Protection Paladin

Sturdy shield tank with lots of helpful spells.

TankMeleeEasy to play

Talents

Copy the build, then in game press N to open Talents, click Import and paste.

Crit is worth more in Mythic+.

Pick gear, gems and enchants with your top stats first. Item level still matters most.

Patch 12.1. Stat source

Picks for Protection in patch 12.1, from the Icy Veins guide.

Flask Flask of the Shattered Sun Critical Strike. The best flask for Protection.
Combat potion Light's Potential Raises your Strength for 30 seconds. Use it with your big cooldowns.
Health potion Concentrated Silvermoon Health Potion Healing in combat. It doesn't share a cooldown with Healthstones, so you can use both.
Food Champion's Bento Eat a group feast instead when someone puts one down.
Augment rune Void-Touched Augment Rune Raises your Strength. It's expensive and is lost when you die, so save it for progression.
Weapon oil Thalassian Phoenix Oil Templar uses the oil. Lightsmith uses Rite of Sanctification instead.

Head
Raises Speed.
Shoulders
Raises Speed, so you move faster.
Chest
Raises your primary stat.
Legs
Raises Agility or Strength, plus Armor.
Feet
Raises Speed and Stamina.
Both rings
Raises Versatility.
Main hand
Your spells and abilities can grant Might of the Void, raising your primary stat for a short time.
Either one works.