Spell Cleave 5-man: Protection Paladin tank talents and pulls (levels 15–40)

The group at a glance

Spell Cleave for levels 15–40: a Protection Paladin, three Frost Mages and a Holy Priest.

The Paladin gathers several packs into Consecration, three Frost Mages slow and kill them inside overlapping Blizzards, and the Priest keeps one tank alive. Packs die together, never one by one.

Role	Spec	Job in the pull
Tank	Protection Paladin	Gathers packs into Consecration, taunts runners back
DPS	Frost Mage	Blizzard on the tank, first Frost Nova
DPS	Frost Mage	Blizzard, holds the second Frost Nova
DPS	Frost Mage	Blizzard, Cone of Cold finisher from 30
Healer	Holy Priest	Heals the Paladin, Holy Nova on splash

Every spec in the table links to its own guide with talents for that slot.

How the spell cleave plays

1. Before Blizzard (Classic trains it at 20): play a normal group with small pulls, Frostbolt the kill target and Frost Nova runners.
2. From Improved Blizzard on: the Paladin stacks two or three packs in a corner, and the mages start Blizzard one after another.
3. Mana sets the pace: the whole group drinks after every one or two big pulls; a surviving pack is how this wipes.

Your job as Protection Paladin

Mages can only Blizzard what stands still on one spot, so this whole comp hinges on where you stop. Run a loop through two or three packs, pick a corner or a doorway, and hold your ground there so nothing trails outside the circle. WoW Forever makes Consecration baseline and gives Protection the Seal of Fury, which turns Judgement into a taunt, so no talent points go into reaching either. That frees this build for Improved Seal of Fury, which feeds you mana every time a big gather breaks the shield. Threat is shared with three casters who all open inside the first few seconds, so your first two seconds on a stack matter more than your sustained damage. Blessings last an hour in Forever: buff all three mages and the Priest at the dungeon door and put it out of your mind.

Pull by pull

• Before the gather: Seal of Fury and Righteous Fury on, Blessings checked, every mage above 80% mana.
• Gather: run through two or three packs, then stop with your back to a wall so mobs cannot circle round you.
• Arrival: Consecration the moment the pack reaches you; the mages count its ticks before they channel.
• Runners: Judgement the mob chasing a caster. If Judgement is on cooldown, Swift Judgement resets it for a second taunt.
• Loose threat: once Iron Creed is in, Holy Strike the mob that has the least threat on you.
• Overpull: Templar’s Bulwark as the third pack arrives, and Holy Shield from 40 so a dozen attackers feed your threat.

Resources and cooldowns

Your mana comes from the shield, not from drinking. Improved Seal of Fury returns mana whenever Seal of Fury’s shield is fully absorbed, and a three-pack gather breaks it constantly, so large pulls cost less than their size suggests. Consecration is the expensive press: cast it once per stop, not again after every step. Keep Templar’s Bulwark for the gather that went wrong, and remember its Forbearance also locks out Divine Protection for a minute. Sacred Duty takes 60 sec off both.

Mistakes that wipe the group

• Stopping in the open: mobs spread in a ring and half of them stand outside the Blizzards.
• Pulling on your own mana bar: check the three mages and the Priest before you run out, not just yourself.
• Chaining defensives: Templar’s Bulwark applies Forbearance, so Divine Protection is not there as a follow-up.
• Chasing a runner on foot: the rest of the stack follows you out of the Blizzards. Judgement it from where you stand.

Talent order by level

One point per level from level 10. The talent tree above shows the finished level 40 build; use the level slider to see it at any level.

