Beat Retribution Paladin

What they want to do

Avenging Wrath plus Wake of Ashes on a stunned target, Divine Shield the return go, then Blessing of Protection or Blessing of Freedom to reset. They win Solo Shuffle if Hammer of Justice into Wake of Ashes lands and you dump offensive cooldowns into Divine Shield.

Main danger

Avenging Wrath burst, and Divine Shield wasting your offensive cooldowns. Hammer of Justice into Wake of Ashes is the kill.

Interrupt priority

1. 1 Repentance if talented

   Always first. A free incapacitate is their Avenging Wrath setup. Do not spend this interrupt on a heal while Repentance is coming.

2. 3 Holy Light / Flash of Light off-heals

   Only when Repentance is down or not talented. Otherwise save the interrupt for their healer.

Watch for

• Avenging Wrath overlapping Wake of Ashes after Hammer of Justice — wall or leave melee before the cone.
• Divine Shield after they dump, then sit the immunity or reset — stop damage and reposition for the exit.
• Blessing of Protection on the kill target as you connect — melee swap or dispel; casters keep hitting.
• Hammer of Justice on you, Blessing of Freedom on themselves before Wake of Ashes — Freedom eats the root you needed to hold them.

Offensive cooldowns

• Avenging Wrath / Wings. Major damage window. Assume Wake of Ashes and Final Reckoning are with it. Wall or leave melee before Wake of Ashes.
• Wake of Ashes. Cone burst after Hammer of Justice. Stun them, line it, or already be in a defensive. Do not stand in front of them during Avenging Wrath.
• Final Reckoning. Damage increase on the circle. Walk out. Staying in it is how Wake of Ashes actually kills.
• Hammer of Justice. Setup stun into Wake of Ashes. Trinket this, not Blinding Light.

Defensive cooldowns

• Divine Shield. Full immunity. Stop damage. Reposition for the exit. They often press this to sit crowd control or reset, not only to live a go.
• Divine Protection / Shield of Vengeance. Damage reduction or absorb. Keep chip pressure unless Divine Shield or Lay on Hands is also up.
• Lay on Hands. Full heal. The go is over if it lands. Save a stop for this, not for Holy Shock.
• Blessing of Protection. Physical immunity on an ally. Casters keep going; melee swap or dispel it.
• Blessing of Sacrifice. Transfers damage onto the paladin. If the partner is not dying, swap onto the paladin — keep hitting the partner and they can die to the transfer.

Crowd control

• Hammer of Justice
• Blinding Light
• Repentance
• Turn Evil

Dispels

• Blessing of Protection is magic — strip it off the kill target or melee swings hit a ghost.
• Blessings in general are magic. Do not leave Blessing of Protection sitting if you can dispel.

Mobility

Divine Steed, Blessing of Freedom. They are slow without the horse. Root Divine Steed; Blessing of Freedom eats your roots right before Wake of Ashes. Do not chase Freedom in a straight line.

Kill windows

• Divine Shield, Blessing of Protection, and Lay on Hands are down
• After Avenging Wrath if they did not kill
• When they Blessing of Sacrifice and you can swap onto the paladin

When to run

Avenging Wrath is up and you have no wall. Do not melee a paladin in Avenging Wrath without a plan. Line Wake of Ashes.

When to attack

After Divine Shield. When Avenging Wrath is down. When they Blessing of Protection the wrong person. Casters keep hitting through Blessing of Protection. After Blessing of Sacrifice, swap onto the paladin.

Common tricks

• Divine Shield is often used to sit crowd control, not to live a go. Stop dumping; reposition for when it drops.
• Blessing of Sacrifice transfers the damage you deal onto the paladin. Keep hitting the partner and they die, or swap onto the paladin.
• Blessing of Freedom removes your roots right before Wake of Ashes. Re-root after Freedom, not before.

Common mistakes against them

• Dumping offensive cooldowns into Divine Shield.
• Meleeing a Blessing of Protection instead of swapping or dispelling.
• Not swapping onto a Blessing of Sacrifice paladin.
• Kicking Flash of Light while Repentance is being cast.