The Oathkeeper

Undoubtably it would make a paladin very happy. I know I would love it forever. However, what disappoints me is that while there seems to be no shortage of nice dps two-handed paladin weapons, there are no one handed weapons with spell damage or even healing that break 45 dps. Considering that the weapon slot is the best place to get spell damage and healing, I would at least expect something with a little more bite to it than what I'm swinging right now. Two handers are nice, but sometimes we have to pick up that shield and go to town on a mob. I just would hate to see my seal of righteousness doing more than my white damage.

I couldn't agree more with GyratingMeh. Yes, there seem to be plenty of 1handers with +spelldmg but they all have dismal dps. As a Holy paladin that is called upon to OT in Karazhan (Moroes and the Ushers for instance) I am terribly disappointed by the awful white damage numbers and find myself wistfully looking at the good old Aurastone, the first and only (?) spelldamage hammer to break the 41 dps barrier. It is not that we actually rely all that much on white damage, but it's insane that there is no weapon to break that measly 41 dps and I see no real reason why this should be. Is Blizzard

Your SoR is going to do more damage anyway; the coefficients got reworked. Besides, physical damage can be mitigated, and holy damage from SoR can't.

Yes, SoR will do more damage each hit with a slow two-hander, but the total damage per minute will be about the same. But for us paladins who like to tank, the lack of one-hand +spelldamage weapons is depressing. There are many daggers that have the stats I would love, but, ironically, paladins are the only class in the game that can't use daggers.

the main reason for this is probably that they don't want enchance shammy to DW high spell damage weapons, but they could easily counter this by making all spell damage weapons main hand only (which they pretty much are so far already?)

Paladin itemization in BC is alot worse than I had expected.

About this weapon, it's dropping like crazy on my server (Frostmane US). I purchased mine out of trade channel for 275g (which is now pocket change). I see them on our AH for 300-500g.

in my crappy server on anetheron, they are worth 50 gold. i have about 4 of them knowingly they will be bought for a higher price.

Update: This thing hits pretty hard. With my current setup I'm getting Crusader Strike crits from 1700-1999 (couldn't break 2000 w/ self buffs yet).

From what i can see this is ny best choice for a weapon i'm going to have awhile.."i don't run long instance.. most of the time i pvp.(paly)

I use this on the server "Llane" and have hit with my crusader strike for 2200 with it, and my seal of command (spell damage portion only) has hit for 2450. THis is with self-buffs and level 70 abilities though. I've taken down level 70-71 mobs in about 3-5 seconds easily. (non-elites of course.) Definitely a good weapon, but still not sure if it's the best or not. :)

Looted one off a Raging Fire-Soul over the weekend farming motes.

25G From a Guildie, Loving it.

Enhancement Shammies can WF for over 5000 with this baby. 5480 highest to date.

Definately one of the best 2H Weapons before Hammer of Naaru ( http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28800 ) or an Arena Weapon. :)

Dropped on Elemental Ridge in Nagrand from a Storming Wind-Ripper for me tonight. My mob-info mod shows it as about a 1% drop from them btw (mote of air was about 54% for a comparison).

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27512 would be a nice choice as 1h+shield for pally's aswell in my eyes. drops from last boss in Bloodfurnace Heroic

What enchant would you suggest for this weapon, for a Protection paladin?

there are so many of these, i think people are having a hard time selling them. i saw someone WTS Oathkeeper 50g, i offered him 35g and he sold it to me. :) 3 bars away from 68.. i cant wait..

as a retri paladin, I think this weapon is pretty nice, and my guildmates say so aswell, I was suggested to put agility enchant on this, what do you other ppl think about enchanting this as retri paladin? Also, as a retri paladin, what would be the next viable upgrade after this weapon? (raid drops and pvp rewards excluded)

The main thing which makes this hammer so appealing to Retribution Paladins (and pvping 2h Shamans) is that it's a 93.3 dps weapon which you can wield at only level 68. The way item level works, in game currently i-level 115 is the highest item level you'll find on a Blue item. The vast majority of i-level 115 blues are a level 70 requirement, but this one strangely is 68. What it means is that you will -not- find any other blue two hander in the game with higher weapon DPS. This thing does as much damage as any weapon you'll find in the top 70 instances and heroics (apart from Epics), and is available on the auction house and can be equipped way before a Paladin actually visits the dungeons that contain comparable items. What's more, it's -damn- cheap it seems, probably due to so many of them dropping and there not being enough paladins/shamans to want them. Whilst any of the crafting Blacksmithing epics, Gladiator weapons or epic raid weapons are more powerful, this weapon is technically as good as any other two hander in game. The fact it's so easy to obtain just makes it better.

Man I wish I was on one of the servers that sel this for around 200g :p Still having trouble selling this mace even at 70g buyout!

seem to be very common on most servers now, especially horde for some reason.

