Welcome to the Protection Paladin Tank guide for World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King 3.3.5a. In this guide, you will learn about playing a Protection Paladin in a raid. The guide includes Talents, Glyphs, Gems, Enchantments, BiS Gear, Add-ons, Gameplay & Skill rotation tips.
Talent Tree
Optimal talent tree for raids. You have two spare points to spend. I’d suggest Pursuit of Justice, Judgements of the Just or Vindication
Glyphs
Major Glyphs
Minor Glyphs
Gems
Gems are situational and depend on the build and equipment. They are used to reach the required stat caps.
Meta
- Austere Earthsiege Diamond combined with Shifting Dreadstone and Sovereign Dreadstone
- Rest of the gem slots can be filled with flat Stamina – Solid Majestic Zircon
- There is also a second variant (below).
Red
Regal Dreadstone or Shifting Dreadstone
Yellow
Blue
Enchants
- Head – Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector
- Shoulder – Greater Inscription of the Pinnacle or Greater Inscription of the Gladiator
- Cloak – Enchant Cloak – Major Agility, Enchant Cloak – Mighty Armor or Enchant Cloak – Titanweave
- Chest – Enchant Chest – Greater Defense, Heavy Borean Armor Kit or Enchant Chest – Super Health
- Bracers – Enchant Bracers – Major Stamina
- Gloves – Heavy Borean Armor Kit or Enchant Gloves – Armsman
- Waist – Eternal Belt Buckle
- Legs – Frosthide Leg Armor
- Boots – Enchant Boots – Tuskarr’s Vitality or Enchant Boots – Greater Fortitude
- Weapons – Enchant Weapon – Blade Ward or QAEnchant Weapon Mongoose
- Shield – Enchant Shield – Major Stamina or Enchant Shield – Defense
Gameplay & Rotations
To put it simply, there is one main rotation for a Protection Paladin: the 969 rotation. It uses 5 skills: two with 6 sec cooldown and tree with 9 sec cooldown. Use a 9 sec skill, then a 6 sec skill, then a 9 sec skill, then another 6sec skill and so on.
9 sec CD:
6 sec CD:
BiS Gear
There is no real BiS list for tanks as a good tank will always want to adjust his armor depending on the encounter. Rings, Trinkets, and Amulets are often changed depending on the needed stats: HP Pool, Armor or Resists.
Armor
- Head – Sanctified Lightsworn Faceguard
- Shoulder – Sanctified Lightsworn Shoulderguards
- Cloak – Royal Crimson Cloak
- Chest – Sanctified Lightsworn Chestguard
- Bracers – Bracers of Dark Reckoning
- Gloves – Sanctified Lightsworn Handguards
- Waist – Belt of Broken Bones
- Legs – Legguards of Lost Hope
- Boots – Treads of Impending Resurrection
- Amulet – Marrowgar’s Scratching Choker or Noose of Malachite
- Rings – Juggernaut Band and Ashen Band of Endless Courage
- Trinkets – Corroded Skeleton Key, Sindragosa’s Flawless Fang or Satrina’s Impeding Scarab
Weapons
- Main-hand – Mithrios, Bronzebeard’s Legacy
- Shield – Icecrown Glacial Wall