PvE Retribution Paladin Pre-Raid & Best in Slot (BiS)

tbc classic pve retribution paladin gear & best in slot (bis) burning crusade classic
  • Author: Pride
  • Date: April 23, 2022
  • Updated: April 23, 2022
  • Expansion: TBC Classic

The following BiS lists have been mathematically optimized using RetSim made by Pride & Sulis & Baranor’s TBC Spreadsheet.

Note that the lists simply list the most powerful item for each slot. You will still need to reach the hit cap (9%, or 6% if your raid has a Balance Druid).

Alternative: Helm of the Claw

Choker of Vile Intent will be your best option for this slot.

Ragesteel Shoulders will be your best option for this slot.

Vengeance Wrap will be your best option for this slot.

Black Felsteel Bracers will be your best option for this slot.

Flesh Handler’s Gauntlets will be your best option for this slot.

 Deathforge Girdle will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative / Hit: Clefthoof Hide Leggings

Alternative / Hit: Fel Leather Boots

This combination of rings will be your strongest option.

Pick up Shapeshifter’s Signet ASAP — it will be your best ring until Phase 5.

This combination of trinkets will be your strongest option.

You will be using Bloodlust Brooch until Phase 4, so it’s highly recommended that you purchase it ASAP.

Lionheart Champion will be your best weapon.

Alternative: Libram of Righteous Power

Libram of Avengement will be your best libram for all of TBC and is significantly better than Libram of Righteous Power.

Alternative: Mask of the Deceiver

Alternative / Hit: Choker of Vile Intent

Justicar Shoulderplates will be your best option for this slot.

Vengeance Wrap will be your best option for this slot.

Bladespire Warbands will be your best option for this slot.

Grips of Deftness will be your best option for this slot.

Girdle of the Endless Pit will be your best option for this slot.

Shattrath Leggings will be your best option for this slot.

Ironstriders of Urgency will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Mithril Band of the Unscarred

If you don’t need the hit rating, you should use Mithril Band of the Unscarred over Ring of a Thousand Marks.

This combination of trinkets will be your strongest option.

Dragonspine Trophy will be your best trinket for the entirety of TBC, so pick it up ASAP.

Lionheart Champion will be your best weapon.

Libram of Avengement will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative / Non-Engineer: Crystalforge War-Helm

Pendant of the Perilous will be your best option for this slot.

Shoulderpads of the Stranger will be your best option for this slot.

Razor-Scale Battlecloak will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative / Hit: Bracers of Eradication

You generally won’t need more hit rating in this phase, but if you do, Bracers of Eradication will be a great option.

Gloves of the Searing Grip will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Red Belt of Battle

Belt of One-Hundred Deaths is an incredibly powerful item, offering a 40 DPS boost of the next best belt, Red Belt of Battle. However, it is exceedingly rare and in very high demand, so you may have to settle for Red Belt of Battle for a while.

Alternative: Leggings of Murderous Intent – read below

Human Paladins with all of the other 4 expertise items (Shoulderpads of the Stranger, Gloves of the Searing Grip, Belt of One-Hundred Deaths & Shapeshifter’s Signet) go above the expertise cap. Therefore they can finally switch out their Shattrath Leggings for Leggings of Murderous Intent

Every other race will unfortunately need to use Shattrath Leggings for this phase too.

This combination of trinkets will be your strongest option.

Alternative / Blacksmith: Lionheart Executioner

The Lionheart Executioner is roughly on par with Twinblade of the Phoenix – if you get one of them, you don’t really need the other.

Libram of Avengement will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Helm of the Illidari Shatterer

Cursed Vision of Sargeras is an incredibly powerful item, offering a 20 DPS boost of the next best helmet, Helm of the Illidari Shatterer. However, it is exceedingly rare and in very high demand, so you may have to settle for Helm of the Illidari Shatterer for a while.

Shoulderpads of the Stranger will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Lightbringer Breastplate

These two items are identical in strength, but Lightbringer Breastplate will typically be more contested, due to sharing tokens with Warlocks.

Gloves of the Searing Grip will be your best option for this slot.

Belt of One-Hundred Deaths will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Leggings of Divine Retribution
Alternative (Tier 6 2-set): Lightbringer Greaves

Bow-stitched Leggings and Leggings of Divine Retribution are very close to each other in strength. However, Leggings of Divine Retribution will be very desirable by DPS warriors – let them have it first.

Alternatively, you can go for the tier 6 2-set bonus by using Lightbringer Greaves & Lightbringer Breastplate. Lightbringer Greaves are about 10 DPS weaker than Bow-stitched Leggings, but the mana regen effect is very potent.

Alternative: Unstoppable Aggressor’s Ring
Alternative: Band of the Eternal Champion
Alternative / Hit: Stormrage Signet Ring

Band of Devastation, Unstoppable Aggressor’s Ring and Band of the Eternal Champion are all virtually identical in strength. Use whichever one you like the most, always along side Shapeshifter’s Signet.

This combination of trinkets will be your strongest option.

Alternative: Cataclysm’s Edge

Torch of the Damned is about 30 DPS stronger than Cataclysm’s Edge, but you can use Cataclysm’s Edge until you get the Torch.

Libram of Avengement will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Helm of the Illidari Shatterer

Cursed Vision of Sargeras is an incredibly powerful item, offering a 20 DPS boost of the next best helmet, Helm of the Illidari Shatterer. However, it is exceedingly rare and in very high demand, so you may have to settle for Helm of the Illidari Shatterer for a while.

