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Cross-links:
Retributer's Path 1 (Gear Guide): http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=104544938&sid=1
Retributer's Path 3 (ZA/SSC/TK): http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=4311146681&sid=1
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Table of Contents:
i) Organization
ii) Why bring a Ret paladin?
iii) DPS...?
iv) Initial Tips
v) The "Blue Rage Bar"

1) KARAZHAN
2) GRUUL'S LAIR
3) MAGTHERIDON'S LAIR

vi) Useful Macros
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i) Foreword

This guide is specifically designed to show Ret paladins how to handle encounters, and to show raid leaders that they're definitely worth a spot. This will include how to handle both trash mobs and bosses, but is by no means the only way to do things. This is just the suggested way of handling instances as a Retribution paladin. I'm also only outlining what I've personally experienced.

ii) Why bring a Ret paladin?

You have every reason to be skeptical about bringing a Ret paladin. Many Ret paladins out there (particularly the ones still levelling) aren't very familiar with the intricacies of the spec, and may not be well-geared or very good at playing it, not to mention the stigmata accompanied with the phrase "Ret paladin" itself.

However, if he or she is any good, they'll really surprise you, and perhaps change your view on Retribution altogether. Particularly in a raiding situation, a Ret paladin can be an amazing addition to an instance, by bringing the following to the table:
* DPS
* Self-sufficiency
* Another Blessing slot
* Auras for his group (typically Sanctity)
* Judgements for the entire raid (typically Wisdom and/or Crusader)
* Emergency back-up instant-heal (Lay on Hands)
* Potent anti-undead/demon abilities
* Blessing of Protection where the situation calls for it
* Divine Intervention for wipe recovery
* Another resurrecter
* Back-up tank (specifically for five-mans, not so much raids)

iii) DPS...?

Utility aside, let's talk about DPS for a moment. This is a commonly questioned issue, that Ret paladins are the bottom of the barrel as far as DPS goes. They are not typically going to beat someone of "equal gear and skill," but this term is thrown around and is extremely relative. That is, who's to say what mystical "equal gear and skill" is, and what the "accepted DPS level" of a Ret paladin is? It is easily within the Ret paladin's realm of possibility to significantly out-damage any class, but pit a very skilled rogue against a very skilled Ret paladin in DPS, and you'll see the rogue win by a good 10-20%. This is not to say that a Ret paladin should be used as a benchmark for other DPS (though this is a possible use for a raiding guild), but rather, that a Ret paladin making his mark on the meters is a skilled player that is contributing much, much more than your typical DPS, as outlined above. At the end of the day, we are still a defensive hybrid class, and our passive utility, though not always readily visible, is extremely helpful to a raid.

iv) Initial Tips

* Wait a moment for your tank, especially if he's not a very good one. Even with Salvation up, you will be producing a large amount of threat. Waiting a few seconds before laying in should be practiced on every fight, trash or boss, sometimes longer for bosses. A good idea would be to put your Judgement up first, wait a bit, then go on in.
* Always attack your target from behind. There won't be many cases where this isn't possible, so always do it when you can. Attacking from behind means that your target cannot block, and most importantly, cannot parry. The target can still dodge, and you can still miss--but, you should be sporting enough hit rating (or % total with Precision) to cover as much miss as possible (5.6% with normal attacks, 8.6% with special attacks).
* Depending on the fight's length, prioritize between JotC and JoW, if you are unable to keep up other Paladins' judgements (not very often, but some encounters such as Gruul favor switching between JotC and JoW). Same goes for Blessings, but hopefully you'll have at least 3 Paladins total in a 25-man encounter. As far as Blessings go, though, Salvation should always be top priority.
* If you're getting Windfury, be extremely careful with aggro. If you're geared right, this will peel aggro off even the best of tanks.
* Download the following mods, if you don't have them already:
KLH Threat Meter (KTM): http://wow-en.curse-gaming.com/downloads/details/4204/
... This is the meter you watch religiously to make sure you don't pull aggro. Everyone else should be using this too--if they're not, either get them to or see if they're using a different threat meter.
SW Stats: http://wow-en.curse-gaming.com/downloads/details/2091/
... A more accurate damage meter than the average meter. This will not take into account the self-damage you deal via Seal/Judgement of Blood.
Deadly Boss Mods: http://www.deadlybossmods.com/
... Extremely useful for knowing what to do when. Particularly helpful for Gruul, as your screen will flash red until you are outside of a Cave-In, making it very easy to find the edge and stay behind Gruul.

v) The "Blue Rage Bar"

This term is thrown around sometimes as a joke, but the analogy is more appropriate than people credit it for, due to Spiritual Attunement.

