TheWoWDBMythic+
Protection Paladin Mythic+ data from tracked players
Counts from TheWoWDB-tracked Protection Paladin players, not an expert rotation. Cohort: the highest Mythic+ rated characters among US players we crawl from the rated PvP ladders. Sample size 50. Data timestamp 2026-10-18T12:40:02Z. Most-used is a frequency in this cohort.
Uses Holy magic to shield themselves and defend allies from attackers. Preferred Weapon: Sword, Mace, Axe, and Shield
Mastery: Divine BulwarkThe tables in this block come from a different sample than the talent tables further down: Protection characters in the highest Mythic+ keys we captured gear for, US and EU. The Protection overview has the same data with both talent builds.
Sample: n=92 characters · EU 41, US 51 · keys +12 to +22, median +19 · October 6, 2026 to October 19, 2026 · updated October 19, 2026 11:46 UTC
Top Protection players stack Haste = Critical Strike > Mastery > Versatility on their gear.
Sample: n=92 characters · EU 41, US 51 · keys +12 to +22, median +19 · October 6, 2026 to October 19, 2026 · updated October 19, 2026 11:46 UTC
| # | Stat | Median share of secondary rating | Median rating on gear | Highest secondary for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haste | 35.4% | 1,010 | 45 of 92 (49%) |
| 2 | Critical Strike | 34.9% | 980 | 44 of 92 (48%) |
| 3 | Mastery | 21.1% | 593 | 3 of 92 (3%) |
| 4 | Versatility | 7.6% | 215 | 0 of 92 (0%) |
How this is computed: for each character we add up the Critical Strike, Haste, Mastery and Versatility rating printed on every equipped item, then take each stat's share of that total. The table shows the median share across the sample. Gems, enchants, buffs and talents are not included. This is what top players chose to wear, not simulated stat weights; a sim of your own character is the better tool for close calls. Stats joined by = are within 2 points of each other.
Sample: n=92 characters · EU 41, US 51 · keys +12 to +22, median +19 · October 6, 2026 to October 19, 2026 · updated October 19, 2026 11:46 UTC
| Trinket | Worn by |
|---|---|
| Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique | 43 of 92 (47%) |
| Voracious Heart of Ula'tek | 29 of 92 (32%) |
| Vile Vial of Volatile Venom | 28 of 92 (30%) |
| Gebbo's Bottomless Bag | 14 of 92 (15%) |
| Keeper's Seething Core | 14 of 92 (15%) |
| Tumor of the Swarm | 13 of 92 (14%) |
| Resonant Bellowstone | 9 of 92 (10%) |
| Idol of the War Loa | 5 of 92 (5%) |
Most common trinket pairs
| Pair | Worn by |
|---|---|
| Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique + Voracious Heart of Ula'tek | 20 of 92 (22%) |
| Gebbo's Bottomless Bag + Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique | 6 of 92 (7%) |
| Tumor of the Swarm + Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique | 5 of 92 (5%) |
| Tumor of the Swarm + Vile Vial of Volatile Venom | 5 of 92 (5%) |
| Idol of the War Loa + Vile Vial of Volatile Venom | 4 of 92 (4%) |
Sample: n=92 characters · EU 41, US 51 · keys +12 to +22, median +19 · October 6, 2026 to October 19, 2026 · updated October 19, 2026 11:46 UTC
An embellishment is read from the item's own limit line (Unique-Equipped: Embellished) and named by the effect the item grants.
| Embellishment | Most common item | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Arcanoweave Lining | Spellbreaker's Rebuke | 77 of 92 (84%) |
| Hunt | Spellbreaker's Blade | 17 of 92 (18%) |
| Loa Worshiper's Band | Loa Worshiper's Band | 6 of 92 (7%) |
| Stabilizing Gemstone Bandolier | Spellbreaker's Bracers | 4 of 92 (4%) |
| Devouring Banding | Spellbreaker's Blade | 4 of 92 (4%) |
| Sunfire Silk Lining | Spellbreaker's Girdle | 2 of 92 (2%) |
| Blood | Farstrider's Chopper | 2 of 92 (2%) |
| Blessed Pango Charm | Masterwork Sin'dorei Amulet | 1 of 92 (1%) |
Most common embellishment sets
- Arcanoweave Lining: 53 of 92 (58%)
- Arcanoweave Lining + Hunt: 16 of 92 (17%)
- Loa Worshiper's Band + Stabilizing Gemstone Bandolier: 3 of 92 (3%)
- Arcanoweave Lining + Devouring Banding: 3 of 92 (3%)
Crafted item stat choices
The two secondary stats players picked on crafted gear, across 256 crafted items.
