Plate is shiny
I’m currently in the process of putting together a list of Bind on Account, aka Heirloom, gear list for a baby Paladin. I’m thinking of leveling a Paladin, not because I have any intention of playing a Paladin at max level but purely for leveling fun.
I’ve been enjoying leveling the Mage using the Dungeon Finder but I’m getting just a bit tired of the lengthy dungeon queues. Time to roll a hybrid.
I’ve been doing some research. I want to make sure I buy the very best BoA items around for my Paladin. Eventually – around level 40 – I expect I’ll need a tanking and healing set. I won’t be queuing dungeons as Damage, so I don’t really intend to put together a high DPS Retribution set. If I go out in the world to complete a few quest, well, I’ll have to just wear my tanking/shield gear. I somehow doubt that there’s much difference between DPS and tanking items at lower levels.
In doing my research I was quite surprised to find a lot of conflicting opinions about the best weapon and best enchants. I think this is mostly because some of the newer weapons (the Maces in particular) were released sometime after Wrath of the Lich King. Anyway, here’s what I consider to be the most suitable items. I’d really love to hear what some more experienced Paladins think.
Both of the weapons are 1 hand weapons which frees up my Offhand item slot for an appropriate Shield. Is it worth purchasing a 2 handed weapon to equip if I need to complete a couple quests on my own?
Tanking set
I was surprised at how poor the trinket choice was for melee DPS and tanking characters. There is no Attack Power trinket. The Inherited Insignia would be somewhat handy to get out of nets and other movement impairing effects (although I think I’m going to be playing a Human, so there’s no need). The Swift Hand of Justice haste trinket is useful for all classes to some degree.
Would I be better off equipping the spell power trinket? Do Paladins benefit from equipping spell power for dps or tanking?
The enchanting options are quite interesting and I imagine the choice comes down to personal taste. Fiery Blaze Enchantment is a great option, I believe, but you need to complete a quest around level 40 to earn it. Until then you can either choose to remain enchant-less or you can choose one of the other options that I’ve listed. Most comments that I’ve found seem to favor Lifestealing over Crusader and then recommend choosing the flat stat gain from Agility or Strength after level 60 (the point at which Lifestealing and Crusader being to diminish in power).
I think I’m going to aim for the Fiery Blaze Enchant just because it’s something that I would never have thought of using. Furthermore, it won’t cost you any gold.
Healing Set
| Best Item for Healing | Enchant | Other Choices |
| Mystical Pauldrons of Elements Mail | Pristine Lightforge Spaulders | |
| Mystical Vest of Elements Mail | Greater Stats, Major Mana |
|
| Discerning Eye of the Beast | ||
| Swift Hand of Justice | 2x Discerning Eye of the Beast | |
| Devout Aurastone Hammer | Mighty Intellect or Spellpower | The Blessed Hammer of Grace |
Fortunately for me I have both the Mail spell power shoulders and the spell power mace from when I leveled my Shaman. It may seem like a lot of effort to purchase gear for 2 sets but, to be honest, I have nearly all the items for my healing set already.
Also, if you’re an excellent fisherman the Dread Pirate Ring awarded to the winner of the weekly Kalu’ak Fishing Derby would complement either set. But somehow I doubt I’m going to win this event!
Spellpower isn’t the best option anymore for Paladin tanking, but it’s also far from the worst. It still has a benefit, but they reduced it significantly. I would suggest the two hands, along with seal of command for tanking. Command’s cleave component works nicely with the haste, which takes away some of the pain of the sloooooooow tanking weapons.
I actually use Stained Shadowcraft Tunic (http://www.wowarmory.com/item-info.xml?i=48689) on my leveling prot warrior. I know it is leather, but after having taunt miss in Maraudon, I realized I needed hit. I talked to a pally that was running with me the tunic and talked me into it. It has much higher stam with hit and attack power. I ended up switching out the Polished Valor chest and it has worked well for me.
@Tebla I noticed the lack of +hit options for Plate wearers too
I’ve seen so many tanks in my Mage dungeons struggle to hold threat purely because they are at the very bottom of the level range for the instance while I am hitting every single time. I’ve added that Leather option into the article 
Crusader ftw on your weapon enchant, you’ll be 1 shotting mobs at the early levels when it procs, even using a 1 handed weapon, and at the later levels it’s still by far the best +dmg enchant.
As strength is the single biggest threat / dmg stat for paladins of all classes, particularly when you add in the multipliers from kings (or sanc) and talents.
You don’t need lifestealing at all, it’s completely useless, because when levelling as prot, you can use seal of light + judgement of light (once you get blessing of sanc) to keep up your health easily. Until then you’ll maybe need to use seal / judgement of wisdom a bit I’m not sure (things have changed alot since I lvl’d 3 or 4 years ago).
Don’t bother with a 2h weapon if you’re not going to go ret. At the later levels, you do more dmg with a 1h weapon when you’re prot spec, and at the lower levels you’ll prettymuch 1 shot mobs when crusader procs anyway. Not to mention you can AoE grind as prot, which is the main attraction of it, as once you have concecrate and holy shield, you should be able to prettymuch just pull and kill large numbers of mobs all at once for ezymode lvling.