Normally at least 3 up for spinebreaker, usually at 40-50g buyout at max. Literally just picked one up for my shaman. (Horde btw)

Sorry to continue off-topic, but Shammies can't wield swords at all... so that still does not explain the limited dps on spelldmg swords. It makes sense on Dungeon drop to make sure that casters have a greater claim to them, but why not put some dps on the Continuum Blade for example? Mages and Warlocks are not going to be going melee and even if they do it's not going to do much without +Strength... so what's the harm? I don't get it either. Do they think a pally is going to be OP with a good 1H? LOL We tanks are not stacking Strength like other classes anyway. Sure trade off some dps in lieu of the spell dmg sure, but 41.1 dps?? Come on now. /shrug Give us some better HP or +def options and we'll call it even.

A solid, powerful two-handed mace with much the desired, wonderful stats it has to offer for any average retribution paladin (aka retadin) or enh shammy. With it's high top end damage, slow speed and a good mix of both STR and +spell dmg, you won't be dissatisfied at all once you wield it. Some people may even find MS spec'd Warriors equipping this beauty due to its high top end damage and stats, and I am not too surprised, I suppose. (I've met some warriors of the opposing faction with this thing behind their backs, and their mortal strikes do hurt)

If you're not level 70 yet and still lvl'ing, It is no doubt that your Seal of Commands, Windfuries, Stormstrikes and Crusader strikes will hit like a truck once you put this on, and it will serve you very well indeed, before getting your BS crafted weapon, or even another interesting high lvl epic at lvl 70. I upgraded my Adamantite cleaver (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=23503) with this beauty right here, and I'm sure those players with weapons like Blade of Misfortune (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=31134) or Hatebringer (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24461) will be very pleased to see their increase in DPS and burst damage.

Similar weapons at this level include:

Horned Voidaxe - Much faster than the Oathekeeper with significantly lower top end damage, but the stats on this thing just cannot be ignored. It has no sockets or bonus "stat ratings" but it is easily obtainable at level 65 in The Ring of Blood and you may find alot of other players wielding this. It may also look very appealing to some players. Unfortunately, the Oathekeeper can easily deal higher burst damage and normal hits/crits so the Voidaxe may serve you well until then. http://www.wowhead.com/?item=25762#00zc

Crystalforged War Axe - Slight faster, lower top end damage, abit more AP and stam along with a nice amount of crit rating. Doesn't hurt if you wish to try something different. Your burst damage and regular hits/crits will be lower though, nonetheless, it perhaps can be a alternative. http://www.wowhead.com/?item=31291

Crow Wing Reaper - Faster, low top end damage, but has a good stats and you can't go wrong with some nice red sockets. Having a weapon speed of 3.4 speed won't really let you deal truck-like hard hits though. http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27986

Terokk's Quill - Even faster and lower top end damage which makes it poor for burst damage, but it can be quite easy to obtain. Sethekk Halls quest reward and can be easily within your grasp at level 65 if your group is generous. http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29329

Warmaul of Infused Light - Also a solid mace which should be taken into consideration. Its 0.1 speed slower and has its top end damage slightly lower as well, but the 21 crit rating and the 3 sockets on this thing easily compensates that. This can be a nice upgrade or alternative. http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28393

Firemaul of Destruction - Also a versatile weapon due to its slower speed and high top end damage. 40 pts of resilience is nice pvpwise and 26 more stamina is also great. Can be a nice alternative, or a minor upgrade I suppose :) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27524

The mace also comes quite cheap on some realms, it can range from 30g-100g, as it is said to drop quite easily in high lvl zones. Thanks for reading!

Great writing, lots of info, you sure deserved my +rating on this. Thanks a lot. I bought mine on the Onyxia realm for 30g. I was hoping to farm it, but the mob that drops it most is only accessible by flying mounts, wich I dont have yet. Yeah I spend a lot of gold on alts and even helping people out, but hey... Isnt that what a Paladin way of life made of? :) P.S.: sorry about my english, it is still under construction ;)

I just bought mine for 22g on Warsong Realm.

its this kind of comment that makes wowhead great! love it! thank you!

Still one of the best 2h for xmog, plus it's cheap these days and still pretty rare to see it.

Uh - because so many of the staves now are agility specced for monks, I find this nicely fits my Balance Tauren Druid :)

A terrific weapon for a paladin from 68-70. Comparable weapons drop in lvl 70 5 mans and heroics. In other words, nothing you can get at lvl 68 is going to compare to this weapon.

Great for shaman

I got it for a 35g bid on Horde-side Eredar. There are usually 3-4 of them up on the AH at the same time.

I'm only 65 currently but I expect good things to come of this.

Btw, I'm a pally.

Hmm, can I have some advice on a good enchant for this nice hammer? Any tips? Thanks in advance.

