Raiding as (and with) Ret Pallies

[JohnnieRat]

Since I switched to ret, I've noticed most people haven't had many experiences with DPS Paladins and aren't 100% sure on what to expect from us, and for other Ret Pallies who might like to raid as ret someday: here's a little guide.

1) Itemization:
   a) Weapon choice: A big, slow 2 hander is key. The slower the better. You basically have 3 enchant choices depending on how much gold you have - Savagery, Mongoose, or Executioner. Gorehowl/Hammer of the Naaru or other 119 DPS weapons are good weapons to start with and easy for us to get in guild. Once you can, for 150 Badges, you can get a 134 DPS axe from Shattered Sun Badge Vendor.
   b) Stats: Since this topic is on raiding, you are focusing on Strength, Crit rating, Strength, and more Strength.
     - 10STR = 20AP (24.2AP with talent and Kings)... after stacking enough Strength, Kings actually provides a larger AP bonus than Might. I cannot enough emphasize how important stacking STR is.
     - Stam - If you're dead, you can't DPS. You'll naturally get enough stam from gear where you don't need to enchant your gear with or gem for stam at all.
     - Agility - You only get 1AP per AGI point. But if you happen to get AGI on your gear, so be it. It does increase crit a bit too.
     - Intel - You need it but don't have to stack it. Don't waste your time enchanting or gemming for intel.
     - +hit: With 3 points in Precision, our hit cap is 95 so hit capping for us incredibly easy
     - Spell Damage - If I see you spec ret and try to use spell damage, I will beat you mercilessly. It has NO use to us.
     - Spell Crit - Read section under "Spell Damage"
     - Haste is an optional stat. It doesn't benefit those of us on Alliance side as much as horde due to the mechanics of SoCasino (7 procs per minute) vs SoBlood (procs every swing) but it does increase our DPS.
     - Armor Penetration is another optional stat. Take it where you can get it but don't sweat it.
   c) You are looking for unbuffed stats of to start off for raiding 25 mans:
     -1600AP
     -30%crit
     -95 hit rating (after talents) --> 9% is our hit cap
     -9k HP (melee DPS takes lots of damage)
     -5k mana (our rage bar is blue)

2) Spec:
   a) Ret: There's a few key talents which are must haves to DPS in raids as ret
     - Seal of Command: This is your DPS seal as an Alliance Paladin... must have.
     - Divine Strength (holy talent): adds 10% to your STR. Since you stack STR, it makes sense to increase it for free.
     - Benediction: We don't stack Intel so more mana efficiency is good for sustained DPS
     - Imp Seal of the Crusader: The reason we are taken on raids. Increasing the raid crit % by 3 is awesome.
     - Conviction: 5% more crit... duh
     - Sanctity Aura: Another reason we are taken on raids. If put in a pally tanks group, you better have this aura up... it gives them LOADS more threat
     - Vengeance: 15% more damage when fully stacked... it's really easy to keep it stacked too since it lasts 30 seconds now.
     - Repentence: Worthless PvE talent BUT you need it to get to....
     - Fanaticism: DPS pallies rejoice, we now have a built in threat lowering mechanic. 15% more crit on judging is good too.
     - Crusader Strike: Our keynote talent. It's a free auto-attack basically.
     - Precision (prot talent): 3% more hit... helps us hit cap easier.
                   * Max out those talents and spend freely on the other ones... I recommend keeping everything else within the ret tree.



~More updates to come. Sections include:DPS Rotation, Blessings for who/what/why, Working with us, Optimal Group setup, Where to QQ if you lose to us in damage, etc...

[JohnnieRat]

       3) DPS rotation:
          a) ALWAYS have a seal up I recomend the following macro
                         /cast judgement
                         /stopcasting
                         /cast seal of command
                -Since judging isn't on the GCD, it ensures that as soon as you judge, your seal is put back up.
          b) If a judge CD comes up around the time as Crusader Strike... Use Crusader Strike First
                 -CS is a higher damage move, you want it to be used the instant the cooldown is up ALWAYS.
            My rotation from start of fight is as follows
       Before combat starts: Seal of the Crusader, Judge, SoCom, CruStrike, Auto attack, Crustrike, Judge, SoCom....... using my abilities as the Cooldown is up prioritizing CruStrike over judging. If I can weave in a rank 1 consecrate without interfering with a cooldown I will. It is mana cheap and gives about 47 more DPS for those 8 seconds.
         c) Managing use of Avenging Wrath:
               - Using AW can be the free aggro button if you're not careful... and you can't DPS when dead
               - It also causes forbearance so on fights when survivability is more important, use bubble first. Off the top of my head in the Illhoof fight: If you get Sacrificed, you need to be able to bubble. So, wait til you get sacrificed bubble, and then use AW as soon as forbearance is up.


   3) Working with LolRet
       1) If there is only 1 Pally in the group, and you are a DPS class... DO NOT ask for anything except for Salv.
       2) We like WF totems but will concede loss for Grace of Air as a substitute... if you give us strength of earth also.
       3) If there are other paladins in group, JUDGE WISDOM or LIGHT... we can keep it up, you can judge and forget. There are very few bosses where we can't... namely ones with banish phases or where melee has to bounce out of hit range for over 17 seconds. Light will heal for tens of thousands of HP in a boss fight, same with wisdom... this is one of our biggest raid utilities. We have crusader under control since we have the good flavor of it.
     

[JohnnieRat]

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