Proposal to Grant Holy Paladin Access to Divine Storm When Using Two-Handed Weapons

Dear Blizzard Team,

I would like to propose a change to the Holy Paladin specialization by adding the Divine Storm ability. I believe this would improve both balance and gameplay diversity in PvE, especially in Mythic+. Below are the reasons why this change would be beneficial from both a lore and balance perspective.

1. The Two-Handed Weapon Issue

  • Currently, Holy Paladin can craft a two-handed intellect weapon or obtain a Best-in-Slot two-handed weapon from a raid. However, if they equip it, they lose access to Shield of the Righteous.
  • This makes two-handed weapons unviable in Mythic+, as it removes a key damage-dealing ability.
  • Possible solutions:
    1. Add Divine Storm to Holy Paladin with damage equivalent to Shield of the Righteous, providing an alternative.
    2. Adjust the damage formula of Crusader Strike in Holy Paladin to scale based on weapon type. Currently, its damage does not increase when using a two-handed weapon, making it non-viable in M+.

2. Resource Efficiency in Crafting Two-Handed Weapons

  • Generally, if a healer has the option to craft a two-handed weapon, they will choose it because crafting a two-handed weapon costs 60 Gilded Crest and 2 Spark, whereas crafting a one-handed weapon + off-hand costs 120 Gilded Crest and 2 Spark.
  • This is a 60 Gilded Crest savings, allowing players to use a stronger weapon for a lower cost and utilize it in both raids and Mythic+.
  • However, a Holy Paladin opting for a two-handed weapon to save resources ends up at a disadvantage, as it becomes useless in Mythic+ due to the inability to use Shield of the Righteous.

Conclusion

Adding Divine Storm or adjusting the Crusader Strike formula would allow Holy Paladin more build diversity, make two-handed weapons viable, and help them compete with other healers in Mythic+. This change would be logical from a lore perspective and would also help balance Holy Paladin’s damage profile.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this proposal.

Sincerely,
GreeD

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