Retribution Paladin DPS Gear and Best in Slot — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.1.5

1. Evaluating Upgrades

The easiest way, and also the method we suggest, to compare multiple items is to use Raidbots Top Gear. Here you can input an export from the Simcraft AddOn , select the items to compare, and it will find out which of the items are best.

2. Crucible of Storms Gear for Retribution Paladins

The Crucible of Storms gear has unique effects, but not all of them are usable with the current tuning.

The hands, Abyssal Speaker's Gauntlets, are usually better than other hands at the same item level, given a minimum shield uptime.

The legs, Legplates of Unbound Anguish, are a must-have for single-target damage.

The sole weapon drop, Trident of Deep Ocean, should be avoided under all circumstances for pure damage purposes.

The belt, Mindthief's Eldritch Clasp, effect acts as a second life in the Crucible of Storms, because there are encounter mechanics which instantly kill you if you have less than 25% Health. The belt has slightly less secondary stats than other belts at the same item level.

The trinket, Lurker's Insidious Gift, is very good for Retribution Paladins, but make sure to use a defensive, such as Shield of Vengeance, at around 20-23 stacks of the debuff to make sure you do not kill yourself (or drop below 25% Health in the Crucible of Storm encounters). If you have no defensive ready, or you are in a part of an encounter with high raid damage, make sure to reactivate the trinket to cancel the self-inflicting damage in time.

3. Azerite Gear

3.1. Azerite Head

3.2. Azerite Shoulders

3.3. Azerite Chest

4. Trinkets

Due to the prevalence of high item level trinkets and Titanforged rewarded from PvP and Mythic+ dungeon grinding, there are a variety of suitable options when it comes to trinkets. It is always best to use Raidbots Top Gear to determine what your optimal trinkets are.

A generic ranking for the top 15 single-target Trinkets can be found here:

A generic ranking for the top 15 cleave Trinkets can be found here:

5. Changelog