- Mastery / Versatility: 53 of 256 (21%) crafted items
- Critical Strike / Haste: 45 of 256 (18%) crafted items
- Haste / Versatility: 43 of 256 (17%) crafted items
- Haste / Mastery: 41 of 256 (16%) crafted items
- Critical Strike / Mastery: 40 of 256 (16%) crafted items
- Critical Strike / Versatility: 33 of 256 (13%) crafted items
Sample: n=92 characters · EU 41, US 51 · keys +12 to +22, median +19 · October 6, 2026 to October 19, 2026 · updated October 19, 2026 11:46 UTC
| Slot | Most common enchant | Characters | Next most common |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Enchant Helm - Empowered Hex of Leeching | 57 of 92 (62%) | Enchant Helm - Empowered Rune of Avoidance (10); Enchant Helm - Empowered Blessing of Speed (9) |
| Shoulder | Enchant Shoulders - Silvermoon's Mending | 64 of 92 (70%) | Enchant Shoulders - Akil'zon's Swiftness (8); Enchant Shoulders - Amirdrassil's Grace (7) |
| Chest | Enchant Chest - Mark of the Worldsoul | 72 of 92 (78%) | Enchant Chest - Mark of Nalorakk (16) |
| Legs | +41 Agility/Strength & +115 Stamina | 74 of 92 (80%) | +41 Agility/Strength & +27 Armor (10); +41 Intellect & +115 Stamina (2) |
| Feet | Enchant Boots - Shaladrassil's Roots | 65 of 92 (71%) | Enchant Boots - Farstrider's Hunt (12); Enchant Boots - Lynx's Dexterity (6) |
| Ring 1 | Enchant Ring - Eyes of the Eagle | 48 of 92 (52%) | Enchant Ring - Silvermoon's Alacrity (22); Enchant Ring - Nature's Fury (7) |
| Ring 2 | Enchant Ring - Eyes of the Eagle | 46 of 92 (50%) | Enchant Ring - Silvermoon's Alacrity (22); Enchant Ring - Nature's Fury (9) |
| Main hand | Enchant Weapon - Acuity of the Ren'dorei | 54 of 92 (59%) | Enchant Weapon - Berserker's Rage (16); Rite of the Hash'ey (11) |
Gems
368 filled sockets in the sample.
| Gem | Stats | Characters using it | Share of sockets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flawless Deadly Peridot | +16 Haste & +7 Critical Strike | 39 of 92 (42%) | 24% |
| Flawless Quick Garnet | +16 Critical Strike & +7 Haste | 35 of 92 (38%) | 20% |
| Indecipherable Eversong Diamond | +32 Primary Stat | 67 of 92 (73%) | 18% |
| Flawless Versatile Peridot | +16 Haste & +7 Versatility | 15 of 92 (16%) | 7% |
| Flawless Masterful Garnet | +16 Critical Strike & +7 Mastery | 11 of 92 (12%) | 6% |
| Flawless Masterful Peridot | +16 Haste & +7 Mastery | 12 of 92 (13%) | 5% |
| Flawless Quick Amethyst | +16 Mastery & +7 Haste | 9 of 92 (10%) | 4% |
| Flawless Deadly Amethyst | +16 Mastery & +7 Critical Strike | 8 of 92 (9%) | 4% |
Most-used loadout string among the top 50 tracked Protection players: CIEAVg1HmQqr1Dwlv86ljju8vuNjBzyYZMjZmZZbMzwsMLzYAAGAAAAAAYMzsYGzMMMb2AwADYGsBAAmZsNzsMDAwmZwAgxMMGAglZAmZAD (1 / 50 (2%)). Open in the talent calculator
Talent variation: 50 distinct loadout strings in a sample of 50.
