World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion 9.0.1 update brings with it a multitude of class changes, and the Paladin was no exception. Many classes will find some of their most popular abilities that were removed many expansions ago, and their skill acquisition adjusted due to the huge level reduction introduced in this same update.
Not all classes received massive adjustments, but Paladin certainly saw a good amount of class changes (RIP Hammer of Reckoning). Below is the full list of class changes made to Paladin in Shadowlands prior to the Update 9.0.1 expansion. For the full patch notes, be sure to check out the link here, where additional class changes are listed.
Paladin - Shadowlands Update 9.0.1 Class Changes
GENERAL
- The Aura Bar is back, containing Crusader Aura, Devotion Aura, and Retribution Aura. All auras have a range of 40 meters and only one can be active at a time.
- Avenging Wrath and Holy Avenger no longer have a global cooldown.
- All paladins can now use the following abilities:
- New Ability: Turn Evil – The power of light causes an undead, aberrant, or demon target to flee for up to 40 seconds. Damage can interrupt the effect. Only one target can be rotated at a time.
- Crusader Aura – Increases climb speed by 20% for all party and raid members with 40 yards.
- Devotion Aura – Party and raid members within 40 yards are empowered by their Devotion, reducing damage taken by 3%.
- Retribution Aura – When a party or raid member within 40 yards dies, you gain Vengeful Wrath for 8 seconds.
- Word of Glory – Calls the Light to heal a friendly target. Costs 3 Holy Power.
- Shield of the Righteous – Strikes enemies in front of you with your shield, dealing Holy damage and increasing your Armor for 4,5 seconds. No longer limited by charges, costs 3 Holy Power.
- Crusader Strike – Hit the target for physical damage. Generates 1 holy power and costs 14% of base mana.
- Hammer of Wrath – Throws a divine hammer that strikes an enemy to inflict Holy damage. Only usable on enemies that are below 20% health or during Avenging Wrath. Now generates 1 holy power.
- Consecration – Consecrates the ground beneath your feet, inflicting Holy damage over 12 seconds to enemies who enter the area. Limit 1.
- Blessing of Sacrifice – Blesses a party or raid member, reducing their damage taken by 30%, but you take 75% of the damage avoided. Last 12 seconds, or until transferred damage drops you below 20% health.
SAINT
- Holy Paladins now use Holy Power as a resource.
- Holy Shock now generates 1 Holy Power and its cooldown has been reduced to 7,5 seconds (down from 9).
- Beacon of Light no longer refunds mana; Casting Flash of Light or Holy Light on your Beacon of Light grants 1 Holy Power. Additionally, the Beacon of Light will be healed for 50% of the healed amount (down from 40%).
- Light of Dawn now costs 3 Holy Power and has no cooldown.
- Vengeful Crusader (Talent) no longer has a global cooldown.
- Light Infusion now reduces the cost of Light Bolt by 30% or increases the healing of Holy Light by 30%.
- Aura Mastery now empowers the chosen aura for 8 seconds:
- Devotion Aura: Damage taken reduction increased from 3% to 15%.
- Crusader Aura: increased speed increased from 20% to 60%.
- Aura of Vengeance: Duration increased by 50%.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Saved by Light – When an ally with your Beacon of Light is damaged below 30% health, they gain an absorb shield. You cannot protect the same person this way twice in 1 minute.
- New Talent: Seraphim – Light increases your Power for 15 seconds, granting 8% Haste, Critical Strike, and Versatility, and Mastery increased by 12%.
- New Talent: Glimmer of Light – Holy Shock leaves a glow of light on the target for 30 seconds. When you Holy Shock, all targets with Glimmer of Light are damaged or healed. You can have a glow of light on up to 8 targets.
- Holy Avenger has been redesigned – Your generation of Holy Power is tripled for 20 seconds.
- Divine Purpose has been redesigned – Holy Power abilities have a 15% chance to make your next Holy Power skill free and deal 20% more damage and healing.
- Fist of Justice has been redesigned – Each Holy Power expended reduces the remaining cooldown on Hammer of Justice by 2 seconds.
- Awakening now also proceeds from Word of Glory.
- Granting Faith now generates 1 Holy Power.
PROTECTION
- Protection Paladins now use Holy Power as a resource.
- New Passive: Shining Light – Every 5 Shield from just having your next Word of Glory cost 0 Holy Power.
