Review: Templar Hero Talents - Unleashing the Power of Divine Hammers

At the end of February, Blizzard gave players a sneak peek at the new Hero Talent Trees in their upcoming expansion, The War Within. In this blog post, I will be providing a detailed review of the Templar Paladin Hero Talents, highlighting their exceptional theme of raining hammers from the sky. However, I will also raise some tuning concerns about the Templar and Herald of the Sun.

The War Within Hero Talents Overview

Blizzard has introduced Hero Talents as an extension of the Talent system, designed to explore class fantasy with a third talent tree for each class and specialization. The Hero Talents reveal was met with excitement and anticipation from the player community, as it offers a fresh way to customize and further enhance gameplay.

Our guide writers have analyzed the Hero Talent Trees that have been revealed so far, providing their initial impressions. Let's take a closer look at the Retribution Paladin's Templar Hero Talents.

Templar Paladin Review

The Templar Paladin Hero Talent tree revolves around a new Holy Power spender ability called Hammer Time, which summons Empyrean Hammers. Alongside various talents that buff these effects, there are utility choices and general ability buffs to add versatility.

Hammer Time is a unique spender that replaces the Wake of Ashes ability for 12 seconds after casting it. It's not yet clear if this ability can be cast multiple times or just once during the 12-second duration. Additionally, Hammer Time costs 5 Holy Power, which is unusual compared to other spender abilities. However, since Wake of Ashes already generates 3 Holy Power, it may balance out the higher cost.

Empyrean Hammers are triggered by several talents in the tree and hit a random target. If they crit, they also deal AoE damage. One notable talent, Shake the Heavens, increases the frequency of Empyrean Hammer strikes after casting Hammer of Light, making it a key part of the rotation. Another talent, Light's Deliverance, grants a stack each time you call down an Empyrean Hammer and empowers you to cast Hammer of Light for free after reaching 50 stacks.

These mechanics create an engaging gameplay experience, where players can rain down hammers on their enemies and strategically extend the duration of the buff to maximize their damage output.

• Gameplay Implications

The Templar Hero Talents introduce more active gameplay compared to the Herald of the Sun. The Hammer Time ability completely transforms after casting Wake of Ashes, which may require some adjustment for players. However, it adds an interesting layer to the rotation and potential for skill expression.

One key aspect to consider is maintaining the buff for as long as possible. This could potentially reintroduce more skill expression to Retribution Paladin rotations. Crusading Strikes is likely to remain the default talent choice with Templar, as it synergizes well with the goal of prolonging the buff duration. However, it's important to note that the Greater Judgment debuff may not be useful in situations where Wake of Ashes is frequently cast before using other spender abilities.

The utility talents in the Templar tree offer some defensive and mobility benefits. Choices like Bonds of Fellowship, which grants damage reduction and movement speed, can enhance survivability in challenging encounters.

• Damage Profile

Comparing the Hero Talent Trees for Retribution Paladins, it's evident that they scale differently with varying target counts. Herald of the Sun has excellent throughput scaling with multiple enemies, thanks to its Sunspot mechanic and buffs to Divine Storm. In contrast, Templar may struggle when dealing with additional targets, as Empyrean Hammers only hit a single random target and do not increase damage on AoE. If both Templar and Herald are tuned equally for single target damage, Herald will likely be the preferred choice in encounters with additional targets.

This discrepancy in damage scaling poses a challenge for Retribution Paladins, as the gap between single target and AoE talents is already wide. If Hero Talents exacerbate this issue, it could have a negative impact on the spec's overall performance.