Paladin Alliance leveling guide 1-60
Example route: human paladin (Alliance). Create your character to get your own route.
Leveling route
Estimated time from level 1 to 60: ~120 hours played, following the example route.
Alliance leveling routeZones by levelSee the full step-by-step example guide
Leveling talents
Guide buildRetribution (two-handed) then Holy
The guide's build: two-handed weapon, 31 points in Retribution up to Repentance at level 40, then Divine Strength (Holy) and Divine Intellect (Protection).
Holy: 7 points · Protection: 5 points · Retribution: 39 points
First talent points
- Level 10: Benediction 1/5
- Level 11: Benediction 2/5
- Level 12: Benediction 3/5
- Level 13: Benediction 4/5
- Level 14: Benediction 5/5
Recommended professions
Recommended for Paladin:
The paladin is a plate-wearing hybrid: a melee fighter who can also heal, protect and buff. While leveling in WoW Forever, it is one of the sturdiest classes, but it kills more slowly than pure damage dealers in the early levels. Forever also opens the paladin to the Horde: undead can now choose it. This page explains how to level a paladin from 1 to 60, and what your However guide builds for you.
The paladin while leveling
The paladin fights with seals and judgements. You keep a seal active, hit the target, then judge it to release the seal's effect. Holy Light and Flash of Light heal you between fights or in an emergency, so you rarely need to stop and eat. Mana is the resource to watch: seals, judgements and heals all cost mana.
- Strengths: great survival, self-heals, plate armor from level 40, and strong defensive spells such as Divine Shield and Lay on Hands.
- Weaknesses: slow damage before the key talents, few ways to escape a fight, and mana breaks after long chains of pulls.
- Auras and blessings: Devotion Aura and Blessing of Might stay up while you quest.
Recommended leveling spec
The guide's default build is Retribution with a slow two-handed weapon. You spend 31 points in Retribution up to Repentance at level 40, with Seal of Command at level 20 and Vengeance along the way, then move into Holy for Divine Strength and Divine Intellect. A Protection build with a one-hand weapon and a shield is also listed in the talent calculator.
- Weapon: a slow two-handed axe, sword or mace. The guide prefers a speed of 3.2 seconds or more, which suits Seal of Command.
- Stats: Strength first, with critical strike and hit chance. Stamina and some Intellect keep you alive and your mana up.
- Forever additions: trainers now teach Holy Strike, Seal of Fury, Consecration and Blessing of Kings. The guide buys the cheap early ranks of Holy Strike and Blessing of Kings, and skips the rest for a two-handed leveler.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to judge. A seal alone is weak: judge, then refresh the seal.
- Buying every rank at the trainer. Resistance auras, group blessings and threat tools are not needed solo; the gold is better saved for level 40.
- Running out of mana in the middle of a pull. Keep enough for one full Holy Light before you engage.
- Keeping a fast weapon. Seal of Command rewards slow, hard-hitting weapons.
What your However guide builds for a paladin
Your guide gives a step-by-step route from your starting zone to level 60. It places your paladin trainers on the map (a paladin learns something every two levels from level 4), adds your class quests in order, spends one talent point per level, and suggests a weapon plan for every five levels. On a PvP realm, it also shows paladin tips for dangerous zones. Create your character to get it, try the build in the talent calculator, or check the gear page.
The reference Alliance paladin in this guide is a human. Humans and dwarves can be paladins. Humans start in Northshire Valley, in Elwynn Forest; dwarves start in Coldridge Valley, in Dun Morogh. At level 10, both join the shared Alliance route in Westfall.
- Level 12: the Tome of Divinity chain teaches Redemption, in Stormwind for humans and in Ironforge for dwarves.
- Level 20: the Tome of Valor chain starts in Stormwind and continues at Daphne Stilwell's farm in Westfall.
- Level 40: "The Tome of Nobility" (Duthorian Rall, Stormwind) teaches Summon Warhorse, a free class mount. Your level 40 gold goes to spells and plate armor.
- Full trainers: Stormwind, Ironforge, Goldshire, Kharanos and Theramore.
- Level 60: the charger chain requires Stratholme and Scholomance, so it is not in the guide.
Read the full Alliance route.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the Horde play a paladin in WoW Forever?
- Yes. WoW Forever adds the undead paladin to the Horde. It starts in Deathknell with its own class quests, and the guide covers its whole route from level 1 to 60.
- Which spec should a paladin level as?
- The guide uses Retribution with a slow two-handed weapon: Seal of Command at level 20, Repentance at level 40, then Holy for Divine Strength and Divine Intellect. A Protection build is also available in the talent calculator.
- Is the paladin slow to level?
- The paladin kills more slowly than some classes in the early levels, but it rarely dies and needs few breaks thanks to its heals. A good two-handed weapon and Seal of Command help a lot.
- When do I get my mount as a paladin?
- Alliance paladins get a free class mount at level 40 through "The Tome of Nobility". The game data has no such quest for the Horde, so undead paladins buy their mount at level 40.
- Best race for an Alliance paladin in WoW Forever?
- Humans and dwarves can both level a paladin well. The guide uses a human as its reference character; dwarves start in Dun Morogh and do their early class quests in Ironforge instead.