GUIDE SCOPE
Built for repeatable Phase 3 raid execution
This searchable web edition is adapted from the original MCK Boost carrier handbook. It focuses on the included class, specialization and role only; it does not create placeholder coverage for missing specializations.
- Build
- 5 / 11 / 45
- Role
- DPS
- Raid tier
- Phase 3
- Source
- 20-page PDF
TALENT BUILD
5 / 11 / 45
The default PvE allocation includes Kings and the complete seal-twist engine. Blessing-sheet changes must be made at roster level, not improvised at the pull.
- Seal of Command
- Improved Sanctity Aura
- Vengeance
- Sanctified Seals
- Fanaticism
- Crusader Strike
View chapter index
01 - Raid plan
The raid-ready Retribution Paladin
One build, one melee support slot, and a damage engine that lives inside the last 0.4 seconds of every swing.
Improved Sanctity Aura gives the party 2% damage, Improved Judgement of the Crusader amplifies holy damage, Crusader Strike refreshes all active Paladin Judgements, and blessings/cleanses prevent wipes.
Missing Windfury, attacking from the front, clipping the 0.4-second twist window, overcapping hit/expertise, changing haste without retraining cadence, or greeding a swing through lethal movement.
| Layer | Carrier standard | Output payoff |
|---|---|---|
Auto-attacks | Behind the boss; Blood/Martyr active at impact; no unnecessary swing resets. | Your largest damage lane remains intact. |
Twist | Rank 1 Command at swing start; Blood/Martyr in the final 0.4 sec. | Both seals proc from one white swing. |
Judgements | JotC applied on pull; Crusader Strike refreshes the raid's assigned Judgements. | Personal holy damage and raid mana remain stable. |
Support | Sanctity Aura, blessing sheet, cleanse/BoP/Freedom ownership. | The Ret slot adds damage without becoming a liability. |
The preparation seal
The impact seal
Damage plus Judgement refresh
Party holy damage and 2% damage
Alliance uses Seal of the Martyr; Horde uses Seal of Blood. These are faction-named versions of the same raid role.
The no-Kings and Improved Might allocations are roster notes inside this handbook, not separate specs.
02 - Raid plan
Race, professions, and the melee group
The race edge is faction-specific; the profession plan changes once Torch of the Damned is equipped.
| Faction | Best race | Why | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
Alliance | Human | Sword and Mace Specialization reduce the expertise burden. Phase 3's best weapon, Torch of the Damned, is a mace. | Best personal Phase 3 damage choice. |
Alliance | Draenei | Heroic Presence gives the physical party 1% hit and can unlock stronger gear swaps for several players. | Roster choice when the group needs hit. |
Alliance | Dwarf | Stoneform is a useful defensive cleanse/armor cooldown but has no matching DPS racial. | Survival alternative. |
Horde | Blood Elf | The only Horde Paladin race. Arcane Torrent adds silence utility and a small mana return. | Automatic Horde best. |
Pairs perfectly with Torch
+1% physical hit to the party
Defensive progression value
Silence plus mana utility
| Gear state | Profession plan | Reason |
|---|---|---|
Before Torch | Blacksmithing + Engineering | Retain Lionheart Executioner while engineering supplies Sappers, Flame Turret and encounter tools. |
After Torch | Engineering + Enchanting | Torch replaces the crafted weapon; Enchanting adds +4 all stats to each ring. |
Party drummer | Engineering + Leatherworking | Use only if your melee group requires your Drums of Battle coverage; Tinnitus prevents chain-stacking. |
Inspiration and Windfury multiply the value of every clean swing.
