The Paladin
Available Races: Dwarf , Human
Upholders of the Holy Light and defenders of the Alliance, the Paladins can be found from the northern forests of the Tirisfal Glades, fighting back the advance of the Forsaken, to the southern reaches of the Blasted Lands, ceaselessly upholding their vigil against demonic forces from beyond the Dark Portal. Wielding their mighty hammers and the strength of the Light, these holy warriors command forces in battle, all the while throwing themselves to where the fighting is the thickest.
Paladins are an Alliance only class - the counterpart to the Horde only Shaman class. They serve the Alliance as the hybrid tank/healer. Although they don't have the same durability as the Warrior, they aren't far behind with all their buffs and healing spells. The Paladin is the only other class besides the Warrior that can wear plate armor, which will most likely be a very valuable defensive tool. Paladins can use swords and axes but start out with the ability to use only blunt weapons like maces.
The Paladin has a range of different types of attacks, which include holy magic, seals, auras and blessings. A Paladin uses mana to cast spells, with heals being the most expensive mana-wise. Because of this a Paladin can? be as mana-efficient when healing as a Priest can be.
A Paladin gains holy magic that is very similar to that which would be found in a Priest, yet at reduced effectiveness. Players of Warcraft III will recognize the spell Holy Light as one of the Paladin's abilities which heals the target for a set amount. Other abilities include Purify (remove negative effects) and Resurrect.
One of the more unique abilities that a Paladin gains is his use of Seals. Seals are basically short duration self-buffs that are limited to only one at a time. For example the Seal of Righteousness will give the Paladin a chance to add additional Holy damage each swing. If a Paladin attempts to cast more than one seal, it will simply overwrite the first one. Each Seal also can be ?udged?on an enemy, turning the previous buffing Seal into a debuffing seal, which will negatively impact the enemy. For example, when the Seal of Righteousness is ?udged? it will cause the target to be more susceptible to Holy damage.
A Paladin also has buffs to offer to a group, there are two different ones: Aura? and Blessings. Blessings are relatively short buffs, which never last more then 5 minutes. They are meant to give a class a temporary boost, so the Paladin can aid those around him. There are many Blessings to choose from, including Blessing of Might (increases attack power), Blessing of Wisdom (periodic mana regeneration), or Blessing of Light (target will be healed by a greater amount). A Paladin should choose wisely when dealing out the Blessings to the various classes.
Auras generally work to strengthen those around the Paladin according to the type of aura that was cast by applying to the Paladin and his or her nearby group members. In WoW, the Paladin will have a number of Auras to choose from, including Devotion Aura (increases armor), Concentration Aura (decreases the chance of spell interruption), or Retribution Aura (reflects damage). Different from Blessings, Auras do not have to be cast again, and do not cost any mana to cast.
In short, a Paladin is meant to aid those in combat, but is able to engage in combat as well. Their high survivability is their strength, their relatively low damage, and their inability to attack at range, is their weakness. |
