Retribution Paladin Current State of DPS

Retribution Paladin DPS as of patch 3.2 is not where we had hoped it to be. Our burst damage got smacked around, and the ‘boost’ we were given via Seal of Vengeance has proven it can be viable, just not in every situation. Sitting back and analyzing what it is that we can realistically expect from Blizzard, I realized that our expectations of what DPS for paladins should be, might be too much.

Blizzard claims their goal for retribution Paladin DPS was to lessen the button mashing FCFS rotations in exchange for more situation based ability casting. However, we have evolved their current rendition of paladin DPS into yet another, albeit slightly more complicated, FCFS rotation. Not much of a change there.

We were loudly voicing that we needed more single target dps, and we got it with Seal of Vengeance. However, SoV is horrible on trash mobs, as the DPS boost comes on a full 5 stacks. Therefore, Seal of Righteousness must be used for trash. The other problem with SoV is when we are unable to consistently target the boss and keep our SoV up. If the SoV does not refresh, then we are at a serious DPS disadvantage.

Personally, I absolutely hate not contributing a good amount of dps to my raids. I don’t want average, I want good. Doesn’t have to be great, but again…good. And that is where we are still at…good DPS. There are the exceptional few paladins out there that can place top 3 or 4 every time, but normally we have to accept a position of top 5-10. That is where, I feel, we are meant to be.

Look at it this way. Of the 10 classes we can play in World of Warcraft, only 4 are pure DPS. Mage, Warlock, Rogue, Hunter. Each of the three abiltiy trees for these 4 classes are focused on DPS. The other 6 (Paladin, Death Knight, Warrior, Druid, Priest, Shaman) can fill other roles, such as healers or tanks. Thus, in theory, the 4 pure DPS classes, at least in BLizzard’s mind, should be given an edge on DPS.

And I think we are seeing that more so with 3.2, and will continue to see it in 3.3. Rogues are still top, with Hunters and Mages right up close. Warlocks saw the biggest DPS boost in 3.2, at least that I have seen. Top 5 DPS should be these classes, but there are the exceptional other players from the other 6 classes that break their normal molds.

My point is that I believe Blizzard is happy with the current state of retribution paladin DPS. I know it is frustrating, but I don’t think Blizzard wants us topping those 4 pure DPS classes on a consistent basis. Therefore, we probably won’t see the kind of DPS changes we want.

On a final note, gear in 3.2 plays a huge role in separating us from average DPS to good DPS. The new tier gear really gives us a nice boost, as do the new craftables and libram, etc. My luck with new gear is atrocious, so I’m making the best of what I have, but I have seen some Paladins breaking top 5 DPS on a very consistent basis with their new 3.2 gear.

While I know my opinion differs from some, I am trying to look at this from an objective point of view. Am I unhappy with our current state of DPS? Yes. I feel it could be more well rounded. The new SoV in theory is nice, but it doesn’t function as well as I would like. The new Seal of Command in 3.2.2 is going to be slightly above it’s already mediocre state. Nothing ground breaking and nothing for us to cheer about. I wish they could find a happier medium. I’m glad we received better single target DPS, but I wish it wasn’t as situational as it is. ANd I wish we had a little more of our burst DPS back. Again, that’s just me, so we will have to wait and see what 3.3 and beyond has in store for us.