03 - Talents
5 / 11 / 45 - default PvE build
Kings is included because current three-Paladin raid coverage commonly assigns Improved Might elsewhere.
| Tree | Points | Required allocation | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
Holy | 5 | Divine Strength 5/5 | +10% Strength; the cleanest damage investment. |
Protection | 11 | Redoubt 5/5; Precision 3/3; Guardian's Favor 2/2; Blessing of Kings 1/1 | 3% melee hit, shorter BoP/Freedom cooldowns, and full blessing coverage. |
Retribution | 45 | Benediction 5/5; Improved Judgement 2/2; Improved SotC 3/3; Conviction 5/5; Seal of Command 1/1; Pursuit 2/3; Crusade 3/3; Sanctity 1/1; Improved Sanctity 2/2; 2H Spec 3/3; Vengeance 5/5; Sanctified Judgement 3/3; Sanctified Seals 3/3; Repentance 1/1; Fanaticism 5/5; Crusader Strike 1/1 | Complete seal-twist engine, raid debuff, party aura, crit scaling and threat reduction. |
Protection
Protection
Retribution
Retribution
Retribution
Retribution
Retribution
| Roster condition | Allowed change | Cost / rule |
|---|---|---|
Kings covered by another Paladin | Move Kings and its filler routing to finish 3/3 Pursuit of Justice. | Small mobility gain; do not lose raid Kings. |
You must supply Improved Might | Use the published Improved Might variant and reduce Benediction/filler points. | More seal mana pressure; only do this from an explicit blessing sheet. |
PvP Reckoning idea | Do not use it for the raid build. | Unreliable PvE value and sacrifices the stable damage/support core. |
04 - Gear & items
Judgements, aura, blessings, and emergency tools
The support layer is part of your DPS slot; agree ownership before the pull.
| Tool | Default owner/action | Failure to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Ret applies it on pull after sealing Crusader; keep it refreshed with Crusader Strike. | Never let the holy-vulnerability debuff fall during stable uptime. | |
Other Judgements | Crusader Strike refreshes all Paladin Judgements already on the target. Holy/Prot may own Wisdom or Light. | Do not overwrite the blessing/judgement sheet by improvising. |
Sanctity Aura | Default aura at all times; Improved Sanctity adds 2% damage to the party. | Swap only for an assigned resistance window, then return immediately. |
Blessings | Usually Kings or Might according to roster. Rebuff a player after BoP/Sacrifice changes their blessing. | Do not leave a carry or tank unbuffed after utility. |
Cleanse / Freedom / BoP | Use mouseover binds and named encounter assignments. | A late utility GCD loses more raid damage than a delayed filler. |
Pull debuff
Usually another Paladin's assignment
Physical immunity; rebuff afterward
Root/snare removal
Magic, poison and disease
Emergency survival, not a damage cooldown
- Apply Seal of the Crusader, judge at the pull, switch into the damage seals, then let Crusader Strike maintain the stack.
- If target swaps last longer than a few swings, re-establish JotC; for short-lived adds, preserve swing uptime instead.
- Repentance, Hammer of Justice, Turn Evil and Holy Wrath are control tools on trash; use them when survival exceeds the lost GCD/swing value.
05 - Raid plan
The 0.4-second damage window
TBC Anniversary uses a one-way twist: Command can linger into Blood/Martyr, but the reverse direction does not work.
| Swing moment | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
Immediately after impact | Confirm Blood/Martyr is active; use Crusader Strike here when ready. | CS does not steal the late twist window and starts the cycle cleanly. |
Early/middle swing | Cast Rank 1 Command. | Command rank only changes its Judgement damage; you do not judge Command in the standard cycle. |
Last 0.4 sec | Cast Blood/Martyr once. | This is the valid overlap. Too early loses Command; too late misses the white hit. |
Impact | Both seal effects fire; the next swing begins with Blood/Martyr active. | The cycle repeats without an extra recovery cast. |
Cast near the start of the swing
Cast inside the final 0.4 sec
Cast inside the final 0.4 sec
Use at the start of a swing
| Symptom | Diagnosis | Correction |
|---|---|---|
Only Blood/Martyr procs | Impact seal was cast too early or Command was never prepared. | Move Command earlier; move the impact seal later. |
Only Command procs | Blood/Martyr landed after the auto-attack. | Increase timer visibility and press slightly earlier. |
White swing delayed | A cast, target change, movement, or attack toggle reset/paused the timer. | Use /startattack, protect uptime, and relearn the actual timer state. |
Works unbuffed, fails under Lust | Haste shortened the swing and changed the available GCD pattern. | Practice a separate Bloodlust/DST cadence. |
06 - Gear & items
Priority, cadence, and haste states
Do not memorize a timeline without understanding which swing and GCD it protects.
