The Paladin

In the world of World of Warcraft there are four different types of player; the tank, the dps, the healer, and the ranged dps. When it comes to choosing a class that gives you the freedom to choose which one you want to be (well, at least three), you can’t get any better than the paladin or the druid- but in this case, we will talk about the awesomeness of the powerful holy knight- the Paladin.
Long before he was the dreaded Lich King, Prince Arthas himself was a powerful and noble paladin that led troops of glorious paladins in battle against the enemies of Lordaeron. Unfortunately, absolute power corrupted absolutely, and he found himself enthroned on ice- the unwitting slave to a possessed sword filled with hatred, blood lust, and pure evil. There is a whole storyline surrounding Prince Arthas and his sword, but that is for another time.
Needless to say, if this possessed sword chose Arthas because of his abilities as a paladin, there are very good reasons why.
The Protection Paladin: The Tank
When enemies arise and someone has to step forward to take the brunt of the powerful fiendish blows, the Paladin tank is the toughest of them all. Called the tank because of their ability to take massive damage while protecting those around them, the group tank is the main weapon of every raid. The paladin tank has the ability to take damage and turn it into mana. He also has the ability taunt the enemy and holds the agro so that other damage dealing members of the group never get physically damaged.
A group has a very slim chance of surviving any raid or instance once the tank has been killed, so having a really good healer around to keep the tank alive is a must. That is where the paladin healer comes in.
The Holy Paladin: The Healer
Just like in real life, any battle requires a healer, someone who can take the worst of the worst and bring them back from the brink of death. Any group in World of Warcraft is much better off if their group has a healer- someone to keep the members of the group alive throughout the fights.
The holy paladin is talented with the ability to heal group members, resurrect them after they’ve been killed, shield them from damage for a short amount of time, and to sacrifice their own lives to that a member of their group can remain untouched in the midst of enemies.
The Retribution Paladin: The DPS
Every group would do well to have a ret pally on their team. Not only do they dish out disgusting amounts of damage on the enemy, but they can also heal in small bursts, and resurrect other players.
In all honesty, you can have an entire group of five filled with various ‘specs’ of paladins (a prot pally, a holy pally, and 2 ret pallies), and actually do a great job.
Paladins are versatile, tough, powerful and great in a pinch.

Tagged as: paladin, world of warcraft, WOTLK