The shield swipe change above all makes the class more FUN even if the performance gain is a mere 4% or so - it actually makes the button one worth pressing, and off-gcds are always fun to use as it makes the combat feel faster and more fluid. Can't complain.

It certainly hasnt changed any of Paladin's issues in Alex Savage of course (the only thing that fixes that right now is More Gear), but after doing Thordan Extreme I'm actually pretty happy - this fight is just perfect for a more "tank minded" paladin who enjoys making the most out of their mitigation kit, and DPS requirements are really minor. Just being able to Sentinel + Sheltron the Heaven's Heel and see it hit for a paltry 7k or something with such minimal effort makes me smile. I've even found good specific uses for Divine Veil - some good moments of chunky repeated AOE where the raid is grouped.

More encounters like Thordan would go far further to "fixing" Paladin's problems than any actual buffs. If Alex Savage Part 2 is more like Thordan Extreme than Gordian... Paladins are in a really good spot. We shall see.