| Priority | Action | Execution rule |
|---|---|---|
1 | Maximize Blood/Martyr auto-attacks | Do not reset, clip, face, or range the white swing. |
2 | Crusader Strike when ready | Cast at the start of an auto swing so the late twist remains available. |
3 | Command into Blood/Martyr twist | Fill swing cycles where Crusader Strike is not the opening GCD. |
4 | Judgement | Cast immediately before the Command preparation GCD when off cooldown. |
5 | Exorcism / Consecration | Only when CS is unavailable and there is not enough time to complete a twist. |
6 | Wait | A protected white swing is worth more than a filler that breaks cadence. |
| Haste state | Common cadence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Normal 3.0+ weapon | 1 / 2 | Crusader Strike, one full seal twist, repeat. |
Bloodlust / strong haste | 2 / 3 | Crusader Strike, two twists, repeat. |
DST + stacked haste | Possible 2 / 4 | Only when live swing speed and latency truly fit the GCDs; verify in logs. |
Movement / target swap | Recovery state | Prepare Command while approaching; impact seal and /startattack on re-entry. |
Align with stable uptime, Lust and trinkets
Demon/Undead filler only
Mana-efficient filler
Usually skip; it resets the swing
Haste changes the twist cadence immediately. Track the buff and execute the trained haste pattern; do not continue the unbuffed rhythm by habit.
- Max-rank Consecration is the AoE/trash tool; downrank on single targets when mana is the limiting resource.
- Exorcism is excellent on Hyjal and many Demon/Undead BT targets, but it never outranks a protected CS/twist swing.
- Hammer of Wrath is normally a trap because its cast resets the swing timer and scales poorly for this build.
- Spiritual Attunement rewards effective incoming healing; do not stand in avoidable damage to manufacture mana.
07 - Gear & items
Cap the losses, then stack Strength
Expertise and hit prevent catastrophic missed swings; both lose value immediately after their caps.
| Priority | Target / conversion | Decision rule |
|---|---|---|
Expertise | 26 expertise / 103 rating; Human sword or mace needs about 83 rating | Highest value before cap because dodged white swings also lose seal and Windfury events. |
Melee hit | 9% / 142 rating baseline | Precision supplies 3%; raid debuffs/racials can lower gear required. |
Strength | 1 Strength = 2 AP; about 2.4 AP with Divine Strength + Kings | Best uncapped primary stat after hit/expertise are solved. |
Attack Power | Direct physical scaling | Strong, but generally behind Strength when buffs multiply Strength. |
Crit / Agility | Crit sustains Vengeance | Valuable set stats; compare whole gear states rather than isolated rating. |
Haste | No fixed cap | Changes swing/GCD alignment; simulate the equipped set and train every proc state. |
| Raid support | Gear hit needed | Rating |
|---|---|---|
No support | 9% | 142 |
Precision 3/3 | 6% | 95 |
Precision + Draenei | 5% | 79 |
Precision + Improved Faerie Fire | 3% | 48 |
Precision + Draenei + Improved Faerie Fire | 2% | 32 |
Attack from behind. Bosses cannot parry attacks from the rear, and expertise reduces the remaining dodge chance. Stay inside the hit box without drifting into front-cone mechanics.
Recalculate caps whenever race, Draenei group, Balance Druid, boots, rings, food, trinket or weapon changes. A printed BiS list cannot know your live raid support.
