Why Paladin is the Must-Try Class in WoW TBC Classic Anniversary? | The Top Choice for Horde Players!
Category: WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Posted: Jan 27, 2026 Views: 1881
In World of Warcraft series, deciding which class to play is always a dilemma, as there are so many options. Therefore, when a new class is released, you might often choose to try it out of curiosity.
So, it's great news that Shaman and Paladin have been added to The Burning Crusade servers for the first time with the release of WoW TBC Classic Anniversary, belonging to both Alliance and Horde, respectively.
This means that regardless of your faction preference, you have the opportunity to try out one new class.
Previously, we provided Alliance players with information on what to know when playing Shaman for the first time through other guides. This time, we'll provide a comprehensive introduction to playing Paladin class in TBC Classic Anniversary.

Paladin overview
This class isn't unique to World of Warcraft series; in fact, many MMORPGs and ARPGs have similar classes, all specializing in blessing-type skills.
From its appearance and skill set, Paladin has a distinctly "good" character, making it an Alliance-only class in most WoW expansions. However, in The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary, Horde players can now also play it!
However, choosing this class restricts your character's race: Horde players can only become Blood Elf, while Alliance players can choose from Human, Dwarf, and Draenei.
Based on this, Horde players performing better in PvE combat with Paladin will benefit from their ability to absorb significant damage or provide rapid healing in dungeons and raids. Their signature skill, Arcane Torrent, also offers additional crowd control.
If you are an Alliance player, Human remains the best race to pair with Paladin, allowing for better use of the class's compatible two-handed swords or mace weapons. The other two races offer advantages in their special racials.
What are Paladin specializations?
If you're also a Diablo 4 player, you'll know that Paladin is a new class introduced in the latest Season 11, but in Diablo 4 you could only play him with the fixed gameplay.
However, in The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary, Paladin has three different role branches, which are further called specializations.
The specialization mechanic allows you to invest in different talent trees to make your Paladin character stronger in a specific area, and the three Paladin specializations cover all role types in the game:
- DPS: Retribution
- Tank: Protection
- Healer: Holy
After choosing a specialization, most of your talent points should be invested in that talent tree. For other talent trees, simply unlock specific nodes.
However, Paladin's unique feature is its cross-specialization gameplay, which is very popular. Consuming WoW TBC Classic Anniversary gold to unlock two specializations, you can further enhance your character from different angles through other talent trees.
You can decide which specializations to choose based on your preferred playstyle or the role requirements of your main team. But before that, let's understand the style and building path of each specialization!
Retribution Paladin
This DPS specialization focuses on melee physical damage output, so it primarily uses two-handed swords or maces, which are favored by humans, as mentioned earlier.
Based on this, this specialization allows you to trigger skill effects such as Seal of the Martyr and Seal of Command to deal damage to enemies while you are attacking them with your weapon. More skills to unlock include:
- Crusader Strike
- Sanctified Seals
- Improved Seal of the Crusader
- Improved Sanctity Aura
- Spiritual Attunement
- Avenging Wrath
While this specialization is only effective in melee combat, and its core mechanic, Seal Twisting, is relatively difficult to execute, the buffs it provides are especially valuable in raids with larger groups, making this specialization quite practical.
Protection Paladin
As a tank, this specialization primarily functions through a combination of spells and blocks. Protection Paladins can use their main AoE threat to draw enemy attention, relieving pressure on teammates.
In addition, Protection Paladins can provide the team with effects such as the judgment debuff or blessing buff, and can weaken enemies with area-of-effect attacks in team battles. Even in solo combat, their tanking capabilities are outstanding.
Key skills include:
- Spiritual Attunement
- Seal of Righteousness
- Judgement of Righteousness
- Seal of Wisdom
- Seal of the Crusader
- Greater Blessing of Kings
- Greater Blessing of Wisdom
- Devotion Aura
- Sanctity Aura
Holy Paladin
While the healer role may seem less powerful, it is indispensable in raids and multiplayer dungeons. A reliable healer can sometimes save the entire team from danger and turn the tide of battle.
In WoW TBC Classic Anniversary, Holy Paladin's healing capabilities are comparable to other healers, with excellent single-target healing and other buffs and support abilities.
If anything, Holy Paladin's weakness lies in its relatively limited healing type, particularly lacking in AoE/instantaneous healing. However, considering that raid teams will not consist of only one healer, other players can play different healer roles to complement each other.
- Spiritual Focus
- Healing Light
- Illumination
- Holy Guidance
- Blessing of Kings
- Guardian's Favor
- Improved Blessing of Might
How to choose a Paladin specialization?
If you don't mind playing a specific role and just want to quickly gain rewards through combat once raids open, then Protection and Holy Paladin are better choices.
Firstly, Holy Paladin's gameplay is relatively fixed, but its single-target healing is very high, so no raid will refuse to accept you. Protection Paladin's advantage lies in its ability to attract threat and provide a lot of buffs.
As for Retribution Paladin, although its DPS is strong, it relies on your skill level and having a lot of raid buffs, so raids may not prioritize it when recruiting - unless you are the raid leader yourself.
The above is the information you need to know to play Paladin in TBC Classic Anniversary. If you have already chosen this class and available races, please complete the initial upgrade before Phase 1 goes live to avoid delaying your experience with more content!
Recommended Article
-
WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 PTR Confirms Easier Raids and Extra Drops | You won't believe how fast you can gear up
-
WoW TBC Classic Anniversary All Essential Consumables for DPS Warriors | These buffs that outperform a gear upgrade for zero effort
-
WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Primal Materials for Phase 2 is a Mistake | Why every gold investor will regret this decision?
-
WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 Dilemmas you may Encounter | Why your Melee Main might end up riding the bench all Phase?
-
WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 New Factions Ogri'la and Sha'tari Skyguard Reputation Points Farming
-
WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 DPS Class Rankings | That popular class is a trap













