Lancer or Gladiator?

Hello all, I just bought this game monday so I haven't yet had the opportunity to create a new character yet. I've played ffxi for a couple years and thoroughly enjoyed the paladin class (the tankiest tank in that game) but am looking to do something more along the lines of melee dd. The Lancer job appealed to me as it sounds like a cross between samurai and dragoon from ffxi. However, after reading the "Lancer Blues" thread it almost sounds like they aren't as sought after by parties. As paladin I didn't have much trouble finding parties in ffxi, but in ff14 I want to know... are lancers very well sought after? Are gladiators a more desirable dd in the eyes of most parties? They seem like warriors to me.

It's not a LNC problem with finding parties. That's a problem in the game period right now.

LNC is a great DD in parties. ARC is king in terms of raw damage, but LNC offers some debuffs/buffs that really make a party go smooth...and it's really not all that far behind ARC in terms of damage. Personally I really enjoy it as it's a TP machine and you're rather active during fights. NM fights is where it really shines at the moment.

Of course, all of this is going to change within the next couple of months. Just rank up all 4 DPS a bit (you'll want to for some abilities anyway) and see what tickles your fancy.