Hit required from gear
08 - Gear & items
Armor, jewelry, and progression states
These are current Wowhead Phase 3 anchors; your exact winning set depends on support and expertise/hit caps.
| Slot | Primary Phase 3 target | High-value alternatives / state rule |
|---|---|---|
Head | Cursed Vision of Sargeras | Forest Prowler's Helm; Helm of the Illidari Shatterer; Lightbringer War-Helm. |
Shoulders | Shoulderpads of the Stranger | Swiftstrike Shoulders when expertise is solved; Lightbringer Shoulderbraces for tier state. |
Back | Cloak of Darkness | Razor-Scale Battlecloak. |
Chest | Midnight Chestguard | Lightbringer Breastplate when the T6 2pc mana state wins. |
Wrists | Bindings of Lightning Reflexes | Swiftsteel Bracers; Bladespire Warbands. |
Hands | Gloves of Searing Grip | Grips of Damnation; Gauntlets of Deftness. |
Waist | Belt of One-Hundred Deaths | Belt of Seething Fury / Girdle of the Lightbearer as haste-state candidates. |
Legs | Bow-Stitched Leggings | Lightbringer Greaves for 2pc T6 and mana sustain. |
Feet | Shadowmaster's Boots | Dreadboots of the Legion when hit is required. |
Neck | Pendant of Perilous | Choker of Endless Nightmares for hit. |
Rings | Shapeshifter's Signet + Band of Devastation | Band of the Ranger-General for hit; Unstoppable Aggressor's Ring. |
| Saved set | Use | Non-negotiable validation |
|---|---|---|
BOSS-DEFAULT | Normal raid support and stable uptime | Hit/expertise caps, Torch swing cadence, Relentless meta active. |
LOW-HIT | Draenei and/or Improved Faerie Fire present | Replace surplus hit with Strength/crit/haste; never assume support without roster proof. |
T6-MANA | Long fights or low incoming healing | 2pc Battlegear provides a 20% proc chance for 50 mana on melee attacks. |
SHADOW | Mother Shahraz | Meet raid-buffed shadow-resistance and health targets before optimizing damage. |
TRASH-AOE | Hyjal waves / selected BT packs | Engineering kit, max Consecration mana, optional Ravager only if the raid permits the swap. |
09 - Gear & items
Torch is the Phase 3 endpoint
The two-handed weapon defines both damage and the timing problem you must solve.
Essence of Anger - Phase 3 BiS
Illidan - excellent fallback
Blacksmithing bridge until Torch
Heroic Blood Furnace - remains best
| Slot | Default | Encounter / acquisition state |
|---|---|---|
Weapon | Torch of the Damned | Current Phase 3 guide rates it far ahead of Phase 2; Cataclysm's Edge is the next raid option. Retire Blacksmithing only after Torch is actually equipped. |
Trinket 1 | Dragonspine Trophy | Exceptional haste proc; the proc changes twist cadence, so track it visibly. |
Trinket 2 | Bloodlust Brooch | Reliable on-use attack power for stable burn windows. |
Creature swap | Mark of the Champion | Use against eligible Undead/Demons: all Hyjal and current guide targets including Supremus, Teron, Mother and Illidan. |
No DST | Abacus of Violent Odds | Functional haste fallback; relearn its active cadence. |
| Libram of Avengement | Crusader Strike crit proc remains the standard relic. |
Track the proc swing speed
Align with Wings / Lust
Creature-type damage swap
20% chance for 50 mana on melee
| Tier 6 bonus | Value | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
2pc Battlegear | Melee attacks have a 20% chance to grant 50 mana. | Useful sustain state; compare the two chosen tier pieces against stronger off-pieces. |
4pc Battlegear | +10% Hammer of Wrath damage. | Low priority because Hammer resets the swing and is normally omitted from the core rotation. |
10 - Gear & items
Cap-aware permanent power
Activate Relentless Earthstorm Diamond with the fewest weak sockets, then fill the rest with Strength.
