Hardcore Paladin Class Overview (2024)

Last updated on May 21, 2023 at 12:00by Sellin1 comment

If you are curious about more general Hardcore tips that apply to notjust Paladin checkout our Hardcore Classic Overview that includes tips and tricks that willgreatly increase your chances of surviving.

In Classic World of Warcraft only the Alliance races are able to be Paladins.

• Human — Human is the recommended race for Paladin due to their Sword Specialization and Mace Specialization racials which willincrease your ability to hit enemies while leveling if using a Sword or Mace.Paladin's damage is done almost entirely by auto-attacking and dealing damage with your sealswhich in a large part comes from auto-attacking so being able to hit is crucial.
• Dwarf — Dwarf provides the unique racial Stoneform, whichgrants immunity to bleeds, disease and poison effects while also providing an additional 10% armor.This is a powerful defensive cooldown and can certainly help remove some of the peskier debuffsyou will encounter in Classic. This is less valuable as a Paladin as you can cleanse all of thesame things removed by Stoneform except for bleeds.

The Stat priority that you will be following for Classic Hardcore is very similar tooriginal Classic, but with a larger emphasis on Stamina. The added Health can at times be the differencebetween surviving an encounter with an enemy or not and is typically more reliable than gearing towardsjust damage. While Paladin does have the ability to heal itself, you want to maximize the amount of killsyou can do per mana bar to maximize uptime. Focusing on making things as consistent as possible will leadto the best leveling experience.

For a more in-depth explanation of what stats you should be prioritizing and their benefits to yourleveling experience checkout our Paladin leveling guide listed below, specifically the Paladin Gear section.

While it may be tempting to consider leveling as Protection, as it isthe tankiest of the three possible specs, Retribution is the perfect mix of killspeed and durability and the recommended spec. Retribution utilizies two-handedweapons and can help you deal massive burst damage to quickly vanquish foes whilestill maintaining some of the strongest buffs in the game in the form of Blessings andis a more than capable off-healer.

For a detailed route on how to spend each of your talent points while leveling check outour Retribution Paladin talent build guide specifically for leveling. This page also includes an Retributionspecifically priority list of how to deal maximum damage while leveling.

Professions are a huge part of Hardcore leveling as they can provide you withconsumables that give considerable stat increases, items that can be used in case ofemergencies or the ability to craft gear that will last you for countless levels. BelowI will go in depth about the various professions combinations available in WoWClassic and their benefits specifically in a Hardcore context for Paladin.

Herbalism and Alchemy is a great pairing of professions as it will allow youto make consumable potions that not only give you a burst of health in an emergencysituation but also offer considerable stat increases and the occasionally solution toa niche situation. Paladin specifically will benefit greatly from Mana potions are yourgreatest limiting factor while leveling will be the availability of your mana.

There are countless potions offering buffs to give temporary stat increases that willsmooth out the leveling process by making you much stronger than you otherwise would be. The onlydownside to this profession being the time you must invest to harvest your own materials via Herbalism.

Engineering and Mining is a strong combo, and while it offers less static increases than Alchemyand Herbalism, it is still something you should consider as it offers quite a few extra buttons toget you out of a sticky situation. Target Dummy is a usable item that will instantly redirectthreat to it, causing mobs to stop attacking you for either 15 seconds or until it dies. You will also haveaccess to bombs that both deal AoE damage and incapacitate/stun whatever you are fighting which can sometimesbe the difference in surviving an encounter.

Mining and Blacksmithing are also a great way to utilize your characters profession slots. Blacksmithingwill allow you to create pieces of powerful armor and weapons while leveling. It can be difficult to plan aroundbuilding a specific item as some items in Classic have rather hefty material requirements, but this can be used toplug in any holes in your gear that you may find as you progress through leveling.

If you are curious about the most efficient way to level your professions, or would like a listof many of the useful items you can craft, make sure to check out our Classic Profession guides listed below.

Paladin is one of the most consistent classes in all of Classic and has an ability to use thatwill get you out of almost any sticky situation, but it is crucial to understand how each works as wellas being conscious of your Forbearance debuff.

Become familiar with the 5 second rule. As stated above mana is the largest throttle on your levelingspeed and maximizing your ability to regenerate mana is just as important as knowing when and how to spendyour mana.

Even though you will be leveling as Retribution, having a shield on hand can help get you out of some stickysituations should you be fighting a high physical damage dealing mob or even if you just need some additionaldefenses when attempting to runa way. It is almost never a bad idea to throw on a shield if you feel that youare in danger.

Paladin benefits greatly from the use of macros. Due to the nature of Seals you will be constantlyjudging and refreshing them them so adding some quality of life macros can help make this less of a chore.Listed below is a guide on some of the most useful Macros that will greatly simplify using yourclasses abilities to their fullest extent.

Many people are enjoying Classic Hardcore by duo leveling. Paladin is a class that shines when pairedwith another deal large amounts of damage but especially those with reliable cleave/AoE as the Paladincan enable them to pull much more than usual. Included below is a list of the mostpopular/effective class duos and their strengths/weaknesses!