When in the Warcraft timeline does World of Warcraft take place?
World of Warcraft takes place three years following the aftermath of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne , when a great tension has settled over the ravaged world of Azeroth.

Some screenshots show that the Dark Portal has been rebuilt (after having been destroyed in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal). Can you give us any background on why it's back or what role it'll play in the game?
The foundation of the Dark Portal was never destroyed, even though the connection between the worlds was severed. While it is no longer active, legends speak of a ritual contained within Medivh's spellbook that might one day allow powerful Warlocks to open the portal.

Will World of Warcraft mix with Warcraft III? If there are new foes, do they include the Undead Scourge or Burning Legion?
World of Warcraft will be set in lands both familiar and new to long-time players of the series. It is difficult to discuss the World of Warcraft story without giving away the plot for Warcraft III. We can say that Azeroth has experienced significant changes and is now a very different world from what Warcraft fans know today. And while there will be plenty of recognizable characters and places to explore, we think that the balance between discovering what is known and what is different is something that players will really enjoy.

As for the inclusion of the Scourge or Burning Legion, you will just have to wait and see...

What continents are in World of Warcraft? Will they be familiar to fans of the Warcraft RTS series?
Currently, players will be able to explore the lands of Azeroth, Khaz Modan, Lordaeron, and the newly discovered continent of Kalimdor. Players familiar with the Warcraft series will find that we have depicted nearly every location from the Warcraft universe in World of Warcraft.

How many continents/islands will there be? How big will the world be?
World of Warcraft will have more area to explore than any other previous Blizzard games. In World of Warcraft, players can expect to journey through the familiar lands of Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lordaeron, to name a few. The game will also feature several uncharted and exotic new lands. We are expanding the Warcraft universe because we believe that a critical part of the MMORPG experience is the ability to journey through robust new regions. Our goal is to create a vast new world filled with adventure and excitement, while keeping the game fully populated to support a strong sense of community.

Will there be "zones" in World of Warcraft?
World of Warcraft will not feature "zones" in the traditional sense, with loading screens between each area of gameplay. Our plan is to introduce different regions of the world for players to explore, each with their own distinct look and theme. Questing through the majority of these regions will be seamless, although certain regions may require a short load time.

Will you be able to visit the familiar locations from Warcraft, Warcraft II, and so on?
Most definitely. Players will explore the ruins of old battles, interact with legendary heroes, and visit many of the locations that have made the Warcraft series so memorable.

Will there be secret locations or Easter eggs?
There are plenty of special locations for players to discover. The level designers have gone all out.

Will there be water-based, interactive environments?
Yes.

What is the time cycle in World of Warcraft?
Currently, the game is set to run on a 24-hour time cycle, which is dependant on where each server is located.

Will there be monsters that randomly roam in packs from time to time?
Yes, and we call this dynamic gameplay. The plan is to have numerous dynamic encounters in the game that will be randomly timed and placed.

Will there be dragons in the game?
Yes.

Will there be "named" or "unique" monsters in the World of Warcraft?
Yes, there are many unique monsters in World of Warcraft. Some will appear randomly, while others will only spawn when certain conditions have been met.

In other games, problems have resulted from players being able to attack monsters without retaliation. What are the solutions to these problems in World of Warcraft?
The creatures in World of Warcraft have special AI to prevent them from being exploited. Creatures recognize when they're being exploited, and when this happens, they go into "evade" mode and return to their spawn points.

Paladin Basics

pholders of the Holy Light and defenders of the Alliance, the Paladins can be found from the northern forests of the Tirisfal Glades, fighting back the advance of the Forsaken, to the southern reaches of the Blasted Lands, ceaselessly upholding their vigil against demonic forces from beyond the Dark Portal. Wielding their mighty hammers and the strength of the Light, these holy warriors command forces in battle, continuously throwing themselves into the fray wherever the fighting is the thickest.

