DPS Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Retribution Paladin abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0.1).

Single Target

Start with Avenging Wrath and Divine Toll to generate Holy Power and enter your burst window.

• Avenging WrathView detailsUse at the start of combat.
• Execution SentenceView detailsUse to maximize damage during burst.
• Hammer Of Light
• Final VerdictView detailsUse with 5 Holy Power.
• Wake Of AshesView detailsUse to generate Holy Power.
• Divine TollView detailsUse if <= 3 Holy Power.
• Hammer Of Wrath
• Blade Of JusticeView detailsUse if Expurgation is not active.
• JudgmentView detailsUse if 2 charges available.
• Final VerdictView detailsUse with 4 Holy Power.
• Divine StormView detailsUse with Empyrean Power proc.
• Templar Strikes or Templar Slash
• Crusader Strike

Begin with Avenging Wrath and Execution Sentence for burst. Use Final Verdict with 5 Holy Power and Wake Of Ashes to generate more. Fill with Hammer Of Wrath, Blade Of Justice, and Judgment as needed.

AoE

Switch to AoE rotation at 2+ targets with AoE talents or 3+ targets with single-target talents.

• Avenging WrathView detailsUse at the start of combat.
• Execution SentenceView detailsUse to maximize AoE damage.
• Hammer Of Light
• Divine StormView detailsUse with 5 Holy Power.
• Wake Of AshesView detailsUse to generate Holy Power.
• Divine TollView detailsUse if <= 3 Holy Power.
• Hammer Of Wrath
• Blade Of JusticeView detailsUse if Expurgation is not active.
• JudgmentView detailsUse if 2 charges available.
• Divine StormView detailsUse with Empyrean Power proc.
• Final VerdictView detailsUse with Empyrean Legacy active.
• Divine StormView detailsUse with 4 Holy Power.
• Templar Strikes or Templar Slash
• Crusader Strike

For AoE, prioritize Avenging Wrath and Execution Sentence. Use Divine Storm with 5 Holy Power or Empyrean Power procs. Generate Holy Power with Wake Of Ashes and Divine Toll.

Cooldowns

• Avenging WrathView detailsUse before other cooldowns for increased damage and crit.
• Execution SentenceView detailsUse before high-damage abilities to amplify its effect.

Use Avenging Wrath to enhance damage and crit. Follow with Execution Sentence to amplify burst. Align trinkets with cooldowns for maximum effect.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.