Similiar to the Protection tree of the Warrior class, the paladin transform himself into a tank with improved aggro generation and damage mitigation talents. The difference between the tanking paladin and the warrior is that paladins relies on reactive skills such as Redoubt, Reckoning, Blessing of Sanctuary and Holy Shield. Also the paladin excels more in tanking multiple mobs than the warrior. This talent tree also shines in leveling as the paladin is capable of grinding multiple mobs at the same time.

In end-game content however paladin tanks have been somewhat abandoned due to itemization issues. Unlike a warrior who simply focuses on stats such as stamina, defense and other damage mitigation attributes, a paladin tank has to also consider spell damage in his gear list for aggro generation. Thus protection paladins lack behind in health points and thus less likely to withstand crushing blows from raid bosses. However there are still cases of protection paladins excelling in end-game content.

In PvP the protection paladin is considered a strong anti-melee class, able to hold his own against rogues and warriors. But once he goes face to face with casters such as mages or warlocks, he’s pretty much toast in 10 seconds.

> PvE Tank (0/44/17)
The points invested in Retribution tree allows the paladin to generate more aggro through more Judgements and critical strikes. Also Deflection help increases the tanking ability of the paladin

> Holy Tank (17/44/0)
Here the 17 points are thrown into the holy tree for increased intellect and strength. Improved Seal of Righteousness allows mana conservation as there is increased damage to mana ratio, unlike the previous spec where spamming of Judgement is needed.

> Hybrid Tank/Healer (26/34/0)
A mix between a tank and healer. Obviously this spec might not perform as well as other pure breed spec, but it allows the paladin to play tank or healer when needed.

> Reckadin (0/31/30)
The purpose of investing Protection is to obtain Reckoning, hence the name Reckadin. With points in Retribution tree, Reckoning is used to increased the damage potential of the paladin.

There are many variety in this build as the core talents needed are Reckoning and Vengeance, as well as Seal of Command. Paladins can choose to invest more in the Retribution for a more offensive playstyle (0/25/36).

The Reckadin build is more of a leveling build and in PvP more suitable in a 1-on-1 situation.

Core Talents

• Redoubt
  Improve chance to block. The shield is an essential equipment in the tanking ability of the paladin, so any shield talents must be obtained. With Shield Specialization damage reduction is greatly improved.
• Precision
  Improves hit chance. A must-have for tanks in aggro generation.
• Blessing of Kings
  Increases total stats by 10%. The signature blessing of the Protection Tree, greatly improves the performance of the raid.
• Improved Righteous Fury
  Increases threat generation. This talent is needed for the protection paladin to hold and generate aggro, also the 6% damage reduction is a boost.
• Shield Specialization
  Increases damage absorbed by shield. Another must-have for tanks to improve their damage mitigation.
• Anticipation
  Increases Defense skill. Defense is a important stat for tanking bosses and therefore this talent is a must-have.
• Blessing of Sanctuary
  Reduces damage taken and returns holy damage to attacker. Another powerful spell obtainable in the Protection tree. It improves aggro generation with its reflective damage. Best used together with Blessing of Kings to improve tanking ability, of course you will need another paladin to achieve this.
• Reckoning
  Chance to generate extra weapon swing when attacked. Another must-have for its increased damage dealing and aggro generation.
• Holy Shield
  Increases block chance and deals damage when blocked. Powerful defensive spell which increases block chance and aggro generation. With Redoubt, Blessing of Sanctuary the shield is heavily used for aggro generation and damage reduction. Coupled with Reckoning it improves overall DPS and reduces damage taken.
• Avenger’s Shield
  The only ranged attacking spell for the paladin( and deep in the Protection Tree), it is great for pulling and it loads aggro on the target. This gives the paladin more able to tank the target and not let any DPS class to overaggro.