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Hunter or Paladin: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Hunter if you want the fastest, easiest solo leveling and good PvP. Pick the Paladin if you want a tough plate character who will always find a group as a healer or tank.
Hunter vs Paladin verdict
4 Hunter 2 Paladin
Pick the Hunter for most solo play. It levels faster, farms gold more easily and is stronger in PvP, and the pet handles most dangerous pulls for you.
Pick the Paladin if you want to group. Holy is a strong tank healer, Protection has real tank tools at launch, and both are always in demand in dungeons and raids.
Hunter vs Paladin: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Hunter | Paladin |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Winner The smoothest ride in WoW Forever: pet tanks, you shoot, loot, repeat. Rapid Killing rewards each kill; Rapid Recuperation keeps mana flowing. | Steady and safe, with Retribution the fastest Paladin spec, but slower than any pure damage class. |
| Solo play | Winner Strong solo and the recommended first character. Much weaker without the pet, very strong with it. | Bubbles and blessings get you out of almost anything. You rarely die; you just kill slowly. |
| Dungeons | Strong ranged DPS, but damage slots are the most contested in every group. | Winner Tanks or heals on demand. Templar's Bulwark is a 100% max-health absorb for 8 seconds, with real pull control from blessings and seals. |
| Raiding | Marksmanship brings Trueshot Aura for ranged allies, but it is still one DPS slot among many. | Winner Holy is hard to kill and harder to replace; Protection tanks. The plate-wearing healer every composition wants. |
| PvP | Winner Strong in PvP, with Survival built for it and Strider Kick as a melee kick. | Weaker in PvP. Retribution has burst, but no duelist tools. |
| Gold farming | Winner Pet tanks elites while Rapid Killing chains kill to kill. One of the best farmers. | Safe farming with no risk, but slow kills make it a chore. Paladins farm for safety, not speed. |
Playing Hunter in this matchup
Hunters level by letting the pet tank while they shoot. You can pull elites, kite mobs and use Feign Death to escape. Downtime is low because you rarely take damage.
At 60 Marksmanship is the raid spec, Beast Mastery stays strong solo, and Survival adds traps and melee tools for PvP.
Where the Hunter falls short
You are a pure damage class, so you compete with many others for raid spots. Without the pet you are much weaker.
Playing Paladin in this matchup
The Paladin is one of the hardest classes to kill. Plate armor, Divine Shield, Lay on Hands and strong heals let you recover from almost anything. Retribution levels slowly but steadily.
At 60 Holy uses Holy Light, Flash of Light, Holy Shock and Oath of Light to keep tanks alive. Protection tanks with Holy Shield, Templar's Bulwark and Shieldsworn. Retribution now ends in Unsealed Wrath.
Where the Paladin falls short
Leveling is slow, and solo damage is low compared to a Hunter. Retribution still trails the top damage classes in raids.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
The Paladin changed the most. On 30 October all three trees were rebuilt: Blessing of Light and Salvation are gone, and Oath of Light, Boundless Light, Shieldsworn, Stoicism, Turn Evil and Unsealed Wrath are new. Righteous Fury is now trained at level 10.
Hunters got damage increases on 2 November, a higher Trueshot Aura, and one shared 30 second cooldown for all traps.
Which should you pick: Hunter or Paladin?
- You want the fastest, easiest leveling experience.
- You mostly play solo and want a pet that tanks so you rarely take damage.
- You are new to WoW and want recommended first character.
- You like PvP and want Survival's traps, kiting, and the new Strider Kick.
- You want to farm gold efficiently with chain-pulling and a pet that holds elites.
- You prefer ranged damage and the Marksmanship raid attack-power buff over melee.
- You hate dying more than you hate slow kills.
- You want to tank or heal, with instant dungeon groups for the whole climb to 60.
- You want the new Undead Paladin playstyle on the Horde side.
- You like active cooldown decisions: Light's Vigil, Templar's Bulwark, seal swapping with Unsealed Wrath.
- You plan to raid as Holy, the plate-wearing healer that is hard to kill and harder to replace.
- You are leveling with a partner and want to be the unkillable half of the duo.
Hunter and Paladin race options
Hunter has 8 race choices and Paladin has 3. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Hunter | Paladin |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | HumanNew, Dwarf, Night Elf, Skyborne High OrderNew | Human, Dwarf |
| Horde | Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne WindshaperNew | UndeadNew |
Plan your Hunter or Paladin build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Hunter talent calculator or the Paladin talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Hunter vs Paladin: common questions
I die constantly on other classes. Will paladin actually fix that?
Yes. Plate, heals and Divine Shield make the Paladin very hard to kill. A Hunter is also safe, because its pet takes the damage instead of you.
Is hunter really the best first character?
For most people, yes. It has few buttons, a pet that tanks, and a clear leveling path in Beast Mastery.
Can paladins do damage at 60, or am I signing up to heal forever?
Retribution deals damage at 60, but it is not a top damage spec. Most Paladins at 60 heal or tank, because that is where groups need them most.
Which one should I pick if I want to do dungeons while leveling?
The Paladin. Holy and Protection are always wanted, while a Hunter competes with every other damage dealer.
Which races can play Hunter and Paladin in WoW Forever?
Hunter: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf and Skyborne High Order on the Alliance; Orc, Tauren, Troll and Skyborne Windshaper on the Horde. Paladin: Human and Dwarf on the Alliance; Undead on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Hunter and Paladin in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Beast Mastery Hunter or Retribution Paladin. On our leveling tier list, Hunter is S tier and Paladin is A tier. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.