PvE Protection Paladin Tank Rotations & Cooldowns

In Mists of Pandaria, Protection Paladins have a smoother and more streamlined rotation, thanks to numerous quality-of-life improvements to their kit. Their rotation becomes more complex and demanding to keep up with as they acquire more Haste due to the Sanctity of Battle effect which makes them very spammy. Besides their rotation that can turn to spam they also have to use specific defensive & utility cooldowns to ensure they succeed in the most challenging raid and dungeon encounters.

Protection Paladin Basics

Protection Paladins have a dynamic rotation that evolves the more Haste they acquire due to the Sanctity of Battle effect! At first, their rotation might feel sluggish, especially considering Holy Power generation. Due to this, abilities known as “Fillers” are introduced between the Holy Power generators. Examples of fillers are Consecration and Holy Wrath.

As Protection Paladins acquire more Haste, they will find themselves spamming more and more Holy Power generators rather than combining fillers in between them and the Holy Power spenders. Additionally, their Holy Power spenders are off-GCD, allowing them to be used in conjunction with another ability by either utilizing a macro or quickly pressing two buttons simultaneously.

Holy Power Management

Due to the new Boundless Conviction passive, Protection Paladins can now store up to 5 x Holy Power. This helps them manage the resource far better than before; however, their primary Holy Power spender uses only 3 x Holy Power. The only exception to this is Word of Glory/Eternal Flame, which may be used with either 1 or 2 Holy Power charges.

The following abilities generate Holy Power:

• Avenger’s Shield (Grand Crusader proc)
• Crusader Strike
• Hammer of the Righteous
• Judgment

The following abilities spend Holy Power:

• Word of Glory
• Eternal Flame
• Shield of the Righteous

Single-Target Rotation

1. Use Seal of Truth for all Single-Target encounters!
2. Cast Avenger’s Shield on pull
   • Prioritize casting Avenger’s Shield on cooldown, even without the Grand Crusader proc.
   • Cast Avenger’s Shield before any other Holy Power Generator when Grand Crusader procs.
3. Cast Crusader Strike on cooldown (Holy Power Generator)
4. Cast Judgment on cooldown (Holy Power Generator)
5. Cast Consecration on cooldown as a filler
6. Recast Crusader Strike
7. Cast Shield of the Righteous whenever at 3 x Holy Power
   • Spam Shield of the Righteous as much as possible to maintain its buff and gather Bastion of Glory stacks.
   • If you use Divine Purpose, prioritize casting Shield of the Righteous as soon as you gain the proc.
8. Cast Eternal Flame/Word of Glory when needed.
   • If possible, prioritize using Eternal Flame/Word of Glory when you have 3 x Holy Power & at least 3 x Bastion of Glory stacks.
   • Use Eternal Flame/Word of Glory without multiple Holy Power & Bastion of Glory charges in dire situations.
9. Cast Holy Wrath on cooldown as a filler if your Haste is not high enough to considerably reduce the cooldown of the rest.
10. Repeat steps 2-9
11. Prioritize using Avenging Wrath for moments where you need to receive increased healing.
    • Prioritize spamming Avenger’s Shield when Grand Crusader procs and Judgment while Avenging Wrath is active.
    • Spam Shield of the Righteous as much as possible while Avenging Wrath is active.
    • Prioritize casting Eternal Flame/Word of Glory at 5 x Bastion of Glory stacks while Avenging Wrath is active.
12. Prioritize using Ardent Defender, Divine Protection, Guardian of Ancient Kings, and Devotion Aura for dangerous situations where you need to reduce incoming damage.
13. Prioritize using Divine Shield to remove dangerous effects!
    • Immediately remove Divine Shield with a macro after purging the negative effects.

