Paladin Protection Rotation & Opener
Built from the current top-100 Mythic parses on WarcraftLogs — the real opener sequences, casts-per-minute and buff uptimes of the best Protection players, not theorycraft.
AI coach — raid
How to play: Shield of the Righteous stays near-permanent (top players: 22.8/min, all Holy Power feeds it), Blessed Hammer and Judgment on refresh (16.7 and 10.8/min) to keep generation rolling, Avenger's Shield on cooldown, and never leave your Consecration. Divert Holy Power to Word of Glory when health dips. Watch: Shield of the Righteous remaining duration — never let it drop during physical damage; free Word of Glory procs from Shining Light (97.5% uptime = top players never waste one).
Real Opener Sequences — Vorasius
First ~12 casts of actual top-ranked kills. Trinkets and racials vary by setup; the skill order is what to copy.
Siky — 燃烧之刃 (CN)
1.
Judgment
2.
Blessing of Sacrifice
3.
Avenging Wrath
4.
Light's Potential
5.
Divine Toll
6.
Divine Hammer
7.
Divine Hammer
8.
Hammer of Light
9.
Empyrean Hammer
10.
Sacrosanct Crusade
11.
Empyrean Hammer
12.
Empyrean Hammer
Arthfäel — Area 52 (US)
1.
Algeth'ar Puzzle
2.
Judgment
3.
Avenging Wrath
4.
Light's Potential
5.
Divine Toll
6.
Divine Hammer
7.
Divine Hammer
8.
Hammer of Light
9.
Sacrosanct Crusade
10.
Empyrean Hammer
11.
Empyrean Hammer
12.
Empyrean Hammer
温德拉丶恋 — 白银之手 (CN)
1.
Light's Potential
2.
Avenging Wrath
3.
Divine Toll
4.
Divine Hammer
5.
Divine Hammer
6.
Hammer of Light
7.
Empyrean Hammer
8.
Empyrean Hammer
9.
Empyrean Hammer
10.
Divine Hammer
11.
Empyrean Hammer
12.
Empyrean Hammer
Casts Per Minute — Raid Benchmark
| Ability | Top-player CPM |
|---|---|
| Shield of the Righteous | 22.8 |
| Blessed Hammer | 16.7 |
| Judgment | 10.8 |
| Hammer of Wrath | 7.5 |
| Avenger's Shield | 6.3 |
| Consecration | 4.1 |
| Hammer of Light | 2.5 |
| Word of Glory | 1.6 |
| Divine Toll | 1.1 |
| Avenging Wrath | 1.1 |
| Ardent Defender | 0.6 |
| Algeth'ar Puzzle | 0.6 |
| Divine Steed | 0.4 |
| Guardian of Ancient Kings | 0.4 |
CPM = median casts per minute across the sampled top kills. If you're far below on a core ability, that's usually the first thing to fix.
Buff Uptimes to Watch
| Buff | Top-player uptime |
|---|---|
| Shining Light | 97.5% |
| Light's Deliverance | 97.2% |
| Faith's Armor | 92.3% |
| Light-Blessed Shield | 77.7% |
| Shake the Heavens | 75.8% |
| Arcanoweave Insight | 69.0% |
| Shining Light | 65.6% |
| Might of the Void | 61.1% |
| Consecration | 58.2% |
| Alnscorned Essence | 57.6% |
Mythic+ Differences
AI coach — Mythic+
How to play: Same SotR discipline, with Word of Glory pressed more as multi-target damage raises self-healing needs. Open pulls with Avenger's Shield and drop Consecration where the pack will settle. Split Holy Power dynamically between survival and damage — damage only once stable. Watch: dual coverage of SotR and Consecration; SotR doesn't block spell damage, so plan defensives ahead for caster packs.
Casts Per Minute — Mythic+ Benchmark
| Ability | Top-player CPM |
|---|---|
| Shield of the Righteous | 22.7 |
| Judgment | 9.8 |
| Hammer of Wrath | 9.3 |
| Blessed Hammer | 9.3 |
| Avenger's Shield | 6.8 |
| Consecration | 5.6 |
| Word of Glory | 4.0 |
| Final Stand | 1.4 |
| Sentinel | 0.9 |
| Divine Toll | 0.9 |
| Divine Steed | 0.8 |
| Ardent Defender | 0.7 |
| Sacred Weapon | 0.6 |
| Holy Bulwark | 0.6 |
Mythic+ Buff Uptimes
| Buff | Top-player uptime |
|---|---|
| Shield of the Righteous | 96.0% |
| Strength in Adversity | 93.3% |
| Shining Light | 89.2% |
| Faith's Armor | 84.4% |
| Consecration | 84.1% |
| Light-Blessed Shield | 79.5% |
| Divine Guidance | 77.7% |
| Shining Light | 66.3% |
| Alnscorned Essence | 60.2% |
| Arcanoweave Insight | 58.8% |
Compare yourself in-game, live
The GearInsight addon overlays your own CPM and buff uptimes next to these benchmarks during combat.