Following continued analysis of War Within Season 3 PvP metrics and community feedback, we’ve determined that Retribution Paladins remain significantly stronger than intended in arenas and rated battlegrounds. To create more meaningful counterplay and balance across melee classes, we are implementing enhanced adjustments to several key abilities.
These changes are designed to preserve the class fantasy while reducing situations where Ret Paladins are effectively unpunishable.
1. Divine Shield
Current Issue: Repeated invulnerability with LoH or other abilities makes the class difficult to counter.
Change:
Divine Shield now always triggers Forbearance, and its duration is reduced from 8 sec → 6 sec.
Forbearance cooldown increased from 30 sec → 45 sec.
Impact: Reduces repeated invulnerability windows, giving opponents a larger window to punish mistakes.
2. Lay on Hands
Current Issue: Ignoring dampening allows instant full-healing, making it extremely difficult to finish off Ret Paladins.
Change:
Healing now fully scales with PvP dampening.
Maximum healing reduced from 100% → 50% of max HP in high-dampening situations.
Impact: Ret Paladins cannot trivially recover from fatal damage during peak combat moments.
3. Avenging Wrath
Current Issue: Burst combined with Wings creates uncounterable damage spikes.
Impact: Burst is weaker and easier to predict and react to, giving skillful opponents a chance to survive and counter.
4. Divine Steed
Current Issue: Excessive mobility allows Ret to avoid CC and control.
Change:
Duration reduced from 3 sec → 1.5 sec.
Movement speed bonus reduced by 10%.
Impact: Ret can still reposition but can no longer escape every crowd control scenario.
5. Crusader Strike & Templar’s Verdict
Current Issue: Overwhelming sustained and burst damage.
Change:
Crusader Strike damage reduced by 15%.
Templar’s Verdict damage reduced by 25%.
Critical strike bonus against bleeds or DoTs reduced by 50%.
Impact: Ret Paladins now require precise positioning and timing for effective damage.
6. Hammer of Justice / Interrupts
New Adjustment:
Hammer of Justice cooldown increased 6 sec → 8 sec in PvP.
Immunities no longer extend beyond 1 sec; CC lockout applies immediately.
Impact: Opponents can now reliably counter or escape when timed properly.
7. Overall PvP Dampening and Sustain
Passive healing and self-sustain from talents are reduced by 20%.
Ret Paladins now have less room to survive extended fights without careful planning.
Developer Notes:
These adjustments aim to give skillful opponents — particularly high-mobility or bleed-heavy classes — meaningful windows to outplay Retribution Paladins. While this is a significant PvP adjustment, we believe it creates a more strategically rich and rewarding combat environment, where cooldowns, positioning, and timing truly matter.
We will continue monitoring PvP performance and adjust as necessary. Feedback from players is appreciated as always.
Sometimes I’m glad that blizzard doesn’t pay attention to the community, because sometimes you have to see what would scare the devs themselves. Directly ask that they prohibit playing ret pvp and that’s it, what are you looking for with those changes
Love your posts! You are honestly are the best man!
I think they did this just to show how they would like Paladins and a balance, even so, they cannot troll post…
Yet again man!. Love your posts and I appreciate everything your saying, a realy champ to forums!.
Ps: You are fair, insightful and realy easy going!. Kudos to you!.
https://ibb.co/KpmbRDLL
I think you should stop with the analytics as well as with the game in general. You can give tips on leveling up but no need for pvp advice
If your memory is letting you down go pandaria. Some abilities are in melee range, but there are two charges of freedom and a button that removes all slows and roots. Just a reminder ret in pandaria is pretty mediocre. Are you ready for this or going to weep again? I dont even think its worth asking analysts of THAT level
2400 xp feral and 2.3 ww monk do your research better buddy, the way you wanted to not sort by xp shows how hurt you are about me making a funny post, how about you stop being toxic to people and worry not to get drafted tyvm
Oh my memory is just fine. I literally play paladin myself. And i don’t care about MoP at all.
Just for the memes (and because i am queing 3s right now on lock) i just asked my wife what abilities on ret are actually melee only (she is playing ret in m+ and prot in raid). Her reply was “kick. that’s it. everything else has increased range”.
So you’re either deliberately lying or it’s your memory that is letting you down.
Oh and why didn’t you screenshot my check-pvp and posted it here?
One of the things that allows Rets and Mages to survive is immune bubbles at high dampening. Dampening should reduce the duration of Immune effects by 50% of current dampening level.
Use to do mythic +24 back in the days… They hit hard with 900% more stats… 1 mistake and group goes bye bye and every trash pull = mana break…
oh they had the 3 difficulty de-buffs as well…
The Dk we had as a tank, 1 hit from boss and 70% of his HP got deleted per hit…
Ps: I look at hardcore raiders and PvErs and max they do is mythic +7…
They rescrited it due to being OP in arena but they removed it due to fact its unfair that 1 class has its abilities removed/disabled… Do it 1 and you do it all…
I understand that LoH was removed/disabled in arena but thats a Paladins strong suit… If Paladins are gunna be handicapped why not other classes…
Ie
Mind games
Cyclone
Ice block
Anti Magic shield
Basicaly I could on, but it wasnt fair that a Paladin lost 1 abilitie and other classes didnt… Like a BM hunter losing/disabling its pet in arena…
Why im not surprised that someone who talks like you has a wife just as bad. Let her show me how she hits with a crusader and verdict from a distance when everyone else does it in melee. But why am i even bothering, no one here ever backs anything up with proof just a bunch of bad players who got wrecked by a ret https://ibb.co/QF2q4hqS
