Protection Paladin 10.2.6 Guide
Introduction
This guide presents an in-depth view of the Paladin's Protection Specialization in WoW Dragonflight patch 10.2.6! You will learn everything about the spec, such as how to gear, prepare, and then min-max your Prot Paladin for the most challenging PvE content in World of Warcraft, Season 3.
First, we'll check out the specialization's particularities and see if the Protection Paladin is one of the best tanks in Dragonflight's latest season. Then, you'll learn how to gear your paladin, what stats to prioritize, and the best talents and rotations for different circumstances.
Finally, we'll discuss min-maxing your character for the end-game content and teach you what gear to use for Mythic Raiding and Mythic Plus dungeons. By the end of the guide, you will become a master of the Protection Paladin spec! Sounds good, right? Let's get started!
Table of Contents
- Protection Paladin: Strengths and Weaknesses
- Protection Paladins Stat Priority
- How to gear your Protection Paladin
- Protection Paladin Rotation
- Best Protection Paladin talents for Mythic Raiding and Dungeons
- Protection Paladins in Dragonflight - FAQ
Protection Paladins in Dragonflight: Strengths and Weaknesses
In World of Warcraft, the paladin class has 3 specializations: Retribution, Holy, and Protection. The Protection Paladins serve the tank role and use Holy Power and Mana as their spending resources.
In World of Warcraft, tanks have a major responsibility: they use their abilities to absorb damage and prevent their allies from being attacked. Protection Paladin is the perfect choice if you are looking for a classic tanking feel combined with the ability to self-heal and deal considerable damage. However, it is one of the mediocre tank specs in the ongoing meta in Dragonflight Season 3.
Regarding weapons, the Protection Paladin mainly uses one-handed swords, axes, maces, shields, and polearms. As for raid gear, paladins share the Conqueror Tier Token with Priests, Warlocks, and Demon Hunters for legacy content. In the Dragonflight expansion's latest raid, they share the Venerated Tier Token with Priests and Shamans.
In the table below, we present the strengths and weaknesses of the Protection Paladin specialization:
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
| + Excellent group utility through Blessings and Auras | - Limited mobility | |
| + Great self-sustain, self-healing & group healing | - Second lowest HP pool compared to every tank in the game | |
| + Excellent passive damage reduction & high Magic and Bleeding damage | - Tricky rotation with short/small windows to react on damage that can be punishing if missed | |
| + Strong active mitigation and multiple Crowd Control | - Minimal mobility |
Best Protection Paladin Races
When it comes to races, with so many options to choose from, you are probably wondering what would be the best race for your paladin. In World of Warcraft, each race has different racial abilities and spells, but no races offer an immediate advantage compared to others regarding the Protection spec. I highly recommend choosing the race you like the most, aesthetically speaking.
Now, if you want to make an idea of what race players generally choose for their Protection Paladins:
- For Alliance: Lightforged Draenei, Dark Iron Dwarf, Human, Dwarf.
- For Horde: Zandalari Troll, Blood Elf, Tauren.
Protection Paladin stat priority
Regardless of the class and spec you take in World of Warcraft, stats are a key component when gearing up and min-maxing your character for the end-game content. Protection Paladins wear Plate gear with Strength as the main stat.
As a paladin, the Strength stat increases armor, parry chance, and attack power—in other words, the damage you deal to your enemies. Also, please note that a higher and adequate item level will better impact your character's performance than a perfect stat distribution, so always watch the gear's item level!
Protection Pala Stats priority for Mythic Raiding and Dungeons
- 1. Strength
- 2. Haste
- 3. Mastery
- 4. Versatility
- 5. Critical Strike
So, as a Prot Paladin, you will primarily value item level for Strength as the primary stat, then Haste, followed by Mastery, Versatility, and Critical Strike as secondary stats.
In other words: Strength > Haste > Mastery > Versatility > Critical Strike.
Protection Paladin Stats Breakthrough
Strength: Increases your armor, attack power, and parry chance
Critical Strike: Increases the damage done by your abilities and the parry chance
Haste: Reduces the cooldowns of your abilities
Mastery: Increases the effectiveness of Mastery: Divine Bulwark
Versatility: Increases damage dealt and reduces damage taken
Moving on to the next chapter, we will focus on how to gear your paladin as a tank, the tier set, and best-in-slot items for mythic raiding and mythic dungeons.
How to gear your Protection Paladin
In World of Warcraft, gearing is one of the most important aspects that enhances your character's overall performance by providing massive amounts of stats, armor, procs, and set bonuses. This guide will teach you how to properly gear up for the most challenging content in WoW Dragonflight, Mythic Raiding, and Mythic+ Dungeons.
Protection Paladin Tier Set Bonus
To start with, what is a tier set in World of Warcraft?
In WoW, a tier set is a unique class armor set with powerful 2-set and 4-set specific bonuses for each specialization of that particular class. Tier set bonuses change based on the character's active talent specialization, ensuring that the bonus is appropriate and useful to that spec.
