1.0- A Holadins job in any raid or instance.
1.1- Stats and Gear.
1.2- Gems and Enchants.
1.3- Glyphs and Specs.
1.4- Helpful Addons.
1.5- Rotation, Tips, and Tricks.

1.0 A Holadins Job

First we should start off with a quick overview of your strengths and weaknesses as a Paladin. You are an over healing machine, and that is an understatement, as a paladin unless you are very skilled and experienced with fight encounters you can expect yourself to be on the top over heals for every fight. (Over heals are heals that do not benefit anyone, if someone youre healing is topped off at max hp that heal cast on them will be considered an over heal. On the addon Recount there are two tabs to show the difference between Healing Done and Overhealing Done.) The reason for so many over heals is that we have almost no hots or damage mitigation besides a SS(Sacred Shield) or JoL(Judgement of Light). On top of this our heas are off the charts I am the 5th geared holadin on my server running progression and I crit 7ks with my FoL’s(Flashes of Light) and 8-9k with my HK’s (Holy Shock). If you have other competant healers with you it is probable you will only need part of that 16k burst heal to top off your tank, meaning the rest is gonna go to over heals.

Second thing to look at as a Holy Paladin is the amount of mana we have, its outrageous. I have a 34k+ mana pool when in raids with full buffs. This means that we can get away with spam healing even if the target is topped off, if you do not know when the tank is going to start taking damage and you already have SS on him feel free to spam FoL’s for the small “downtime” so to speak.

You are a tank healer not a raid healer. Prioritize as follows- 1)yourself, 2)Tank, 3)other healers, 4)Dps. It is a Resto Shammy or Druids job to keep up the raid and such, also remember that just as dps you CANNOT I repeat CANNOT heal/dps when you are dead thus do not sit in the fire/green stuff/nova/whatever it may be, if one tank is lost in a raid do not freak out your OT(off tank) can pick things up with the right heals, but with no heals you are set for failure.

1.1 Stats and Gear

Intellect- It simply does not get any better for a Holadin then to have amazing Intellect, the bigger the mana pool the bettter.

Haste- since 3.2, due to the Illumination Crit nerf this might be the second best stat to keep with you, it means you can spam your heals and put them out there faster. Many Paladins will have noticed that a lot of our best in spec gear from 3.2 (ilvl 232 and up) has Haste on it for a reason.

Holy Crit- This used to be the second best stat during 3.1 because of Illumination, most of a Holy Paladins mana regen is not through mp5(mana per 5 seconds) or Spirit, but from healing crits. The more you crit the more mana you technically get back.

Spell Power and Bonus Healing- There is a difference let that be known between SP and BH for every 100Spell Power you will gain 120Bonus Healing, do not expect to have tons of this, and do not compare your BH to that of any other caster or healer. This stat will come with time but if you want to heal 10Naxx and up you should sit at 1800-2000+.

MP5 and Spirit- Even though there was a buff of the amount of regen gained from Spirit during 3.2 it is still the most useless of all regular healing stats for Holy Paladins because of the way Spirit scales with us, we do not receive the same amount of benefits that say Druids do. Mp5 is our straight mana regen (meaning that crit is something you rely on to crit for mana while the mp5 is always there every5 seconds you are guaranteed mana back), it scales much better then Spirit for us.

3.2 Gear
As I stated earlier Intellect Haste Crit and Spell Power with possible Mp5 are what you’re looking for on your items. Also keep this in mind that you should not be taking much damage considering a tank is doing its job, so if a piece of Resto Shammy gear drops or anything non plate, first consider the stat upgrade. Do not worry about losing armour or thinking that you need to be in all plate, I have seen many healers use the 232 Resto Shammy boots out of 10toc until they could find a better upgrade.

1.2 Gems and Enchants

Gems- Based off of the prior section on stats gems are very simple in our line of work. Intellect Intellect and more Intellect…o yeah and some Intellect.
The current best gem for us as healers is the +20Intellect Gem (Brilliant King’s Amber) I use this in almost all of my sockets.

Meta- As far as our meta is concerned the Insightful Earthsiege Diamond is out best bet, it requires a Blue and Red socket and gives us an additional +21Int as well as possible mana regen from casts.

Meta Requirement- Now some people try to meet with Meta requirement with 2 gems, one blue and one red matching to both a red and blue sockets, but there is a better way to go about things. I use the Royal Dreadstone which gives 12Sp and 5Mp5 but if I put it into either a red or blue socket and I get the socket bonus, I will have knocked out both Meta requirements with one gem. Thus saving another socket for a +20Intellect gem.