- Avenger's Shield no longer increases the effects of your next Shield of the Righteous and now generates 1 Holy Power.
- Judgment now causes the target to take 25% more damage from your next Holy Power skill and generates 1 Holy Power.
- Hammer of the Righteous now generates 1 Holy Power.
- Consecration reduces damage taken by Protection Paladins by 5% while in their Consecration, in addition to any bonus added by Mastery.
- Protector light removed.
- Word of Glory now has an additional effect: when you cast Word of Glory on yourself, it is increased by up to 150% based on your missing health.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Divine Aim – Holy Power abilities have a 15% chance to make your next Holy Power skill free and deal 20% more damage and healing.
- New Talent: Holy Avenger – Your Holy Power generation is tripled for 20 seconds.
- New Talent: Sanctified Wrath (replaces Last Defender) – Avenging Wrath lasts 25% longer and causes Judgment to generate 2 Holy Powers.
- New Talent: Moment of Glory (replaces Bastion of Light) – Resets Avenger's Shield cooldown. Your next 3 Vengeful Shields have no cooldown and deal 20% more damage.
- Fist of Justice has been redesigned – Each Holy Power expended reduces the remaining cooldown on Hammer of Justice by 2 seconds.
- The Redoubt has been redesigned – Shield of the Righteous increases your power and stamina by 2% for 10 seconds, stacking up to 3.
- Blessed Hammer now has a 6 second cooldown (down from 4,5 seconds), generates 1 Holy Power, and reduces subsequent damage to enemies it deals to you.
- First Avenger has been redesigned – Avenger's Shield hits 2 more targets and grants you an absorb shield for 100% of all damage it deals.
- Hand of the Protector now increases Word of Glory healing of the target's missing health, on any target.
- Final Stand is now an area trigger that taunts all targets for 8 seconds, instead of a single taunt.
- Righteous Protector now reduces the remaining cooldown of Avenging Wrath and Guardian of Kings by 1 second for each Holy Power spent.
PUNISHMENT
- Wake of Ashes is no longer a Talent and is learned by all Retribution Paladins at level 34. Wake of Ashes damage increased by 50%, now deals reduced damage on secondary targets, and generates 3 Holy Powers (instead of of 5).
- Blade of Justice cooldown is now 12 seconds (was 10,5 seconds).
- Crusade (Talent) no longer has a global cooldown.
- The greatest blessing of kings and the greatest blessing of wisdom have been taken away.
- Divine Storm is now capped at 5 targets.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Empyrean Power (replaces Hammer of Wrath) – Crusader Strike has a 15% chance to make your next Divine Storm free and deal 25% more damage.
- New Talent: Healing Hands (replaces Word of Glory) – Lay on Hands cooldown reduced by 60%, based on target's missing health. Word of Glory's healing is increased by up to 100%, based on the target's missing health.
- New Talent: Seraphim (replaces Wake of Ashes) – Light increases your power for 15 seconds, granting 8% haste, critical strike and versatility, and increased mastery by 13%.
- New Talent: Holy Avenger (replaces Consecration) – Your Holy Power generation is tripled for 20 seconds.
- New Talent: Sanctified Wrath – Avenging Wrath lasts 25% longer. During Avenging Wrath, each Holy Power spent causes you to explode with Holy Light damage to nearby enemies.
- New Talent: Final Reckoning (replaces Inquisition) – Call down a blast of Celestial energy, dealing Holy damage to all targets in the targeted area and causing them to take 50% increased damage from your Holy Power abilities for 8 seconds. Passive: When cooldown is off, your attacks have a high chance to call down a bolt of lightning that deals Holy damage and causes the target to take 10% more damage from your next Holy Power skill.
- Redesigned execution phrase – A hammer slowly falls from the sky onto the target. After 8 seconds, they take Holy damage, plus 20% of the damage taken by your abilities during that time.
- Divine Judgment has been removed.
- PvP Talent Changes:
- New PvP Talent: Aura of Reckoning – When you or allies in your Aura are critically hit, you gain Reckoning. At 50 stacks of Reckoning, your next weapon swing deals 200% increased damage. Additionally, it activates Avenging Wrath for 6 seconds.
- Vengeance Aura now works on crowd control hitting all allies within 20 yards, rather than allies within 40 yards who have your highest blessings.
- The Judgment Hammer has been removed.
