WAR or PLD?

I'm 100% with Velvet Velour on this one. As someone who has tanked savage coil on both jobs, I also believe them to take (roughly) the same amount of skill - just in different ways. Paladin requires you to be calculating and know the timing of every mechanic in a fight. Warrior requires you to be able to adapt on the fly.

However, yes - paladin is by far the more forgiving of the two and is far easier at first glance, which has in turn created a faulty perception within the community. A terrible player can still be successful on paladin just by pushing 1-2-3 and never know it. A player who is pushing themselves to be exceptional, however, will find both jobs to be more or less equally difficult to master.

I disagree that gladiator is better for new tanks than marauder. Paladin may be easier than warrior, but at low levels I think marauder is the way to go. Gladiator at low levels has a harder time keeping aggro even if you're doing everything you're supposed to, so if you start with gld it can be discouraging. I think if you start out as marauder and learn the dungeons and pulls, it will make it easier to do on gladiator.

Purely anecdotal opinion incoming:

WAR is just more fun to play in my opinion. Both are totally viable, so I stuck with the fun one.

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Originally Posted by SummonerSenah

I disagree that gladiator is better for new tanks than marauder. Paladin may be easier than warrior, but at low levels I think marauder is the way to go. Gladiator at low levels has a harder time keeping aggro even if you're doing everything you're supposed to, so if you start with gld it can be discouraging. I think if you start out as marauder and learn the dungeons and pulls, it will make it easier to do on gladiator.

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Sure, it's easier to keep aggro. No one can fault Marauder for that, but at the same time you have ZERO defense buffs. You might as well be a squishy Dragoon for all the help you're giving to the poor WHM. This makes it much harder to do larger pulls and survive. At low levels you don't have the bonus to HP restoration, nor any skills which regen HP aside from Second Wind from monk and a weak HP gain from Bloodbath.

Furthermore, to actually keep aggro at those low levels you'll be using Overpower a lot. This eats up TP like crazy. Until I played Marauder I *never* ran out out of TP in lower levels dungeons, but when I was tanking I found it happened consistently.

I found tanking on Marauder much harder than on PLD for that reason alone. A good player won't have many issues keeping aggro using Flash at low levels anyway, so it's rarely as much of an issue compared to survivability.

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Originally Posted by Lemuria

I found tanking on Marauder much harder than on PLD for that reason alone. A good player won't have many issues keeping aggro using Flash at low levels anyway, so it's rarely as much of an issue compared to survivability.

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This is why you cross class Flash at low levels. And if you're abusing OP, either your DPS are targeting different enemies(which happens way too often in low level dungeons) or you're doing something wrong. One OP and changing targets during the enmity combo worked just fine for me, with the occasional Flash just to be certain.

Oh, thanks for the replies, everyone! It still seems like most people agree that WAR is more fun with a bit more to pay attention to while PLD is your more straight forward 'sword and shield' tank. Which is really helpful! I'm going to level PLD for bit until I'm more proficient in tanking and then give WAR a try. Still thinking WAR is going to be my favorite of the two in the end. Lots of helpful points here too! :)

Warrior for life. More than 1 combo, great defense, fun cd's when managed properly, and they look badass.

Paladin is steady and reliable. I found it pretty boring, though. About the only thing you get to spice up your moveset is Spirits Within. Low risk, low reward.

Warrior is way easier to mess up at, but I find the extra options and slightly increased emphasis on careful TP management a lot more fun. High risk, high reward.

I've got to admit that this thread makes me want to reroll warrior, just for trying out.

Out of curiosity, would PLD gears be compatible with WAR's attributes requirement - - Are they both able to share the same set of gears? Exclude weapon, of cause.

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Originally Posted by Lakuma

I've got to admit that this thread makes me want to reroll warrior, just for trying out.

Out of curiosity, would PLD gears be compatible with WAR's attributes requirement - - Are they both able to share the same set of gears? Exclude weapon, of cause.

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Except for their af and i90 armors they share all the same equipment.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/bth.gif

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Originally Posted by TheMax1087

Except for their af and i90 armors they share all the same equipment.

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Thanks for the answer mate :P Will be rerolling into WAR once I'm off work today

BTW, what's AF? Did search online and it seems to be set gears. Was it level 50 exclusive?

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Originally Posted by Lakuma

I've got to admit that this thread makes me want to reroll warrior, just for trying out.