| Slot | Best raid enchant | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Glyph of Ferocity | Use Glyph of the Outcast only when hit is already solved and the total set wins. | |
Shoulders | Greater Inscription of Vengeance | Aldor is slightly ahead; Scryer is close enough to keep an already-developed character. |
Back | Greater Agility | Subtlety is a threat fallback, not the default. |
Chest | Exceptional Stats | No alternative for the damage set. |
Wrists | Brawn | Strength scales with Divine Strength and Kings. |
Hands | Major Strength | Use hit only to repair a real cap state. |
Legs | Nethercobra Leg Armor | Primary physical DPS leg enchant. |
Feet | Dexterity | Surefooted is a hit-state tool; 2/3 Pursuit of Justice already supplies movement. |
Weapon | Mongoose | Savagery is the budget bridge. |
Rings | Stats +4 x2 | Only if Enchanting; +8 Strength and +8 Agility total before multipliers. |
Meta: 2 red + 2 yellow + 2 blue
Recalculate cap around Torch
| Socket | Gem | Rule |
|---|---|---|
Meta | Relentless Earthstorm Diamond | Activate with at least 2 red, 2 yellow, and 2 blue gems. |
Red | Bold Crimson Spinel | Default once caps and meta are solved. |
Yellow | Inscribed Noble Topaz | Use for a worthwhile bonus; Rigid/Glinting repair hit states. |
Blue | Sovereign Nightseye | Use only the minimum needed to activate the meta unless the socket bonus truly wins. |
11 - Consumables
Every pull prepared, every haste window trained
Demonslaying is a target-type swap; Windfury forbids temporary weapon coatings.
Default progression flask
5-minute Demon target elixir
Guardian elixir with Demonslaying
+20 Strength food
+20 hit food when the set needs it
Default damage potion
Long-fight mana tool
Engineering burst for assigned packs
| Layer | Default | Swap / warning |
|---|---|---|
Battle elixir | Flask of Relentless Assault | On eligible Demon targets, Demonslaying + Major Mageblood can win; refresh the short elixir deliberately. |
Food | +20 Strength | Use Spicy Hot Talbuk only when 20 hit unlocks a stronger whole set. |
| Haste Potion | Use Super Mana only if the fight length and mana state would otherwise cost more damage. | |
Shared cooldown | Healthstone for survival | Flame Cap shares a cooldown; the tiny gain never outranks surviving a planned danger. |
Mana | Dark/Demonic Rune | Schedule around incoming damage and health; do not kill yourself with Martyr/Blood recoil. |
Engineering | Super Sapper / Goblin Sapper | Use only on assigned AoE windows and never at unsafe health. |
Leatherworking | Drums of Battle | Use by the group's rotation; Tinnitus prevents stacking. |
| Time | Cooldown action |
|---|---|
Before pull | Demonslaying/Flask, food, scrolls, Drums assignment, Mark/Brooch trinket, correct saved set. |
First stable burn | Avenging Wrath + trinket; Haste Potion only if the trained haste state fits and threat is secure. |
Long fight | Rune at a safe missing-mana/health window; second potion when available. |
Final burn | Second Wings if encounter length allows; never hold a usable cooldown for a phase that will not occur. |
Windfury Totem, one of your largest damage sources. Permanent Mongoose is correct and does not block Windfury.
12 - Abilities
Make the swing visible and the utility instant
A Ret UI is a timing instrument: swing, GCD, seal, haste, threat, Judgements, and target all need one glance.
#showtooltip Seal of Command
/cast Seal of Command(Rank 1)
/startattack#showtooltip Seal of Blood
/cast Seal of Blood
/startattack
# Alliance: replace with Seal of the Martyr#showtooltip Crusader Strike
/cast Crusader Strike
/startattack
#showtooltip Judgement
/cast Judgement
/startattack#showtooltip Cleanse
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][] Cleanse
#showtooltip Blessing of Protection
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][] Blessing of Protection| UI element | Must show | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|
Swing timer | Exact auto impact plus the final 0.4-sec window | You can twist at normal, Lust and DST speed without watching the action bar. |
Seal tracker | Command preparation and Blood/Martyr active state | No pull begins with the wrong faction seal or rank. |
Haste | Bloodlust, Dragonspine Trophy, potion and Drums | Cadence changes on the first affected swing. |
Judgements | JotC, JoW, JoL duration and target | Crusader Strike refresh failures are caught before expiry. |
Threat | Tank lead and threat reset events | Wings and swaps never create an avoidable death. |
Debuffs | Front/behind cues, movement danger, Doom/Fatal Attraction/Bloodboil | Mechanics interrupt the parse before they kill the pull. |
- Bind Command, Blood/Martyr, Crusader Strike and Judgement on four independent keys; castsequence hides real timing state.
