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Retribution is the Melee DPS specialization of the Paladin in WoW: Forever. This page summarizes its talent tree as it appears in the game client (build 1.60.1.70753); the role is the one stated by the Icy Veins guide for the specialization.
In our level-60 simulation (180 seconds on a stationary boss, raid buffs, best known gear), Retribution Paladin ranks #19 of 20 DPS specs with 520 DPS. #1 is Affliction Warlock (907 DPS). A stationary boss does not tell everything: group utility and moving fights matter too.
Our simulator's build uses 51 points, split Holy 15 / Protection 5 / Retribution 31. The talents that weigh the most in the simulation: Seal of Command, Vengeance, Improved Seals. Open this build in the talent calculator →
Without raid items, the best set the simulator finds gives 509 DPS, −2.1% against the set that includes raid items. Stat priority: Weapon Damage > Hit Chance > Strength. Full gear and enchantments →
Opening: Keep Seal of Command up; Judgement of Command on cooldown ; Holy Strike on cooldown ; Hammer of Wrath in the execute phase. Full rotation →
The top races in our simulation: Human and Dwarf (statistically tied). All races of the class →
The first talent point comes at level 10, then one per level up to 51 at level 60. The guide gives the talent order step by step (derived from the level-60 build, not tested while leveling), the dungeons of each level band and the spec's best item in each. See the leveling →
Our dungeon finder shows, for every dungeon, the best item for this spec according to the simulator's stat weights. Best dungeon items →
Our level-60 simulator build (51 points), the one used for the ranking: talents, gear and rotation are on the ranking page.
Gear, rotation and damage by ability for this level-60 build: Paladin Retribution →
The class's three trees, with the talents of the level-60 build (51 points) in colour and all the others in grey. The small number on the left of each row is the points you must have spent in the tree to reach it, and each talent's badge shows the points invested. This section is fixed: it does not move and does not depend on the calculator.
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Rank 5/5: Reduces the Mana cost of all instant cast spells and abilities by 10%.
Rank 2/2: Decreases the cooldown of your Judgement ability by 2 sec.
Rank 3/3: Improves your chance to get a critical strike with all spells and attacks by 6%.
Rank 3/3: Gives your Judgement ability a 100% chance to return 60% of the Mana cost of the judged seal.
Rank 1/1: Gives the Paladin a chance to deal additional Holy damage equal to 70% of normal weapon damage. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Lasts 30 sec. Unleashing this Seal's energy will judge an enemy, instantly causing 48.5 Holy damage, 97 if the target is stunned or incapacitated.
Rank 2/2: Increases movement speed and mounted movement speed by 15%. This does not stack with other movement speed increasing effects.
Rank 1/2: All critical strikes against you cause 5% of the damage taken to the attacker as well. The damage caused by Eye for an Eye will not exceed 50% of the Paladin's total health.
Rank 1/1: Increases the damage of your Holy Strike ability by 20% and causes it to refresh all Judgement effects on the target.
Rank 3/3: Increases the physical damage you deal by 6%, and reduces all threat you generate by 20% while a two-handed melee weapon is equipped.
Rank 1/1: Puts the enemy target in a state of meditation, incapacitating them for up to 6 sec. Any damage caused will awaken the target. Only works against Humanoids.
Rank 3/3: Increases your Physical and Holy damage dealt by 3% for 30 sec after landing a non-periodic critical strike. Stacks up to 3 times.
Rank 5/5: Increases your spell damage by up to 60% of your Intellect, and reduces the cast time of your Hammer of Wrath by -1.0 sec.
Rank 1/1: Your melee attacks store a copy of your active Seal for 15 sec, stacking up to 3 times. Landing an attack with a different Seal consumes all stacks, giving the stored Seal its normal chance to activate once per stack.
Rank 5/5: Increases your Strength by 10%.
Rank 3/3: Increases the amount healed by your Holy Light, Flash of Light, and Holy Shock spells by 12%.
Rank 2/2: Allows 30% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Rank 5/5: Increases the damage done by your Seals and Judgements by 15%.
Rank 5/5: Increases your total Intellect by 10%.
The first talent point comes at level 10, then one per level: 1 point at level 10, 11 at level 20, 21 at level 30, 31 at level 40, 41 at level 50 and 51 at level 60. A row of a tree opens for every 5 points spent in that tree.
Derived order: we computed it from our simulator's level-60 build, following the tree rules (rows, prerequisites) and taking at each point the talent the simulation values most. It was not tested while leveling a character: it is a starting point, not a proven leveling build, to be revisited with the released game's data.
