Protector mail before level 30: what an archived Forever item table lists

If you have heard that leveling Paladins get no spell-power mail before level 30, the game’s own data files are worth a look, though they cannot settle the question on their own. We searched the Item and ItemSparse tables of Forever build 1.60.1.70532, a pre-launch build we archived on 22 October, for mail armor with “Protector” in its name and a required level below 30. Nine records came back. Seven of them carry a spell-power stat tag.

These are datamined records from an archived build, not items we have seen in game.

The nine records

All nine are classified as mail armor. The stat names come from the numeric codes in each record, 7, 12 and 45, which Blizzard’s interface documentation labels Stamina, DefenseSkillRating and SpellPower. That documentation comes from a current copy of the interface source, not one tied to this build.

What the table does not tell you

How much. Each stat tag comes with an encoded allocation, not the number a tooltip would show. Turning it into points depends on stat budgets and scaling we have not verified for this build, so we are not publishing bonus amounts.

Whether you can get them. We have not established where any of these items drop, who sells or makes them, whether a class or faction restriction applies, or whether they appear unchanged in the launch client.

What the helms do. The two helms lack the spell-power tag in the stat fields we read. That does not show they cannot provide spell power some other way.

What else exists. This was a name search, not a census of Paladin gear. The archive is also incomplete: of 31,875 records in the Item table, 12,618 have no matching entry in ItemSparse, the table that holds names, levels and stats. Gear that did not turn up could sit among those records, or carry a name we did not search for.

How to check in game

• Note your client build, since later builds can change or drop these records.
• If you find one, record its item ID, required level and the stat values on its tooltip.
• Record how you obtained it, and any class, faction or profession requirement.

Until a tooltip and a source are confirmed, treat these names as leads, not a gearing plan. For talents and leveling, see our Paladin guide and talent planner.