AoE Rotation

1. Use the Seal of Righteousness for any AoE/Cleave encounter with +3 Mobs.
2. Use the Seal of Insight if you need to consistently heal yourself.
   • You’ll primarily use this seal whenever you solo farm large packs of hard-hitting mobs.
3. Cast Avenger’s Shield on pull
   • Prioritize casting Avenger’s Shield on cooldown, even without the Grand Crusader proc.
   • Cast Avenger’s Shield before any other Holy Power Generator when Grand Crusader procs.
4. Cast Consecration on cooldown as a filler
5. Cast Hammer of the Righteous on cooldown (Holy Power Generator)
6. Cast Judgment on cooldown (Holy Power Generator)
7. Cast Holy Wrath on cooldown as a filler
8. Cast Shield of the Righteous whenever at 3 x Holy Power
   • Spam Shield of the Righteous as much as possible to maintain its buff and gather Bastion of Glory stacks.
   • If you use Divine Purpose, prioritize casting Shield of the Righteous as soon as you gain the proc.
9. Cast Eternal Flame/Word of Glory when needed.
   • If possible, prioritize using Eternal Flame/Word of Glory when you have 3 x Holy Power & at least 3 x Bastion of Glory stacks.
   • Use Eternal Flame/Word of Glory without multiple Holy Power & Bastion of Glory charges in dire situations.
10. Repeat steps 3-8
11. Prioritize using Avenging Wrath for moments where you need to receive increased healing.
    • Alternatively, use Avenging Wrath to clear groups of mobs faster and enhance your rotation with Sanctified Wrath.
12. Prioritize using Ardent Defender, Divine Protection, Guardian of Ancient Kings, and Devotion Aura for dangerous situations where you need to reduce incoming damage.
13. Prioritize using Divine Shield to remove dangerous effects!
    • Immediately remove Divine Shield with a macro after purging the negative effects.

Utility & Defensive Cooldowns

• Crowd Control
  • Hammer of Justice – Stun effect that can be used every minute, lasting up to 6 seconds.
  • Fist of Justice (Talent) – A better version of Hammer of Justice, providing a reliable stun every 30 seconds.
  • Repentance (Talent) – Incapacitate effect that works on a variety of targets, lasting up to 1 minute. Damage other than Censure breaks the effect. Useful against dangerous mobs.
  • Blinding Light – AoE ability that disorients every mob in a 10-yard radius for up to 6 seconds. Damage breaks the effect.
  • Rebuke – Melee Range interrupt that prevents spellcasting from the same Magic School for 4 seconds.
  • Turn Evil – Fear that works on Undead, Abberations, and Demons, making them flee for up to 40 seconds. Can work on Humanoids & Beasts with the Evil is a Point of View talent.
• Major Defensives
  • Divine Shield – Spell that makes you immune to any damage or negative effect, but reduces all your Damage Output by 50% while it is active. Lasts 8 seconds.
  • Divine Protection – Reduces all Magical Damage taken by up to 40% for 10 seconds.
  • Guardian of Ancient Kings – Reduces all damage taken by 50% for up to 12 seconds.
  • Ardent Defender – Reduces all damage taken by 20% for up to 10 seconds. Any lethal damage taken during the duration heals the Paladin for up to 15% maximum HP.
  • Shield of the Righteous – Passive effect gained upon casting Shield of the Righteous, reducing all Physical Damage taken by an amount based on Mastery: Divine Bulwark.
• Utility
  • Cleanse – Removes all Disease and Poison effects from a target.
  • Sacred Shield (Talent) – Talent choice that provides a strong absorption effect that can be placed on one target.
  • Devotion Aura – Grants Silence & Interrupt Effect immunity for 6 seconds and reduces all Magical Damage taken by up to 20% for up to 6 seconds to all party/raid members in a 40-yard radius.
  • Hand of Purity (Talent) – Short duration buff that reduces all damage taken by 10% and all DoT damage by an additional 80% for up to 6 seconds.
  • Hand of Freedom – Short duration buff that provides immunity to Movement-Impairing effects for up to 6 seconds.
  • Hand of Protection – Short duration buff that provides immunity to Physical Damage for 10 seconds, but prevents the target from attacking or using any Physical Ability. Players may still cast spells during the duration.
  • Hand of Sacrifice – Short duration buff that removes any Magic Debuff from the target and transfers 30% of all damage taken to the Paladin. Lasts for 12 seconds or until 100% of the Paladin’s maximum HP has been transferred.
  • Hand of Salvation – Short duration buff that removes any Threat generated by the target for up 10 seconds.
• Buff
  • Blessing of Kings – Major buff that increases Strength, Agility, and Intellect by 5% to all group members
  • Blessing of Might – Major buff that increases Mastery to all group members.
• Healing:
  • Word of Glory – Direct Heal that uses up to 3 x Holy Power to heal a target.
  • Eternal Flame – Enhanced version of Word of Glory, offering a Direct Heal and a HoT effect.
  • Lay on Hands – A very potent spell that heals a target for an amount equal to your maximum HP.
  • Flash of Light – Strong spell that provides Direct Healing. Can be massively empowered by Selfless Healer.
  • Seal of Insight – Seal that increases your overall Healing by 5% and provides 10% Casting Speed. A great option if you fast swap to it before healing an ally.