Paladin: Possibilities

[Greatguardian]

PLD was one of the most loved/wanted/needed jobs Pre-Abyssea.

Only among low/mid-tier linkshells and players who generally did not know better. This has not been the case in the Endgame scene for the better part of half a decade now (2007-ish?). Half a dozen jobs all tanked better than Paladin before Abyssea, and still tank better than Paladin now.

The real thing SE needs to look at before implementing major upgrades to combat, jobs, etc, is how the playerbase is going to react. Unfortunately for FFXI, alot of the playerbase just wants to do things "quickly and efficiently" all the time, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to be efficient. But what SE failed to realize, is the characteristics of certain jobs, and how they work in relation to one another.

Without realizing these characteristics, they'll continue to create an imbalance between the jobs. Jobs will be left out by players if there is no "NEED" for them anymore. Melee can take hits easily now, very easily. There's no fear of being KO'd anymore if the Enemy/Boss takes a few swings at you.

Melee could always take hits. Like, seriously, this has never been a problem for melees. The only reason DD jobs got a bad rap for "Dying easily" is because most DDs sucked and didn't carry PDT/MDT sets. A Monk with 40 Def and -50% PDT in gear is going to take way less damage than a "Typical/Classic" Paladin in 600 Defense and 0 PDT.

PLD is a tank, and should always be a tank. As far as how to fix PLD, you have some great idea's. But I think the general issue on the concept of "Tanking" needs to be addressed.

Paladin is a sword wielding Melee job with access to White Magic, Shield bonuses, and some Defensive traits/JA. Whether or not that equates to being a tank is up to the players. As it stands, that particular combination is lackluster at best. Tanks do much better avoiding hits entirely than they would "Taking them for less damage". I had to put less damage in quotes because Paladin really doesn't take less damage than anyone else without an Ochain.

[Akujima]

Paladin is a sword wielding Melee job with access to White Magic, Shield bonuses, and some Defensive traits/JA. Whether or not that equates to being a tank is up to the players.

So let's talk about this.

You want everything to be entirely left up to the players? So what is the challenge and fun, in running through a maze that you built yourself? You're going to know every angle, every correct turn and will be near impossible to get lost. Why? Because YOU built it.

The quote above is kind of like saying "Oh WHM is a club wielding job, that has access to White Magic, Club Skills and lots of MP. Whether or not that equates to being a healer is up to the players"

Lol...

[Greatguardian]

So let's talk about this.

Okay.

You want everything to be entirely left up to the players?

Until it is against the ToS to play jobs any way the players want, this will always be the case.

So what is the challenge and fun, in running through a maze that you built yourself? You're going to know every angle, every correct turn and will be near impossible to get lost. Why? Because YOU built it.

No. This is an incorrect analogy. The Developers build the maze. The Players then determine the fastest/best/most efficient course throughout the maze. When Route A takes twice as much time and energy to traverse as Route B, Route A will likely be discarded in favor of Route B.

The quote above is kind of like saying "Oh WHM is a club wielding job, that has access to White Magic, Club Skills and lots of MP. Whether or not that equates to being a healer is up to the players"

Lol...

White Mage doesn't have to be a healer. It is simply well equipped to be a healer. Whether or not it is efficient for White Mage to be a healer is left to the determination of the player base.

[Akujima]

No. This is an incorrect analogy. The Developers build the maze. The Players then determine the fastest/best/most efficient course throughout the maze. When Route A takes twice as much time and energy to traverse as Route B, Route A will likely be discarded in favor of Route B.

White Mage doesn't have to be a healer. It is simply well equipped to be a healer. Whether or not it is efficient for White Mage to be a healer is left to the determination of the player base.

You're assuming that there is 2 correct ways to exit the maze. When in reality, all routes lead to a dead-end except 1. All Routes except Route 1 are incorrect.


As far as leaving how the job is played to the player base... This is exactly the reason why tons of jobs get excluded and are labeled as "Crap".


I will give you one thing GG. You are quite good in twisting others words and concepts, in order for people to sympathize with your point of view. Try harder next time.

[Greatguardian]

You're assuming that there is 2 correct ways to exit the maze. When in reality, all routes lead to a dead-end except one. All Routes except Route A are incorrect.


As far as leaving how the job is played to the player base... This is exactly the reason why tons of jobs get excluded and are labeled as "Crap".


I will give you one thing GG. You are quite good in twisting others words and concepts, in order for others to sympathize with your point of view. Try harder next time.

I never assumed there were two routes. Would you rather I had included 3 routes in my expository? 4? There are an infinite number of routes in any given maze when the player is free to move in all four directions. Players will still find the fastest/most efficient route. Players can also eliminate a near infinite amount of routes via common sense. It would not be prudent to go forward and then immediately take a step backwards. Nor would it be at all smart to repeat the above process multiple times. I figured that was common sense.

As for twisting words, kindly refrain from projecting your angst onto me. I have not twisted anything. I have taken your words at face value. Do not blame me if you find yourself unable to properly convey what it is you are trying to say.