Job Tweak Suggestions Tank Roles

Hello there, I made a post giving my idea of future DPS tweaks so I also wanted to give my opinion on Tanks & Healers as well. Tell me what you think please.

Warrior:
Heavy Swing - TP cost been reduced to 60 TP.
Overpower - Has increased Enmity.

Paladin:
Cover - Now has it's cooldown decreased to 90 seconds.
Flash - Has increased Enmity.

Dark Knight:
Living Dead - During the Walking Dead effect, HP only needs to be 50% restored before the effect ends. Also have an icon above the Tank or certain animation to let healers be more aware of the walking dead debuff phase.
Unleash - Has increased Enmity.

Why increase AOE enmity? Also, Warrior already has infinite TP. If anything, they should increase some of their costs (they shouldn't though TP is stupid). I guess Cover at 90 second duration would mean that the one time per raid tier you get to use it, it comes off cooldown slightly faster.

PLD:

Rush to Judgement - Paladin rushes forward with shield raised blocking and redirecting a % of melee, ranged, or magic attacks for 6 secs. Increased enmity while in ShO stance.

Enmity upgrades aren't needed.

PLD:
Flash is now replaced with an actual AoE attack that does 100 potency damage per cast.

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Originally Posted by Kitfox

Flash is now replaced with an actual AoE attack that does 100 potency damage per cast.

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One major problem with this is that MP isn't actually a resource that you are required to manage on PLD. At the moment, the limiting factor on Flash's use is the fact that it costs you dps to use. If you take that away, it becomes free to spam wantonly, as there's no punishment for bottoming out like there is for WAR or DRK. It's also intrinsically cheaper than Unleash, the spell that you are copying.

PLD does need a better AoE toolkit, but the skills should probably be TP based if you want them to be resource limited. If you wanted to introduce in an MP based AoE move like say Banish III, there would need to be some other limiting cost (i.e. cast time) to offset its use. You could then perhaps tie that in to block procs to shorten cast times.

DRK/WAR don't need increased enmity. WAR doesn't have issue with TP, PLD/DRK do. Cover needs to block all types of damage, not a CD decrease (as of now, it's a really niche usage). Living Dead is a QoL but not needed. If you are discussing about LD, might as well drag Holmgang in too since they are under the same category.

Holmgang doesn't kill you when the effect ends. We've learned to work around LD, but that doesn't mean that 3.2's stat re-balancing didn't have a significant adverse effect on the skill.

I'd like to see Runic from FF6 implemented as the magical counterpart to Cover (i.e. redirect next spell to yourself, gain MP based on its cost).

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Originally Posted by Lyth

One major problem with this is that MP isn't actually a resource that you are required to manage on PLD. At the moment, the limiting factor on Flash's use is the fact that it costs you dps to use. If you take that away, it becomes free to spam wantonly, as there's no punishment for bottoming out like there is for WAR or DRK. It's also intrinsically cheaper than Unleash, the spell that you are copying.

PLD does need a better AoE toolkit, but the skills should probably be TP based if you want them to be resource limited. If you wanted to introduce in an MP based AoE move like say Banish III, there would need to be some other limiting cost (i.e. cast time) to offset its use. You could then perhaps tie that in to block procs to shorten cast times.

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Just increase the MP cost a little bit if it's a problem. You still don't want to constantly bottom out to be able to switch Oaths and what not.

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Originally Posted by Kitfox

Just increase the MP cost a little bit if it's a problem. You still don't want to constantly bottom out to be able to switch Oaths and what not.

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iirc flash uses more mp than unleash

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Originally Posted by ADVSS

iirc flash uses more mp than unleash

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Unleash costs 795 mp or 11,5% of the mp pool.
Flash costs 707 mp or 13,6% of the mp pool.
(no party bonuses)

Though I feel like Heavy Swing may as well join the other tanks at a 60-TP opener, there's really 0 need, since Warrior makes up for it with free Stack-spender skills and Deliverance-Equilibrium.
Similarly, Overpower is already one of the highest enmity outputs in the game. It doesn't need a further increased enmity modifier. All that would end up doing is ensure that people use it over Tomahawk to secure enmity upon approach.