- Create a /stopattack Command recovery key for planned disengages, but never press it during normal uptime.
- Log every raid. Review missed swings, seal proc pairs, CS uses, front attacks, JotC uptime, threat stops and consumable timing.
13 - Encounter
Eight waves are the first boss
Protect healer mana, delete priority casters, and enter each boss with cooldowns and consumables ready.
| Wave job | Retribution execution | Tools |
|---|---|---|
Priority target | Assist skull; stay behind durable elites; judge Crusader only when the target will live long enough for the debuff to pay back. | CS refresh, Exorcism on Undead/Demons |
Packed AoE | Max-rank Consecration and assigned Sappers when the tank has control. Do not front-load before threat exists. | Consecration, Super/Goblin Sapper |
Caster control | Hammer of Justice, Repentance, Arcane Torrent, Turn Evil or Holy Wrath by assignment. | Control beats one more twist when a healer would die. |
Abominations | Use Free Action Potion for planned stun immunity if the raid calls it; otherwise accept lost swings and survive. | FAP, Freedom where valid |
Necromancers /
Banshees | Interrupt/control priority, Cleanse assigned debuffs, and avoid loose adds. | Cleanse, HoJ, Repentance |
Between waves | Drink immediately, refresh 5-minute Demonslaying, rebuff, repair the target macro, and move before the timer expires. | Water, runes only in combat |
Packed-wave damage
Assigned stun/control, not rotation filler
Emergency Undead/Demon control
Planned Abomination-stun immunity
Tank-secured AoE window
Valid throughout Hyjal
- Never stand in cleaves or frontal cones to reach an extra target. Pick one safe rear arc and let the tank move the pack into it.
- If Ravager weapon-swapping is permitted, isolate it in TRASH-AOE and understand the swap/timer cost; Torch remains the boss weapon.
14 - Encounter
Five boss assignments
Every boss rewards rear uptime, but each has a different reason to break the twist.
| Boss | Loadout | Retribution playbook |
|---|---|---|
Rage Winterchill | Mark; Flask or Undead-eligible damage plan | Open JotC, attack from rear, leave Death and Decay immediately, Cleanse assigned Frost Nova, and never greed a twist through an Icebolt danger. Wings after the first clean position. |
Anetheron | Mark + Demonslaying | Stay behind and spread for Carrion Swarm. Exorcism is valid. Swap to an Infernal only if assigned; preserve boss JotC and do not drag Carrion through the melee group. |
Kaz'rogal | Mark + Demonslaying; mana state | Use Arcane Torrent/rune early enough to matter. As Mark of Kaz'rogal drains mana, cut Consecration and excess twists before reaching zero; an empty bar can explode the raid. |
Azgalor | Mark + Demonslaying | Fire-resistance aura only if assigned, then return to Sanctity. Move from Rain of Fire; silence windows can block seals, so enter them with Blood/Martyr active and preserve white swings. |
Archimonde | Mark + Demonslaying; PvP trinket if raid plan | Doomfire, Fear and Air Burst outrank damage. Re-enter with a recovery twist, use Tears correctly, and keep JotC refreshed only during safe uptime. Do not bubble a mistake that still kills nearby players. |
| Boss | Best Wings / potion window | Hard stop |
|---|---|---|
Winterchill | After first movement; align with Lust if used. | Death and Decay or Icebolt danger. |
Anetheron | Stable boss uptime outside Infernal assignment. | Carrion positioning or Infernal duty. |
Kaz'rogal | Early, while mana can sustain the haste cadence. | Never drive mana to zero for one more twist. |
Azgalor | After first Rain reposition / silence cycle. | Rain of Fire and Doom movement. |
Archimonde | Only in a verified safe ground phase. | Doomfire, Fear, Air Burst, bad tank positioning. |
15 - Encounter
Naj'entus through Teron
The early wing tests stop/start discipline, threat resets, target swaps, and personal mechanics.