Most-taken talent nodes among decoded loadouts. Granted-free nodes are excluded so the table is not a list of the whole tree.
| Talent | Tree | Taken | What it does (client tooltip) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hammer of the Righteous | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Hammer of the Righteous also causes a wave of light that hits all other targets for (21% of Attack Power)w1 Holy damage.]?s26573[. While you are standing in your Consecration, Hammer of the Righteous also causes a wave of light that hits all other targets for (21% of Attack Power)w1 Holy damage.][]. Generates 1 Holy Power. |
 Avenging Wrath | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Each Holy Power spent increases Haste by an additional 2%, up to 20%. |
 Gift of the Golden Val'kyr | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Each enemy hit by Avenger's Shield reduces the remaining cooldown on Guardian of Ancient Kings by 1.1 sec. When you drop below 30% health, you become infused with Guardian of Ancient Kings for 4 sec. This cannot occur again for 45 sec. |
 Refining Fire | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Enemies struck by Avenger's Shield burn with holy fire, suffering 100% additional Radiant damage over 5 sec. |
 Shining Light | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Every 3 Shields of the Righteous make your next Word of Glory cost no Holy Power. |
 Guardian of Ancient Kings | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Empowers you with the spirit of ancient kings, reducing all damage you take by 50% for 8 sec. |
 Imbued Shield | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Shield of the Righteous reduces magical damage taken by 12%. |
 Sentinel | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Call upon the Light and gain 15 stacks of Divine Resolve, increasing your maximum health by 1% and reducing your damage taken by 2% per stack for 20 sec. After, you will begin to lose 1 stack per second, but each 3 Holy Power spent will delay the loss of your next stack by 1 sec. While active, your damage and healing are increased by 10%, and critical strike chance is increased by 10%. |
 Relentless Inquisitor | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Your haste is increased by 5%. |
 Holy Aegis | class | 50 / 50 (100%) | Armor and critical strike chance increased by 4%. |
 Crusader's Judgment | spec | 50 / 50 (100%) | Judgment now has 2 charges, and Grand Crusader now also reduces the cooldown of Judgment by 3 sec. |
 Unbreakable Spirit | class | 50 / 50 (100%) | Reduces the cooldown of your Divine Shield, Shield of Vengeance, Ardent Defender, and Lay on Hands by 30%. |
Hero talent trees in this cohort
- Templar: 25 / 50 (50%)
- Lightsmith: 25 / 50 (50%)
Best runs of TheWoWDB-tracked Protection Paladin characters in Mythic+ season 18 (US), one row per dungeon: 343 dungeon bests across 8 dungeons. Ruby Life Pools has the most (45).
| Dungeon | Characters | Timed | Highest timed | Median key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ruby Life Pools | 45 | 23 | +13 | +9 |
 Den of Nalorakk | 44 | 23 | +15 | +8 |
 Murder Row | 44 | 30 | +14 | +10 |
 Altar of Fangs | 43 | 18 | +13 | +10 |
 Kings' Rest | 43 | 27 | +14 | +10 |
 Temple of Sethraliss | 42 | 23 | +14 | +9 |
 Voidscar Arena | 42 | 25 | +13 | +10 |
 The Blinding Vale | 40 | 25 | +14 | +10 |
Median secondary stats among the top 50 tracked Protection players with a statistics payload.
| Stat | Median | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Crit | 27.1% | 50 |
| Haste | 28.5% | 50 |
| Mastery | 26.3% | 50 |
| Versatility | 3.6% | 50 |
Most common trinkets among the top 50 tracked Protection players with equipment stored.
| Trinket | Equipped |
|---|---|
 Gaze of the Alnseer | 14 / 50 (28%) |
 Heart of Ancient Hunger | 10 / 50 (20%) |
 Algeth'ar Puzzle Box | 10 / 50 (20%) |
 Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique | 7 / 50 (14%) |
 Solarflare Prism | 6 / 50 (12%) |
 Heart of Wind | 5 / 50 (10%) |
 Voracious Heart of Ula'tek | 5 / 50 (10%) |
 Idol of the War Loa | 4 / 50 (8%) |
Most common enchant display strings on stored gear.