• Levels 10–12 · Toughness 3/5 — 10% more armor from items while leveling gear is thin; three points cover the small pre-Blizzard pulls, two more return once gathers grow.
• Levels 13–14 · Redoubt 2/5 — A 10% chance for 8% more block whenever melee hits you, which smooths the spikes while you learn how many packs to gather.
• Levels 15–17 · Precision 3/3 — +3% hit so a Judgement taunt on a runner does not miss. Delay it if nothing breaks towards the mages.
• Levels 18–19 · Anticipation 2/5 — Defense skill for fewer critical hits when a whole gather swings at you at once.
• Level 20 · Improved Seal of Fury 1/1 — Mana back whenever Seal of Fury’s shield is fully absorbed. Three packs break it constantly, which is how you afford Consecration at every stop.
• Levels 21–23 · Improved Righteous Fury 3/3 — 6% less damage taken while Righteous Fury is on, and in this group it never comes off.
• Level 24 · Sacred Duty 1/2 — 4% Stamina and 60 sec off Templar’s Bulwark, Divine Protection and Divine Shield, so Bulwark is back for the next big gather.
• Level 25 · Swift Judgement 1/1 — Resets Judgement and makes the next one free: a second taunt when a mob keeps running for the mage line.
• Levels 26–28 · One-Handed Weapon Specialization 3/3 — +10% one-handed damage, and every extra point of damage is threat the Blizzards have to catch up with.
• Level 29 · Sacred Duty 2/2 — finish the talent.
• Level 30 · Templar’s Bulwark 1/1 — An absorb shield equal to your maximum health for 8 sec. Press it as the last pack arrives, not when your health is already low.
• Levels 31–32 · Toughness 5/5 — finish the talent.
• Levels 33–34 · Anticipation 4/5 — finish the talent.
• Levels 35–39 · Iron Creed 5/5 — 25% more Holy Strike threat and 10% less damage for 6 sec with Righteous Fury on: single-target threat for bosses and loose mobs.
• Level 40 · Holy Shield 1/1 — More block, Holy damage on each block and 20% bonus threat on that damage. A full stack spends its 4 charges fast, so recast it every gather.

Dungeons by level

Every WoW Forever dungeon that overlaps levels 15–40. Dungeons marked New were added in WoW Forever; the rest are the original Classic dungeons.

Levels	Dungeon	Notes
13–18	Hall of Thanes (New)	Burial chambers beneath Ironforge.
13–19	Ragefire Chasm	Classic.
15–20	Ruins of Lordaeron (New)	Scourge forces in the ruined city.
18–24	The Deadmines	Classic.
19–25	Wailing Caverns	Classic.
23–29	Shadowfang Keep	Classic.
24–29	Excavation Site (New)	Rogue Titan constructs above Whelgar’s Excavation in the Wetlands.
25–31	Blackfathom Deeps	Classic.
26–32	The Stockade	Classic.
28–33	City of Dalaran (New)	Constructs, broken enchantments and demons; a wider city layout.
30–36	Razorfen Kraul	Classic.
31–37	Scarlet Monastery Graveyard	Classic.
31–37	Gnomeregan	Classic.
34–40	Scarlet Monastery Library	Classic.
35–40	The Drowned City (New)	Trolls, naga and pirates off the Stranglethorn coast.
37–43	Scarlet Monastery Armory	Classic.
38–44	Razorfen Downs	Classic.
39–45	Scarlet Monastery Cathedral	Classic.
40–55	Krol’dok Stronghold (New)	New in Forever.

Learn the rhythm in Hall of Thanes and Ruins of Lordaeron. Plan long sessions from the mid-20s, once every mage has Improved Blizzard. In the Excavation Site, test whether Titan constructs hold in Frost Nova.

Where the group struggles for a Protection Paladin

• Casters at range will not walk into Consecration. Break line of sight around a corner so they follow you into the stack, then Judgement them.
• Bosses give the mages nothing to cleave. Turn the boss away from the group and hold it with Holy Strike while three Frostbolts do the work.
• Fear and immune mobs scatter or ignore your stack. Pull them on their own and kill them with plain single-target play before gathering the rest.
• The group’s mana, not yours, sets the pull size. Skip a pack when two mages are below half, even if your own bar is full.