Cataclysm's release is scheduled for just a month from now, and with it big changes will be made to all classes. Many of these changes can already be enjoyed (or suffered) since the implementation of 4.0.1 a few days ago. Here we will deal with the changes affecting healers. Today is the turn of the paladins, whose basic aspects we will take care of, since they have undergone a considerable facelift.
paladins
Paladins have indeed undergone a radical change in their new way of healing. Thanks to the inclusion of the Sacred Power and a new range of cures, we can now be more versatile in different situations and we will have to learn to use the ideal cure for each moment.
Talent Branch Bonuses
The specific benefits of the chosen talent branch, for the Holy Paladin, are:
- Sacred Shock: It stops being a talent to become a specific bonus of the talent branch, granted at level 10.
- Meditation: Allows 50% of mana regeneration from Spirit to continue in combat. With the disappearance of the MP5 in the team, the paladins begin to regenerate mana thanks to the spirit like the rest of the healers.
- Path of Light: Increases the effectiveness of all your heals by 15%.
- Mastery: Enlightened Healing: Healing spells place an absorb shield on the target for 8% of the amount healed, lasting 6 seconds. Each point of mastery increases the amount absorbed by an additional 1%.
Holy power
As of 4.0.1, all paladins base their play on a new source of energy, called Holy Power. Its basic function is that we gain Holy Power by using certain skills, and then we will spend it on others.
In the case of the Holy Paladin, the ways he has to gain Holy Power are:
- Use Holy Shock
- Heal directly the target of the Beacon of Light (with the appropriate talent)
- Take damage (with the right talent)
And we will spend the Holy Power on a free and instant cure, which is Word of Glory.
It is important, since our mana regeneration forms have been affected since 4.0.1, that we learn to use Holy Shock and Word of Glory correctly, as they allow us to heal for a very low mana cost.
Talents
Generic build for 4.0.1. Most talents don't allow for much variation.
The discretionary use of Holy Shock will be necessary from now on, so all talents that improve it are necessary: Infusion of Light, Amanecer.
As in the talent branches of other healers, talents appear in the holy branch of the paladin that can appear to be dps or pvp. In any case, for a pve environment (which is what concerns us) they will not be useful at all and we will skip them: Judge of the Light, Flaming light, to accuse. The talent Blessed life It could be useful in a specific situation in which we are going to be receiving direct damage continuously, but in general it will not be like that, so its usefulness is reduced.
Spiritual focus: It is an option to consider, although now it can be more useful than in Cataclysm. The idea for the Cataclysm raids is that the damage will not suffer the fast oscillations that are in the current raids, so there will be periods of low damage in which we should take advantage of to use Divine Plead at that time. Therefore, we should not have to coordinate the Supplication with Vengeful Wrath each time we use the first, but we should take advantage of Wrath for those times when we really need to heal more. At level 80, if we want to use it more, we could exchange it for Last word, which is less useful right now.
In the Protection branch, there are two very important talents:
- Divinity: an extra 6% to all your cures.
- Eternal glory: gives us the possibility that when using Word of Glory we do not spend the Holy Power, which means more free cures.
In the Remuneration branch, we would choose to:
- Crusade: huff our Sacred Shock 30%
- Improved judgment: being able to sentence from further away is essential to be able to position ourselves correctly for our new cures in the area.
It is not advisable to go down further in the Retribution branch since we would have to renounce Divinity and it is too important.
At level 80 you can choose both branches, or make a mix between them.
Here we can take all the talents mentioned above.
Spells and abilities
- Beam of light: Heals from 4762 to 5344, cost 27% base mana, 1,5 sec cast. What used to be our cure sparse to pleasure without ever running out of mana, now becomes the fast, expensive and powerful cure. Only suitable for emergencies, if we use it too much we will quickly run out of mana.
- Sacred light: Heals from 2870 to 3198, cost 9% base mana, 3 sec cast. This will now become the default cure. It is slow, costs very little, but heals relatively little. It is mana efficient, but not suitable for emergencies.
- Divine Light: Heals from 8538 to 9513, cost 30% base mana, 3 sec cast. New very powerful cure, slow casting and expensive. We will use it in periods of heavy damage.
- Morning light: Heals from 1009 to 1224 per Holy Power charge, instant, 30 sec cooldown. New heal that sends a wave of healing to the paladin, healing up to 5 friendly targets in a cone up to 30 yards. In the current live, it still costs mana.
- Laying on of hands: Heals a friendly target for the same amount as the paladin's maximum health and now also restores their mana for 1949. 10 minute cooldown
- Sacred Radiance- Heal all friendly targets within 10 yards for 612 every second. Cost 40% base mana, instant, lasts 10 seconds, 1 minute cooldown. New heal in area (available at level 83).
- Guardian of the Ancient Kings: When using Holy Shock, summons a Guardian that protects the paladin for 30 seconds. The Guardian will heal the same target as you for the same amount of your next 5 heals, and 10% of them will heal players around him.
Other skills
- Divine supplication: From now on, it only restores 10% of your total mana, penalizes all your heals by 50%, and increases their cooldown to 2 minutes.
- Clean: removes poison and disease. If we also want to eliminate magic, we must choose the corresponding talent.
- Seal of Insight: previous stamps disappear to be replaced by this one. We can also use it to restore mana when hitting melee.
- Blessing of Might: now includes the effects of granting mp5 and attack power. The Blessing of Wisdom disappears.
- Blessing of Kings: changes its effect, to now grant 5% statistics and resistance to schools of magic. Its effect is the same as the Druid buff.
- Sacred Shield: disappears
Glyphs
The glyphs available as of 4.0.1 are:
Primordial Glyphs:
- Sacred Shock: Increases the critical chance of Holy Shock by 5%.
- Divine Favor: Increases the duration of Divine Favor by 10 seconds.
- Word of Glory: Increases the healing of Word of Glory by 10%.
- Seal of Insight: When this seal is active, your heals are increased by 5%.
Sublime Glyphs:
- Divinity: This spell provides you and your target twice as much mana as normal.
- Clean: Reduces the cost of Clear by 20%.
- Morning light: Reduces the cooldown of this spell by 10 seconds and the amount healed by 20%.
- Sign of the Light: increases its duration by 30 seconds.
- Divine supplication: Increases mana regenerated by 5%.
- Big word: Word of Glory heals for 50% less initially, but provides 50% of that healing for 6 seconds.
Minor glyphs:
- Insight: reduces its cost by 50%.
- Laying on of Hands: Reduces its cooldown by 2 minutes.
- Blessing of Reyes or Power: reduces cost by 50%.