changing specsFollow

my pally is ret right now, he is only lvl 52 but i was wondering when the time to switch specs comes up? also, as holy or prot, which spec is easier to level with? most likely ill be holy when i hit 70 but right now i just want to get there as fast as possible. also, maybe you could throw me what you think a good build would be around 58-60 when i respec. thanks.

Yeah, you have to bind Cleanse to your keypad...

As for the OP's question, if speed is your primary concern, I wouldn't go holy full-time until you have a good chunk of +spelldamage (even if it's a side effect of having a bigger chunk of +heal). Maybe compromise by retting through your 50s, and switching to holy after you've picked up the first round of Outland quest drops and are ready to practice for your first Outland instances as a healer.

Agreed; and, remember that the patch talents will be released probably about a month prior to lich, or a month from now, might be sooner, who knows. But along with the talents and essentially relearning alot due to the changes to all specs AND the changes to spellpower, gear etc. Additionally the leveling from 60-70 is supposedly going to cut down considerably in that pacth, about 30% is what I read from blues somewhere.

So, alot will factor into your decision. If you are trying to get to 70 NOW or in the next couple weeks in the hopes of doing a little raiding, stay ret to 58-60, change to the spec you want to ultimately use, and instance your way up to 70; hopefully, doing this BEFORE the patch goes live. You can also instance a couple of levels trying out each spec to see what you ultimately like, but again, when that patch comes out, it will change a little how one approaches the game.

Even with the changes, it would be good to know your spec inside and out, as alot of people will still be "doing the math" to figure out what specs are the cookie cutter, for awhile, so for awhile it will be mostly opinion, hopefully backed by facts. During this time, getting to know holy, or protection would be a good time to do so. For me, in all honesty, I hit 58 soon after BC launched, and until they changed alot in terms of the respawn rate, high population, the respawns were ridiculous, as I soloed alot, protection and aoe grinding of quests, was best for me for mere survival

In all honesty, what the above poster stated, and the patch and Lich coming out so soon. I would just ret it to 70, youll probably hit the patch at some point and get a free respec to either stay ret or try another spec with the new talents. PvP some gear, is a good idea, even if you hate it, by the time you hit 70 you will probably have accumulated some very good S2 gear which should last a bit into the xp,and gotten used to the new ret talents.

Also, as ret, if you hit 70 before the new patch,you will want to farm some gold, and it will be much easier to do in the paladins current form...after the patch it might not matter as much as it looks like holy and prot will be able to decent damage compared to now.

At any rate, any spec you choose, give it at least a level or two to see if you like it. Dont make the mistake of picking it, saying this sucks, and ditching, alot of times it takes practice and some getting used to, in order to realize the specs potential.

My thoughts are a little scattered, so I apologize if they seem so.
Protection was easier to level with for me, both for instances and soloing.

But if you want to go holy and with the upcoming changes, might not be a bad idea to try it out in outlands, and heal through instances,and learn from your mistakes, and read as much as you can to improve upon it. Damage output wont be that grand, but you should start picking up spell damage gear which will change in the upcoming patch, and those instance blues will help a great deal with leveling.