So to recap, tier sets are unique pieces of armor that, when equipped simultaneously, provide you with a bonus, different for each spec of the chosen class. This bonus is based on the number of pieces from the set you have equipped, with most tier sets providing bonuses when equipping 2 or 4 pieces.
How to get the Protection Pala Tier Set in Dragonflight patch 10.0
There are three ways you can get tier set items in WoW in the Dragonflight expansion:
- Raids: You can get tier set items from specific bosses in the Dragonflight raids.
- Revival Catalyst: The Revival Catalyst crafting system allows you to craft Tier armor from non-set pieces of the same item level.
- Great Vault: You can obtain tier set items from all activities that normally reward Great Vault, such as raiding, Mythic+ dungeons, and PvP.
The fastest way to obtain tier set items is to take advantage of these three sources, which can reward you with the Protection Paladin Tier Set items. The best advice is to complete the raid weekly — this is probably the fastest way to get your hands on the desired tier armor. If you don't have a team to raid with, complete some Mythic+ Dungeons or PvP matches.
Mythic dungeons and PvP are highly beneficial because even if you can't drop the set items while participating in these activities, you increase the chances of getting your set items at the Great Vault or the Revival Catalyst console in Thaldraszus. You can convert the non-set pieces obtained in dungeons or PvP at the Revival catalyst console into tier set items.
Let's have a closer look at the Great Vault feature:
And this is what the Revival Catalyst looks like:
Back to our Protection Pala's Tier Set. Now that you have learned how to obtain the tier set, let's see some set bonuses and particularities, shall we?
The Protection Paladin Tier set is called Zealous Pyreknight's Ardor. It comes with the following bonuses for two pieces and four pieces equipped:
- 2-Set: Judgement grants a stack of Sanctification, increasing damage reduction by 2.0% per stack. Upon reaching 5 stacks, your next cast of Consecration is empowered, increasing its damage and healing by 200% and its radius by 30%. Sanctification's stacks are reset when your empowered Consecration ends.
- 4-Set: While you are within an empowered Consecration, your abilities have a chance to deal 40% bonus damage or healing as Fire.
In the table below, we present you the sources for Protection Paladin Tier Set items:
| Slot | Tier Piece | Source |
| Helm | Zealous Pyreknight's Barbute | Tindral Sageswift |
| Shoulders | Zealous Pyreknight's Ailettes | Smolderon |
| Chest | Zealous Pyreknight's Warplate | Nymue, Weaver of the Cycle |
| Gloves | Zealous Pyreknight's Jeweled Gauntlets | Igira the Cruel |
| Legs | https://www.wowhead.com/item=207190/zealous-pyreknights-cuisses?bonus=7981:10358:5871 | Larodar, Keeper of the Flame |
The remaining tier set items (Cloak, Wrists, Waist, and Boots) can be obtained by using the Revival Catalyst in Thaldraszus.
As previously stated, you unlock the tier set bonuses for your paladin when you equip any two or four pieces of the Zealous Pyreknight's Ardor set. For itemization and build optimization, your four pieces of tier set as a Protection Paladin will be the Helm, Legs, Chest, and Gloves.
Raid Best in Slot (BiS) Gear for Protection Paladins
In the table below, you can find the best item to use in each slot from the raid as a Prot Paladin:
| Slot | Item Name | Encounter |
| Helm | Zealous Pyreknight's Barbute | Tindral Sageswift |
| Neck | Eye of the Rising Flame | Tindral Sageswift |
| Shoulders | Zealous Pyreknight's Ailettes | Smolderon |
| Cloak | Mantle of Blazing Sacrifice | Smolderon |
| Chest | Zealous Pyreknight's Warplate | Nymue, Weaver of the Cycle |
| Wrists | Agonizing Manacles | Igira the Cruel |
| Gloves | Zealous Pyreknight's Jeweled Gauntlets | Igira the Cruel |
| Waist | Smoldering Chevalier's Greatbelt | Tindral Sageswift |
| Legs | Zealous Pyreknight's Cuisses | Larodar, Keeper of the Flame |
| Boots | Fused Obsidian Sabatons | Smolderon |
| Ring #1 | Signet of the Last Elder | Igira the Cruel |
| Ring #2 | Band of Burning Thorns | Larodar, Keeper of the Flame |
| Trinket #1 | Branch of the Tormented Ancient | Gnarlroot |
| Trinket #2 | Cataclysmic Signet Brand | Smolderon |
| Weapon | Gholak, the Final Conflagration | Fyrakk, the Blazing |
| Shield | Defender of the Ancient | Gnarlroot |
Mythic+ Best in Slot (BiS) Gear for Protection Paladins
In the table below, you can find the best item to use in each slot from Mythic+ Dungeons as a Protection Paladin:
| Slot | Item Name | Location |
| Helm | Zealous Pyreknight's Barbute | Revival Catalyst |
| Neck | Chain of the Green Flight | Darkheart Thicket |
