On January 27,World of Warcraftannounced a rework of the Paladin’s Retribution specialization that will arrive in an upcoming patch. The news came just three days afterWorld of WarcraftPatch 10.0.5 went live, which brought new gameplay features, and some changes to other classes and specializations across the board.Historically, the Retribution Paladin specialization has been a point of contention within the Melee DPS role ofWorld of Warcraft. Though Retribution provides excellent burst damage and utility in any given situation, it has some glaring weaknesses. While theDragonflightversion of Retribution is an improvement fromShadowlands, it still suffers from a lack of distinct personal buffs, underwhelming sustainability despite being a plate armor class, and has been one of the least mobile melee DPS specializations across multiple expansions. However, because of its burst damage in single-target situations, and the many ways it can turn a fight around with spells such as Retribution Aura and Hammer of Justice,Retribution Paladin is considered a B-Tier DPSfor Raids and Mythic+ Dungeons.RELATED:World of Warcraft Video Explains the Trading PostRecently, Blizzard announced on theWorld of Warcraftforums that Retribution Paladins will be receiving a rework in Patch 10.0.7, which will be coming to the Public Test Realm (PTR) sometime within the next few days. According to Blizzard, some of the planned changes include addressing the button bloat that Paladins suffer from across all specializations. In addition, adjustments tosome Retribution Paladin talentswill be made to give players a boost to both their utility kit and their personal DPS. Plus, some additional buffs to Retribution’s survivability via passive traits and cooldowns will be made to fit the theme of a plate armor class.
However, Paladins looking for vastly improved mobility will want to temper their expectations. Blizzard stated that while it will make improvements to how fast Paladins can go, it will not bring them to the same level as Rogues. Whether this means an additional charge or a reduced cooldown on Divine Steed or something else entirely remains to be seen. Blizzard stated that feedback for the Retribution rework and other class changes will be considered once the PTR goes live in the coming days. In addition to these changes,Patch 10.0.7 will add more featurestoWorld of Warcraft, such as the Heritage Armor sets for Orcs and Humans.
While Blizzard has made an effort to keep players in the loop about upcoming class changes, it remains to be seen ifDragonflightwill keep being the change thatWorld of Warcraftneedsfollowing a rough few years. Players that want to have a say in the Retribution Paladin rework should hop on the PTR once it’s available and provide constructive feedback.
