Reflecting on Holy Paladin in Dragonflight & War Within Wishlist

With the sun setting on Dragonflight and The War Within on the horizon, our Holy Paladin Writer, Clarius, offers a retrospective highlighting Holy's journey in Dragonflight and shares their hopes for the spec's next evolution with a War Within Wishlist.

The Journey of Holy Paladins

In this article, I will go over Holy Paladins' journey over the course of Dragonflight, the problems that continue to plague the spec, and our wishes for the future going into "The War Within" development cycle. I will discuss the initial talent tree and playstyle of Holy Paladins during the launch of Dragonflight and the changes that followed to improve the spec's performance. I will also explore the lack of a clearly defined identity for Holy Paladins and propose changes to make the spec more cohesive and enjoyable to play.

• Early Expansion

The initial Holy Paladin talent tree and playstyle at the launch of Dragonflight were disjointed and lacked synergy. The playstyle centered around generating Holy Power with spells like Holy Shock and Crusader Strike and spending it on Light of Dawn. However, the playstyle was too simple and lacked healing options when Holy Shock was on cooldown or when there was no Holy Power available for spenders. Consequently, players would quickly run out of healing resources and fall behind in dungeons.

In patch 10.0.5, some changes were made to address these issues. The most significant change was to Avenging Crusader, which shifted the meta playstyle in its favor. With the introduction of Awakening and Zealot's Paragon, players could achieve high uptimes of Avenging Crusader, resulting in randomized healing that could not be controlled effectively. While some players found joy in this playstyle, many Paladins were dissatisfied with the lack of control over their healing targets.

• Patch 10.1.5 Rework

In patch 10.1.5, Holy Paladins received a rework that initially made the spec overpowered in raids and mythic+ content. However, subsequent nerfs brought the spec's performance to a more reasonable level. The rework focused on optimizing Holy Shock, Glimmer of Light, and Holy Power generation, offering a fast-paced and well-liked playstyle. However, the spec's reliance on Flash of Light for competitive healing led to frustration among players, especially in raids with heavy movement.

Despite these concerns, the reworked talent tree introduced meaningful choices and impactful spells and effects. Spells like Daybreak, Rising Sunlight, and Glorious Dawn added depth to the Holy Shock gameplay and made the spec more engaging to play.

• Post-Rework Spell Tuning Problems

Following the rework, Holy Paladin spell tuning presented several issues. Holy Prism interacted negatively with the spec's aura, leading to reduced healing output. Moreover, Holy Power spenders were considered weak, undermining the relevance of Holy Power as a resource. This issue stemmed from talents like Of Dusk and Dawn and Seal of Order, which buffed spenders but required significant tuning adjustments to maintain spec balance.

To address these problems, Holy Paladins can benefit from buffing spenders and introducing more talents that interact with or enhance their use. This would restore the fun and engaging gameplay experience players enjoyed after the rework.

The Lack of Identity and a Clear Vision

One major challenge facing Holy Paladins is the lack of a defined identity and vision for the spec. Over the years, the spec has undergone various playstyle shifts, resulting in a fragmented community with differing preferences. While accommodating players' diverse playstyle preferences is commendable, it hampers the development of a clear and cohesive identity for the spec. The author believes that focusing on one or two playstyles and eliminating unnecessary elements from the talent tree would benefit the spec's overall design.

Where Did Our Damage Go?

In previous expansions, Holy Paladins were known for their impressive damage output while healing. However, the current playstyle has led to a decline in both passive and active DPS. The author argues that the commitment to sacrificing healing resources for damage should yield more substantial DPS results. Adjustments should be made to balance healing and damage output for a more rewarding gameplay experience.

Mana, Oh Mana

The management of mana as a limiting resource for healers has become a source of frustration within the healing community. The gameplay design and boss mechanics often require healers to conserve mana, limiting their ability to provide effective healing support. While mana management has been a fundamental aspect of healing, the author suggests reimagining and redesigning mana as a concept to enhance the healing experience.

Other Wishes for the Future

The author expresses additional desires for the future development of Holy Paladins. They hope that upcoming Hero talent trees, such as the Lightsmith, will not focus solely on external buffs. Furthermore, they recommend addressing the need for excessive keybinds required to accommodate the spec's extensive toolkit. Lastly, the author emphasizes their overall hope and optimism for the spec, acknowledging the skill and dedication of the developers working on combat and class design.

• About the Author

This blog post is written by Holy Paladin Writer, Clarius. Clarius is a long-time Holy Paladin player who actively participates in the Paladin Discord community and plays for the Danish guild Sabotage. You can reach out to Clarius with any feedback or questions in the Paladin Discord or via direct message.

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