Enchants- These are pretty basic you will see almost all Holy Paladins with the following:

Head – Arcanum of Burning Mysteries (+30sp and 20crit) Available with Kirin Tor Revered Arcanum of Burning Mysteries – Item – World of Warcraft

Shoulders – Greater Inscription of the Storm (+24sp and 15crit) Available with Sons of Hodir Exalted Greater Inscription of the Storm – Item – World of Warcraft

Chest – Powerful Stats (+10 to all stats) 440 Enchanting
Enchant Chest – Powerful Stats – Spell – World of Warcraft

Belt – Eternal Belt Buckle (Another +20Int/gem socket) 415 Blacksmithing
Eternal Belt Buckle – Item – World of Warcraft

Back – Greater Speed (+23 Haste) 430 Enchanting
Enchant Cloak – Greater Speed – Spell – World of Warcraft

Bracers – Superior Spellpower (+30SP) 440 Enchanting
Enchant Bracers – Superior Spellpower – Spell – World of Warcraft

Gloves – Exceptional Spellpower (+28SP) 360 Enchanting
Enchant Gloves – Exceptional Spellpower – Spell – World of Warcraft

Boots – Icewalker (12hit and crit) 360 Enchanting
Enchant Gloves – Exceptional Spellpower – Spell – World of Warcraft

Weapon – Mighty Spellpower (+63 SP) 435 Enchanting
Enchant Weapon – Mighty Spellpower – Spell – World of Warcraft

Shield – Greater Intellect (+25Int) 395 Enchanting
Enchant Shield – Greater Intellect – Spell – World of Warcraft

Leggings – Brilliant Spellthread (+50SP and 20Spirit) 430 Tailoring
Brilliant Spellthread – Item – World of Warcraft
(^I do know that some people prefer the Sapphire Spellthread which is +50SP and 20Stamina instead of spirit arguing that Spirit is useless and thus extra Stamina manes you can take more damage before dieing.)

This is all not including Proffesions as I know you can do better with two good maxxed out professions, if youre good on money and are looking for the top two PvE Proffessions I suggest Jewelcrafting for an extra 42Intellect in 3 Special Dragons Eyes(each is +34Int), as well as Blacksmithing which gives you 2 extra sockets meaning another 40Intellect.

1.3- Glyphs and Specs.

Glyphs – As far as Glyphs are concerned this really depends on your playstyle and what possible issues you come across as a healer. However the top Major Glyphs are as follows:
Glyph of Seal of Wisdom- The worst thing you can do is glyph for an additional punch to healing with Glyph of Seal of Light, you are already over healing so it makes much more sense to have something that saves mana.
Glyph of Seal of Wisdom – Item – World of Warcraft

Glyphs of Holy Light- This is also a must considering any melee dps will get a nice small heal when you HL the tank or anyone near by.
Glyph of Holy Light – Item – World of Warcraft

Glyph of Beacon of Light- This is a mana conserving Glyphs, Beacon of Light is something you should always hold up but it does cost 1k+mana, so putting another 30seconds on it means you have to worry about renewing it less and you have more bank for your buck.
Glyph of Beacon of Light – Item – World of Warcraft

Glyphs of Holy Shock- This is a good glyph but I personally don’t use it over any of the top 3. It does help out if you find yourself spamming it off cd I suppose.
Glyph of Holy Shock – Item – World of Warcraft

Glyph of Flash of Light- This is nice when you’re still doing heroics and getting gear, but you wont benefit much from it during a full raid. It is also a must for PvP healing.
Glyph of Flash of Light – Item – World of Warcraft

Minor Glyphs- There isn’t really much to choose from, the only one that is worth grabbing would be the
Glyph of Lay on Hands reducing the cooldown on your OMG button by 5minutes. Glyph of Lay on Hands – Item – World of Warcraft

Talents and Specs-
There are really only two that you should be looking at for PvE. One is Crit based going into the Ret tree for a few things including increased crit from all spells by 8%, Improved Blessing of Might, Reduced mana costs of all instant casts, and lastly an extra 3% crit on any target that you Judge. (51/2/18)
The World of Warcraft Armory
This is my favorite build at the moment for the increased Crit in particular, but it also means you dont need 3 pallies in a 10man you can give out Improved Might and Wisdom and tha tank can Kings everyone. Also the added 3%crit for any attacker attacking the mob you have judged is great all around for dps especially during a Bloodlust.

The second most used spec is The World of Warcraft Armory It goes into the Prot tree instead of the Ret tree for the added duration of your SS as well as Concentration Aura(freeing yourself of silence and interrupts). Also you will receive Divine and Improved Divine Sacrifice, this redirects 40% of all damaged to the raid equal to 150% of your health onto yourself. It is a great tool to use right before a Divine Shield. You can pop this and your shield and all of this damage will dissapear and be absorbed by your bubble.
The reason that I favor the first spec more is that on top of the added crit which will give a nice boost to your mana regen, it also gives that extra 3%crit to all raid dps when you Judge, and if you read on to Rotations you will find you actually Judge quite a bit. Also going into the prot tree gives two benefits, one being the minute duration on your SS and the other being Divine Sacrifice. However because your bubble is on a 5minute cooldown you can only expect to pop this once or twice an encounter, because if you pop it without your shield it does really nothing for you and only risks your death.