[url=http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32663]Apexis Cleaver[/url] is about three times the price on both of the servers I play on, but is almost certainly a better buy for an MS warrior unless you are very starved for hit rating or cash. This might actually beat out a [url=http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32663]Crystalforged War Axe[/url], though, because of better white damage, better instants, hit rating, and not a big loss of AP. The stam and crit on the axe are attractive, but this mace has enough going for it for an MS warrior that I wouldn't laugh at one that snapped one up cheap on the AH as a t

Crusader might be ok for it because Oathkeeper is hardly an end game weapon so a "cheap" enchant like Crusader might be perfect. The weapon speed is so slow that crusader will seem to proc "all the time" and even at lvl 68-70 no one will sneeze at the extra AP from the proc. Embarrassingly maybe (because I have one on my warrior), I think this is a fantastic MS weapon for the non-raiding alch/herb warrior who can't get any 2H to drop for him/her instances. I bought it for a song & dance on Burning Blade alliance side AH (17g) and it hits HARD with MS at lvl 68.

Bought it for 40g :D

They, somehow, dropped down to an average 20g per deal on Malygos, about 6 of 'em in the AH. I got one for 18g, but these things' prices fluctuate a LOT, so buy low and sell high if you want that epic!

I am a retribution paladin that used to use this, and I'd have to say I was much more pleased with a Crystalforged War Axe (And later I got a Plasma Rat's Hyper-Scythe) This weapon is pretty nice, but the higher crit and attack power available on other weapons is more favorable for a retribution paladin than spell damage and intellect. With a Crystalforged War Axe, you can a bit over 1% crit rating, A LOT more stamina, and a small amount more attack power. (If you factor in Divine Strength to the Oathkeeper's strength) You do lose a lot of mana, but if you already have a fair mana pool you won't relly need it. You can get by in pve with pretty much any mana pool, due to potions, shadow priests, Judgement of Wisdom if you have another paladin, and various other methods of mana regeneration, and if you have at least a 5k mana pool you should be fine for pvp, you will not be casting many heals though, but they heal for almost nothing, so most of the time you won't be healing anyway. I did fine with a 4.6k mana pool before I got better gear. This also has a better top end damage than a crystalforged war axe, but I believe the higher AP and crit make up for this. So, overall, I'd pass the oathkeeper up unless you have almost no intellect at ALL on your other gear pieces.

The AP and crit rating on the [url=http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32663]Crystalforged War Axe[/url] do NOT make up for the loss of white damage. The axe only has 10 more AP and 2.9 less DPS, not to mention, unless you are hit capped, you will get a lot more damage out of hit rating than crit. Ret paladins are a melee class and like all other melee classes hit rating and white damage are some of your most valuable statistics.

Um...That isn't the Crystalforged War Axe - this is: http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=31291 The real Crystalforged War Axe still doesn't have the right stats for a SoC Paladin or MS Warrior - so go get this beauty! Crystalforged War Axe is great for Hunters, on the other hand.

just got this for 22g from AH. (the other one was running for 45g) even though as a retribution paladin, the lack of crit chance on this weapon makes it somewhat undesirable, but you just can't ignore the dmg of this thing, its amazing! +22 int is definitely good too... more mana = more crusader's strike, not to mention this can be good healing weapon as well...

Thanks to the rogues farming chests in mechanar right now, you can expect every blue gotten from chests (http://www.wowhead.com/?object=184936#00Rzc) to be A LOT cheaper until the patch that nerfs it goes thru so if you have been contimplating getting any of the blues the chest gives, now is the time, because for the next week or 2, they are going to continue dropping in price. all the blues from the chest are down to 20g on my server

One of the cheapest if not the cheapest BoE 65+ blues, on my server at least. Easily buy one at the AH for 20-25 gold buyout. If this gets any more common it might just be more profitable to Disenchant the damn thing and sell the shard.

Got this for 20g on auction. Well worth the price, will use on my Paladin eventually.

this is best weapon for paladins before Hammer of the Naaru...it looks amazing and has good specs

Am I alone in thinking that this would be great for a Shaman? I know that some believe Shamans should focus on dual-wielding, but I've heard many Shamans mention how they prefer to use a two-hander - and that it's just as effective. All the stats on the weapon are important to an Enhancement Shaman, even the spell damage, since shocks are a big part of one's damage output. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm looking forward to picking this up on my Shaman once I hit 68!

Stat changes on the current PTR: -30 spelldamage +26 hit rating

hit rating? eh. Would be better if it was crit.

I've got it on my Ret Paladin and I'd have to say it pwns. I'd say it is better then Crow Wing Reaper for a pally any day simply for it's ability to add spell damage to consecration and increase healing which Ret's gotta backup in certain circumstances. The idea of giving a ret paladin a twohander with intell, strength, ans stamina and spell damage is stellar. Nothin' better til you start level 70 raiding....If you do