For many encounters, there are opportunities for you to take damage in place of someone else, like a true Paladin should. Your "blue rage bar" is filled by protecting your allies and getting healed through that damage--remember, at the end of the day, we're still a defensive hybrid. Like the warrior's rage bar that fills up by dealing/taking damage, you deal damage and get mana through JoWisdom, or take damage and get mana through Spiritual Attunement.

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1) KARAZHAN

... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader
All of the trash leading up to Attumen goes down pretty fast. Some of the horses do an AoE fear that you should watch for, because they charge away from the tank when they do it, making it easier to pull aggro if you're already on the edge of threat. Judge Crusader on what you can and blast away with Exorcism and Consecration (if it's the last mob left). Because you get to blast your undead abilities here, be especially careful with threat. I don't suggest using Avenging Wrath if you value your life. :P

Having any type of Paladin is nice for these pulls because for some of the larger ones, you can pull one away and use Turn Undead. Be ready to be that Paladin, and pull your assigned target (via Exorcism) farther back into the hall before you Turn Undead, then return to DPSing and let the group know when it's on its way back. It's not your fault if it goes the wrong way, but pulling it back is the failsafe, as you can stun it and stop it if it seems to be going somewhere it shouldn't.

... Attumen the Huntsman

Phase 1: Judge: Crusader
Just the horse, pretty easy to DPS down.

Phase 2: Judge: Crusader
After Attumen mounts, give your tank some time as usual, since aggro resets. The cleave shouldn't be as big a deal now that they've fixed the backwards cleave nonsense, so just attack from behind at your leisure. You shouldn't need to put up JoWisdom for this one.

... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader (on elites)
These trash mobs are great fun as a Paladin, 'cause you get to make use of Holy Wrath and Consecration to their fullest. I highly suggest saving your BoP and Divine Shield for these occasions, or use Avenging Wrath and tell your tank to Challenging Shout. You'll tear through 'em with the greatest of ease.

As for the elites, just treat them like normal trash mobs, judge Crusader and use whatever you've got. Threat shouldn't be a big issue, but as usual wait a few seconds.

... Moroes

Judge: Crusader (on adds) and Wisdom on Moroes.
Once you've dealt with some of the adds, a priest or two should be keeping some shackles up while you down the boss. If they fail to keep it up, this is where you come in. Be ready to throw a Turn Undead at one of them if they go wild. It's suggested to keep Wisdom on Moroes as he does take a while. Moroes tends to be a little iffy on threat, so watch the meter more carefully than before. As with all Paladins, be ready to BoP someone that gets hit with Garrote.

... Trash Mobs
Judge: Crusader
Nothing different than before until you get to the hallway leading up to Maiden. Then it's basically more of the same thing. Only thing to watch out for is if you get the debuff that heals when you do melee damage. It's also a good idea to focus on taking out the little ghost dogs that get summoned, keeping them off the casters/healers. Everything here is still undead/demon.

... Maiden of Virtue

Judge: Light
This fight is a little tricky, because if you're the only Paladin in the group, you should offer to sit back and heal, since you can toss BoSac on the tank and heal through the Repentance. This will be especially desirable if you already have a lot of melee getting in there with Maiden, 'cause if you're in there with them you'll all be taking that holy chain damage thing.

If you do get the chance to DPS on this fight, be warned that while you're taking Consecration damage, you are silenced, and cannot use Judgement. There should be half-second gaps in between the debuffs, though, where you can cast Judgement, or Cleanse someone (which from your angle, you can Cleanse anyone in the room, extremely helpful). Keeping JoL up is a good idea for this so that you and the melee can weather a little more Consecration damage.

... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader
The Skeletal Ushers are tricky. If you're in the tank's group, or one of the two's group, you should put up Frost Resistance Aura if a Shaman isn't putting up the totem. They do a Frost Shock. You always need to be under the off-tank in threat, because of the Ice Tomb thing they do to the tank. Suggested to put Salv on other people as well because of this.

The mobs behind the Opera stage aren't nearly as bad. Try to get in the "Spotlight" buff for some extra damage. Shouldn't have to put anything but Crusader up against them.

... Opera Event
... ... Big Bad Wolf

Judge: Wisdom
Not too difficult, just be ready to BoP someone if they get hit while they're Red Riding Hood. Also, save Divine Shield for when you get it, but wait a few seconds after you get the debuff. Wisdom is a good idea on this one, it tends to drag on quite a while, especially if some of your other DPS get rocked.

... ... The Crone

Judge: Crusader
This is a fun encounter, as you should be the one that tanks Toto. Slap him silly for a bit when he gets summoned, then go back to DPSing. Don't bother putting a Judgement on Toto. Also, don't kill Toto! You can actually solo him, he's puny. I did this once without realizing that it enrages Dorothy, so tank him then go kill her. Then once Crone comes out, tank n' spank.

... ... Romulo & Julianne

Judge: Crusader
The first two phases should be no biggie, basic tank and spank. Help Cleanse Romulo's tank when he gets poisoned. Not much to the second phase either, just pay attention to the health of both R&J and don't kill one too much earlier than the other. You may feel more comfortable judging Wisdom on your targets instead because of this.

... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader
More undead mobs, all of which are skippable until the ghosts (have a rogue sneak to the back door and go through it). You might consider using Frost Resistance Aura against the non-stunnable ghosts--the other kind that doesn't do Frost stuff is stunnable.

Then you get to the guardians. Same as every other DPS, just get away when you get the debuff, and heal yourself if your mana allows.

Then the packs of mana-eater worm thingies. These are nasty. You may feel comfortable weaving Cleanses on people in between your Judgement/CS timers. For these you might also want to judge Wisdom on the big guys, but it's not really necessary. Don't be afraid to use Consecration here--if you do too much damage, just bubble and try not to do so much next time.

... The Curator

Judge: Crusader (on Curator during Evocation)
This fight's a little tricky. You still have to watch your threat because you'll end up eating Hateful Bolts if you have a designated secondary tank. However, there is an alternative to this that's pretty fun and really helps your DPS. Take off Blessing of Salvation and DPS the sparklies with Righteous Fury on. You'll have Hateful Bolts glued onto you. Have a healer assigned to you, and you'll have a veritable waterfall of mana as you get healed through the Bolts. Save Avenging Wrath for Evocation (obviously), and take off Righteous Fury when you do, 'cause you could easily end up beating the tank on threat.

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(Karazhan continued)
... Trash mobs (whew, here's a long one)
Judge: Crusader
First you have the guardians. They're a bit aggro sensitive, and do the same arcane explosion debuff as before. Might be wise to save bubble for this, but to my recollection it doesn't remove the debuff, just makes you immune to the damage, so you still have to get away.

Then come more mana packs. Same as before.

Then the bigger arcane elemental packs in the circular room. For these, take out the big one ASAP, and for the little ones, try dropping a HoJ as they're casting their self-explosion to stop it. Your rogues should have this covered, though. You may also want to range-taunt a mob off your warlocks/hunters that try to banish/trap to buy them time. Heal yourself at least once if you get hit hard (particularly by their AoE).

The casting wraiths are no biggie in singles. For the packs of them, you should be assigned a Turn Undead target (NOT including the first pack, it runs into the adjecant room too often). You may have success in weaving through your Resistance Auras as you see them cast different spells, specifically between Fire/Frost, since you should have Shadow Protection.

For the packs of warlocks/imps, go straight for imp after imp, keeping Fire Aura up. Don't be afraid to Holy Wrath it up, but let your healers/tanks know.