What I do feel like Warrior needs is a revision to Defiance, allowing its healing taken multiplier to affect abilities. This was the case when all healer abilities were %HP (Lustrate and Benediction), but it has since been relatively nerfed due to Lustrate's change to potency and the addition of other healing abilities, none of which are covered by Defiance.

I can understand SE's unwillingness to have abilities like Synastry or Divine Seal affect healing Abilities, as those abilities would otherwise be stuck within the windows of those buffs for optimal usage, reducing their freedom and readiness, but having healing taken modifiers like Defiance, Mantra, and Convalescence only affect healing Spells seems wrong.

I'll take the cover CD reduction, sure. Though that bit may need to stay out of PvP.

Unleash similarly doesn't need an enmity increase. You already have a 20% stronger option in the form of Abyssal Drain. (AD = .12345 potency per MP, whereas Unleash = .12579 potency per MP. There is, effectively, no difference in efficiency.) The only reason we keep Unleash on our bars after getting AD is that we can't cast AD on ourselves; often enough a given mob may be out of range from another's AD radius, but not from the self-centered Unleash radius.

The most reasonable change to counter the adverse affects of LD with increased Vitality (or simply, gear) would be to average the requirement with the max HP that would be present on a i145 or i160 full-Vit DRK. Cuts the adverse scaling effects by half. A reduction such as your suggested 50% would also work, of course, albeit with an unintended buff at lower gear levels. Ideally I'd just like SE to see again if they can create a system for negative HP, as Living Dead always seemed have been intended for.



Brief counter-suggestions:

• Consider reworking evasion systems from scratch come 4.0. Should aim to create synergy, rather than potential conflicts, between blocks, parries, dodges, and enemy accuracy reductions.
  
  
• Consider severe reworking of GLD and PLD for 4.0.
• Cover CD reduced from 120 seconds to 90 seconds.
• Flash enmity now scales with Fight or Flight.
• Spirits Within now self-heals for an amount equal to the potency lost to its attack. (At 33% HP, would deal 100 potency and heal for 200 potency.)
  
  
• "Healing magic" now includes healing done by healing Abilities.
• Defiance-Equilibrium healing reduced by 20%. (10% less normally, 5% greater when stacked with Convalescence.)
  
• Fracture potency over time increased from 20 to 25. Total potency increased from 220 to 250 base, or from 300 to 350 traited. TP cost increased to 90. (Efficiency nearly equal at 2.77 from 2.75 TP per potency.)
• Deliverance damage dealt modifier reduced from 5% to 3%, but critical strike chance increased from 2% per stack to 3% per stack.

  Increased urgency in Warrior rotations. Dragoon now has at least some small reason to use Fracture, situationally, when out of BotD rotation. Monk dps and TP consumption increased. Fracture is now always the superior DoT solo choice over ToD if the target won't live for more than 18 seconds longer.

  
  
  
• Dark Dance now also grants an increased parry chance equal to half the %HP the attack against you would have done if unmitigated. Only one parry can be guaranteed.
• Souleater now generates 50% of damage as healing regardless of stance. The Soul Devourer trait causes Souleater to also generate 50% of damage as shielding when in Grit.
• Grit MP cost reduced by 50%.
• The healing requirement to dispel Walking Dead has been averaged with 15000 for characters over level 60. (This is within racial stat dependent range of an i145 level 60.)
• Sole Survivor may now also be used on an ally, diverting half your parry chance and self-healing to the target based. Any parries made by either will trigger on-parry effects for both. If either dies during the effect, the other gains 20% of maximum MP and %HP. (Any overhealing at either end will go to the other. Strength of parries granted are based on your own stats and effects. Effects such as Dark Dance's guaranteed parry work off both you and the target.)
• Sole Survivor cooldown reduced from 120 seconds to 90 seconds.

  Sole Survivor now functions as a much lesser alternate Cover and a way to proc Reprisal as the OT. Cooldown now meets a multiple of Reprisal's.

At level 60, Unleash costs 795 MP. Flash costs 707 MP.

You don't need the option to switch oath at a moment's notice. If you need to swap following Flash spam, you'd burn through your MP leaving about 900 MP in reserve. If not, you'd just burn through it all and wait for it to regenerate with GB combos on every mob. What does it matter if you hit 0 MP on PLD? It's not like you lose 15% of your outgoing damage and lose access to a large part of your toolkit like you do on DRK. There's no comparison.

