Welcome to our Paladin Justicar Tanking Guide, updated for Mod 18: Infernal Descent and Mod 19 Avernus.
In this guide, we will give you tips and info on how to play the Paladin class, previously called Oathbound Paladin.
To learn more about the new mod, check out our mod 19 Avernus guide.
The Paladin is a holy warrior, introduced in mod 6: Elemental Evil. They can either be Healers through the Oathkeeper paragon path or Tanks through Justicar.
Consider using one loadout for an
The purpose of our class guides is not just to show you a build that you can copy and use on your character, but to show you a base build and teach you the mechanics and stats of the game, so you can understand and play your class to its fullest capabilities.
Try different gear, feats,
Guide Contents
Basic Paladin Justicar Info
Other Paladin Builds
Best Paladin Justicar Races
- Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – 3% + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
- Dragonborn – 3% HP + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
- Tiefling – 5% + Damage to targets below 50% health – +2 Cha and +2 Con or Int – 10% to reduce damage of target for 5 sec by 2.5%
- Human – 250 to all ratings (offensive & defensive) – +3 to any stat.
- Dwarf – 20% Resistance to Knock and Push – +2 Con and +2 Str or Wis – 2000 Defense bonus.
Paladin Justicar Ability Score Priority
Put all your available Ability Scores into Constitution and Charisma.
Paladin Justicar Stat / Rating Priority
Offensive Stats:
- Armor Penetration (Caps at 90K)
- Critical Strike (Caps at 90k)
- Accuracy (Caps at 90k)
- Combat Advantage (Caps at 140k)
- Power (No Cap)
Defensive Stats:
- Defense (Caps at 90K)
- Deflection (Caps at 90K)
- Critical Avoidance (Caps at 95K)
- Awareness (Caps at 100K)
- Health (No Cap)
Paladin Justicar Paragon Path, Powers & Rotation
Paladin Justicar Combat Powers
At-Will Powers:
- Oath Strike
- Radiant Slam / Shielding Strike
Encounter Powers:
- Sacred Weapon (ST) – Bane (AoE)
- Binding Oath (ST) – Templar’s Wrath (AoE)
- Smite (ST) – Relentless Avenger (AoE)
Daily Powers:
- Shield of Faith – Heroism
- Divine Judgement (ST) – Radiant Charge (AoE)
Class Features:
- Divine Challenger – Composure (AoE)
- Aura of Valor (ST) – Aura of Vengeance (AoE)
Paladin Justicar Feats
- Sacred Shield
- Burning Vengeance / Baneful Strikes (AoE)
- Divine Pursuit
- Sheltering Light
- Unyielding Champion
Paladin Justicar Boons
You should always choose
At end-game, you should hit the stat caps without needing any of the boons.
Tier 1 Boons
- Recruit’s Training – 250 Power
- Critical Avoidance – 250 Critical Avoidance
- Cultist Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Cultist Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. Cultists.
Tier 2 Boons
- Squire’s Training – 250 Power
- Defense – 250 Defense
- Demonic Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Demonic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. demons.
Tier 3 Boons
- Knight’s Training – 250 Power
- Awareness– 250 Awareness
- Dino Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Simple Support – 2% Companion Influence
- Dino Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. dinos.
Tier 4 Boons
- Captain’s Training – 250 Power
- Deflect – 250 Deflect
- Necrotic Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Necrotic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. undead.
Tier 5 Boons (Choose 2)
- Second Wind – 1% Stamina Regen
- Welcome Blessings – 1% Incoming Healing
- Call of Power– 1% AP recovery
Master Boons
- Focused Retaliation 3/3
Guild Boons
- Offense – Power
- Defense – Hit Points
Paladin Justicar Weapons & Gear
If you are new to Neverwinter and need to know how to get better gear and increase your item level, check out our Gearing Up Guide.
The best way to gear up in Neverwinter is by making a lot of Astral Diamonds, check out our Astral Diamond Guide to learn all the secrets of AD farming.
Head
- Lion Guard’s Barbute
Armor
- Lion Guard’s Ward Cuirass
- Protégé’s / Spy’s Guild
- Barkhide
Arms
- Spiked Defender Vambrace
- Plated Gauntlets of the Successor
Feet
- Lion Guard’s Poleyns
- Infernal Forged Cuisses
Weapons
- Celestial Set
- Lionheart Set
- Legion Guard Set
- Alabaster / Burnished Set
Main Hand Modification
- Oath Strike
Offhand Modifications
- Stamina Regen
- Health Points
- Incoming Healing
Rings
- Ring of the Condemned
- Ring of the Overwhelmed
- Tanner’s Hardened Leather Ring
- Gold-plated Ring
Neck & Waist
- Tales of Old Set (Scar & Sash of Embelishments + a Journal)
- Reflective Armaments (Reflective Collar, Mirror-Plated Belt, Erratic Drift Globe)
Shirt
- Infernal Forged Shirt
- Protege’s Shirt
Pants
- Infernal Forged Trousers
- Protégé’s Pants
Paladin Justicar Artifacts
Primary Artifact
- Halaster’s Blast Scepter
- Wyvern-Venom Coated Knives
- Erratic Drift Globe
Secondary Artifacts
Choose secondary artifacts based on the stats you are lacking.