| Boss | Loadout | Retribution playbook |
|---|---|---|
High Warlord Naj'entus | Default trinkets; health consumable ready | Stay behind, spread correctly, and save Healthstone for the raid's shield-break damage. Stop expensive attacks during Tidal Shield and resume with /startattack plus the recovery twist after the spine break. |
Supremus | Mark of the Champion; Demon consumables | Phase 1: rear uptime, watch hateful positioning and threat. Phase 2: kite first; Exorcism is a safe instant only when range/pathing allows. Wait for threat on re-entry, then rebuild the twist. |
Shade of Akama | TRASH-AOE then boss burn | Consecration/Sapper on controlled adds; obey the kill order. Enter the Shade burn with mana, Wings and the boss weapon equipped. Do not carry a Ravager/trash state into the damage window. |
Teron Gorefiend | Mark of the Champion | A near-static rear-uptime check. Align Wings/potion/Lust, maintain JotC, and execute Shadow of Death correctly if selected. Leaving early for the ghost job beats dying inside melee. |
Naj'entus shield-break safety
Supremus kite-phase instant
Shade add control
Teron static burn
| Transition | Recovery script |
|---|---|
Boss becomes attackable | Target, move behind, wait for tank lead, Blood/Martyr + /startattack, prepare Command, resume CS priority. |
Forced disengage | Do not /stopattack unless needed; prepare Rank 1 Command while moving if the swing will not land. |
New add | Confirm creature type, hit box, facing, threat and expected lifetime before spending JotC setup GCDs. |
Threat reset | Stop damage, preserve seal state, watch threat meter, and resume only after the tank's lead is visible. |
16 - Encounter
Gurtogg and Reliquary
These encounters punish automatic Blood/Martyr use: self-damage and reflected damage can become lethal.
| Encounter | Phase / assignment | Retribution playbook |
|---|---|---|
Gurtogg Bloodboil | Normal tank phases | Stay behind, honor Bloodboil group rotations, move for Fel Acid, and watch threat swaps. Divine Shield may clear assigned physical stacks, but cancel when safe and restore the normal blessing. |
Gurtogg Bloodboil | Fel Rage | If targeted, prioritize survival and positioning; use personal cooldowns/health consumables. If not targeted, respect the threat/damage plan and never chase the boss through the raid. |
Reliquary P1 | Essence of Suffering - healing disabled | Blood/Martyr recoil cannot be repaired normally. Use Command-only if the raid's kill speed and your health make twisting unsafe; avoid Consecration/fillers that add no survival value. |
Reliquary P2 | Essence of Desire - damage reflected, mana shrinking | Reflected damage plus Blood/Martyr recoil is dangerous. Follow the raid's stop-damage/interrupt plan and use Command-only as the survival override. Budget mana before maximum mana collapses. |
Reliquary P3 | Essence of Anger - escalating raid damage | Full burn. Re-enable normal twisting only while healers can cover the recoil, align Wings/potion, interrupt if assigned, and spend remaining mana before the raid damage wins. |
Keep Rank 1 Command active through the swing and skip the Blood/Martyr impact seal. You lose twist damage but remove its self-damage. This is correct when the alternative is death or healer collapse.
Divine Shield is an emergency, not a way to ignore the encounter. The attack-speed penalty destroys normal output; cancel it after the lethal event and rebuild your seal state.
Reliquary survival state
Return only when healing permits
Emergency stack / death prevention
Use only at safe health
17 - Encounter
Mother Shahraz and Illidari Council
Resistance survival and long-fight movement discipline decide whether the Ret slot reaches Illidan.
