Protection Paladin Tank Spell Summary (Legion 7.2.5)

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Treckie, one of the best Protection Paladins in the world, who raids in Prime. You can watch his stream on Twitch and you can follow him on Twitter.

1. Introduction

If you are new to Protection, this is a great place to start to get an understanding of how the spec works. On this page we will discuss what abilities you have, what they are used for within the specialisation, how they interact with each other and also with important cooldowns. If you already have experience with Protection and are comfortable with it in Legion, it is recommended you skip this section and move on to the rest of the guide.

2. Main Resource

Mana is your primary resource, and it works the same way as it does for most other classes/specialisations. Protection Paladins do not have to manage Mana in any way, unlike other tanks who rely on specific resources like Rage or Pain; the cooldowns/recharge times of your abilities as well as the number of available global cooldowns will serve as limiting factors. You will spend most of your time dealing damage and using active mitigation abilities to help your healers keep you alive.

3. Basic Abilities

These are your core skills that are available regardless of talents, and form the core gameplay of the specialization.

Judgment Icon Judgment deals Holy damage to the target, and also reduces the remaining cooldown of your Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous by 2 seconds (4 seconds if you score a critical strike). Its cooldown is reduced by your Haste.

Consecration Icon Consecration affects an area on the ground around you for 12 seconds, dealing Holy damage to any enemies who stand in it. While you stand in your own Consecration, your Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous and Light of the Protector Icon Light of the Protector abilities are 20% stronger. Its cooldown is reduced by your Haste

Avenger's Shield Icon Avenger's Shield deals Holy damage to the target, interrupting and silencing them, and also bounces to up to 2 nearby enemies. Its cooldown is reduced by your Haste. Also, when you avoid a melee attack or use Hammer of the Righteous Icon Hammer of the Righteous, you have a 15% chance to reset the remaining cooldown of Avenger's Shield.

Hammer of the Righteous Icon Hammer of the Righteous deals Physical damage to your target. It is worth noting that you will almost always use the Blessed Hammer Icon Blessed Hammer talent, which replaces Hammer of the Righteous and instead causes a hammer to spin around you, damaging any enemies it hits and causing them to deal reduced damage to you on their next auto attack. Its cooldown is reduced by your Haste.

3.1. Utility

Blessing of Protection Icon Blessing of Protection protects the targeted ally from all physical damage for 10 seconds, and it has a 5-minute cooldown. It can be used to clear harmful physical damage debuffs and bleeds from the target. Bosses will not attack targets affected by Blessing of Protection.

Blessing of Sacrifice Icon Blessing of Sacrifice lasts 12 seconds, transferring 30% of the damage taken by your target to you. The effect is automatically canceled if the transferred damage would cause you to fall below 20% health. This cooldown is excellent for reducing the damage taken by the other tank, or other raid members.

Blessing of Freedom Icon Blessing of Freedom removes movement-impairing effects from the targeted ally, also granting them immunity to such effects for 8 seconds.

4. Important Procs

As mentioned above, avoiding melee attacks and using Hammer of the Righteous Icon Hammer of the Righteous has a 15% chance to reset the remaining cooldown of Avenger's Shield Icon Avenger's Shield (due to a passive called Grand Crusader Icon Grand Crusader).

5. Active Mitigation

Shield of the Righteous Icon Shield of the Righteous deals Holy damage to the target, and causes you to take reduced damage for the next 4.5 seconds. The ability has 3 charges and a 16-second recharge time, and as with most of your other key abilities, its recharge time is reduced by your Haste.

Light of the Protector Icon Light of the Protector heals you for 30% of the amount of health you are missing. It is off the global cooldown and its cooldown is reduced by your Haste.

6. Cooldowns

Guardian of Ancient Kings provides you with a 50% damage reduction for 8 seconds, on a 5-minute cooldown. It is an excellent defensive cooldown. You should use this before a period of large damage, or when your healers are unable to heal you for a while.
Ardent Defender is another powerful defensive ability, with a 2-minute cooldown and an 8-second duration. It reduces all damage taken by 20% while it is active, and it causes the first killing blow against you to heal you up to 12% of your maximum health instead of killing you (the latter effect consumes the Ardent Defender). This ability is best used to bypass deadly encounter mechanics, or to save your life in critical moments.
Lay on Hands is essentially a massive heal with a very long cooldown. It will heal you (or a targeted ally) for your maximum health, with a 10-minute cooldown. It is best used as an emergency heal, either for yourself or another raid member.
Divine Shield makes you immune to all damage for 8 seconds. Normally, this ability is difficult to use while tanking (since the boss will immediately attack the next target on the threat table), but it can be employed to clear certain debuffs, or to avoid fatal encounter mechanics.

Additionally, your Artifact grants you Icon Eye of Tyr, an ability with a 1-minute cooldown that causes all nearby enemies to deal 25% less damage to you for 9 seconds (and also damages them). Use it defensively, as often as possible throughout the fight, to reduce your incoming damage, or save it for periods of high damage.