It would take a lot.

As a comparison, what it took for feral to become viable in raids:
- Cat form damage made competitive with pure DPS classes.
- Party auras buffed significantly
- Bear form buffed to competitive, or even superior, tanking ability versus warriors in certain situations (hateful strike I'm looking at you!).
- Sweeping itemization changes allowing druids to OT and DPS with the same gear.
- Tranquility buffed to be an extremely strong emergency AoE heal.
- Innervate becoming baseline.

This created a useful niche for feral: a tank/DPS hybrid that is a better choice than stacking prot warrs, yet doesn't displace the MT. What would paladins need?

- Ret damage becoming competitive with pure DPS classes.
- Ret-specific auras and judgments buffed significantly.
- Ability to raid tank (or heal) with a ret spec.
- Itemization and game mechanics changes allowing a ret paladin to switch roles between tanking, healing, and DPS in the same fight, in the same gear.
- LoH becoming a more useful emergency heal.
- Possibly BoK becoming baseline.

I don't see it happening, at all. Unfortunately, unlike druids, Blizzard hasn't realized that paladins and shaman need a niche specifically designed for hybrids, one where it is possible to play two roles at one time in the same fight.

Frankly were I a paladin right now I'd reroll if I didn't want to heal any more. Oh wait.. haha, I already did.

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