- Frozen Storyteller’s Journal
- Flayed Storyteller’s Journal
- Darkened Storyteller’s Journal
- Arcturia’s Music Box
- Trobriands Ring
- Staff of Flowers
- Halaster’s Blast Scepter
Paladin Justicar Enchantments
When getting enchantments, always get the ones with the stats you are lacking in with your gear, boons, etc in mind. For example, if you’ve capped Crit with your gear and boons, don’t get azure enchantments for your offense slots. If you still need to refine your enchantments, see our Refinement Guide for tips on how to farm refinement.
Offense Enchantments
- One Tenebrous Enchantment
- Triple Stat Enchantments like Assassin’s Enchantment or whatever you might need for stats
Defense Enchantments
- Radiant Enchantment
Armor Enchantments
- Elven Battle Enchantment
- Negation Enchantment
Utility Enchantments
- Tactical Enchantment
- Dark Enchantment
- Fey’s Blessing / Dragon’s Hoard / Quartermaster’s Enchantment
Weapon Enchantments
- Vorpal Enchantment
- Bronzewood Enchantment
Overload Enchantments
- Resiliency of the Depths / Bulwark Of Brimstone from Hell Pit
- Various Marks from Stronghold Vendor
- Corrupt Black Ice / Lethal / Piercing
- Black / Red Dragon Glyph
Armor Reinforcement Kits
- Hit Points Armor Kit
Jewelry Reinforcement Kits
- Awareness / Stamina Regen Jewel
Paladin Justicar Consumables & Buffs
Consider getting VIP for the Power of VIP HP buff if you aren’t already. Also always stand in campfires to get the +1 ability campfire buff.
Get one from each of the rows below:
- Empowered Chain of Scales (Best in Slot) > Adorable Pocket Pet > Tymora’s Lucky Coin
- Foehammer’s Favor Elixir – Wild Stor Elixir
- Caprese – Sambocade
- Superior Flask of Potency +1
Paladin Justicar Companions
Summoned Companion
The most important thing to consider for a summoned companion is to get an Augment Companion. There are a bunch to choose from, some have more useful powers than others.
- Bulette Pup
- Deepcrow Hatchling
- Owlbear Cub
- Ioun Stones
- Quasit
Enchantment Power
- Redemption
- Potent Precision
Companion Powers
Below is a selection of viable companion powers.
Offense Powers
- Rimfire Golem’s Presence – 16000 HP and 2000 Armor Penetration
Defense Powers
- Harper bard – 12000 HP and 15000 Awareness
- Red Dragon Ioun Stone – 10% Incoming Healing and 8000 HP
- Alluring Insight – 10% Healing and 2000 Power
- Monshea Druid’s Wisdom – 16000 HP and 2000 Critical Avoidance
- Iron Golem’s Presence – 16000 HP and 2000 Defense
Utility Powers
- Xegyi’s Insight – 32000 HP
- Energon – 32000 HP
Companion Equipment
Double slotted “Of the Companion” gear
Companion Runestones
- Pick the runestones that has the stats you are lacking
Paladin Justicar Mounts
When choosing a Legendary Mount for the Mount Powers, look for a mount that has both a useful equip and combat power.
What other mounts you use is not that important. What is important is to get the right insignia bonuses, and many different mounts can offer the various bonuses. To find out what mount has the bonus you want, check out our Insignia Bonus Guide.
Mount Insignia Bonuses
All classes and specs should consider using Wanderer’s Fortune before you have refined all your gear and enchantments, for extra refinement every day.
- Survivor’s Blessing
- Oppressor’s Reprieve
- Barbarian’s Revelry
- Gladiator’s Guile
- Knight’s Rebuke
- Champion’s Return
Insignia Type
- Fortitude
- Prosperity
- Dominance
Paladin Justicar Mount Powers
Mount Equip Power:
- Stalwart – 50000 HP
Mount Combat Power:
- Trample (War Triceratops)
If you have any questions or suggestions about our Neverwinter Paladin Justicar guide, please leave a comment below! More info about the Paladin class can be found at The Neverwinter Reddit.
For the latest Neverwinter news, go to the MMOCULT Neverwinter Hub.
Most pallys who use relentless avenger get a lot of complaints about it because it pushes enemies away and messes up aim for other players
I’m getting slaughter by everything. Powers I normally used before aren’t an option. I was 16k before and earned it through a lot of grinding on week nights and weekends. Now it’s like starting over. This sucks!
