These are allocation comparisons, not DPS rankings. Current rank text has separate community evidence; official tuning is tracked separately. A legal snapshot route does not prove current in-game performance or availability.
These are floors from reviewed client positions; the point budget assumes normal progression. Prerequisites can impose additional constraints. The two editable routes below are replayed through the planner one point at a time.
Compare the tradeoffs
Traditional Ret · 0/0/21
Melee-first planning with Seal of Command. This route does not allocate Twist of Light.
Core talents: Seal of Command, Sacred Arbiter, Vengeance.
Start by comparing your actual two-handed weapon options; no weapon DPS ranking is implied.
Compare weapon damage and your measured attack performance. No Strength-to-DPS coefficient is assumed.
Community allocation reviewed October 4 and replayed against reviewed 70245 structure. Rank text remains community evidence; performance is unverified.
Holy Shock example · 21/0/0
An editorial Holy route for comparing access to Holy Shock and healing support. It is not a tested Shockadin damage build.
Record the spell and melee gear you actually own before comparing results; this tool does not prescribe a best weapon.
Intellect and mana use matter to this comparison. The October 1 Champion of the Light change is not a universal Intellect conversion.
Existing editorial example constructed October 5 in the 69913 tree and replayed against reviewed 70245 structure. Rank text remains community evidence; performance is unverified.
Twist of Light · unavailable at 21 points in this snapshot
The recorded talent adds an Echo when replacing a Seal. Its 31-point floor is above the standard Level 30 budget, so no Level 30 Twist allocation is offered.
Choosing Traditional Ret does not mean you must take this capstone. Whether a higher-level twisting route outperforms another setup requires current gameplay evidence.
Community allocation reviewed October 4 and replayed against reviewed 70245 structure. Rank text remains community evidence; performance is unverified.
All 21 points are allocated. Edit the route or compare another approach.
Standard progression: one point per level from 10. Legacy: Talented is excluded. Point order is editorial; prerequisite full-rank rules are derived assumptions.
Every point from Level 10 to 30
Level 10: Benediction — rank 1
Level 11: Benediction — rank 2
Level 12: Benediction — rank 3
Level 13: Benediction — rank 4
Level 14: Benediction — rank 5
Level 15: Conviction — rank 1
Level 16: Conviction — rank 2
Level 17: Conviction — rank 3
Level 18: Conviction — rank 4
Level 19: Conviction — rank 5
Level 20: Pursuit of Justice — rank 1
Level 21: Pursuit of Justice — rank 2
Level 22: Seal of Command — rank 1
Level 23: Sanctified Judgement — rank 1
Level 24: Sanctified Judgement — rank 2
Level 25: Sacred Arbiter — rank 1
Level 26: Sanctified Judgement — rank 3
Level 27: Vindication — rank 1
Level 28: Vindication — rank 2
Level 29: Vindication — rank 3
Level 30: Vengeance — rank 1
Does Retribution need Holy talents?
The Traditional Ret example spends all 21 points in Retribution. The Holy Shock example spends all 21 in Holy. In this snapshot, the 21-point Holy Shock gate leaves no points for Retribution at Level 30. These are separate planning choices, not a requirement to mix both trees.
How should I compare them in game?
Keep level, equipment and encounter conditions the same. Record fight time, mana remaining and healing needed across several attempts. This tool does not estimate damage, threat or win rates without validated inputs.
The Holy Shock point order is a BuildForgeTools editorial example. Neither forum opinions nor a source's changing live page replace the preserved client dataset.
70245 client tables verify talent identities, positions and rank caps. Rank descriptions are adapted from Talents Forever (source build 1.60.1.70170) under CC BY 4.0 and carry community verification. Rank descriptions adapted from the Talents Forever export for BuildForgeTools; selected tuning checked against Blizzard Beta notes, with unresolved discrepancies recorded in the review. No in-game verification of every rendered value is claimed.