If Flash does damage, it should cost TP. That's a resource that you'd actually care about on PLD.

Delirium could be more utilized if we had the ability to make Dark Arts add a different effect to it, without making it some kind of crazy OP skill like most people want? Just something to discuss. IDK if I have any ideas as to what it may be instead, but I was thinking something similar to Storm's Path (10% global damage reduction from the target) for the same duration as the INT down currently is (20sec). Give it a risk/reward for more actively managing your MP through DA usage. About the only major change I would want to the class.

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Originally Posted by Lyth

At level 60, Unleash costs 795 MP. Flash costs 707 MP.

You don't need the option to switch oath at a moment's notice. If you need to swap following Flash spam, you'd burn through your MP leaving about 900 MP in reserve. If not, you'd just burn through it all and wait for it to regenerate with GB combos on every mob. What does it matter if you hit 0 MP on PLD? It's not like you lose 15% of your outgoing damage and lose access to a large part of your toolkit like you do on DRK. There's no comparison.

If Flash does damage, it should cost TP. That's a resource that you'd actually care about on PLD.

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Then PLD would need massively better TP management, look at everything WAR has. PLD runs out of TP way faster than the other two tanks already as it is. By far the easiest way to fix PLD would be to have a MP costing AoE in place of Flash and just balance the cost/potency properly. Yes, meta says that Clemency and Stoneskin are useless and pointless, but those are still things that can't be used if you bottom out on your mana.

The usage is exactly the same as DRK. You spam your hate AoE until you're fairly low on mp and then start cycling your mp combo. Yes, DRK has MP drain and Darkside, but those don't really change how you would use the abilities, not to mention DRK has way more tools for regenerating mana.

Change the Dart Arts Power Slash effect to increased magic dmg taken or something because that is the one thing I or any Drk should ever waste their Dark Arts on. Change Delirium to reduce magic dmg taken by 10% instead of having it tied to INT like MNK so it can stack might be a little OP but i'd rather have utility Drk lacks severe utility. Or have a Cover like ability called "Blood Link" where you link yourselves to 3-4 party members in a 25 yard range to transfer % dmg to the Drk instead (can be magical or physical) this means they'd have to change PLDs cover to physical and magical as well giving them both options.

For 4.0 I hope they give us more tank stats like Dodge, Parry, Block, Set bonuses, that are worth a damn and retool them, but now i'm just being too optimistic, the stats in this game while simple are just meh at the end of the day.

Didn't think I get so many responses so fast! This is awesome! :D I wanted Heavy's Swing TP cost to match Paladin's and Dark Knight's first skill TP cost. As for their AOEs having more enmity, I notice on levels 50 and below, there are times where players still have issues controlling enmity. When this happens, they often tend spam their AOEs way too often and losing MP or TP. So with the increase enmity, they wouldn't have to AOE as often as before and focus more on their single rotations. But that is just my experience and my personal opinion on what I wouldn't mind seeing patch notes before 4.0. Keep giving me your thoughts and ideas on what you would want to see or wouldn't want to see. :)

Paladin:

• Clemency: Mana-cost reduced to half.
• Raise (cross skill): can be used during battle

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Originally Posted by Caitlyn

Paladin:

• Clemency: Mana-cost reduced to half.
• Raise (cross skill): can be used during battle

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Clemency already has the per-minute healing output of Inner Beast and Defiance-Equilibrium combined. It just takes up uptime where the other two do not. It can also be affected by Convalescence while self-healing Abilities (Abilities, as opposed to Spells) or damage-to-healing abilities cannot. It takes about 30 seconds as an OT using GB only every third combo to return its full mana cost, giving you about 2400 (+ Conv/Mantra/Defiance modifiers) potency per minute. Shelltron instantly restores about half of that, giving you about 3 casts, or 3600 potency of healing, per minute. Inner Beast gives only a maximum of 1200 potency, including use of Infuriate, and Equilibrium a maximum of 1200 potency per minute. Both essentially require the MT position to maximize healing, but ultimately it takes WAR's traited Bloodbath (compared to PLD's half duration usage) to bring the two jobs close in healing potential. Until then, PLD's healing is greatly superior because of its relatively low mana limitations as is.

