How to Play Holy Paladin in Dragonflight Pre-Patch

By HolyClarius Updated: 2022/11/28

How to Play Holy Paladin in Dragonflight Pre-PatchHoly ShockBeacon of LightDivine ShieldLay on HandsHow Different Does Spec Class Feel in the Dragonflight Pre-PatchCrusader StrikeHoly ShockInfusion of LightHoly LightBeacon of LightHoly LightMaraad's Dying Breath How Strong is Holy Paladin in Dragonflight Pre-PatchLight of DawnBeacon of LightInfusion of LightHoly LightBeacon of LightTower of RadianceResplendent LightDivine RevelationsDivine FavorImbued InfusionsAwakeningSanctified WrathBeacon of FaithGlimmer of LightAwakeningGlimmer of LightCrusader's MightSanctified WrathCrusader StrikeConsecrationConsecrationGolden PathSpec Class Viability in Dragonflight Pre-PatchDevotion AuraAura MasteryDivine ShieldBlessing of SacrificeBlessing of ProtectionDivine TollLight of DawnBeacon of LightVanquisher's HammerDivine TollBlessing of SummerRebukeIntercessionAvenging WrathAvenging WrathAshen HallowMajor Talent Changes for Holy Paladin in Dragonflight Pre-PatchVenerationImbued InfusionsBarrier of FaithUnending Light

Notable talent and spell changes

Notable new spells and talents

Intercession : the Paladin’s new battle resurrection. Spends 3 Holy Power to revive another player in combat.
Veneration: resets the cooldown of Hammer of Wrath when u crit with various spells.
Barrier of Faith: reminiscent of what Sacred Shield used to be, but now accumulates from your healing done with Holy Light and Flash of Light.
Power of the Silver Hand: an old Legion artifact ability which procs from casts of Holy Light and Flash of Light and accumulates healing to buff your next Holy Shock.
Unending Light: buffs your next Word of Glory when you cast Light of Dawn.
Afterimage: causes your next Word of Glory to cleave to a nearby ally after spending 20 Holy Power.
Aspiration of Divinity: your Crusader Strike grants a small main stat buff briefly.
Seal of Charity: spending Holy Power grants a small chance to make your next spender cost 1 less Holy Power.
Sacrifice of the Just: makes Blessing of Sacrifice a 1 min cooldown.
Tyr's Deliverance: another Legion artifact ability that heals random allies and applies a buff that increases the healing received from Holy Light and Flash of Light.
Boundless Salvation: increases duration of the buff from Tyr's Deliverance when healing the target with Holy Light and Flash of Light.
Protection of Tyr and Unwavering Spirit are now available as a choice node and improves Aura Mastery in different ways.
Imbued Infusions: reduces cooldown of Holy Shock by 1 sec when consuming Infusion of Light procs.
Rebuke: Holy gets access to a kick.

Divine TollDivine TollBest Talent Builds for Holy Paladin in Dragonflight Pre-patchMaraad's Dying Breaththe go-to build is going to continue to be the Melee Build in the Pre-patch.

Key Talents

Sanctified Wrath reduces the cooldown of Holy Shock during Avenging Wrath.
Divine Toll provides a very powerful cooldown that provides 5 Holy Power, applies Glimmer of Light and Shock Barrier to 5 people.
Awakening gives your spenders a chance to proc Avenging Wrath.
Glimmer of Light makes each Holy Shock significantly more powerful.
Radiant Onslaught is an essential talent in this build.

Notes on the Melee Build

This build should be familiar to anyone who has played Holy Paladin in Shadowlands. The goal of the melee build is the same as with the caster build: optimize Holy Power generation while spreading Glimmer of Light.

The upsides of this build is that you will be a lot more mobile and do more damage. Your most important spells will be Holy Shock, Hammer of Wrath and Crusader Strike. It can be hard to maintain your mana if you do not allow yourself to deviate from this priority as Crusader Strike can be quite mana intensive. Pick up Judgment of Light and Golden Path for access to a couple of very efficient healing spells in Consecration and Judgment.

