Gemming Advice for Protection Paladins

Some time ago, I wrote an article on Associated Content about choosing gems for a Tankadin. In light of recent changes to the game - i.e. Patch 2.4 - and some more experience, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit those recommendations.

In general, the same advice applies. However, the new epic gems (and some epic Heroic gems) offer you superior alternatives to the previously available blue-quality gems.

General Advice on Gemming

Although you can read the original article on AC, here’s a recap of the general advice I gave.

  • Diversify stats - don’t stack all stamina.
  • Use proper gem colors, if a socket bonus gives a useful stat.
  • Use blue-quality or greater gems on items you’ll use for more than a few days.
  • Strive for a balance of Stamina, Avoidance, and to a lesser extent Spell Damage
  • Eschew mp5 and Intellect.

The most important statement in there, in my opinion, is to diversify your stats. Many Warriors, and some Paladins, stack nothing but Stamina. I’ve always seen this as a mistake. You don’t want to be a one trick pony.

A tank needs to have stamina, avoidance, and threat generation. Too much of one and not enough of the other, and you won’t be able to do your job effectively. You might survive, but hold the raid’s DPS back. Or, you might dodge too much and not recoup enough mana to hold threat. Or, you might have secure threat… and go splat. Diversify, people, diversify.

Blue Quality Gems

When gemming my tanking items, there are three blue quality gems that I turn to, depending on the socket color.

Blue. Solid Star of Elune. This is a no brainer. Many tanks use only these. In order to diversify, I stick these in every blue socket.

Yellow. Enduring Talasite. This increases your stamina while giving an optimal boost to avoidance.

Red. Regal Nightseye. Again, this increases stamina while giving an optimal amount of avoidance. For Paladins, this is better than the Shifting Nightseye, since dodge rating is more efficient than agility.

When I first hit 70, I used a few Thick Dawnstones. Now, I don’t need as much avoidance so I balance it out with extra stamina. I also used a few Glowing Nightseye in red sockets, but now my spell damage is so high (~475) that I feel I have sufficient threat generation.

The only gem I may consider switching into this rotation is Rigid Dawnstone. Hit Rating isn’t optimal for Protection Paladins in terms of threat generation, but it still has its uses. In certain circumstances, it is desirable to be hit capped to ensure that a taunt doesn’t fail on a raid boss. Since my Avoidance and Stamina are plenty high, I may switch a few of these gems into yellow sockets in order to reach that melee hit cap.

Epic Upgrades and Alternatives

In Heroic Dungeons, Raids, and, after Patch 2.4, from the Badge Vendor, it is possible to get some epic upgrades and alternatives for the above listed blue-quality gems. These offer a slight upgrade in terms of stats.

I wouldn’t recommend getting these until you’ve hit T5 gear. Before that, you’re likely to replace a piece within a few days/weeks, and it’s not worth an investment of 1000g+ (or 30+ badges) to get an improvement of 4-5 stat points.

Of course, if you can pick up the Heroic Epic Gems, you should switch those in. They are somewhat more readily available if you have a steady Heroic group to run with.

With that in mind, here are a few epic alternatives to keep an eye out for.

Blue Socket. Charmed Amani Jewel (ZA quest), Eye of the Sea (Fishing quest), and Solid Empyrean Sapphire. +15 Stamina is the only way to go, and this is the way to get it.

Yellow Socket. Enduring Seaspray Emerald (Crafted) is the best alternative to the + Stam/+ Def gem above. Enduring Chryosphere (Heroic Old Hillsbrad) is a slightly inferior improvement. Rigid Lionseye is the epic upgrade for Hit Rating, if you want to go that route.

Red Socket. This is where you get the most options. Shifting Shadowsong Amethyst (crafted) provides the biggest Stamina boost, while Regal Tanzanite (Heroic Shadow Labs) offers the greatest avoidance boost.

Defender’s Tanzanite is an interesting alternative as well. It offers less avoidance than the + Dodge gem, but Parry also increases your attack speed and thus your threat generation. Nothing to go out of your way for, but worth socketing over a standard Regal Nightseye.

Good luck socketing, and remember to make wise choices. Don’t fall into the trap of stacking all Stamina. You want to be a tank, not a punching bag. As a general rule of thumb, throw Stamina in blue, Dodge/Stamina in Red, and Defense/Stamina in Yellow. Follow that rule, and you’ll be good to go.

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