For the ethereal meleers, keep up JotC and just slam 'em. Save bubble for if you pull aggro (expect it) and BoP for if someone else pulls aggro (expect that too). For the ethereal casters it's the same thing, but keep your finger over Cleanse and get rid of the debuff they put on the tank immediately (causes heals to redirect to the ethereal).

... Shade of Aran

Judge: Crusader
Crusader is great for this fight, but if you spam Exorcism, you're going ot end up with mana trouble. In that case, don't go for JoWisdom, just pot up. Crusader helps the DPS on him significantly, and you should be racing with his mana. Don't worry about BoSalv for this fight.

In fact, you may opt to pull a Curator on this one too, and fight him with RF up. Play your cards right and you'll get aggro from the elementals that aren't banished/feared, and have someone heal you through them. Focuses their damage significantly if you can pull this off.

... Terestian Illhoof

Judge: Wisdom
This fight tends to draw out pretty long, and you're going to be using a lot of mana, so keep Wisdom up on your target(s). You can play a big role in this fight. If you're grouped with the Warlock that's taking care of the imps, you can keep up Fire Resistance. Better yet, you can make a macro that casts Blessing of Sacrifice on him and keep it up there. You'll get more mana being healed through that. Throw Holy Wraths out there at your discretion, same with Consecration. You should always be #1 DPS for this fight. Save bubble for if he Sacrifices you, too, your group will thank you.

... Netherspite

Judge: Wisdom
Another longer fight, keep Wisdom up there. Don't worry about Salv for this fight, he's forced to attack whoever's in the red beam. Speaking of which, you may opt to be in the red beam yourself. You can eat the hits for a bit, and getting healed through that by whoever has the green beam on will give you one hell of a mana boost. Offer yourself up for it.

... Chess Event

Rush into the room. Control the King before everyone else. Try and wipe as hard as you can. GG

... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader
Hover your finger over Cleanse again, 'cause the guys before Prince cast a Disease debuff on their targets. Same as before, watch your threat, or you'll get rocked in a couple swings if you don't. These guys really hurt.

... Prince Malchezaar

Judge: Wisdom
On the off-chance that you have no Priest, keep up Shadow aura. Otherwise, put up Fire aura when there's danger of being hit by the infernals. Keeping Wisdom up is great for this fight. Using Exorcism is tempting, but do so sparingly, as you'll run out of mana using it too much.

Because this is a long fight, use your Avenging Wrath fairly early. You should be doing so on most fights, but this is one you should feel comfortable doing it on. Just lightly lay in on Prince, then when you look good on KTM, blast his face off (maybe put up JotC beforehand). Be ready to bubble in phase 3 if the axes get on you, and BoP someone if the axes get on them.

... Nightbane

Judge: Wisdom
DPSing him is a trick due to positioning. You'll have to find that sweet spot with the rogues that hits from behind but doesn't put you in danger of his tail whip. Or you could play it safe and just attack from the side. In any case, you also need to watch for the ground fire thingies, so try not to clump up with the rest of the melee, and never even come close to the tank in threat, pulling once can really damage the raid. If you're up to Nightbane by now, you shouldn't have a problem controlling your threat.

For the air phases, you get to have some fun. First of all, if you're the only Paladin, hover your finger over BoP for the person that gets Rain of Bones. The damage is physical, and it'll make them immune as they walk out of the raid, so no one takes damage from it. Also make sure you don't have Forbearance on you from Avenging Wrath during this part, so you can bubble through it. Anyway, now the skellies are on the ground. Pick one out and Turn Undead it, then pick another out and blast him with HoJ + JoComm, Exorcism, etc. Using Holy Wrath or Consecration isn't recommended because you'll pull aggro from them and you might break a priest's Shackle.

For every land, just throw up JoWisdom (maybe smack him a couple times with Seal of Wisdom) while your tank gets some threat on him, and repeat.