Key Talents

Sanctified Wrath reduces the cooldown of Holy Shock during Avenging Wrath.
Resplendent Light makes each Holy Light 40% more powerful. Does not stack with the conduit of the same name, we pick the talent because it is 12 yards radius vs 8 yards for the conduit.
Awakening gives your spenders a chance to proc Avenging Wrath.
Tower of Radiance causes Holy Light to generate 2 Holy Power when cast on Beacon of Light with Infusion of Light procs.
Divine Toll is a very powerful cooldown that provides 5 Holy Power, applies Glimmer of Light and Shock Barrier to 5 people.
Glimmer of Light makes each Holy Shock significantly more powerful.

Notes on the Caster Build

A lot of Holy Paladin will probably shudder at even reading the word “caster” in the same sentence as Holy Paladin, but I urge you to try it out. The point of the build is to make use of the fact that Tower of Radiance and Infusion of Light gives us the ability to generate 2 Holy Power with each Holy Light cast.

While the playstyle of casting Holy Light on the Beacon of Light target so much could rightly be described as “degenerate”. It is not as bad if you simply try view it as a Holy Power generator and ignore the overhealing you will be doing with Holy Light.

The goal of the build will be similar to the melee build. It is to spread Glimmer of Light using Sanctified Wrath and Divine Toll, and maximize our Holy Power generation through Holy Light.

Key Talents

Sanctified Wrath reduces the cooldown of Holy Shock during Avenging Wrath.
Divine Toll is a very powerful cooldown that provides 5 Holy Power, and can be lifesaving in Mythic+ setting.
Awakening gives your spenders a chance to proc Avenging Wrath.
Rebuke is an an interrupt can be invaluable in a Mythic+ setting.
Echoing Blessings - when combined with Sacrifice of the Just, it makes Blessing of Sacrifice an extremely powerful, short cooldown external. Just be wary of the damage it causes to yourself as it can be deadly. However the talent and the Echoing Blessings conduit do not stack, as such we do not pick the talent in the Pre-Patch but will simply use the conduit instead.

Notes on the M+ build

Overall, the new talent trees add a lot of good stuff Holy Paladin in a Mythic+ setting. Notably, we are able to get both Blinding Light or Repentance, and Fist of Justice, which significantly increases our potential mob control . Rebuke will also be a very nice addition to any Mythic+ group. We also get access to a 1 minute cooldown Blessing of Sacrifice when combined with Sacrifice of the Just, this will be incredibly powerful when we also add Echoing Blessings this essentially makes Blessing of Sacrifice a 45% (or 41% with Echoing Blessings conduit) damage reduction.

The M+ build is mostly similar to the Melee build with the notable differences of going for Justification and Rebuke. You will be spending your time in melee for Consecration and Crusader Strike.

In Pre-Patch, it is not possible to go for Blessing of Summer without giving up either Divine Toll or Beacon of Faith. That is not a trade I would personally make, but I encourage people to try it for themselves.

Key Talents

Light of the Martyr is a mandatory pick for this build as this is the spell it all revolves around.
Untempered Dedication makes each consecutive Light of the Martyr more powerful. Currently this talent overwrites the conduit of the same name and due to the conduit being more powerful, I do not recommend picking this talent.
Maraad's Dying Breath makes your Light of the Martyr much more powerful after casting Light of Dawn and makes it transfer to Beacon of Faith and Beacon of Light. Combines with the legendary of the same name, Maraad's Dying Breath. I recommend not picking this talent and simply using the legendary. This allows us to pick up Divine Toll.

Notes on the Maraad’s build

This build is almost exactly the same as in Shadowlands, with the notable differences of adding Sanctified Wrath and Divine Toll on top. The build focuses on optimizing Holy Power generation through Holy Shock, Hammer of Wrath and Crusader Strike due to the fact that Maraad's Dying Breath is dependent on casting Light of Dawn.

In the Pre-Patch we will not be picking Maraad's Dying Breath; we will instead be using the legendary of the same name, Maraad's Dying Breath. This build shines in situations that require significant spot healing and it is almost unmatched in spot healing potential.