1.4 Helpful Addons.

There are quite a few addons that you will want to look for, the healing specific ones are:
Grid (Allows for quick mouse over healing, just click a name and hit your keybind or click your heal, also is easy on computers that like to hiccup on Fps or Ms)
Healbot (I have only heard of wonders that this addon performs, and I dont even have it >.< but anyone trying out new set ups this might be for your, I know it runs a lot of keybinds)
Omen (Believe it or not you need to know where aggro on a boss is, you have tons of OMG buttons for a reason and Hands of Salvation is something you can pop if a Destro Lock is pulling 8kdeeps and your tank is asleep or simply cant keep up)
Xperl (Raid Frames
Dominos (A bar addon allowing for much more keybinding then anything else I’ve seen out)
Recount (This is mainly used as another way to show off an E-Peen or someones ego, but if used properly you can really see what the areas are that you could improve at)
DBM (Deadly Boss Mods if youre gonna raid get it!…nuff said lol)

Thats really about it imo, most of the other stuff offered is optional and preference.
Just FYI all addons can be found at any of the following-
World of Warcraft Addons – WoW Addons – Curse.com
WoWInterface – Find World of Warcraft AddOns!
World of Warcraft AddOns & Mods – WoW AddOns :: WowMatrix

1.5 Rotation, Tips, and Tricks.

Once you get down the basics there is really little more to do but test out your set up. I usually find myself spamming FoL and Holy Shocks on everyone while my MT(main tank) is BOLTed(Beacon of Light) and my OT has SS up. Renew SS and BOLT when needed otherwise keep up Judgement of Light at all times as it will heal all dps and give them an extra 3%crit and just spam heals. Keep your bubble and lay on hands near by for dire situations. Also last thing to keep in mind, keep your Arcane Torrent on its cooldown whenever its up if youre a BE, its an additional 1200mana every 2minutes meaning you wont have to pop DP(Divine Plea) in most fights.

What we want is the paladin to have Commanding Shout + Kings, and the warrior having Battle shout + Kings BEFORE the fight starts!

Dont do this until its 10-20seconds left until the fight starts!

1. Paladin buffs himself with might and warrior with kings.

2. Warrior use commanding shout, and Battle shout right after.

As the might has more AP than Battle, it wont override the buff and the paladin will keep Might + Commanding.

3. Paladin swaps Might for Kings.

The warrior will have battle + kings and paladin will have commanding + kings.

Hope this helps! You can try this out being in a normal group aswell, does not require arena to work!

That’s what you can easily obtain quickly for pre-heroics gear. (Remember that this gear is cheap and therefore I don’t include more expensive items as listed below.)

The heroic gear include:

Weapon: Red Sword of Courage – Nice sword, sometimes you have a bad droprate.
Belt: Indestructiable Plate Girdle or Shieldwarder Girdle <– Much cheaper than the other belt. But maybe you want the emblems for other pieces.
Shoulders: Conqueror’s Aegis Shoulderguards
Leggings: Wyrmguard Legplates
Helm: Conqueror’s Aegis Faceguard
Gauntlets: Gauntlets of the Royal Watch
Feet: Spiked Deathdealers
Chest: Conqueror’s Aegis Breastplate
Bracers: Bracers of Dalaran’s Parapets or Saronite Swordbreakers <– Usually cost shitload of cash, but some people have all gold in the world ^^
Necklace: Shard of the Crystal Forest
Ring: Titanium Earthguard Ring
Ring: Mark of the Relentless
Trinket: The Black Heart
Trinket: Essence of Gossamer

Leg enchant: Frosthide Leg Armor
Helm Enchant: Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector
Shoulder enchant: Greater Inscription of the Gladiator – I know it’s a PvP enchant, but there’s no better unless you lack defense rating which also require exalted with Sons of Hodir: Greater Incription of the Pinnacle
Cloak: Titanweave – Give 16 defense, you can also get 23 haste or 16 agility if you don’t need the defense/avoidance, but I recommend sticking with the defense.
Chest: Super Health
Feet: Heavy Borean Armor Kit
Hands: Armsman or Heavy Borean Armor Kit if you feel you can keep threat without problems
Waist: Eternal Belt Buckle
Bracers: Major Stamina
Weapon: Blade Ward – Expensive on some servers, on my server it’s 300g so pretty cheap. There’s really no other good weapon enchant.
Shield: Titanium Plating
or
Defense
Use the plating if you don’t need any defense. 81 block rating is better than the avoidance you receive from defense as a paladin.

For the gems you want to gem just pure stamina or defense if you lack it.
Don’t bullshit me paladins still love SbV, ’cause we don’t since TBC.

This is the same pre-gear I got on my paladin and now I’m in mainly iLevel 245 gear and in an awesome guild :P
Enjoy

So this might be common sense, but atleast I did not know of this before today when I found it – and I figured I might aswell post it here!

Now the very best part about this is that, if you are in combat when healing yourself (and thus, healing your partner) you will remain in combat, however if you are NOT in combat you will not get into combat! Meaning you can sit down and drink immediatly after the heal – regenning your mana back from a safe 60 yards distance!

As I said I would expect most experienced holypaladins to already know of this, but I did not and I think it will be really helpful in the future! Enjoy!