As a ret paladin that is well geared, I can "feel" this ceiling on dps. No matter how geared I get, breaking 4500dps on patches. My other character is a mage who has not yet completed the superior achievement (my retadin is 1 slot off epic achievement(libram...)), yet my mage can dps at almost the same level.(3900 on patch). This is NOT right. If i have 10 ilvl226 w/ stuff, i should do waaay more dps than the mage with one naxx25 peice? amirite?

Also, in uludar w/ t8, do we not lose our 7 second judgement...

@Purgex - That's exactly my problem now. I've got pretty much all BiS items now, T7.5, Betrayer, Greatness, etc., but I just can't push beyond a certain point and I get left behind by equally geared (sometimes even less) Death Knights, Hunters, Mages, Rogues, Warlocks...

It's very frustrating.

Right now, Ret Pallies aren't doing quite so bad. I don't play one, so I don't know what's up with them, but they're usually competing with DKs for highest DPS, when played competently. On my server, which is not nearly one of the better servers, in a guild that isn't even top in its faction (tied three ways for second), a Ret Pally holds over 5600 dps on Patchwerk:

http://wowwebstats.com/oq5guztstgcwo?s=240808-274142

There will always be a ceiling based on gear, so until you have the absolute best-in-slot gear, you haven't reached your ceiling yet (regardless of class/spec).

I have no interest in playing a Pally, so I don't know if 5600 is the ceiling or if it can yet go higher. But so far, it doesn't sound quite so bad.

Yes, Pallies may have a lower DPS cap but they reach it much faster than any other class. No Pally was complains when they're doing 3k+ dps in heroic purples and blues. At the end of the day you're still a hybrid class. Stop complaining that ONE tree isn't perfect. The only other classes that has any sympathy for you are Druids and Death Knights. Bottom line you are still one of the most useful and needed classes in both pve and pvp. Oh no you got nerfed over and over. As a Warlock I have zero sympathy for you. If anything Nerf Pallies more.

@Devant,
sucks that Blizz doesn't agree with you huh....
Cry me a river.

Agree with Devant. As long as Ret Pallies have fewer troubles than other classes/specs, please fix the others first. I'm a little tired of the Pally mania, they're doing fine if not spectacular in every aspect of the game.
But if you need to change Pallies...
Get rid of Divine Shield (keep Divine Protection and let it also reduce stun/interrupt/pushback duration by 50%)
Let holy shock hit five people
Make Judgment of Justice reduce movement speed by an additional 30%
Give Pallies their own Anti-Magic Shell (identical to Death Knights)
Create a talent that adds Retribution aura damage to weapon strikes or makes it an active damage aura while keeping the nerfs noted above (however you can balance this to increase overall damage while reducing burst)

There, now Paladins can aoe heal, aren't unstoppable PvP juggernauts (or at least, less) and Ret Pally burst is weakened but damage slightly increased and kitability also reduced. No Pally QQs about Prot these days, and as one myself I know that there's no reason to.
This would all seem very easy to do.

Divine Shield is a key class component, and removing it would completely change the class.

Every time I see one of these treads, some QQing PvP boy says 'Get rid of Divine Shield', stop being such a sheep and try and come up with your own ideas eh?

Divine Shield gives pallies immunity for 12 seconds, once every five minutes, it is not OP, especially after Blizz nerfed dps done while shielded. So try to stop QQing long enough to LTP...