Seems like you have the sets plotted out quite nicely – I’d recommend about the same for leveling. As for the enchants, I stuck with Crusader on weapon. While it says that the effect decreases after level 60, that change is not all that great – or at least how I experienced it. I think it procs at 60 Strength from level 70 on and 40 Strength at levle 80. Still nice to have, as it adds Threat and Block Value.
Still, I wouldn’t be too concerned about the gear – with heirloom chest and shoulders, weapon and even one trinket (reserving a slot for a tanking trinket at higher levels to save a slot) you will outgear instances enormously.
My level 66 Tankadin sits at 9.5K health self-buffed, almost the same as a tank who entered Karazhan at level 70, just to illustrate.
The only sad thing that the only available shoulder enchants will be from Zul’Gurub, meaning that they will only be available at level 60 or so on. You could always ask your guildies if they feel like doing some runs – you will get rep and tanking practice, and shoulder enchants which will last you until level 70. Even so, it does seem like a bit of a waste of time concerning how fast you are likely to level up.
Any idea what professions you’d like to go for on your Baby Tank?
I’m not qualified to comment on the tanking set, really – I’m using the chestpiece and shoulders that you mentioned as well as the battle-worn thrash blade because my tanking husband said he considered the mace to be a bit slow for tanking – preferring something that hits more often.
As for the heal set, I’m using the mail chest/shoulders, the Devout Aurastone hammer, and 2x Discerning Eye of the Beast. I had these things already from having leveled my shaman. I didn’t put the highest possible enchants on them, though; because I’m leveling enchanting I just tend to slap whatever I am able to do on them as I go.
I hope leveling your paladin is a fun experience for you!
.-= Vidyala’s last blog … Identity Crises =-.
I’ve had the Fiery Enchant cause problems when you’re working around tightly-packed yellow con mobs. You forget the enchant is there until it goes off and aggro’s 3 more. But, then, you’re levelling a pally, no worries!
I hope you have fun. i have just done what you are setting out on and i can honestly say that it was a blast.
Now for some hints, pvp heirlooms are better tanking ones. Better stm and the added bonus of resi at low levels reduces the chances you will be crit by mobs of a high or equal level.
Healing, one word, “MANA” get it big…….
Cheers Have fun
Seeley (lvl 80 Holy Pally – Nagrand US – Horde)
The way you have things planned out seems fine. You really, really don’t have to min/max as you level. The content is tuned taking into consideration that not everyone has access to heirloom gear. I’ve been fooling around with my level 50s ret pally lately, who’s on a separate server and doesn’t have access to heirloom gear so she still has a couple of pieces from Scarlet Monastary (eek!). Still, she’s been tanking BRD (yes, in her ret spec) like a pro.
Like Seeley said, the PvP heirloom gear might be slightly better for tanking due to the extra stam (plus resilience never hurts when leveling on a pvp server).
I bought two sets of gear for my latest paladin as well (I’m having her heal/dps) and I’m very pleased with it. Knowing that I can switch roles whenever and always get an experience bonus is fantastic. Plus, the mail gear is flexible, so she can share it with my lowbie shaman.
.-= Ophelie’s last blog … Adventures in and Reflections on Lowish Level Tanking =-.
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@Seeley I could only find that 1 PVP Heirloom item – the Pristine shoulders (in the Other Options for tanking shoulders column). Are there other items that I missed?
@Bri and Papa I’m starting to see why Crusader might be a better option than the Fiery Blaze Enchant.
.-= Cassandri’s last blog … Paladin Hand-Me-Downs =-.
Just remember if you are enchanting heirloom gear you cannot use an enchant that has a level requirement. So even though Crusader tops off a bit at the higher levels, unless you stop using the heirloom weapon, there isn’t a better alternative.
All heirloom items are considered to be level 1. If you runeforge an heirloom item it is no longer BoA.
.-= Millea’s last blog … So that Tir will shut up =-.
I agree that crusader is godly for heirlooms! I have leveled different pallies, some with Fiery and some with Crusader, and I greatly preferred Crusader =)
However, enchanting a BoA with something that has a level requirement or Runeforging (which again has a level req) does not make the item non-BoA, it simply fails to put the enchant on the item; “Target is too low level”
So far I’m getting a bit frustrated by Crusader – it always goes off on the killing blow and then has pretty much expired while I find another mob to kill! Hopefully as time goes on I can take on more mobs at once and see this proc a lot more often.
Damn good thing that it doesn’t permanently wreck your BoA weapon if you accidentally try and enchant it with something to high level. That would be bad…
It does seem odd that with the continued tanking shortages issues, Blizzard focused so much on dps and healing heirlooms.
My lvl73 Resto Druid is wearing a Tattered Dreadmist Robe with the Major Mana enchant that has also been shared with a Priest, Mage, and Shaman. I am planning to send some heirlooms cross server/faction to a lvl29 Paladin that I want to level Prot. This post is helping me finalize my choices.
@Melvyl I don’t think there are any tanking heirlooms because, really, until the new Dungeon Finder was released you couldn’t really level up purely through instance tanking. Still don’t get why there is no Attack Power trinket.
Cassie!
All you need for tanking with a pally up until lvl 50 is Stam… and maybe a little shieldy… but mostly its stam
your loving paladin
-Healthcover
My friend Pike also thinks that Crusader is a better bet. I personally can’t comment on the tanking yet…be back soon.
Sirio.
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