| Enchant | Seen |
|---|---|
| Enchanted: Enchant Ring - Eyes of the Eagle | 46 / 50 (92%) |
| Enchanted: Enchant Chest - Mark of the Worldsoul | 36 / 50 (72%) |
| Enchanted: +41 Agility/Strength & +115 Stamina | 35 / 50 (70%) |
| Enchanted: Enchant Weapon - Acuity of the Ren'dorei | 29 / 50 (58%) |
| Enchanted: Enchant Helm - Empowered Hex of Leeching | 25 / 50 (50%) |
| Enchanted: Enchant Shoulders - Silvermoon's Mending | 25 / 50 (50%) |
| Enchanted: Enchant Boots - Shaladrassil's Roots | 24 / 50 (48%) |
| Enchanted: Enchant Ring - Silvermoon's Alacrity | 15 / 50 (30%) |
Most common gem display strings on stored gear.
| Gem | Seen |
|---|---|
| Indecipherable Eversong Diamond | 38 / 50 (76%) |
| Flawless Quick Garnet | 34 / 50 (68%) |
| Flawless Masterful Garnet | 24 / 50 (48%) |
| Flawless Deadly Peridot | 19 / 50 (38%) |
| Flawless Masterful Lapis | 17 / 50 (34%) |
| Flawless Masterful Peridot | 15 / 50 (30%) |
| Flawless Versatile Peridot | 12 / 50 (24%) |
| Flawless Quick Amethyst | 10 / 50 (20%) |
Most common item in each other slot (one winner per slot, count shown).
| Slot | Item | Equipped |
|---|---|---|
| Back |  Adherent's Silken Shroud | 12 / 50 (24%) |
| Chest |  Luminant Verdict's Divine Warplate | 26 / 50 (52%) |
| Feet |  Spellbreaker's March | 11 / 50 (22%) |
| Finger 1 |  Occlusion of Void | 8 / 50 (16%) |
| Finger 2 | Occlusion of Void | 8 / 50 (16%) |
| Hands |  Gauntlets of the Consecrated Flame | 17 / 50 (34%) |
| Head |  Luminant Verdict's Unwavering Gaze | 28 / 50 (56%) |
| Legs |  Luminant Verdict's Greaves | 28 / 50 (56%) |
| Main Hand |  Spellbreaker's Blade | 17 / 50 (34%) |
| Neck |  Barbed Ymirheim Choker | 7 / 50 (14%) |
| Off Hand |  Spellbreaker's Rebuke | 14 / 50 (28%) |
| Shirt | Blinky's Collar | 5 / 50 (10%) |
| Shoulder |  Luminant Verdict's Providence Watch | 28 / 50 (56%) |
| Tabard |  Tabard of the Lightbringer | 6 / 50 (12%) |
| Waist |  Girdle of Devouring Rot | 7 / 50 (14%) |
| Wrist |  Spellbreaker's Bracers | 28 / 50 (56%) |
- This page aggregates TheWoWDB-tracked Protection Paladin characters. It is not a rotation guide and it is not a world-first raid note.
- Cohort: the highest Mythic+ rated characters among US players we crawl from the rated PvP ladders. The character profiles behind this page come from our crawl of the US rated PvP ladders, so players who never queue rated PvP are not in it.
- The talent, gear, and stat tables describe the top 50 tracked players (cap 50) after requiring a stored talent loadout. Characters without a loadout do not count.
- A page is published only when at least 30 such players exist. Below that, the URL 404s so a thin sample cannot rank.
- Most-used means the highest count in this cohort. It is not a verdict that the choice is correct.
- Embellishments are omitted: the Armory equipment payload we store lists slot, item, enchants, and gems, and does not flag embellishments.
- PvP talent names come from the character profile when present. Mythic+ pages rank the cohort by stored mythic rating; PvP pages rank by the current US leaderboard rating; builds pages rank by item level.
- The gear block at the top of this page is a separate sample: characters in the highest Mythic+ keys we captured equipment for (US and EU), read from data/spec_gear_summary.json with its own n and dates.
- Client build for talent-tree labels: 12.1.5.70448.
Background
Art © Blizzard Entertainment. Fan reference, not affiliated.