Protection Paladin BiS
WoW Forever · Tank ·
A spell-damage tank: threat comes from Holy damage, not from weapon swings.
No item list exists yet, anywhere. Forever's level 60 loot has not been published. This page sets out how a Protection Paladin gears under Classic rules, and the list fills in as each phase is datamined.
On this page
Protection Paladin stat priority
- 1DefenseCrit immunity on a raid boss, as for any tank.
- 2StaminaHealth pool.
- 3Spell damageConsecration, Holy Shield and seals scale with it. This is the threat stat.
- 4ArmourDamage reduction.
- 5Intellect, mana per 5Paladin tanks run out of mana before anything else.
Caps and breakpoints
| Stat | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Defense | 440 skill | Pushes a level 63 boss's chance to crit you to zero (300 base + 140 from gear and talents). |
| Spell hit | 16% | Against a boss three levels higher, 17% of spells miss and 1% always will. Talents supplied a large part of this in Classic. |
Classic values against a level 63 raid boss. Forever has not published its own.
How a Protection Paladin gears
Classic protection paladins were best at tanking many targets at once, where Consecration out-threatened a warrior. Their gear lists mixed tank plate with spell-damage pieces, and mana was the limit on long fights.
Whether Forever changes the spec is unknown. If it does, it is the most likely spec on this site to need its list rewritten from scratch.
- Check whether your threat comes from spells that can miss: spell hit matters for a paladin tank in a way it does not for a warrior.
- Budget mana. Running dry mid-pull loses threat and health at once.
The Protection Paladin BiS list
Each phase below becomes a slot-by-slot list, with where every piece drops, as soon as its loot is datamined. Until then, gear by the stat priority above.
Pre-raidMid-November 2026
Level 55–60 dungeon loot, crafted pieces, quest rewards and reputation. The dungeon half can be built once the level 60 tables are datamined after launch on 4 November.
The Barrow Deeps9 December 2026
Ten players, eight bosses. Loot tables have not been published.
Hyjal Summit9 December 2026
Twenty players, thirteen bosses. Loot tables have not been published.
Onyxia's Lair9 December 2026
Forty players, one boss. Returning from Classic, but Forever has not said whether its loot table is the same.
- HeadNot yet known
- NeckNot yet known
- ShouldersNot yet known
- BackNot yet known
- ChestNot yet known
- WristNot yet known
- HandsNot yet known
- WaistNot yet known
- LegsNot yet known
- FeetNot yet known
- FingerNot yet known
- FingerNot yet known
- TrinketNot yet known
- TrinketNot yet known
- Main handNot yet known
- Off handNot yet known
- Ranged / relicNot yet known
Not confirmed yet
- Class talents and whether any spec has been reworked
- Combat formulas: hit, crit and defense caps may not match Classic
- Racials, including which races get weapon skill
- Raid loot tables and tier sets for all three raids
- Level 55–60 dungeon loot: the beta stops at level 30
More on what is and is not known in the pre-raid preparation guide and the raids guide.
Questions
What is the Protection Paladin BiS list in WoW Forever?
There is no confirmed list yet. Raid loot is published with the raids on 9 December 2026, and the level 55–60 dungeon tables are not in the beta. This page carries the stat priority now and adds each phase's items as they are datamined.
What is the Protection Paladin stat priority?
Under Classic rules: Defense, then Stamina, then Spell damage, then Armour, then Intellect, mana per 5. Forever has not published its talents, so this is Classic's order until it does.
What is the Protection Paladin hit cap?
Defense: 440 skill. Pushes a level 63 boss's chance to crit you to zero (300 base + 140 from gear and talents). Spell hit: 16%. Against a boss three levels higher, 17% of spells miss and 1% always will. Talents supplied a large part of this in Classic.
Can I use a Classic Protection Paladin BiS list for WoW Forever?
Only as a guide to stats. Blizzard reworked the loot of every dungeon boss for Forever, raising unique boss items to blue and changing others, and two of the three raids are new. Classic item names may come back with different stats.
When will the Protection Paladin pre-raid BiS be known?
The dungeon half from mid-November 2026, once level 55–60 loot is datamined after the 4 November launch. Raid items from 9 December 2026.
What armour does a Paladin wear?
Plate from level 40, mail before. Weapons: One- and two-handed maces, swords and axes, polearms, shields; no ranged weapon.