Levels 1 to 9: no talent point yet, the first one comes at level 10.
Take: Divine Strength. See the tree at this step →
Take: Divine Strength ×4, Improved Seals ×5, Benediction. See the tree at this step →
Take: Benediction ×4, Conviction ×3, Improved Judgement ×2, Seal of Command. See the tree at this step →
Take: Sanctified Judgement ×3, Divine Intellect ×5, Healing Light ×2. See the tree at this step →
Take: Healing Light, Reverence ×2, Pursuit of Justice ×2, Sacred Arbiter, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization ×3, Vengeance. See the tree at this step →
Take: Vengeance ×2, Eye for an Eye, Repentance, Champion of the Light ×5, Unsealed Wrath. See the tree at this step →
51 points: Holy 15 / Protection 5 / Retribution 31
The talents that weigh the most in the simulation: Seal of Command, Vengeance, Improved Seals.
See the full tree →The best set the simulator finds among the known dungeon and profession items, raid excluded: 509 DPS, −2.1% against the set that includes raid items (520 DPS).
Full gear, enchantments included →
Figures come from our simulator, not from players: they move with patches.
| Stat | DPS gained | Relative value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit per rating point | 0.549 | 3.45 | |
| Strength per point | 0.382 | 2.4 | |
| Crit per rating point | 0.356 | 2.24 | |
| Agility per point | 0.277 | 1.74 | |
| Attack power per point | 0.159 | 1.0 | |
| Intellect per point | 0.102 | 0.64 | |
| Spirit per point | 0.0 | no effect | |
| Haste per rating point | -0.341 | -2.15 |
Measured by the simulator on the character above: the DPS gained by one more point of each stat, with the same random draws on both sides. The relative value compares each stat with one point of attack power. Crit, hit and haste are counted per rating point, like Strength or Agility, so they compare directly; they respect the caps: hit at the cap adds nothing. A value near zero or negative is within the margin of error or tied to a limit (mana, cap).
DPS gained when points of each stat are added on top of the simulated gear. Click a stat (or its row in the table) to bring its curve forward; the ring marks the estimated cap, past which every point is worth less than 20% of what it gave at the start.
Our simulator's priority at level 60, set against what Icy Veins recommends. Their guides are written before launch, for level 30 and for leveling: we keep what everyone agrees on, adopt what the simulation confirmed at level 60 and say where the two differ.
Agreed: Seal of Command (two-hand weapon), Judgement and Holy Strike on cooldown. Exorcism stays out against a boss (undead and demons only). Not simulated: the Seal of the Crusader swap and the Hammer of Justice bonus.
Mining
Blacksmithing guide 
Herbalism
Alchemy guide 
Cooking guide 
First Aid guide The gear our optimizer picks for this specialization among the items known so far (dungeons, the few raid items already known and crafted gear, which can be bought or made for you: prices and materials are not taken into account), with item effects simulated. Nothing is hand-picked: it is the result of the ranking's computation, and it will change as new items are discovered.
Enchantments up to skill 300, valued by the simulator when they give flat stats or flat weapon damage. The character does not need the profession: they can be bought or applied by an enchanter; Leatherworking armor kits (chest, legs, feet, hands) and Engineering scopes are counted too. A kit and an enchantment share the same permanent slot: a piece carries one or the other, and the legs, which have no enchantment, get the kit; spell-proc enchants (Crusader, Fiery Weapon...) and school damage are not simulated. The client data has no ring enchantment up to skill 300.
Icy Veins guide dated 2026-11-03, read on September 21, 2026.
The three best of each category, measured by the simulator on the character above. Only one scroll and one elixir or flask can be worn at a time: each gain is the DPS this consumable brings alone, compared with an empty slot, the rest of the set unchanged. Gains in the same category therefore do not add up. The row marked with a dot is the one in the simulated set.
These are the deepest talents in the tree: they require 30 points already spent in the specialization. Official game text, at maximum rank.
Your melee attacks store a copy of your active Seal for 15 sec, stacking up to 3 times. Landing an attack with a different Seal consumes all stacks, giving the stored Seal its normal chance to activate once per stack.
Open Paladin in the talent calculator
Spend your 51 points, compare the three specializations and share your build by link.
Talent data comes from the game client. The level-60 build, gear, stats and rotation come from our simulator and are validated by DPS measurements; the rotation is compared with the Icy Veins guides, written before launch for level 30. Healing is not simulated. This data will change with future patches.