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2) GRUUL'S LAIR
... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader
The brutes frequently reset aggro and charge around, so be cautious and save bubble for when you become a target. If all goes well and you're on the second ogre, if it's a priest, lay into his face with Avenging Wrath, he won't touch you. As usual, keep Crusader up on them.

... High King Maulgar

Judge: Wisdom/Crusader
Put Wisdom on the adds and then Crusader once you get to Gruul (or vice-versa). You should have at least one other Paladin available, but don't expect them to put up Judgements. You won't be able to refresh them easily on Maulgar with his Whirlwind.

The first add you take down should be Blindeye, the priest. Don't expect your tank to hold aggro very well against this guy, because he doesn't hit very hard and has PW:S on frequently, so your tank isn't generating a lot of rage. Try to avoid using bubble, because you don't want to have Forbearance up for the next guy.

Once he's down, you should move on to the Warlock. Lay into him with extreme prejudice. Pop Avenging Wrath, judge Crusader on him, and he'll go down pretty fast. You shouldn't pull aggro since your tank has probably loaded up enough threat.

Then comes the Shaman, he's pretty easy, lay into him as hard as you can too. The ranged DPS will be dealing with the mage while you and the other melee take the shaman down.

Now comes big boy Maulgar. This is where having Deadly Boss Mods is quite helpful, 'cause you know exactly when he's gonna start and end his Whirlwind. Very tank-and-spank-ish, but be ready to BoP someone when he starts charging. If you wanna be a badass, save bubble for his next Whirlwind and attack through it, and taunt so you eat a hit with the immunity up, that's a crowd favorite.

... Gruul the Dragonkiller

Judge: Wisdom/Crusader/Light
Again, don't expect to keep up other Paladins' Judgements with this one. After a Shatter, they're very likely to fall off. Personally, I switch between Crusader and Wisdom after each Shatter, and land an Avenging Wrath on the phases where he's got Crusader, then spam R1 Consecration during the Wisdom phases. It's good to balance these two Judgements since this is both a DPS race and an endurance fight. Light is also a good idea because the melee really appreciate it, as they shouldn't be receiving many heals.

For dealing with Cave-Ins, I highly suggest using Deadly Boss Mods. You'll know exactly where the edge of the Cave-In is and stay behind him. He likes to parry a lot if you attack from the front, so avoid that as usual.

After Shatters, heal yourself. It's great to have a Healthstone for this occasion if you happen to get hit, but Holy Light is what's reliable. Heal yourself to about half HP if you're low, and continue your assault.

Threat is also a trick on this fight. If your off-tank is good it won't be a problem as long as you have Salv, but always glue your eyes to KTM. Politely refuse Windfury for this fight unless you're not very well-geared, 'cause it'll only get you killed.

If your OT gets killed near the end 'cause of those increasingly hard-hitting Hurtful Strikes, don't panic--just back out and spam Hammer of Wrath. Suggest that your other melee back out and use ranged abilities as well.

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3) MAGTHERIDON
... Trash mobs
Judge: Crusader
Probably the hardest part of the damn place. Put up Fire Aura if your group starts taking fire damage, and just DPS your main-assist. Not much else for you to do.

... Magtheridon

Judge: Crusader/Wisdom
Put Crusader on the Summoners, and Wisdom on Mag (only if there are NO other paladins available, which shouldn't be the case). Avoid AoEs and Cleaves, throw HoJs on loose Infernals. Heal yourself thorugh damage, and be prepared to mana pot if you have to do that a lot. You should have some Healthstones handy, too. Most of this fight is everyone else's organization.

If you're part of a rotation, make sure you use Crusader Strike before going back. There's also no excuse for your Holy paladins to not keep up other Judgements, as they could do this one just by standing in melee range.

Using Avenging Wrath on this fight can be both fun and dangerous, but if you let your tank get ahead enough on threat, you'll tear Magtheridon a new one. Save it for the Blast Wave (and NOT phase 3, you need to use Divine Shield then) when he's going to be vulnerable, then blast him with a Crusader Strike and max-rank Exorcism, followed by a couple max-rank Consecrations. Drink a mana pot after this, you'll have spent a hefty chunk of mana.