Consider also: reducing the MP cost to half would mean you cast the ability 5 times in a row, or produce 6000 potency of healing (plus additional modifiers) over 10 seconds. You could practically fend for yourself while a Summoner hard rezzes each of your healers.

Wow I see a lot of interesting Tank ideas here. Hopefully the staff of FFXIV will see some of these and maybe decide to use them in future patches :D Keep giving me more of your opinions and what you would like to see in future patches!

Flaah - a dot that transfer all eminity to the caster Dot timer 9 secs this effect can only be used every 2 mins. Note that flash is still 2.5 secs only the effect will be on cd. Still has the blind effect but blind is not on cd

I been thinking of adding DA to shadow wall to increase mitigation to 40% (making it equal to traited Sentinel doesn't too broken.

This is just awesome! I didn't think I see so many different ideas for Tanks here. Keep showing more of your opinions and ideas of what you will like to see before patch 4.0 :D

Give. Paladin. A. Gun.

That's more dark knight's thing, really. Gotta lose the left hand for it though.

Agreed. Hand-, erm... cannons, belong with big swords. On Paladins it'd just make for passive/pavise play.

I agree that the AOE tank pull skills (Circle of Scorn, Unleash, Overpower) could really use an enmity buff.

More than that though...I'd like WAR's Overpower to be a circular AOE like PLD's and DRK's. All three can borrow Flash, but given WAR's tiny MP pool and no MP restores like PLD and DRK, I feel that's a smidge unfair. Previously WAR were the dps-style-tanks, but now are all vit like the others, and could really use some help with mob-gather-skills compared to the other two.

Overpower and Unleash don't need any further buffs. Why do people insist that these 2 skills need more when Flash is barely acceptable? WAR only uses Flash if you need a 360 degree aoe, other than that, while you are pacified you can also use that. Unfair? Not sure about that. WAR already has Overpower that is definitely better than Flash.

VIT change was for the better. Tanks were creeping into the DPS territory really easily and that's a huge issue.

The game for tanks is already really easy at this stage. If any, buffing the aoe enmity is an extreme way to dumb down the players even more.

HAVE you tanked before in lvl60 contents? You don't suddenly become so good at tanking after doing levelling and just a few lvl60 contents. Too small of a sample size. There is seriously no issue with tanks unable to hold aggro, unless if you are like i160 vs full i240s. Not to mention you can already get i210s so easily.

even if VIT change was for the "better"(I dont feel that way but to each their own) It never solved the issue that tanks were reliant on 2 main stats as opposed to every other role or job, they should have just made it scale to vit , instead of hybrid strength still into it. My opinion of course.

Id still go for a slight reduction in clemency cost not a huge one, be cool with battle raise for pld. have fllash naturally blind and trait it for damage- make it a cross class skill that might have a function besides WAR zerk
have soul eater steal half mp out of grit and full in grit (bloodweapon in grit, yeah i know its an unpopular one to support dont care), a way to pop reprisal in OT or at will when its off cd.

I do agree the stat weighting is wonky but it works just fine. It's only a problem when people think it's so good to miss so much HP for a very slight DPS up, healers must hate them for sure. Nevertheless perhaps they will change that in 4.0. They will have to readjust the weight of VIT to compensate for the loss of STR from the LHS gear if they do decide they want to simplify the stat weighting for tanks.

Clemency only needs its cast to be 100% cast, it's kinda dumb that your cast can end up getting cancelled multiple times while tanking which is why most raiders doing PLD only cast Clemency in downtimes or just in an emergency to help out the weakness-ed member survive. Battle ress is a cool one but I feel it's not something PLD needs to compete a slot vs DRK/WAR. Not to mention you are gonna channel ress for so long and attacks to you can actually cancel it.

Flash is on the weak side for area effect. I do hope they at least have a plan to give more enmity to match Overpower/Unleashed.

DRK is on the other spectrum since you are practically encouraged to sport Grit-less tanking for that huge mana gain

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

[*]Consider severe reworking of GLD and PLD for 4.0.

