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There're some misconceptions as to the role of Paladin in PvP. Now we'll make a discussion about PvP as both Holy Spec and Retribution Spec.
For one thing, we talk about the Holy Spec Paladin. It requires the correct gear style to really be most effective. Holy Shock becomes the bread and butter of any offensive Holy-spec spell casting. When I was Holy Spec and PvP'ing, I found that around 300 spell damage was a sufficient amount to make many of my spells crit for around 1000, and of course this is not mitigated by armor. Depending on your guild and raid progression, places like Zul'Gurub can be excellent sources of Spell Damage items, such as the BloodCaller off of Hakkar. At the same time, being holy spec, you don't want to limit the other roles that you can perform. You'll be one of the best healing options for any group in Warsong Gulch. Being able to cast almost un-interruptedly with Spiritual Focus and Concentration Aura makes for excellent heals, even when under pressure. Cleanse is even more powerful in PvP because of its multiple spell types covered in a single cleanse. If you can understand the balance between using Flash of Light for fast, efficient healing, and Holy Light, when you have the time to cast and need to land a big heals, you'll be invaluable to your teams' success.
For another, it is the Retribution Spec Paladin in turn. This is a very different build. In raid environments, the biggest change for a primary healer was the gear requirements. Paladins must have Attack Power, Agility, and Crit to really be effective. Don't be afraid to use blues like Blackhands Breadth in place of your healing trinkets in this spec, because you'll want to have Vengeance up as much as possible. Repentance is a great spell interrupter, and you'll want to make sure that you always have that and Hammer of Justice ready against offensive spell casters. I prefer Seal of Command with 2-H weapons with this spec, as you're only like to burst someone down if you can mix Vengeance, Seal of Command Crits, and Judgments of Command. Paladins are all about attrition with this spec, and will want to manage their Mana efficiently. Sometimes, being able to Stun and Heal, or cast Repentance and Heal will turn the tide in the battles, so managing your cool downs is of the utmost importance.
In group PvP, Divine Shield is more than a tool to avoid direct deaths. Divine Shield is often most useful when you cast it to remove debuffs, such as Mind Control or Polymorph. Remember that it can also remove all forms of player casted debuffs, so often times you can allow the competition to unload on you, and divine shield to force their attention elsewhere. For the duration of the shield, you're invulnerable and not losing health. Many times, it's better to heal others while Divine Shield starts and they're taking damage, and then heal yourself near the end of the effect, right before you're vulnerable.
As a Paladin, PvP can take on many forms. We can perform many roles because we are a hybrid class. Paladins must make choices about what they are most comfortable doing, and tailor their spec and gear to that decision. Remember that you play your character and you know your individual strengths and weaknesses so don't be afraid to play your own way!
For one thing, we talk about the Holy Spec Paladin. It requires the correct gear style to really be most effective. Holy Shock becomes the bread and butter of any offensive Holy-spec spell casting. When I was Holy Spec and PvP'ing, I found that around 300 spell damage was a sufficient amount to make many of my spells crit for around 1000, and of course this is not mitigated by armor. Depending on your guild and raid progression, places like Zul'Gurub can be excellent sources of Spell Damage items, such as the BloodCaller off of Hakkar. At the same time, being holy spec, you don't want to limit the other roles that you can perform. You'll be one of the best healing options for any group in Warsong Gulch. Being able to cast almost un-interruptedly with Spiritual Focus and Concentration Aura makes for excellent heals, even when under pressure. Cleanse is even more powerful in PvP because of its multiple spell types covered in a single cleanse. If you can understand the balance between using Flash of Light for fast, efficient healing, and Holy Light, when you have the time to cast and need to land a big heals, you'll be invaluable to your teams' success.
For another, it is the Retribution Spec Paladin in turn. This is a very different build. In raid environments, the biggest change for a primary healer was the gear requirements. Paladins must have Attack Power, Agility, and Crit to really be effective. Don't be afraid to use blues like Blackhands Breadth in place of your healing trinkets in this spec, because you'll want to have Vengeance up as much as possible. Repentance is a great spell interrupter, and you'll want to make sure that you always have that and Hammer of Justice ready against offensive spell casters. I prefer Seal of Command with 2-H weapons with this spec, as you're only like to burst someone down if you can mix Vengeance, Seal of Command Crits, and Judgments of Command. Paladins are all about attrition with this spec, and will want to manage their Mana efficiently. Sometimes, being able to Stun and Heal, or cast Repentance and Heal will turn the tide in the battles, so managing your cool downs is of the utmost importance.
In group PvP, Divine Shield is more than a tool to avoid direct deaths. Divine Shield is often most useful when you cast it to remove debuffs, such as Mind Control or Polymorph. Remember that it can also remove all forms of player casted debuffs, so often times you can allow the competition to unload on you, and divine shield to force their attention elsewhere. For the duration of the shield, you're invulnerable and not losing health. Many times, it's better to heal others while Divine Shield starts and they're taking damage, and then heal yourself near the end of the effect, right before you're vulnerable.
As a Paladin, PvP can take on many forms. We can perform many roles because we are a hybrid class. Paladins must make choices about what they are most comfortable doing, and tailor their spec and gear to that decision. Remember that you play your character and you know your individual strengths and weaknesses so don't be afraid to play your own way!