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FIRST

Edit: I LOVE YOU!

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... vi) USEFUL MACROS

Mouse-over Cleanse

/cast [target=mouseover] Cleanse; Cleanse

* Casts Cleanse on whoever you're moused-over. Works on the raid window. If nothing is moused-over (or you're turning your camera), it will Cleanse yourself.

Target-of-Target Blessing of Protection

/cast [target=targettarget] Blessing of Protection; Blessing of Protection

* BoP's your target's target. Useful for when a mob drops aggro and runs to a caster, and since you're targetting the mob, you can do this in a snap.

Target-of-Target Righteous Defense

/cast [target=targettarget] Righteous Defense

* The basic ability for a tankadin, but has several applications even as Ret. This can be useful on any tauntable trash that runs loose. You can get at range and taunt, kite for a bit, and it'll run back or get picked up by a tank, or if it doesn't, you can bubble. This is also neat to use in PvP against demon locks or beast hunters, as you can taunt their pet off whoever they're targeted on and take that damage instead.

Judgement + Re-Seal

/cast Judgement
/stopcasting
/cast Seal of Whatever

* Probably my most used macros for Seal of Blood/Command. Will cast the Seal you have none on or have no target to Judge, and if you do have a target to Judge, will cast Judgement and automatically re-cast the Seal. For best results, treat Judgement as though it were on GCD.

Blessing of Sacrifice

/cast [target=Name] Blessing of Sacrifice

* This lets you BoSac someone with no other requirement than them being in your range and line of sight. This is most handy for fights where you know you'll be consistently BoSaccing someone (your lock on Illhoof, your partner in a 2v2, the tank if he has kings/light already, etc.)

Avenging Wrath and Trinket

/cast Avenging Wrath
/stopcasting
/use Trinket Name

* Pretty basic macro, but effective. Great to use with things like Abacus of Violent Odds or Bloodlust Brooch which basically just complement the ability and produce more damage than they would if used by themselves. Not to mention you and your wings turn red if you use it with Bloodlust Brooch which looks sick.
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Q u o t e:
FIRST

Edit: I LOVE YOU!

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2nd


btw why the hell didnt the first one get stickied? i sticky requested at least 999999 times

It's almost bad to support ret now as it needs some major buffs, props to people dpsing as ret despite blizz though.

All done. :)

Tell me if I should change something.

Re: OP ...

"...it, not to mention the stigmata accompanied with the phrase "Ret paladin" itself...."

I'm sorry to find out that some people get bodily sores when they hear the phrase "Ret paladin", perhaps they should consider suing Blizzard - because this is probably not covered by the TOS.

....Sorry, couldn't resist.

I assume, the word you meant to use was "stigma"?

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Q u o t e:
Re: OP ...

"...it, not to mention the stigmata accompanied with the phrase "Ret paladin" itself...."

I'm sorry to find out that some people get bodily sores when they hear the phrase "Ret paladin", perhaps they should consider suing Blizzard - because this is probably not covered by the TOS.

....Sorry, couldn't resist.

I assume, the word you meant to use was "stigma"?

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http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stigma

"Stigmata" is plural for "stigma." Point is there are multiple negative terms that can symbolize a "Ret paladin" (ex: Retnoob, Retardin).

Exavier you are like, a god hahaha. I haven't seen this much work put into things in a while.
Now why can't your threads get stickied QQs. I swear we reported it for a sticky more times than I can count.
Nice job~

Huzzah! A continuation of the old thread! I'm so happy. =3

... Why do these forums have post limits on their threads? T.T

*ahem* Anywho.

SO, my Paladin was level 41 when I first saw your guide... and I began thinking about how I was specc'd...

And after some thinking...

I decided to essentially steal your spec. XD Sorry, Ex... but after really lookin at it, I like your spec. It's just... good. I can't find any way to move your points around into talents that I would much rather want, so I went with what you have.

So, I respecc'd and redid my talents in your image... Putting five points into Divine Strength and then going up the Ret tree...