Out of curiosity, would PLD gears be compatible with WAR's attributes requirement - - Are they both able to share the same set of gears? Exclude weapon, of cause.

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They have access to the same gear, but we've learned that the PLD doesn't need to pursue parry as a serious concern; with a good shield, a PLD can depend on block. WAR only has parry, but most WARs don't pursue it because they'd rather focus on DPS (them big numbers on inner beast during unchained/berserk combo are intoxicating) and leave their HP to defiance, inner beasts, and their healers.

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Originally Posted by Lakuma

Thanks for the answer mate :P Will be rerolling into WAR once I'm off work today

BTW, what's AF? Did search online and it seems to be set gears. Was it level 50 exclusive?

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AF is artifact gear, which is the gear that is modeled after the gear the job trainers wear.

Af is shorthand for the job specific artifact gear you get from the level 45 and 50 job quests. The i90 armors are better versions of them

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Originally Posted by Lakuma

I've got to admit that this thread makes me want to reroll warrior, just for trying out.

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Glad this got someone else interested again! I'm excited to really get into WAR as well. :)

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Originally Posted by nugglets

This is why you cross class Flash at low levels. And if you're abusing OP, either your DPS are targeting different enemies(which happens way too often in low level dungeons) or you're doing something wrong. One OP and changing targets during the enmity combo worked just fine for me, with the occasional Flash just to be certain.

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Paladin at least gets the benefit of an added Blind effect when using Flash at 20+, while Warrior is left defenseless until level 30. At least, unless you count Foresight. I don't, as I've never seen it make much difference to the damage taken, even on a level 50 Paladin.

I CC Flash on Marauder, and can keep aggro relatively well, but considering that the one benefit they have at low levels (Overpower) is such a TP guzzling move, it's not a particularly great incentive to use it too often. That means you're basically a Monk with Flash for all the help you're giving the party in terms of defense.

Have only gotten my paladin at endgame thus far. Leveling the marauder feels like such a drag, and the endgame abilities also don't really entice me to do so. Will eventually get it there. However consider it unlikely to use it over my paladin. Much rather hope for SE to introduce a viable self-healing tank instead. Has always been my preferred method of tanking. Started out as tanking high priest in Ragnarok Online, was glad to see the introduction of the death knight in WoW. So can only hope for a similar possibility to be introduced in FFXIV.

I've leveled both and I personally prefer WAR.

PAL was so difficult to level in the early dungeons for me, I'd stay on top of my rotation, flash, and provoke until kingdom come and I still had problems keeping consistent hate on everything that was thrown at my group...the struggle was real. There are a couple in my fc who main PAL's and they are such awesome tanks and know the class so well. The damage mitigation tools of the PAL easily make up for their lack of a massive tank health pool. I main a SCH and the PAL and SCH work so well together.

WAR is a nice brute force play style that can take the hits AND give them out, with a heavy reliance on class competence to be able to use skill combos to work with a large health pool to be able to mitigate damage. My advice is try both and see what play style you prefer.

That being said, I look forward to the dark knight's play style and how it differs from these two :O

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Originally Posted by Melinabean0

Gist: Heavy is terrible!

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Between the two tanks, heavy removal is where Paladin has the advantage. It has Tempered Will, which gets rid of it. So if you hate the affliction Heavy THAT MUCH, then I recommend PLD. PLD is also more versatile when it comes to delivering status afflictions, whereas WAR is overall more maim-y. WAR is also more combo heavy than PLD (you have like, two combos on PLD, and one you rarely use). But I think PLD has more of the tactical edge, being that it has Silence (Spirits Within), Stun (Shield Bash, but WAR also has this, except it's not on GCD), Pacification (Shield Swipe). Also, Hallowed Ground is loads of fun. Though I feel less involved as a PLD than WAR, I feel more strategic. After all, even in the days of Darklight, Paladins were capable of soloing bosses like Chimera (without anyone aiding in stunning/silencing). WAR, however, is easiest when controlling the hate on several mobs. PLD can keep hate, but it's a tad more difficult.

neither. Dark Knight FTW :D

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Originally Posted by Leira_Raine

PLD can keep hate, but it's a tad more difficult.

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So much more easier after flash and circle got buffed, if you havn't tried it since patch you might wanna give it a go, I'd say AoE enmity now rivals that of WAR if not Surpasses.