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Why ? Any suggestions for 4.0 ?

warrior
1.berserk:remove the pacification debuff and increase the berserk duration to 40 second and reduce it's cooldown to 60 seconds
2.vengeance:increase the damage reduction to 50%, the damage reflection potency to 100 and increase the duration to 30 second and reduce it's cooldown to 60 second
3.deliverance:increase the damage increase to 20%,increase critical hit rate by 10 %a per bandon stack and every fell cleave is guaranteed crit hit
4.thrill of battle:increase the maximum HP from 20 to 40 % and increase it's duration to 60 second and reduce the cooldown to 90 seconds
5.defiance:remove the damage reduction,increase the HP to 40% and every inner beast is guaranteed crit hit

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

Consider severe reworking of GLD and PLD for 4.0.

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What is wrong with Paladin outside of its AOE damage potential (which should be buffed to...actually have it)?

I'm partial most to an Enhanced Parry trait for tanks present and future, unlocked at level 20, unique for each one. (like to add 2cents where i can)

****parry buffs that won't happen but a boy can dream*****

Enhanced Parry (Warrior)
+15% Attack Speed for the next GCD (and remaining GCD) on Parry Proc

[* Every DPS/Tank already has every incentive to keep their GCD wheel spinning. If WAR parries an attack while their GCD is idle (not spinning), they only receive the +15% increased GCD speed for 1 GCD. But if the GCD wheel is already spinning when the Parry procs, then the remaining amount of current GCD spin is increased as well the next. So instead of just 1 GCD it's 1.x GCDs. Raw Intuition gets a lot more interesting. I think it's a suitable identity and play mechanic for the 'Berserker' job. Goad please.]

Enhanced Parry (Paladin)
When parrying an attack, the next Weaponskill will inflict a critical hit.

[* Pretty cookie-cutter, but Crit is king.]

Enhanced Parry(Dark Knight)
When parrying an attack, MP is restored.

[* Either same or fraction of the amount of a Blood Price MP restore. DRK doesn't learn Blood Price until a higher level, so this will help at lower levels. Parry mechanic works as a passive Blood Price trait. Dark Dance becomes even more versatile.]

**** ****

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Originally Posted by Instrumentality

What is wrong with Paladin outside of its AOE damage potential (which should be buffed to...actually have it)?

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I think the purpose of the shield needs to be redefined, personally. The Low Blow reset chance of Parry procs on Dark Knights for example, for me that makes more sense as mechanic for shields, shield block RNG procs, and Paladins (being a DRK, I'm not complaining tho!).

That Swipe adjustment was disappointing for me - redeeming strictly on grounds of being made oGCD. But I thought they could have been more creative (and still can be in the future) for different types block proc triggers and perks.

A slightly faster GCD would be appreciated, just to contrasts PLD from DRK/WAR and other 2 handed weapon users (which essentially all other jobs are, since SE hates 1-handed WHM/BLM). But in making a change so integral like that they'd have to retouch the entire kit, WS potencies, TP costs, etc. I think that's what they refer to as a severe reworking. Changes so core that they may require adjustments for everything else down the pipe.

Also would like Block Strength to fluctuate based on damage amounts relative to PLD attack power (version of the Strength scaling of Block strength in 2.x that isn't linear, and wouldn't become OP like it would have if they had kept it. Instead of removing it - why not fix it ; ; ).

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Originally Posted by Instrumentality

What is wrong with Paladin outside of its AOE damage potential (which should be buffed to...actually have it)?

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Chiefly unique means of creating interesting gameplay outside of its choice utilities. Originally this was a non-concern in that it was the quintessential tank. Now that it is not, or is certainly not unique in that lineup, I feel it needs a bit more to feel fleshed out as a class/job. I also just feel like there's a huge amount of yet untapped potential it could use.

Edit: For instance, in line with the evasion/deflection (RNG mitigation) system revisions I suggested, you could make it so blinding not only increases dodge chance, but makes it easier for you to block and parry blinded enemies, in other words opening them up to a variety of your tools rather than just chunkily increasing RNG mitigation. You can allow dodges, blocks, and parries to stack to some degree (the block reduces damage dealt, rather flatly, the parry reduces enemy accuracy based on your own and your AP, and your evasion decreases [tapers off] the portion of damage to be taken from the attack—unique but simultaneous systems with greater gameplay and priority differentiation). You can, unique to GLD/PLD, allow dodges, blocks, and parries to perhaps hit nearby enemies upon having missed or glanced off of you, based on the amount RNG-mitigated and your positioning. Awareness can be adjusted to not only reduce critical strike chance against you (and many may rejoice if the CD was reduced to 90s by default), but in GLD/PLD's case allow parries behind you. Or, Awareness may even be made something else entirely, while enemy crits are no longer automatically immune to blocks and parries. All's up for grabs, as long as it creates compelling gameplay in which the three tanks remain balanced. (Now, of course, with the above changes you'd also want some new limiter to mob turning speeds and behavior as not to play havoc on melee positionals when you're making mobs tear each other a new one in a very GLD-unique form of AoE.)