And I have noticed a considerable DPS increase. Nothing that would make you topple out of your chair in excitement but... I made the switch at 41. How much of an increase could I have? :P It's probably because of Divine Strength mostly... but I think I was seeing +50-+75 damage on each weapon swing... and then with Improved BoM... even higher. (I didn't have Imp. BoM or Divine Strength in my previous build... <.< >.>)

And now I'm two points into Vengeance, and enjoying it. :) I've already had a few times where I was able to build up to my 3 stacks, even though my crit rate is only about 11%! So imagine what it will be like if I'm able to get this crit rate even higher...

Anyway, just wanting to give you a low level success story. There may be some functionality problems with Paladin Melee combat... but it's obviously very workable. (As for the functionality problems... that's a separate discussion. :P )

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Q u o t e:
Huzzah! A continuation of the old thread! I'm so happy. =3

... Why do these forums have post limits on their threads? T.T

*ahem* Anywho.

SO, my Paladin was level 41 when I first saw your guide... and I began thinking about how I was specc'd...

And after some thinking...

I decided to essentially steal your spec. XD Sorry, Ex... but after really lookin at it, I like your spec. It's just... good. I can't find any way to move your points around into talents that I would much rather want, so I went with what you have.

So, I respecc'd and redid my talents in your image... Putting five points into Divine Strength and then going up the Ret tree...

And I have noticed a considerable DPS increase. Nothing that would make you topple out of your chair in excitement but... I made the switch at 41. How much of an increase could I have? :P It's probably because of Divine Strength mostly... but I think I was seeing +50-+75 damage on each weapon swing... and then with Improved BoM... even higher. (I didn't have Imp. BoM or Divine Strength in my previous build... <.< >.>)

And now I'm two points into Vengeance, and enjoying it. :) I've already had a few times where I was able to build up to my 3 stacks, even though my crit rate is only about 11%! So imagine what it will be like if I'm able to get this crit rate even higher...

Anyway, just wanting to give you a low level success story. There may be some functionality problems with Paladin Melee combat... but it's obviously very workable. (As for the functionality problems... that's a separate discussion. :P )

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Glad to hear. My spec is an altered cookie-cutter, nothing wrong with modeling after it. The AP talents are often underestimated. :)

A question; when you dps, do you judge every time the CD is up given threat is ok? or do you hold off on it to conserve a bit of mana for other hybridish tasks?

i haven't dpsed since lvl 65 in UB, and from what i remember when i spammed judgement, i'd start to have mana issues and be unable to perform said hybridish tasks. might've been cos i had 2/3 SJ, but meh.

You're my hero.

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Q u o t e:
A question; when you dps, do you judge every time the CD is up given threat is ok? or do you hold off on it to conserve a bit of mana for other hybridish tasks?

i haven't dpsed since lvl 65 in UB, and from what i remember when i spammed judgement, i'd start to have mana issues and be unable to perform said hybridish tasks. might've been cos i had 2/3 SJ, but meh.

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Yep, I spam Judgement. You should have the mana capacity for that easily, it's when you have to start healing yourself intensely that you see a big loss in mana. Your mana pool should be able to take a couple Holy Lights every so often, though.

Thanks again for the great detailed info, Exavier! It's too bad there's no forum mods that actually care for us to have useful info compiled in stickies...

Back to the top this goes =)

In the 'base build' (from the prior gearing guide) I noticed that you have JoComm in your build. At what point (would you consider using)/(do you use) JoComm, as opposed to SoB (given that you're horde).

If it was mentioned in the prior thread (or I managed to miss it in the current one), could you consider adding it to either the FAQ, or to the "Initial tips" notes?

You also mentioned that Redoubt/Imp Dev Aura are personal choices. Have you seen whether the 'block' animation changes normal attack speed? (For example, Parry can decrease the next attack, depending on time of the parry.)

From your perspective (and personal choice) did you take Redoubt so that on the off chance you have to pick up a shield and "tank", you're not completely in the lurch (+30% to block is better than nothing, even if it isn't on command)? Or mainly because you're running with Sanc Aura, which increases overall dps, and the minimal mitigation provided by ImpDev Aura is negligible at best, even when you can use it?