Paladin Leveling Guide

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The first hurdle you will encounter as a Paladin comes up before you even start leveling. Choosing a race is your first stop in the Paladin Leveling Guide. Now, unless you’re especially focused on getting every drop of efficiency out of your character, race doesn’t matter that much. It’s worth keeping in mind that you’re going to be staring at this character’s mug (or backside, as it were) for 80 long levels and then some. Being uber is great and all, but if you hate the look of your toon you’re going to be ultimately unsatisfied. That said, as a Paladin, it’s not like you get a ton of choice anyway.

Alliance Paladin Races

Human: As a Human Paladin, you gain access to Every Man for Himself, which is the racial equivalent of the PVP trinket. You also get passive increased stealth detection, an extra 10% bonus to reputation gains, a bonus to Spirit, and Sword and Mace specialization. All in all, Humans are pretty stacked. You get a free trinket slot as a PVPer, and a better chance at catching Rogues and Druids in stealth, which is another solid PVP bonus. The 10% bonus to rep means 10% less time grinding out the same daily quests. The weapon specialization is great for DPS or tanks, and the Spirit helps all around.

Verdict: Quite probably the best choice for a Paladin. Human racials are pretty tough to argue with in general, and the hybrid nature of Paladins only makes it easier to choose.

Dwarf: Let’s get this out of the way… Dwarves are just plain awesome. As Paladins, they’re like walking beer kegs with big axes and glowy hands. Getting down to the whole efficiency thing though… Well, they get Stoneform, which is pretty decent, but aside from that, they get a bit of cold resist, a bonus to Guns (useless) and Find Treasure. If you intend to use your Paladin to hunt for treasure chests, go Dwarf, otherwise the only other reason is because, well, you like em.

Verdict: My favorite Paladin looks-wise, but doesn’t really cut the mustard when it comes to the numbers game.

Draenei: So you wanna be a Blueberry, huh? As part of the package, you get Gift of The Naaru, which is a Heal Over Time spell that costs nothing to cast, a bit of Shadow resistance, a bonus to Jewelcrafting, and a bonus 1% to hit. The extra heal is nice for a Retribution paladin, and the 1% hit is pretty useful overall, especially considering the fact that it is group-wide. Plus, they’re Russian Blueberries with hooves, can’t really go wrong there.

Verdict: A better choice than Dwarves as a whole, and for some playstyles, may make a better Retribution Paladin than Humans.

Horde Paladin Races

Blood Elf: Wow, are you feeling overwhelmed with options yet? If you want to be a Horde Paladin, this is it for now. Thankfully, they don’t do too badly in the Racial department. Arcane Torrent is great for any PVP Paladin, rounding out the one area where Paladins are distinctly lacking, fight control. You also get a bit of Magic resistance, a bonus to Enchanting, and a tiny on-demand mana drain. Not the best of the bunch, but hey, at least you’re doing better than the Dwarves, right?

Verdict: If you’re a die-hard Horde player and you want to roll a Paladin, it’s not like you have a choice. Pretty decent for PVP, too.

Conclusion: Don’t care which side you’re on as long as you’re a Paladin? Human is the clear cut choice, with Draenei hoofing their way into second place. Planning on rolling Horde? Flip a coin. Heads you’re a Blood Elf, tails you’re… well, you get the picture. In any case, you’re pretty much set. Paladins rock no matter which race they are, as long as they can swing a big hammer and call on the Light. Let me know if you have any other questions regarding Paladin race choices by leaving a comment.

The next Paladin Leveling Guide topic will be on leveling builds, so make sure you don’t miss it!