I'm glad you're having good experiences with Protection. It's a truly powerful tree since TBC Launch changes. Like everyone else, I have some comments about your build.
Re: Precision
Great talent to have. It's fantastic to spec into it before 70. For level 60, you've picked it up aweful early.
Re: 1 Handed Weapon Spec
Amazing talent. Consider looking for a way to max it out. It means 5% more damage from ALL damage dealing abilities that are attributed to you in the combat log. This means anything that says "Your xxxxx hits yyyyy for zzz" while you have a 1 hander equipped, not only your melee attacks. This is huge for threat and just burning down mobs faster.
Re: Ardent Defender
In the 50s and early early 60s this isn't such a huge talent. You can generally fight with Double Lights Sealed and Judged and never drop low enough for it to matter. This makes a huge difference when you fight 12 Buzzards in Hellfire or 7 Cabal Skirmishers/Initiates in Terrokar. As you level up more, this will have HUGE value. Even for you right now.. it means you could take on another 1 or 2 mobs in a pull and still probably be in good enough shape to take another pull.
Re: Combat Expertise
Paladins have been hit gradually with a bunch of really small nerf-bats for a while. They've added up. In 2.3, we were given a HUGE buff in the form of Combat Expertise adding 10% stamina. Effectively, this is like having Blessing of Kings (for the raw HP at least) on ALL the time, and you can even stack Kings on top of it. This is a mind blowing talent that any Protection Paladin should aim for. Same reason you spec into Sacred Duty, who gives a damn abouot the difference in Bubbling, it's the Stamina that you want.
Re: Avenger's Shield
This isn't really a big deal if you're going to level your way solo to 70, but honestly it's just 1 point. Why not spec into Avenger's Shield? It's incredible when running instances. Huge threat on up to 3 targets from the beginning of the fight.. amazing. There is no excuse for you to lose aggro on a boss in ANY non-heroic instance if you don't miss your Avenger's Shield. Until they start getting end-game gear, level appropriate DPSers shouldn't be able to overcome you. Instead of having to Judge Righteousness immediatly to get ANY kind of threat on something, you can break out Crusader and then go Righteousness.
Re: Pursuit of Justice
Another great talent... that has no place in a Protection build until level 70. Its worth is debatable to Protection pallies. There are other talents to spec into, but IF you decide to take it, it should probably be the last points you spend.
Re: Imp Retribution Aura
Not a great talent... It's at best "okay" -- the down side is you have to sacrifice on amazing, great, or good talents to get it. Not worth it for a Protection Paladin.
Re: The Retribution tree as a whole
I wouldn't even touch the Retribution tree until Reckoning, 1 Handed Weapon Spec, Ardent Defender, Combat Expertise, and Avenger's Shield are maxed. Then you can afford to work your way to Deflection.
Hybrid Protection/Retribution specs that go deep into both trees are really fairly weak. You lose the important bottom talents in Protection that make AoE grinding work (let alone tanking), and you don't really gain big single-target DPS from Retribution unless you can climb down to Crusader Strike.
If you're having fun with it... awesome! I have the sneaking suspicion that you might have more fun with a few changes, but go with what works -- you can always evaluate your situation at 70. As far as gear goes... don't worry about it, you'll be a "Generic Protection Paladin" by the time you're done Hellfire if you grab the right rewards. The only thing I suggest in this regards is, as you level, DONT mix and match DPS quest rewards, tanking quest rewards, and healing quest rewards. Get the best gear for 1 job and run with it.
Edit: Oh, and a GREAT judge of your progress while gearing up, levelling, and talenting in Outland is taking on those damned Buzzards near Falcon Watch. See how many you can take, and what state you're in as you get better. By 64 with all of the generic gear, appropriate talents, and some AoEing skill you can probably take down an ENTIRE group of them in 1 pull.. which is around 12, without coming close to dying or even looking at your "OH @#$%!" buttons. Big difference from the 3-4 you can usually take when entering Outland for the first time.
Edited, Feb 28th 2008 2:09pm by Losie