The Paladin is a mix of a melee fighter and a secondary spell caster. The Paladin is ideal for groups due to the Paladin's healing, Blessings, and other abilities. Paladins can have one active aura per Paladin on each party member and use specific Blessings for specific players. Paladins are pretty hard to kill, thanks to their assortment of defensive abilities. The Paladin can also heal with Holy Light, unlike other combat classes. The Paladin is an Undead specific fighter as well, with several abilities designed to be used against the Undead.

Other Information

This page does not have a complete listing of all abilities that are available. Look for more once our database section is active.

Auras
You can only have one aura active at a time. You'll have to decide what is best for the situation. Other players can also let you know what is best to use. If there are multiple Paladins in the same group, they can each have a different aura active, but multiple Paladins cannot stack the effects of the same aura. If you find yourself in a party with another Paladin, ask him or her what aura he or she is going to use, then use a different one that will complement it.

Devotion Aura - Gives additional armor to nearby party members. Use this when multiple party members are taking damage during battle.
Retribution Aura - Causes holy damage to any creature that strikes a party member.
Fire Resistance Aura - Increases nearby group member's fire resistance X. Players may only have one Aura on them per Paladin at any one time.
Shadow Resistance Aura - Increases nearby group member's shadow resistance X. Players may only have one Aura on them per Paladin at any one time.
Frost Resistance Aura - Increases nearby group member's frost resistance X. Players may only have one Aura on them per Paladin at any one time.
Blessings
A Blessing is a short buff. The Paladin can only have one Blessing active on a player at a time. The intention is for players to decide what Blessing is best for the situation and change Blessings depending on what is happening. If there are multiple Paladins in a group, the limit is one Blessing per person per Paladin. Thus, with two Paladins each party member can have two Blessings.

Blessing of Might - Increases damage. Use this on party members who are focused on damaging the enemy with physical attacks.
Blessing of Wisdom - Increases mana regeneration. Use this on spellcasters like Priests, Mages, etc. You can also use this on yourself after battle to regenerate mana.
Blessing of Protection - Protects the target from all physical attacks. This Blessing is only usable on party members. While this is active the targeted player is unable to attack or use physical abilities.
Blessing of Salvation - Reduces the amount of threat generated. This is useful to cast on casters such as Priests or Mages to make their lives easier against the monsters. Monsters will often stop targeting them and this Blessing will allow the casters to do more without being a monster's primary focus.
Blessing of Light - Places a Blessing on the friendly target, increasing the effects of Holy Light spells used on the target by X and the effect Flash of Light spells used on the target by Y. Lasts Z min. Players may only have one Blessing on them per Paladin at any one time.

Blessing of Freedom - Places a Blessing on the party member, granting immunity to movement impairing effects for X sec. Will counter the movement impairing effects of Frostbolt, Cone of Cold, Frost Shock. It will not prevent the damage taken by Frost Nova, Hamstring, Wing Clip, Mind Flay, Counterattack, or Blast Wave or the melee and ranged attack speed slowing effects of Cripple. Players may only have one Blessing on them per Paladin at any one time.
Blessing of Sacrifice - Places a Blessing on the party member, transferring X damage taken per hit to the caster. Lasts Y sec. Players may only have one Blessing on them per Paladin at any one time. Holy
Flash of Light - Heals a friendly target for X to Y.
Holy Light (Healing) - The Paladin is a good secondary healer with Holy Light. You will want primary healers such as Priests or Druids, but the Paladin can help out if they are not available. The Paladin is also good at keeping the real healers alive if they are out of mana and about to die. Use Holy Light to keep party members alive. Use Holy Light after battle to heal yourself or other players.
Divine Protection - You are protected from all physical attacks and spells for X seconds, but during that time you cannot attack or use physical abilities on yourself.
Divine Shield - Protects the Paladin from all damage and spells for X seconds, but reduces attack speed by X%. This replaces Divine Protection because it allows you to attack while active, unlike Divine Protection. You can heal yourself while using Divine Shield! This ability slows the Paladin's attack speed.
Divine Intervention - Sacrifices the caster to remove the party member from battle, shielding him from all harm but preventing him from taking any action for X sec.
Seal of Righteousness - Fills the Paladin with holy spirit for 30 sec, giving each melee attack a chance to cause X to Y additional Holy damage. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Unleashing this Seal's energy will cause Z Holy damage to an enemy.
Seal of Light - Fills the Paladin with divine light for 30 sec, giving each melee attack a chance to heal the Paladin for Y. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Unleashing this Seal's energy will judge an enemy for XX seconds granting melee attacks made against the judged enemy a chance of healing the attacker for Z. Only one Judgement per Paladin can be active at any one time.
Seal of Wisdom - Fills the Paladin with divine wisdom for 30 sec, giving each melee attack a chance to restore X of the Paladin's mana. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Unleashing this Seal's energy will judge an enemy for 30 sec. granting attacks and spells used against the judged enemy a chance to restore Y mana to the attacker. Only one Judgement per Paladin can be active at any one time.
Retribution
Seal of the Crusader - Fills the Paladin with the spirit of a crusader for X sec. granting Y attack power. The Paladin also attacks Z% faster, but deals less damage with each attack. Only one Seal can be active on the Paladin at any one time. Unleashing this Seal's energy will judge an enemy for A sec. increasing Holy damage taken by up to B. Only one judgement can be active at any one time.
Judgement - Unleashes the energy of a Seal spell upon an enemy. Refer to individual Seals for Judgement effect.