Shoulderpads of the Stranger will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative / Hit: Shadowmoon Destroyer’s Drape

Alternative: Lightbringer Breastplate

These two items are identical in strength, but Lightbringer Breastplate will typically be more contested, due to sharing tokens with Warlocks.

Gloves of the Searing Grip will be your best option for this slot.

Belt of One-Hundred Deaths will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Leggings of Divine Retribution
Alternative (Tier 6 2-set): Lightbringer Greaves

Bow-stitched Leggings and Leggings of Divine Retribution are very close to each other in strength. However, Leggings of Divine Retribution will be very desirable by DPS warriors – let them have it first.

Alternatively, you can go for the tier 6 2-set bonus by using Lightbringer Greaves & Lightbringer Breastplate. Lightbringer Greaves are about 10 DPS weaker than Bow-stitched Leggings, but the mana regen effect is very potent.

Alternative: Unstoppable Aggressor’s Ring
Alternative: Band of the Eternal Champion
Alternative: Signet of Primal Wrath
Alternative / Hit: Stormrage Signet Ring

Band of Devastation, Unstoppable Aggressor’s Ring, Band of the Eternal Champion and Signet of Primal Wrath are all virtually identical in strength. Use whichever one you like the most, always along side Shapeshifter’s Signet.

The Signet of Primal Wrath will be a small bit better than the others in the next phase, however.

This combination of trinkets will be your strongest option.

Berserker’s Call is a slightly upgraded version of Bloodlust Brooch, and you replace it in the next phase, so it’s not a big deal if you don’t manage to get it.

Alternative: Cataclysm’s Edge

Torch of the Damned is about 30 DPS stronger than Cataclysm’s Edge, but you can use Cataclysm’s Edge until you get the Torch.

Libram of Avengement will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative / Hit: Duplicitous Guise

Both of these items are exceptional. Coif of Alleria typically has more competition, so it will be easier to pick up Duplicitous Guise.

If you go for Coif of Alleria, it is recommended that you also use Leggings of the Immortal Night — known as the armor penetration combo. If you go for Duplicitous Guise, you should use Felfury Legplates instead — known as the haste combo. The armor penetration combo is a decent bit stronger than the haste combo, but the haste combo will be significantly easier to obtain, as it has very little competition.

Alternative / Non-Jewelcrafter: Clutch of Demise

The Clutch of Demise is about 10 DPS weaker than Hard Khorium Choker, so overall not the biggest loss if you aren’t a Jewelcrafter.

Alternative / Haste: Pauldrons of Berserking

If you go with the armor penetration combo (Coif of Alleria & Leggings of the Immortal Night) it is recommended that you use Demontooth Shoulderpads. If you go with the haste combo (Duplicitous Guise & Felfury Legplates) it is recommended that you go with Pauldrons of Berserking instead. The armor penetration combo is a decent bit stronger than the haste combo, but the haste combo will be significantly easier to obtain, as it has very little competition.

Alternative / Hit: Shadowmoon Destroyer’s Drape

Only use Shadowmoon Destroyer’s Drape for hit rating as a last option — it is a substantially weaker than Cloak of Unforgivable Sin.

Alternative / Blacksmith: Hard Khorium Battleplate
Alternative / Leatherworker: Carapace of Sun and Shadow

It is highly recommended that Blacksmiths go for Hard Khorium Battleplate, as it is only 7 DPS weaker than the extremely highly contested Bladed Chaos Tunic.

Similarly, Leatherworkers can avoid the competition by opting to use Carapace of Sun and Shadow. The hit rating on it additionally allows you to skip having to compete for the also extremely highly contested Leggings of the Immortal Night.

Lightbringer Bands will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Thalassian Ranger Gauntlets

Gloves of Immortal Dusk and Thalassian Ranger Gauntlets are virtual identical in strength. Their main difference is that Gloves of Immortal Dusk are crafted, while Thalassian Ranger Gauntlets are a boss drop (thus more rare) and better for Hunters. Thus it is recommended that you go for Gloves of Immortal Dusk.

Lightbringer Girdle will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Felfury Legplates

Both of these items are exceptional. Leggings of the Immortal Night are about 10 DPS stronger, but they are very highly contested, so it will be easier to pick up Felfury Legplates.

If you go for Leggings of the Immortal Night, it is recommended that you also use Coif of Alleria — known as the armor penetration combo. If you go for Felfury Legplates, you should use Duplicitous Guise instead — known as the haste combo. The armor penetration combo is a decent bit stronger than the haste combo, but the haste combo will be significantly easier to obtain, as it has very little competition.

Lightbringer Boots will be your best option for this slot.

Alternative: Angelista’s Revenge
Alternative: Signet of Primal Wrath
Alternative / Hit: Stormrage Signet Ring

Angelista’s Revenge and Signet of Primal Wrath are only 4-5 DPS weaker than Hard Khorium Band, so you can safely use either for a while.

The Stormrage Signet Ring will be a good option if you’re short on hit, though typically fairly hard to obtain as it is rare and highly contested.

This combination of trinkets will be your strongest option.

Alternative: Shivering Felspine

Apolyon, the Soul-Render is about 20 DPS stronger than Shivering Felspine, but you can use Shivering Felspine until you get Apolyon.

Libram of Avengement will be your best option for this slot.

 

About the Author

Pride

Classic WoW is my jam, with a passion for PvP. Most know me as Baranor, the ret paladin guy, but I'm secretly a druid main, don't tell anyone. In my free time I play Switch games, particularly JRPGs. Some day I'll be making my own games and I humbly hope you play those too!
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