Some (to me) attractive but entirely rough spitball concepts:

• Redirecting attacks (a unique source of AoE damage, or one that GLD/PLD most excels in due to its greater control over its RNG mitigation sources).
• Tank/DPS stances as... neither, and both. E.g. Sword Oath can have particular uses in parrying and suppressing, while Shield Oath can still dish out a mean ton of additional shield-based damage, offering alternate suppression and cover in the OT position.
• Can 'daze' (a new, no-DR effect) following a block/parry of x% of the original damage (see below), reducing their resistance to your next attack within, say, 1 second.
• Direct CD synergy, including on the cooling rates themselves. Certain skills, procs, or effects may advanced certain CD timers. This should be used in order to create tactical thought between immediate and long-term choices, not just to embonus uptime.
• Whatever looks like an AoE, is to some regard an AoE. (PLD would probably have the least power in this concept, making up for it only with greater Attack Redirection, but can nonetheless line up mobs into a single RoH, alternate right and left cleaves with FB and SB, cut between enemies with RA, or even, say, cumulatively spread debuffs in its 450-degree spin starting from 270-degrees.) [That last bit standing as an example of too extreme of geometric effects.]
• Channeled mitigation skills - Shield full out there, meant more for taking many smaller attacks than being an obligatory save from tank-busters. Has its own recharge rate to reach full effect again. Offers certain tanks, at certain times, a playstyle slightly divorced from the GCD-locked gameplay of the rest of the game.
• Flex systems, perhaps through AP absorbed creating bonus AP over the next X duration, or even bonus attack speed. In this way, a channeled mitigation skill, if deemed core to the job's identity and used skillfully, doesn't necessarily upset your rotations or damage dealing. You feel like a tank, who will prioritize like a tank, but not like a "turtle" who has to sacrifice any other real gameplay for those especially tank-ish options when used.
• Accuracy, rather than damage itself, now carries the +/- 5% maximum deviation. Accuracy now determines damage, tapering off exponentially with missing accuracy. The soft-cap for accuracy has decreased. Its hard cap has faintly increased. (Real implications below)
• RNG mitigation systems are no longer static scalars, nor mutually exclusive. They now remove a combination of flat and percentile damage based on the tank's attack power, their accuracy, and enemy accuracy. Blocks remove flat damage based on attack power and shield type. Parries reduce enemy accuracy based on the tank's attack power relative to the attack's would-be damage (technically, a flat amount [AP] creates a flat reduction, through exponential percentage mitigation [lost accuracy]). Evasion offsets enemy accuracy, reducing [truly] percentage damage taken [relative to enemy accuracy]. This means that none are individually likely to be too strong or weak and all may be much more reliable now that they now longer give all or none of their mitigation.
• As a result, certain skills that would decrease enemy damage through stat reduction, %damage reduction, or blinding now have additional synergy (rather than occasional reverse-synergy) with dependent and alternative skills. Rage of Halone not only weakens the original blow, but allows an additional percentage (albeit the same flat amount) to be reduced by the following parry or block, while Flash or DA-DP would increase the relative effects of evasion or parries.
• Certain 'suppressive' weaponskills, like Rage of Halone or Delirium have had the systems they affect adjusted slightly such that these weaponskills now also have some offensive merit. Put simply, some mobs are better able to now defend themselves, but those defenses can be weakened by such weaponskills because of the above changes. For instance, enemies may be more able to block or parry; Rage of Halone, by reducing enemy strength, reduces the AP by which they could affect yours and your allies attacks with either, while also reducing the health they'd generate with AP-based self healing abilities.