Consecration - Consecrates the land beneath the Paladin, doing X Holy damage over Y sec. to enemies who enter the area.

Exorcism (DD) - This direct damage spell is good for finishing off Undead monsters or for "pulling" them.
Turn Undead - This causes the monster to run away. This is good for multiple monster pulls. Pick one of the monsters that isn't being attacked and send it running away. You can then focus on the remaining monsters. This is also a good escape ability. Another use could be to send the monster running away and then heal yourself while the monster is gone. This has an increased chance of breaking early.
Lay on Hands (very long cooldown)
Uses 100% Mana. Heals a friendly target for an amount equal to the Paladin's maximum amount of health and restores X of their mana. Drains all of the Paladin's remaining mana when used. This is one of the Paladin's best abilities. Use this in special cases when you're about to die or to save a party member. Make sure you don't waste it; save it for when you really need it. Nevertheless, if you never use it, you're also wasting it.

Getting away (extreme)
First start running. Right before you die, cast Lay on Hands on yourself. Now continue to run. Then use Divine Shield. With these abilities you can run away for quite a distance even with a lot of monsters attacking you.

Equipment
Focus on items that give stamina and defense. You can go for a sword or blunt weapon and a shield, or a two-handed sword or mace. You might want to train up all of these abilities so you can pick and choose which to use based on what weapons you have available.

Two-Handed Weapons vs. Shield and One-Handed Weapons
Both are great. A two-handed weapon is good against monsters with a lot of armor. A one-handed weapon is better against monsters you wish to interrupt and against monsters with less armor. You might want to train both up and switch between them.

Tips

• Use Hammer of Justice to interrupt spell casters from using their spells. Make sure another player does not stun the monster before using Hammer of Justice (so you won't waste it).
• Ask players in the party which Blessings they want (if they know the Blessings). Ask party members to tell you when the Blessings wear off.
• If another Paladin joins the party, work out between you which auras and Blessings you will use.
• If a monster is attacking a weak party member like a caster, stun the monster with Hammer of Justice.

  Summon War Horse
  Paladins can get their own custom armored Warhorse via a quest at level 40 and level 60. Paladin Epic Mount quest: To begin, talk to the paladin trainers Duthroian Rall or Brandur Ironhammer. Paladins who have completed their Epic Mount quest can repeat the final event in Scholomance for fun (and loot) by speaking with Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker. Profession Options
  You can pick whatever you want. You might find these more tailored to the Paladin: Mining and Blacksmithing - Paladins can create their own armor. This is a popular choice with Paladins.
  Mining and Engineering - Paladins can create range weapons and special engineering items.
  Enchanting - Paladins can enchant their equipment to make themselves more powerful.
  Herbalism and Alchemy - Paladins can create buff potions or healing potions.