Retribution Paladin Patch 9.2 Changes Analysis and Tier Set Thoughts

Last updated on Apr 13, 2022 at 10:47 by Urthearso 47 comments
General Information

On this page, we tell you how the Patch 9.2 changes for Retribution Paladin affect the spec and what the current state of theorycrafting is.

1.

Retribution Paladin in Patch 9.2: Eternity's End

This page will go over how the changes in Patch 9.2, Eternity's End, will affect Retribution Paladins, specifically how the changes might impact its playstyle, best Legendary choices, Covenants, and the like. If you are simply interested in what the current changes are for Paladins in Patch 9.2 in general, you can instead read our full list of changes to the entire Paladin class on our dedicated page below. For an additional list of content coming with Patch 9.2, you can also check out our Patch 9.2 Overview page.

2.

Base Spec Changes for Patch 9.2

At the moment, Retribution Paladins have not yet received any changes to the specialization's base kit. However, some of the further adjustments and additional content that will be arriving will likely change how you as a Retribution Paladin may approach your gameplay.

3.

Retribution Paladin Talent Changes in Patch 9.2

As with the specialization itself, there have been no direct talent changes made in PvE or PvP for Retribution Paladins, though with a new raid and a new season for both Mythic+ and PvP will come new options for finding gear and trying out different talent combinations.

4.

Retribution Paladin Tier Set in Patch 9.2

Within the new Sepulcher of the First Ones raid that will be coming in Patch 9.2, every class will once again earn pieces of a gear set that is uniquely class-themed with its own two- and four-piece bonuses for every specialization. For Retribution Paladins, these set bonuses currently are:

4.1.

Retribution Paladin Tier Set Thoughts

Both Retribution Paladin set bonuses trigger based on our baseline passive Art of War Icon Art of War, which procs off of auto attacks with a flat 12% chance, or 24% chance with our mainstay talent Blade of Wrath Icon Blade of Wrath. To gain more procs, we can increase our auto attack speed by increasing our Haste, taking the Zeal Icon Zeal talent, and finally we can utilize a Shaman's Windfury Totem Icon Windfury Totem to get up to extra ~700 single-target DPS.

The Ashes to Ashes Icon Retribution Paladin 2-Piece bonus grants us 4 seconds of the very same effect we gain from our existing talent Seraphim Icon Seraphim whenever we get a Art of War Icon Art of War proc. In case you get a proc during your normal Seraphim, it will extend the duration.

The Ashes to Ashes Icon Retribution Paladin 4-Piece bonus allows us to easily make good use of the 4-second Seraphim Icon Seraphim proc. If we have 3 or more Holy Power, for example, we first can spend it with Templar's Verdict Icon Templar's Verdict, then regain the 3 Holy Power we just spent with the freshly-reset Wake of Ashes Icon Wake of Ashes, and then spend again with Templar's Verdict Icon Templar's Verdict. If we get a proc without 3 Holy Power, we skip the first spender and use Wake of Ashes right away into a spender.

Overall, the frequently available Wake of Ashes Icon Wake of Ashes is very enjoyable to play with.

5.

Covenant Changes in Patch 9.2 for Retribution Paladin

You now can press Ashen Hallow Icon Ashen Hallow again to cancel the effect.

6.

Legendary Changes in Patch 9.2 for Retribution Paladin

6.1.

Venthyr Legendary Changes in Patch 9.2 for Retribution Paladin

While using the Covenant Legendary Radiant Embers Icon Radiant Embers, it will no longer cancel the effect when stepping outside of the large bloody circle. To gain the cooldown-reduction effect, you now have to manually cancel the effect by pressing Ashen Hallow Icon Ashen Hallow again.

6.2.

General Legendary changes for Retribution Paladin

Recall that in Patch 9.1, every class received a Legendary Power that was unique to each Covenant. For Paladins, these Powers were:

However, new in Patch 9.2 is the ability to eventually use a second Legendary Power, provided it is your Covenant-specific effect. This means that Kyrian Retribution Paladins should make use of both Divine Resonance Icon Divine Resonance and Final Verdict Icon Final Verdict. In addition, this ability will be tied to a new Legendary Power that automatically switches to match your current Covenant, further encouraging the flexibility of freely changing Covenants that was introduced in Patch 9.1.5.

6.3.

Double Legendary Combinations

For single-target, all Covenants except for Venthyr will use Final Verdict Icon Final Verdict alongside their fixed Covenant Legendary. Venthyr should use The Mad Paragon Icon The Mad Paragon alongside their fixed Radiant Embers Icon Radiant Embers Legendary.

For variable target situations, all Covenants should use Vanguard's Momentum Icon Vanguard's Momentum alongside their fixed Covenant Legendary.

For cleave, all Covenants should use Tempest of the Lightbringer Icon Tempest of the Lightbringer alongside their fixed Covenant Legendary.

7.

Changelog

  • 13 Apr. 2022: Updated for tier set changes.
  • 21 Feb. 2022: Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.2.
  • 15 Jan. 2022: Page added with initial thoughts and information.
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