Some spitball skill revision ideas as directly applicable to PLD:

• Royal Authority itself now generates some attack speed, stacking up to three times, but each stack fading individually. RA's own damage decreases per stack. (Essentially, this opens up a couple new rotational possibilities in combination with the fillers below, allowing for more tactical gameplay that might wait until a stack is about to fall off, readying a burst of speed, and then secure the next two stacks. Whether RA is spammed or used individually, its damage over time remains the same. Its only true internal re-balancing is higher enmity output from more frequent Savage Blade uses.)
• Shield Swipe no longer requires a block, but only functions off-GCD following block, and cannot do so again for 15 seconds. This cooldown shows over the ability, even while still available only as a weaponskill. This allows for filler in the OT rotation, and gives the GLD/PLD more readied access to Pacification. Shelltron remains a damage-augmenter at worst.
• Your Oaths are now charged abilities that generate an additional effect and its duration over their charge time of 1/2 to 2 GCDs. Sword Oath generates attack speed, Shield Oath generates additional defense and builds 'blocked' resource.
• The base effect of Sword Oath has been changed to grant Crusade. Each attack you use without a combo bonus generates stacks of Crusade. Crusade allows you, at stack cost based on combo position and steps skipped, to skip parts of a given combo, or duplicate your last attack, without losing the combo bonus. Damage (direct) or duration (DoT) of Crusade-affected skills face some reduced damage. Used optimally, the value of Sword Oath in single-target should be around 14%. In a cleave situation, it may be far superior. Though the simple idea of a stack system is already used by Warrior, that in itself is far from a redundancy. What Crusade allows should be a yet unique form of accelerated gameplay.
• Shield Oath now also allows you to store blocked damage as a resource, empowering and allowing you to cleave with your shield skills. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

It sounds like you want Paladin from Cata/Panda era WoW to be directly ported over to XIV?

That could be ok, I guess.

I am still low level but here is what I feel I would change if I was designing the game.
Gladiator/Paladin
Move Flash to it's own cool down counter so it can be weaved in between each step of your attack and make it so that it doesn't break a combo chain. Than change the additional effect to be dependent on your stance, if in Sword oath let it do some damage, in Shield Oath let it Blind. Enhanced Flash should up the enmity generated.

Possibly have Sword Oath increase the rate of Auto attack as well as the damage (Only just got my Paladin class so haven't had much time to play with this skill yet. Though the attack does feel slow for the damage it does without the stance on.)

Marauder/Warrior
Change from Pugilist as the second subclass to Lancer. Than maybe add a chance to Dodge to Enhanced Foresight. Or leave it as Pugilist and add a boosted chance to Parry to Enhanced Foresight. Though the reason I think Lancer would be better is that would allow me to use Feint slowing the targets attack and letting the Dragoon focus on Damage since we don't have the ability to stun lock; ok and I won't lie Invigorate would be nice too and keep me from having to go on conserve mode with TP in a few fights I have done so far.

Have Overload stay as a cone damage but allow them to generate enmity in a circle. This would allow the need to cross class Flash to end, though lowering the damage and moving it to the global cooldown would be really nice as well with this change letting it replace flash.

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Originally Posted by Instrumentality

It sounds like you want Paladin from Cata/Panda era WoW to be directly ported over to XIV?

That could be ok, I guess.

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Not remotely.

Retribution Aura does not allow you to use enemy attacks to strike other nearby enemies; it merely deals flat damage per hit, excelling only against numerous light blows. Prot PLD could daze, but this did not increase vulnerability or decrease evasion, let alone against the set PLD specifically (what you see with Warrior's CS, etc.). WoW PLD has no combos; it's a whack-a-mole CD priority rotation. WoW PLD makes few if any compromises. Prot PLD itself required at that time (and still does, imo) little foresight, whereas the above suggestions would desire considerable setup. WoW PLD has no weapon-prioritizing stances. Cata's Vengeance bonus tank AP mechanics were based on base damage taken, iirc, not just mitigated. I don't recall any way (until Legion Holy PLD) that positioning could have an effect through unique class mechanics. Cata/Mists PLD merely had Holy Power stacks generated from filler to be spent on a variety of nukes (much more freely than our combos), not differentiatiable resource stacking for accelerated outputs (Sword Oath above) or readied defenses/utility (Shield Oath above).

