Spec help - leveling first, tanking second

Hi guys -
First post here, having just dusted off my 24 retadin after six months of idle time. I primarily soloed my way to 24, ran maybe one DM run but that's about it. I tanked Stockades the other day, and let me tell you, it was a BLAST! Granted, kind of an ezsauce run, but we 4-manned it with another ret paladin, my girl's elem shaman, and a feral druid. As of that run, I'm sold on the tankadin and I can't wait to MT another dungeon.

So, I have a couple 70s (hunter is my main who raids T6, my enh shaman is in Heroics / Kara) but this is my first tank. I come to you fine people seeking some advice on early spec and gearing:

1. Can / should I stay full Retribution and still viably tank instances while leveling?

2. At what point (if any) should I either invest in Protection or switch over fully?

3. Given that paladin gear doesn't seem to really exist yet, should I just continue to go for "of the Bear" stuff, pursuing STR and STA over all else? Do I have a need for AGI or INT at this point?

Thanks for your guidance, looking forward to interacting with the community here, and very excited to begin my tankadin career.
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Imperius || Level 29 || Retribution || Echo Isles

1.It depends on what you want to do with your character. If you plan to run instances as the primary way to get levels then I would spec prot at lvl 40 and stay that way. If you plan to be doing quests or grinding alone or with 1-2 other folks stay ret and rip through mobs 1 at a time leaving a trail of dead bodies in your wake.

2. Prot becomes the faster leveling spec based on being able to AoE large numbers of mobs easily and effectively with BoSanct, ret aura, and holy shield. You could also throw in a shield spike and stormchops for extra reactive dmg.

3. Stamina and Intellect are our two best stats pre outlands level gear. Strength is good for retribution but that spec requires lots of the stat that just isnt available at lower levels. "of the eagle" or "of the Sorcerer" are our two best types of gear at lower levels.
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1. Yes retri can tank very well till around lvl 40-50. Just lap on a bit of sta gear and you'll be ok. People like to see a shield on the tank so better pick one up.

2. imp rightious fury is a nice extra for tanking but you can only start to viably grind in prot specc once you have reckoning. I tried before and it went slooooooooow...

3. about gear... Sta, armor and int is all you need untill like level 60. You better collect some def gear once you hit outland thou there are some nice pieces around with little SD and some def. Before that it is all about having enough mana to do a few pulls and pump the rest into stamina and armor. Get a shieldspike too and some armor patches.


Ooh and Ciandin... spirit is VERY VERY OP in the early levels. But I wouldn't recommend it after lvl 20

first instance that drops a shield is SM, not sure which one though cause i never picked it up.

And i noticed it wasnt mentioned but there is some mail "Of the elder" gear out there that i used quite a bit before going full tank.
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http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Darkspear&n=Meatydog

Gold-plated Buckler
Commander's Crest
Heart of Agamaggan
Thermaplugg's Central Core

Lots of decent shields in pre-SM instances.
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Armory Profile

Thanks for the tips. Right now I'm using the Shield of Thorsen and Headsplitter for tanking, and Verigan's Fist for soloing. I just hit 30 last night, though, so I'll be on the lookout for replacements before too long. I know we can get by with quested or AH greens, but I like to pimp my alts a bit and know that I'm more than just adequately geared, especially for a role like tanking where others are going to rely on you.

So at this point, do I have much hope of finding mail with INT on it? I've been looking for a few days and haven't seen any yet; any specific pieces out there that I should be pursuing?

Thanks again for all the help, I'm loving this class so far.
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Imperius || Level 29 || Retribution || Echo Isles

Don't bother pimping yourself to much for tanking. It is what I did and I ended up drinking way to much. It slows you down. Mana is what you need so make that healer work a bit. Dish out tons of holy damage so the mobs stick to you like the gum under your desk at school.

Low level tanking is easy. Dish out tons of damage and make sure you get some heals to keep the mana flowing. I would even go as far as dropping some mail items for some high HP leather items. Even in full blue on Maraudon level a BM hunter pet has more HP/armor then you (even a cat).