| Shoulders | Zealous Pyreknight's Ailettes | Revival Catalyst |
| Cloak | Drape of the loyal Vassal | Atal'Dazar |
| Chest | Zealous Pyreknight's Warplate | Revival Catalyst |
| Wrists | Incarnadine Bracers | The Everbloom |
| Gloves | Zealous Pyreknight's Jeweled Gauntlets | Revival Catalyst |
| Waist | Girdle of Burgeoning Apathy | Waycrest Manor |
| Legs | Greaves of Parallel Lives | Dawn of the Infinite: Murozond's Rise |
| Boots | Coldsteel Sabatons | The Everbloom |
| Ring #1 | Archdruid's Tainted Seal | Darkheart Thicket |
| Ring #2 | Ring of Contempt | Black Rook Hold |
| Trinket #1 | Rezan's Gleaming Eye | Atal'Dazar |
| Trinket #2 | Accelerating Sandglass | Dawn of the Infinite: Galakrond's Fall |
| Weapon | Andulation Enforcer | Atal'Dazar |
| Shield | Disc of Indomitable Will | Atal'Dazar |
Best in Slot (BiS) Trinkets for Protection Paladins
The best Protection Paladin trinkets for end-game content are:
| Tier | Item Name | Location |
| S | Augury of the Primal Flame | Fyrakk, the Blazing |
| S | Cataclysmic Signet Brand | Smolderon |
| A+ | Branch of the Tormented Ancient | Gnarlroot |
| A+ | Rezan's Gleaming Eye | Atal'Dazar |
| A | Fyrakk's Tainted Rageheart | Fyrakk |
| A | Gift of Ursine Vengeance | Urctos |
| A | Beacon of the Beyond | Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible |
| A | Corrupted Starlight | Darkheart Thicket |
| B+ | Spiked Counterweight | Black Rook Hold |
| B | Pip's Emerald Friendship Badge | Urctos |
| B | Ember of Nullification | Black Rook Hold |
| B | Gore-Crusted Butcher's Block | Waycrest Manor |
| B | Spores of Alacrity | The Everbloom |
This wraps up everything you should know about gearing your Protection Pala: the stats priority, how to obtain the tier set, and what items to use in the end-game activities. Moving on to the next section of our guide, we'll teach you what talents and rotation to use as a tank paladin in Dragonflight patch 10.2.6. Sounds good, right? Let's dive in!
Basic Protection Paladin Rotation in Dragonflight 10.2.6
- Protection Paladins level with a rotation similar to their endgame dungeon approach. Against a single enemy, prioritize Judgment over Avenger's Shield.
- For large groups prioritize Avenger's Shield to gather them.
- Start fights by using Avenger's Shield, Judgment & Hand of Recoking to pull enemies together.
- This aggressive pull tactic might even attract helpful DPS to assist you! Both single-target and AoE rotations share the core abilities of Consecration, Shield of the Righteous, Hammer of Wrath, Judgment, and Blessed Hammer.
Best Protection Paladin Leveling Talents in Dragonflight 10.2.6
The best talents to use while leveling as a Protection Pala are:
Now, let's check out the best talents for PvE end-game content, such as raiding and Mythic+ dungeons. In the end game, it's crucial to use the right talents and prioritize the skills you use depending on the activity. Choosing the best talents will significantly impact your performance as a tank!
Best Protection Paladin End-game Talents in 10.2.6
From the PvE perspective, there are two main end-game activities we'll take into consideration: Mythic raiding and Mythic+ Dungeons. We'll treat them separately to keep things clear and avoid confusion.
Best Talents for Mythic Raiding in Season 3 (patch 10.2.6)
In the picture below, you can see the best talents for mythic raiding as a Protection Paladin:
Standard Build
Damage Build
Best Talents for Mythic+ Dungeons in Season 3 (patch 10.2.6)
As a Protection Pala, these are the talents you must use to maximize your performance in M+ Dungeons:
M+ Build
Protection Paladin in Dragonflight - FAQ
1. Are Protection Paladins good in Dragonflight 10.2.6?
The Protection Paladin represents one of the weaker tank specs in WoW Dragonflight in Season 3.
2. Is Protection Paladin easy to play?
Yes, the Protection Paladin is one of the easier-to-play tank specs in the game.
3. What is the stats priority for Protection Paladins?
Stats priority for Protection Paladin: Strength > Haste > Mastery > Versatility > Critical Strike
4. Which paladin spec is best for leveling in patch 10.2.6?
The Retribution Specialization is the best spec for paladin leveling.
5. What is the best race for Protection Paladins in Dragonflight?
- Alliance's best Protection Paladin races are Lightforged Draenei, Dark Iron Dwarf, Human, and Dwarf.
- The best Protection Paladin races for Horde are Zandalari Troll, Blood Elf, and Tauren.
Final thoughts
This wraps up everything you should know regarding the Paladin's Protection specialization in World of Warcraft Dragonflight for Season 3, patch 10.2.6. By reading this guide, you should now better understand the Protection's spec and particularities and how it performs in certain circumstances and different end-game activities.