| Boss | Loadout / assignment | Retribution playbook |
|---|---|---|
Mother Shahraz | SHADOW set; Mark + Demonslaying | Meet the raid's fully buffed shadow-resistance and health target. Attack from the safe rear/side lane, move Fatal Attraction away instantly, and never greed a twist while linked. Return to Sanctity after any assigned resistance-aura window. |
Mother Shahraz | Saber Lash awareness | Do not stand in the tank cleave geometry. Blood/Martyr recoil adds healer load, so use Command-only if health becomes unsafe during Fatal Attraction recovery or raid damage. |
Illidari Council | Default trinkets; long-fight mana | Focus the assigned target, usually Gathios; stay behind as the tank moves him out of Consecration. Move early from Flamestrike/Blizzard, Cleanse only by assignment, and avoid frontal/parry exposure. |
Illidari Council | Judgement maintenance | Crusader Strike refreshes Judgements only on the target you strike. Confirm the raid's focus and do not swap to meter-padding targets that break the debuff plan. |
| Saved set | Mother | Council |
|---|---|---|
BOSS-DEFAULT | Only after shadow resistance and health are satisfied. | Default when caps and mana are correct. |
SHADOW | Mandatory progression state; validate every resistance piece. | Not required. |
T6-MANA | Can help if the pieces preserve resistance. | Strong comparison state for the long encounter. |
LOW-HIT | Use only with real raid support. | Support may change by group assignment; verify at pull. |
- Council: pre-position the next safe rear arc before the boss moves. One early step preserves more swings than a late panic run.
- On both fights, use potion/rune early enough to gain a second use; long fights punish consumables held for an imaginary emergency.
- A Cleanse or Freedom that prevents a death is raid DPS. Bind it so the utility GCD does not become a targeting mistake.
18 - Raid plan
Five phases, five twist decisions
Target availability, threat, range and demon-phase positioning matter more than a single perfect rotation.
| Phase | Retribution assignment | Execution |
|---|---|---|
P1 ground | Illidan rear damage | Apply JotC, wait for tank threat, attack from rear, and leave Flame Crash/Parasites immediately. Use Mark + Demonslaying and align the first safe burn. |
P2 Flames | Assigned Flame of Azzinoth | Wait for Flame-tank threat, stay out of Blaze and Eye Beam, and rebuild JotC only if target lifetime warrants it. Preserve movement; do not drag a Flame. |
P3 ground | Illidan after threat reset | Stop until the tank lead is visible, then resume normal twisting. Move Agonizing Flames correctly and protect Parasite control. |
P4 Demon | Ranged-out survival / permitted Exorcism | Stay outside Aura of Dread and spread for Shadow Blast. Exorcism from safe range only if it does not violate positioning; melee uptime is not available here. |
P5 final | Illidan burn around traps and Frenzy | Wait for every threat/phase transition, then spend Wings, potion and remaining mana in a stable trapped/burn window. Movement and tank survival beat the final twist. |
| Check | Pass condition |
|---|---|
Build | 5/11/45 trained; Alliance Martyr or Horde Blood bar verified; Rank 1 Command bound. |
Sets | BOSS-DEFAULT, LOW-HIT, T6-MANA, SHADOW and TRASH-AOE saved, enchanted and meta-active. |
Caps | Current group support produces the intended hit and expertise values; no accidental overcap. |
Timing | Normal, Bloodlust, DST and potion/Drums twist states practiced with the equipped weapon. |
Support | Blessing, aura, JotC, Cleanse, BoP/Freedom, drums and interrupt ownership named. |
Bag | Two extra wipe cycles, Demonslaying refreshes, Strength/hit food, potions, runes, Sappers and resistance set. |
Logs | Swing misses, twist pairs, CS uses, JotC uptime, front attacks, threat stops and consumable timings reviewed. |
Pull-ready checklist
19 - Raid plan
Current research and clickable references
Class guidance was cross-checked against live 2026 TBC updates and encounter references.
| Reference | Link |
|---|---|
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source | |
| Open source |
Wowhead TBC spell 20375
Wowhead TBC spell 348700
Wowhead TBC spell 31892
Wowhead TBC spell 35395
Wowhead TBC spell 31884
Wowhead TBC class page
The build is definitive for the raid role; gear, hit support, seal name and encounter overrides remain state-dependent.
World of Warcraft, Blizzard and related names/art are trademarks or copyrights of Blizzard Entertainment. Wowhead icons are used for descriptive in-game identification. This is an independent player handbook.
ORIGINAL MCK BOOST HANDBOOK
Download the complete PDF edition
Keep the original designed handbook for offline reference. It includes the full layout, linked identification references and printable preparation cards.
PDF - 20 pages - 278 KB