World of Warcraft Classes: Paladin

Available Races: Dwarf, Human

Upholders of the Holy Light and defenders of the Alliance, the Paladins can be found from the northern forests of the Tirisfal Glades, fighting back the advance of the Forsaken, to the southern reaches of the Blasted Lands, ceaselessly upholding their vigil against demonic forces from beyond the Dark Portal. Wielding their mighty hammers and the strength of the Light, these holy warriors command forces in battle, all the while throwing themselves to where the fighting is the thickest.

Paladins are an Alliance only class - the counterpart to the Horde only Shaman class. They serve the Alliance as the hybrid tank/healer. Although they don't have the same durability as the Warrior, they aren't far behind with all their buffs and healing spells. The Paladin is the only other class besides the Warrior that can wear plate armor, which will most likely be a very vaulable defensive tool. Paladins can use swords but start out with the ability to use only blunt weapons like maces.

The Paladin has a range of different types of attacks, which include basic techniques, holy magic, seals, and auras. Basic techniques draw from the mana pool of the Paladin instead of the rage or shout pool like a warrior. A few examples of basic techniques are Holy Strike (high damage melee with extra damage to undead), Hammer of Justice (a stun attack), and Lay on Hands (powerful heal with a large cooldown).

A Paladin gains holy magic that is very similar to that which would be found in a Priest, yet at reduced effectiveness. Players of Warcraft III will recognize the spell Holy Light as one of the Paladin's abilities which heals the target for a set amount. Other abilities include Purify (remove negative effects) and Resurrect.

One of the more unique abilities that a Paladin gains is his use of seals. Seals are basically short duration buffs that are limited to one per player per each Paladin. In essence, what this means is that if you had two Paladins, a person could have two seals running on them at a time, one from each Paladin. If a single Paladin attempts to cast more than one seal on a single person, the newest one will overwrite the older. Seals will come in many varieties, including Seal of Protection (protects against physical damage), Seal of Might (increases damage output), or Seal of Righteousness (increases damage against undead).

Paladins will also have the ability to use auras. Auras generally work to strengthen those around the Paladin according to the type of aura that was cast by applying to the Paladin and his or her nearby group members. In WoW, the Paladin will have a number of auras to choose from, including Devotion Aura (increases armor), Healing Aura (enhances health regeneration), or Retribution Aura (reflects damage).

Color coding: Green: +1 class bonus, Yellow: +2 class bonus, Orange: +3 class bonus