Same, I’m looking for a different website to get information on builds from I used to love my pally now after they reset everything and I do it this recommended way I’m getting slaughtered and it’s pissing me off. First this game starts dying and becomes a pay to play charging you for something as minuscule as bags. Then they go and screw it up trying to “fix” it maybe they’re trying to kill their own game so they can collect the life insurance money idk but it’s embarrassing
You are doing something wrong, easy as that. Get some help on Reddit and in-game.
im using this build and just hit 41. things r dropping like flies. u had to b doing something wrong
You have for the weapons “Alabaster Greatsword / Alabaster Sword Knot (Best in Slot)”. Am I missing something, or can paladins now use sword knots?
The Celestial set is the BiS but that’s a hell of a grind but worth it. Next best is the Legion Guard you can grind that out in the Wastelands of Avernes pretty easily. The third best is the Mountaineer set which is easy as hell to get and is viable till you can get either of the other two sets. the other shit is a numbers game. Just look at your stats and see what you need. As far as the main Artifact I chose the Staff of Flowers refined to the max. It just made sense to me, I’m a tank and unlike other MMOs if you build this tank right you can do hella damage as well as hold agro. Most importantly, build your tank to your play style. My playstyle is going to be way different than yours and vise versa. This is a guide, a starting point for your tank. Your play style will dictate the changes you need to make. Personally, I don’t see the fun in having a build pre-made where all I need to do is mash buttons with no thought involved. A frick’n monkey can do that.
typo maybe?
Alabaster Greatsword / Alabaster Sword Knot are Barbarian gear
Is Justicar gear same as Oathkeeper gear? Obviously gear listed for Justicar is barbarian gear.
Relentless Tickle no longer pushes enemies away in Mod 16.
Is this guide ever going to be corrected?!
It shouldn’t need to be corrected because it’s obvious what was meant. Alabaster greatsword, longsword, butterknife etc., clearly the Alabaster set is generally considered BiS for most classes by most players aside from Watcher and upcoming Mod 17.
This, like all other class guides, is a base guideline of builds to help you make one all your own. Use it lightly, dig into more, make yours. Good gaming.
Why does no one like Half Elves for Paladin?
Time for an update!
The weapons I can understand but you can’t tell me that all that DPS hunt gear is BIS for a pally tank.
I heard that a negation was best in slot for armor enchantments
Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – 3% + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
Dragonborn – 3% HP + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
I think it’s the opposite
Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – 3% Healing + 3% HP – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
Dragonborn – 5% Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
I like how most people are bitching on your guide’s not being right.
Did anybody read this at the beginning of the guide? :
“The purpose of our class guides is not just to show you a build that you can copy and use on your character, but to show you a base build and teach you the mechanics and stats of the game, so you can understand and play your class to its fullest capabilities.
Try different gear, feats, and powers and learn to tailor your own build for your playstyle. See our guide to making your own build for more info.”
Get it together people. Read the guide.
Under [Paladin Justicar Mount Powers]
For Mount Equip Power it is suggested that Stalwart gives 50000 HP, is that Swift Golden Lion by chance?
I ask because Stalwart is a companion.
PS I found your guide quite informative.
No stalwart is the name of the buff the war triceratops gives which give 50k hp
No it’s not. Lion Guard, Alabaster and burnished have sets for all classes. Since the expansion of the Wastelands in Avernes, the Lion Guard set is no longer BiS and the Alabaster is pretty much equal to the Burnished and Mountaineer Set. Celestial and Legion Guard are the two BiS Sets now.
I am wondering if you are working on an updated build since mod 19 has dropped?
ummmmm we r in mod 19……..it dropped a while back
Trample as mount combat power is a big no.
I’d like to say that whoever wrote this doesn’t know how to play a pally. Soon as I saw Con and Charisma I lost hope for this article. A Paladins damage is based off intelligence cause its magic based. My int is 24 with a chrs of 25 with nothing added to it. Con is 29. The multi enchantments are crap for us IMO, due to being to offset the stats with boons, insignias, and companion items. That all being said it all depends on your play style though. You could have best stats, and still be shit.
Keep in mind, this build is for tanking, not for DPS, so you need CON for the extra HP and you need the CHA for the bonus companion influence, as that also gives extra HP and stats. Those are the correct stats to max out for a pally tank, as the pally has hard taunts. If you do not have the stats, the multi-stat enchants are BiS, but if you have the stats, take radiants for the extra power, which has no cap. Why lose hope when it is giving good advice for these things. You may have high damage output, which is great, but you are not able to hold the aggro quite as well. This guide is just that: a GUIDE. that means that you can tailor the build to your own needs, and while it is in need of an update, your mindset is too.