Chapter 53: The Scent of War
For most players, the third tier of talents marks the critical turning point—the moment where specializations truly begin to diverge. And for Retribution Paladins, that turning point comes with one defining skill.
Weapon Enchantment – Command: All melee attacks deal bonus holy damage that scales with attack power. Using Judgment while this enchantment is active deals massive holy damage. If the target is stunned, the attack is guaranteed to critically strike. Using Judgment does not consume the enchantment.
Judgment is the backbone of every Paladin’s arsenal, no matter their build. No Paladin in their right mind would abandon it. And for Retribution Paladins, Weapon Enchantment – Command is the only enchantment available. Once learned, it stays with them for life.
Its impact is immediate. High burst damage, guaranteed crits on stunned enemies—suddenly, the moment a Paladin reaches level 20 and unlocks this, they’re no longer a sluggish support class. They’re a high-damage frontline force, shaking off the underwhelming grind of early levels in one go.
The enchantment is brutal. Even basic melee strikes or skills like Fist of Light can trigger it, stacking four separate damage instances in an instant. When those hits crit in quick succession? A level 20 Paladin can one-shot a heavily armored warrior without breaking a sweat.
But Weapon Enchantment – Command wasn’t the only talent catching Ryan’s eye.
Two other third-tier talents were equally tempting:
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Conviction: All your attacks and spells gain +1% critical strike chance. (0/5)
Vindication: Your attacks have a chance to reduce enemy attack power by 5%. (0/2)
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Three powerful choices. One was the core of the Retribution talent tree. Another could skyrocket his threat generation. The last? A rare tool for improving survivability.