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Originally Posted by KXZelgadis

Move Flash to it's own cool down counter so it can be weaved in between each step of your attack and make it so that it doesn't break a combo chain.

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Flash, like Unleash, doesn't reset your combo. AD and Overpower are the AoE moves that do.

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Originally Posted by KXZelgadis

Possibly have Sword Oath increase the rate of Auto attack as well as the damage (Only just got my Paladin class so haven't had much time to play with this skill yet. Though the attack does feel slow for the damage it does without the stance on.)

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The tooltip for Sword Oath is a bit misleading. It adds an extra 50 potency auto-attack immediately following every auto-attack you make. If you watch the combat text, you'll see two hits occur every time you swing your weapon.

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Originally Posted by KXZelgadis

I won't lie Invigorate would be nice too and keep me from having to go on conserve mode with TP in a few fights I have done so far.

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At level 58, you'll get Equilibrium, which is significantly better and doesn't cost you a cross-class slot. Cross-class invigorate gives you 400 TP every 120 seconds. Equilibrium gives you a choice: either get 200 TP or an instant 1200 potency self-heal every 60 seconds, depending on what stance you're in. It's probably the most broken skill in the entire kit.

The other reason why people tend to be interested in the Lancer cross-class skills is Blood for Blood.

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Originally Posted by KXZelgadis

I am still low level but here is what I feel I would change if I was designing the game.
Gladiator/Paladin
Move Flash to it's own cool down counter so it can be weaved in between each step of your attack and make it so that it doesn't break a combo chain.

Marauder/Warrior
Change from Pugilist as the second subclass to Lancer. Than maybe add a chance to Dodge to Enhanced Foresight. Or leave it as Pugilist and add a boosted chance to Parry to Enhanced Foresight. Though the reason I think Lancer would be better is that would allow me to use Feint slowing the targets attack and letting the Dragoon focus on Damage since we don't have the ability to stun lock; ok and I won't lie Invigorate would be nice too and keep me from having to go on conserve mode with TP in a few fights I have done so far.

Have Overload stay as a cone damage but allow them to generate enmity in a circle. This would allow the need to cross class Flash to end, though lowering the damage and moving it to the global cooldown would be really nice as well with this change letting it replace flash.

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Not having an AOE enmity generator on the GCD is a bad idea as you won't have it when you need it. Also, flash does not break a combo.

Adding Lancer to Warrior is just asking for trouble as it gives them access to Blood for Blood, a skill you don't want your tanks to have (25% extra damage is alot of extra unnecessary damage) and it'll be even worse in the hands of a below average warrior who will use it without thought. As for feint, it won't work on anything of significance endgame, so it's pointless to consider, Warrior will also get access to Raw Intuition which is 100% parry rate from the front with the same cooldown as Keen Flurry. Really Lancer offers nothing to Warrior that would benefit them and add in a skill that won't be used right and will lead to tank deaths.

Warriors will also get a circle enmity generator in Steel Cyclone, but it is tied to wrath stacks. TP generating will also become alot easier as you level up, so that isn't something to worry too much about and I don't understand why you mention moving it to the GCD when it is already on the GCD.

PLD:

Clemency:
- Additional effect: Clemency can be cast instantly after a succesful Block
- slightly reduced MP cost

Flash:
- deals 50 potency

Divine Veil:
- no longer requires heal to activate
- heals all party members for 400 potency
- CD reduced to 60s

DRK:

Souleater:
- always absorbs 100% of damage dealt as HP (regardless of Grit and DA)
- absorbs 200% of damage dealt when used with DA in Grit

Dark Dance:
- Increases Parry rate by 60% when used with DA (instead of evasion)

Living Dead:
- Increased duration of walking dead from 10s to 12s (The idea is instead of a fancy and complicated new mechanic, just give healers more time to heal you up for a cleaner solution overall imo)

Abysal Drain:
- Always absorbs 25% of damage dealt as HP (when not used with DA)
- When used with DA: increased potency from 120 to 200 (still 100% of HP absorbed with DA)

Power Slash
- greatly increased enmity when used with DA
(Atm the enmity difference between both versions is miniscule. Imo they should buff it to the point that a DA PS would become an attractive option in the opener to replace further PS combos.)