On this page, we explain what the best statistics are for ProtectionPaladins in World of Warcraft MoP 5.4, how the class benefits fromeach of them, andwhat your reforging strategy should be. We also detail what the various capsare (if any) and why they should be attained.

The statistics priority is important as itinfluences reforging strategies as well as itemisation choices(gear, enchants, and gems).

Make sure to check our GearOptimisation Guide, which serves as a support guide for thisarticle.

The other pages of our Protection Paladin guide can be accessedfrom the table of contents on the right.

1. Basics↑top

1. Hit Rating (until 7.5%);
2. Expertise Rating (until 15%);
3. Haste Rating;
4. Mastery Rating.

2. Getting a Better Understanding↑top

2.1. Statistics Explanations

Parry Rating and Dodge Rating give youavoidance. However, your chance to parry will be about two times higher thanyour chance to dodge because Strength also increases your chance to parry.Dodge and Parry have different diminishing returns curves to compensate forthis (something that was not the case in Cataclysm). To make the mostefficient use of your Dodge and Parry ratings, it is best to have equalamounts of rating, which will roughly balance the diminishing returns. However,this is only relevant if you are stacking avoidance. Since focusing on Haste isthe most effective gearing strategy, it is not worth worrying about the balancebetween your Dodge and Parry ratings.

Mastery Rating, thanks to Mastery: Divine Bulwark, increasesyour chance to block attacks, as well as increasing the gain from both of theeffects of Shield of the Righteous. It is, therefore, a direct increaseof your survivability. It is important to note that in Mists of Pandaria it isno longer possible to reach the CTC or avoidance cap.

Hit Rating and Expertise Rating are important statisticsas well. They reduce the likelihood that your Holy Power-generatingabilities will miss or be dodged/parried. This increases your Holy Powergeneration, which in turn allows you to use Shield of the Righteous and Word of Glory more.

Haste Rating increases your Holy Power generation slightly, thanks to Sanctity of Battle. It also improves your DPS and threat.

Most encounters have abilities that cannot bemitigated or avoided. Also, you need to have a decent amount of health, inorder to give yourself the chance to be healed before a subsequent attackkills you. In addition to this minimum amount of Stamina, we feel thatStamina remains quite valuable for Protection Paladins. Therefore, we adviseyou to consider getting more Stamina than is innately found on your gear(through trinkets, enchants, and gemming, in that order). As you become morecomfortable determining the amount of survivability needed for each encounter,you can shift some of that Stamina into other stats (Haste or Mastery, forexample).

2.2. Hit Cap

At level 90, most races require 2,550 Hit Rating to reach themelee hit cap. Draenei, thanks to Heroic Presence, only need2,210 Hit Rating.

2.3. Expertise Cap

At level 90, most races require 5,100 Expertise Rating to reachthe expertise cap. Some races, in some cases, only need 4,760 ExpertiseRating, thanks to passive racial skills:

• Dwarves when using a Mace ( Mace Specialization);
• Humans when using a Mace/Sword ( Mace Specialization and Sword Specialization).

3. Changelog↑top

• 10 Sep. 2013: Patch 5.4 update: removed the Control/Mastery andControl/Avoidance gearing strategies, since they are no longer viable.
• 20 May 2013: Patch 5.3 update: nothing to change.
• 29 Apr. 2013: Added mention that extra Stamina should be obtainedthrough trinkets, enchants, and gems, in that order.
• 31 Mar. 2013: Reworded the explanation of how you should balanceyour Parry Rating and Dodge Rating. Removed Stamina from the statisticpriority, and moved the paragraph about Stamina to the end of the statisticexplanations.

Buffs, Debuffs, and Useful Abilities

Gems, Enchants, and Professions