paladin-history
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For the Light: Roleplaying the paladin
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW. Once upon a time, a paladin's history in World of Warcraft was pretty simple to define. After all, there were only two races that could even be paladins -- the human race, and the dwarves, both of which were Alliance. The history of the paladin originated with Uther the Lightbringer, first of the Order of the Silver Hand. But recent years have seen more and more of these Light-wielding soldiers of righteousness out on the fields, each with their own unique sense of history that doesn't tie to the Order, Uther, or in one case, Azeroth itself. Traditionally, a paladin is a warrior of the Holy Light -- a person of exceedingly strong moral convictions who fights just as valiantly as any warrior on the field. However, it's his morals and his faith that make him differ from the usual warrior you see on the battlefield. Paladins are known to uphold all that is good in the world, fighting against all that is evil. But there is far more to a paladin than just a holy warrior, particularly where roleplay is concerned.
The Light and How to Swing It: The storied history of the paladin tank (part 1)
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Protection specialist Matt Walsh spends most of his time receiving concussions for the benefit of 24 other people, obsessing over his hair (a Blood Elf racial!), and maintaining the tankadin-focused blog Righteous Defense. I've been playing this class for an awful long time, since the beginnings of The Burning Crusade. Prior to that, I played the special class known as the huntar (this is a distinct entity from the common hunter, I assure you). Since then, I've been firmly strapped into this roller-coaster ride that we all lovingly call the paladin class, experiencing all the terrifying lows, dizzying highs, and creamy middles. It's been a wild experience and one I'm very interested in sharing with those who might be new to our beloved spec. To be a prot paladin is to be like that famous picture of human evolution, starting with the hunched-over monkey with Seal of Fury applied, all the way to the present-day man with Divine Protection, Ardent Defender, and Guardian of Ancient Kings all up at that same time -- just because he can, something that that the monkey could only hope to dream of. Let's take a trip back in time, shall we?
