Paladin

The Paladin is presented as a class with three broad directions: tank, damage dealer, and a support-leaning hybrid role. The talent tree is meant to let players commit to one direction or combine two of them, so builds such as tank-support or damage-support are part of the intended design rather than edge cases.

At the center of the class is a melee frontline style that mixes weapon attacks, defensive tools, and ally assistance. The source repeatedly describes the Paladin as a hybrid rather than a dedicated healer, and its support kit is framed as sustain and protection that can be layered on top of combat presence. That makes the class feel less like a pure protector and more like a combatant who can keep fighting while helping the group.

Weapon setup matters. The offensive route uses Vindicator Strike as a three-hit basic combo, while one-handed tank play uses Decisive Strike instead. The class also has holy and fire-themed routes, including Blazing Sweep and Sanctified Fire interactions, so the Paladin’s identity is not tied to a single damage school or a single role fantasy.

The tank side of Paladin is built around shield mechanics and active timing. Aegis is an active block stance that only stays up while the input is held, and it can negate incoming projectiles from the front. The source also says successful blocks are meant to trigger empowered follow-up effects, which turns defense into part of the class’s offensive rhythm.

That rhythm is reinforced by shield attacks. Shield Smite can become stronger after a successful block and can apply silence, while Bulwark Crush and Bulwark Crash are described as heavy shield slams that deal area damage around the Paladin. In the newer material, the class is also shown using Bulwark Crush as a major tank ability, which fits the idea that the shield is not only for mitigation but also for converting good timing into pressure.

Threat control is explicit. Taunt is described as taking the highest current threat value on a target and adding a large amount on top of it, which secures aggro for the Paladin in PvE. The source also notes that threat in PvE comes from both damage and ability-specific threat values, so tanking is not just about pressing taunt once; it is part of a broader combat loop.

Support on Paladin is shown through healing, shielding, and targeted protection rather than through a full healer specialization. Healing Hand is the class’s direct healing spell, and the source is careful to frame it as a sustain tool that can be used on the Paladin or on allies. One build note even mentions a planned interaction where Vindicator Strike reduces Healing Hand’s cooldown, which reinforces the idea that the class sustains itself by staying active in combat.

The ally-protection tools are more distinctive. Final Verdict: Absolution grants nearby allies a short absorb shield, and positioning matters because the Paladin has to catch as many allies as possible in the effect. Oath of Sanctuary is a separate channel that makes one targeted ally immune while the Paladin channels; the ally can move, but the Paladin cannot cast it on themself and becomes vulnerable while maintaining it. The source also says the channel can be interrupted and that a debuff is planned to stop repeated chaining by multiple Paladins.

Radiant Banner adds another support layer by creating a planted area that grants armor to allies standing inside it. Taken together, these abilities show a class that can contribute to group survival in several different ways, but always from within a combat-oriented kit rather than from a pure backline healer role.

The offensive side of Paladin is not just a single melee loop. Vindicator Strike is the basic three-hit combo for the more aggressive route, and a talent can convert it into Holy Vindicator Strike, increasing its damage and changing its school to holy. That makes the class’s damage path partly about conversion and specialization, not only about raw weapon swings.

Blazing Sweep is the cleaving attack tied to Sanctified Fire, which the source identifies as central to the Inquisitor-style Paladin. Other abilities are meant to consume that effect or gain bonuses when it is present, so the fire route appears to be built around applying a damage-over-time effect and then exploiting it. The source does not settle the full rotation, but it is clear that Sanctified Fire is one of the class’s defining offensive hooks.

Avatar of Sanctification, also discussed as an avatar-style power-up, is another major offensive piece. It increases the Paladin’s power for a period and can be improved through talents that affect duration, mana cost, cooldown, or offensive bonuses. The source also mentions a desire for stronger visual differentiation on upgraded Avatar versions, which suggests the developers want the power spike to be readable in play as well as strong on paper.

Across the source, the Paladin is repeatedly described as work in progress. The talent tree is not final, and the developers say additional effects may require nodes to be moved or the tree to be expanded further. The tree has been shown in different states, including a revised layout with two starting-node choices instead of one, and the size has been discussed in the range of roughly 150 nodes in one stream, with earlier versions approaching 300.

Several abilities are also still being judged for fit. Heavenly Dive is the clearest example: it was added to address the class’s limited mobility, but both the source and the speakers question whether a leap-and-slow tool belongs on Paladin at all. A charge-style movement skill is described as a better thematic fit, and Heavenly Dive may be removed or replaced later. That makes mobility one of the biggest open design questions around the class.

The visuals are similarly provisional. The source mentions placeholder icons, incomplete spell effects, animation desynchronization, and melee timing that still needs work. Even so, the newer material says the Paladin’s model and armor presentation have improved, with better material response and more substantial-looking equipment than earlier builds.