weapon damage, plus a bonus that grows with each rank. Judgement no longer uses up the active Seal.

Seal of Fury, learned at level 10, is the new tanking Seal. Every melee swing deals the same bonus Holy damage, so a fast weapon is best. Half of that damage becomes an absorb shield. The Judgement of the Seal taunts at 10 yards, where Growl and Taunt reach only 5 yards. Righteous Fury gives less threat, because Protection now deals more Holy damage.

Every Paladin learns Consecration at level 20. It hits the first four enemies for moderate damage and all others for very little, on a par with Thunder Clap. Blizzard wants to keep the feel of Classic and avoid the AoE tanking of later expansions.

Lay on Hands drops to a 20 minute cooldown. The Fire, Frost and Shadow Resistance Auras cover the whole raid within 30 yards. Salvation is no longer a Blessing, so it stacks with one; the raid version becomes Mass Salvation. That change comes in a later beta build.

Blessing of Kings, Improved Blessing of Wisdom, Lasting Judgement and the Judgement bonus of Improved Seal of the Crusader are now baseline.

Holy

Holy Shock moves from the 31-point to the 21-point milestone, and its cooldown drops from 30 to 10 seconds. Divine Favor is now the 16-point talent. Voice of Truth, at 11 points, makes the Paladin immune to Silence and interrupts for 6 seconds, with a 3 minute cooldown.

Light’s Vigil is the new 31-point talent. It has a 1.5 second cast, lasts 30 seconds and works on friend and foe. The next Holy Shock on that target triggers no cooldown. On an enemy it deals extra Holy damage and refunds 75% of its Mana; on an ally it heals the whole party. A Holy Paladin can prepare several parties and then heal the raid with Holy Shocks back to back.

Reverence keeps up to 30% of Mana regeneration from Spirit while casting. Infusion of Light lets critical Holy Shocks and Flash of Lights cut the cast of the next Holy Light by up to 1 second. Divine Precision adds up to 18% hit to Holy spells, because plate healing gear gets no hit. Illumination now refunds 50% of the base cost.

Protection

Templar’s Bulwark, at 21 points, absorbs damage equal to 100% of maximum health for 8 seconds. It has a 5 minute cooldown and applies Forbearance. Holy Shield now requires it. Swift Judgement, at 16 points, ends the cooldown of Judgement and makes the next one free. That helps after a resisted taunt, or to taunt several enemies quickly.

Improved Seal of Fury, at 11 points, returns Mana whenever a shield of Seal of Fury is used up, more so against enemies of a higher level. Improved Righteous Fury now reduces damage taken by up to 6%. Shield Specialization restores Mana on a block, and Anticipation doubles to 20 Defense. Redoubt now has a 10% chance to trigger on any hit.

Reckoning can now also trigger after a block, at most once every 1.5 seconds. Blizzard knows it cannot store four charges yet and that it resets the swing timer; a later patch fixes that. Iron Creed makes Holy Strike give more threat and less damage taken. Blessing of Sanctuary and Improved Concentration Aura are gone.

Retribution

Twist of Light, at 31 points, lowers the Mana cost of Seals by 20%. A replaced damage Seal leaves an Echo, and the next melee attack gets both Seals. Swapping Seals stays engaging but needs less exact timing. Holy Shock at 21 points is the alternative for players who want a hybrid build without Seal Twisting.

Sacred Arbiter, at 16 points, raises Holy Strike damage by 20% and refreshes every Judgement on the target, also those of other Paladins. Repentance moves to 21 points. Vengeance now lasts 30 seconds and stacks three times, for 9% more damage.

Champion of the Light now lists up to 30% of Intellect as spell damage. At the start of the beta it gave 100%, and Blizzard later cut it to 60%, for damage only. Instrument of Law makes Hammer of Wrath instant and lowers threat by 20% without Righteous Fury. Improved Retribution Aura and Sanctity Aura are gone.

Strengths and limits

Paladins keep no interrupt and no way to slow enemies, and their range stays limited. In return they are strong against Undead and Demons, says Blizzard. After the changes they should be good tanks, competitive damage dealers and the strongest single-target healers in the game. WoW Forever launches on 4 November.