George In The Meta
Can Undead be Paladins in WoW Forever?
By George In The Meta ·
Short answer: yes. Undead Paladin is one of the new race and class combinations in WoW Forever, and on the Horde side Undead is the only race that can be a Paladin. I'm levelling one, Maple, an Undead Protection Paladin, and she's level 21 in the beta.
Which races can be Paladins in WoW Forever?
Three. Human and Dwarf on the Alliance side, as in Classic, and Undead on the Horde side, which is new in Forever. Orcs and Tauren still can't, so if you want a Horde Paladin, you're Undead.
That's exactly how I ended up with one. I wanted a comically tanky character, and I was leaning towards an Orc Warrior. Then the plan became Maple: a Protection Paladin, and on Horde that means Undead.
Why go Undead Paladin?
The idea comes from the anime trope: she's this petite, cute girl who happens to be tanky as hell. Maple's whole build is about standing there, soaking hits and reflecting damage back, which I've written up on my WoW Forever page.
The Undead racials fit that too. Two of them give you a bit of health back while you fight, so they add to the "just stand there and take it" plan rather than working against it.
What do the Undead racials do for a Paladin?
Maple's spellbook has four Undead racials. Shadow Resistance, the old Classic one, isn't among them. Here's what each does, and how much I've actually used it, from my combat logs:
- Touch of the Grave (new): your attacks and spells have a chance to drain health from the target, up to 5% of your maximum health. It's passive, and it's gone off 277 times on Maple.
- Cannibalize: eat a humanoid or undead corpse to restore 7% of your health and 7% of your mana every 2 seconds for 10 seconds, on a 2-minute cooldown. I've used it 44 times.
- Will of the Forsaken: clears charm, fear and sleep, on a 2-minute cooldown. I've never used it.
- Underwater Breathing: you can stay under water much longer. I used it this morning to cross a river full of mobs in Ashenvale.
Cannibalize is the standout. The mana is great, because I don't carry food or drinks with me. I just eat the people afterwards.
Will of the Forsaken is the one I never touch, because very rarely am I getting charmed, feared or put to sleep. I'm just getting stunned most of the time, and it doesn't clear stuns.
Where do Undead Paladins train?
You start in Deathknell like every Undead, and per Forever Wisp, the first Paladin trainer is Aramis Hammerhand in the Deathknell chapel. After that there's one in Brill, one in Undercity, and one up at Bandarion Keep, the new Undead Paladin base in the Whispering Wood in north-west Tirisfal Glades.
I didn't actually notice the one in Brill. One of the guards told me the closest trainer was in Undercity, so I ran straight there. The liar. If you're in Brill, look around before you make the trip.
What are the Undead Paladin class quests?
I've done all of them so far, though I couldn't name every one from memory. Per Forever Wisp, the chain starts in Deathknell with quests like A Difficult Path, Rediscovering the Light and Coming to Terms, then Continue Your Training sends you to Brill.
A Lesson in Divinity needs ten Linen Cloth, takes you between Undercity, Tyr's Watch and Venomweb Vale, and is where you pick up Redemption. Around level 10, you get sent to Bandarion Keep, and per LFCarry that's where most of the Undead Paladin class quests come from.
Is there an Undead Paladin mount?
Yes, but not until 60. Per LFCarry's guide, the epic mount comes from a level 60 class quest, and the Undead version is a skeletal horse in skull-and-gold barding. Maple's a long way off that.
Does a holy undead feel odd?
Not really. It doesn't feel odd to play. The only time it made me think was when one of my spells said it does more damage to undead, because it's holy. I can't remember which one it was, possibly the one that scares skeletons. But if I'm doing more damage to undead with holy spells, am I not also undead?
The lore has an answer, and it's in the setting: Lordaeron was a kingdom full of Paladins, and plenty of them ended up as Forsaken. I haven't found any statement from Blizzard explaining it beyond that.
Are Undead Paladins popular?
On the Horde side, Paladins seem rather popular. One of my friends playing the beta has been complaining about how many there are, so I think they must be doing fairly well in the game.
Should you play an Undead Paladin in WoW Forever?
If you want a Paladin on the Horde, it's your only option. For a tank like Maple, the racials fit the plan of standing there and outlasting things: Touch of the Grave and Cannibalize keep giving you health back, and Cannibalize means I don't carry food or drink at all. Just look around Brill for the trainer before a guard sends you to Undercity.
