New 50 looking for help (Trash/AoE tanking + gearing)

Hello!

I hit 50 recently (2-3 days ago) and started gearing up around 45 but I'm still not sure if what I am doing is right or not. I began replacing equipment little by little (and I still feel like I am lacking a lot) but ended up spending too much on it (considering this is my second 50). I'm wondering if someone would take a look at my current equipment and probably help me know what to change first.

Main Hand: Cobalt Winglet
Offhand: Thormoen's Purpose

Head: Gallant Coronet
Body: Cobalt Cuirass (single melded +17 VIT materia)
Pants: Felt Trousers (single melded +8 STR and VIT meteria)
Hands: Gallant Gauntlets
Feet: Gallant Sollerets
Waist: Cobalt Plate Belt (single melded +21 enmity materia)

Bracelts: Coral Armillae +1
Necklace: Stonewall Choker
R.Finger: Electrum Ring
L.Finger: Amber Ring +1

I still don't have an earring (making money for it currently). Any help is appreciated :D.

Also any advice/help/techniques for AoE/Trash tanking in dungeons?

Thanks a lot!

*Quick edit* What is a safe spot for accuracy for end game?

I'm trying to think of a situation in any dungeon where you're AoE "tanking". In most cases, things are going to die too fast for you as a PLD to tank mass trash mobs. In these cases, you're just better off gathering them together then covering a BLM.

When it comes to rings, it really depends on what you're fighting, but I favor two accuracy rings just to make sure my Phalanx's land for Spirit's Within. I didn't feel I was getting very much out of my Amber Ring +1.

Your bracelets are good. Your necklace is good for the time being. See if you can get a Militia Choker. Stonewall earrings when you can. On your belt, when you can afford to, get a double enmity meld. Also meld enmity into your Cobalt Winglet if you can afford it. Can't hurt.

Personally, I use an Ul'dahn Winglet because I favor Accuracy and the additional MND and Attack doesn't hurt. Beyond that, once you start double melding armor items, you can begin replacing AF.

I use a medium cobalt set for my body and feet. (Haubergeon, Sollerets) and heavier stuff for my hands and waist (Gauntlets and Plate Belt). I also use Felt Trousers. My body, hands, feet, and legs all use double HP materia tier III and IV. I favor an HP set with a slightly lower DEF, but I feel my shield abilities make up for that loss in the long run.

My accuracy on PLD sits at about 401. Hasn't failed me yet.

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Originally Posted by Alerith

I'm trying to think of a situation in any dungeon where you're AoE "tanking". In most cases, things are going to die too fast for you as a PLD to tank mass trash mobs. In these cases, you're just better off gathering them together then covering a BLM.

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I still haven't done dungeons but I did try Natalan and I ended up losing hate a lot (my fault though, I had a very bad skill bar >_<). What I didn't think of is using cover though! Thanks for that xD. I assumed dungeons would be similar to Natalan but I guess I was wrong about that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alerith

When it comes to rings, it really depends on what you're fighting, but I favor two accuracy rings just to make sure my Phalanx's land for Spirit's Within. I didn't feel I was getting very much out of my Amber Ring +1.

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I wasn't sure if I should get another Electrum or go with Amber Ring +1 but looking at your 401 accuracy, I think I would need to replace that lol (I'm at 361 acc currently). Do you think Electrum +1 are worth it? being x10 the price I mean.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alerith

Your bracelets are good. Your necklace is good for the time being. See if you can get a Militia Choker. Stonewall earrings when you can. On your belt, when you can afford to, get a double enmity meld. Also meld enmity into your Cobalt Winglet if you can afford it. Can't hurt.

Personally, I use an Ul'dahn Winglet because I favor Accuracy and the additional MND and Attack doesn't hurt. Beyond that, once you start double melding armor items, you can begin replacing AF.

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Militia Choker and Stonewall earrings are a bit expensive for me to handle right now. How hard is it to get Militia Choker to drop in hamlet? I'm still new to the game and haven't done a single end game (except DH and baby Ifrit).

I think I might go with Ul'dahn Winglet since I already have some leftover seals I can dish out :D Thanks for that!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alerith

I use a medium cobalt set for my body and feet. (Haubergeon, Sollerets) and heavier stuff for my hands and waist (Gauntlets and Plate Belt). I also use Felt Trousers. My body, hands, feet, and legs all use double HP materia tier III and IV. I favor an HP set with a slightly lower DEF, but I feel my shield abilities make up for that loss in the long run.

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I do feel that my HP is a bit low compared to other PLDs I hear about on the forum (4k HP for example lol). My current HP is 3210. I think I will try to re-gear those I already melded so I can get HP on them. Also I will try to meld more enmity to the belt.

I don't see any suggestions about the head though, is the AF good? What about the shield? Any change I should try to make? Also in which order do you recommend that I start replacing? Should I start with the sword?.

I'm sorry for the loads of texts but I'm eager to try and learn as much as I can :D.

There is a decent guide on PLD stats and priorities, but a quick run down would be something like: get your hp to around 4k (general consensus for safety net), double meld enmity to your sword and belt asap, these 2 things and you'll be set to really tackle endgame content.

Most head slots are worthless so get what you want, however a quick and easy filler is the Militia Armet, 100% drop from 60k chest in Aleport I believe. Acc is also a personal preference, it does suck missing a phalanx at the start so DD have to wait longer. Militia choker is a sizable upgrade however unless you manage to get top 3 provisioner, its really hard trying to get this by relying only on the 60k chest (im up to 0/45).

Here is a link I found about enmity which I found interesting.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s15/s...ba9d11a2516c77

While it appears most of it deals with War, the key part is [PLD] are so much more heavily ability based meaning enmity trumps dps for pure threat since there is no known stat that increases enmity from using abilities (outside of WS's that is). I'd suggest foregoing anything with +enmity of 10 or less, as this won't make a significant impact at the start of your endgame career, unless you run with a fully developed endgame LS and need all the +enmity you can get.

AoE is Pld's weakness, I for 1 find it a ton easier to AoE tank as Gla even though they tend to be squishier. Gla can hold anything better than a War can, and both Gla and Pld suck for AoE damage.

1 last note, drop Vit and Def asap, you need to stack way too much to get a significant boost, and since Gil seems to be a hurdle for you there is no possible way you'll get enough to come out ahead. I don't suggest Vit/Def/M.eva or any of the other defensive stats until the latter parts of your build, in which you've got plenty of hp and enmity you can work with other stats.

Earrings are also up for debate, flames have a decent GC 1 if you can work in the bonus. There is also the rose gold earring 25(30)hp/15 hp but super tough to hq, stonewall for +10 enmity and decent defense, or a dated electrum should you want eva.

However it does come down to what exactly you're tanking, be it a primal where enmity and hp is needed, miser where its a burnfest, or CC (the boss not the instance) or H1's where hp n survival are key. There really isn't a "1 size fits all" tank set, but you can get by with following hp and enmity, even succeed at speed-runs.

You don't need double enmity on your belt, but honestly if it's not doubled there, then double it on a sword. With either one, you'll do just fine.

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Originally Posted by Tman

There is a decent guide on PLD stats and priorities, but a quick run down would be something like: get your hp to around 4k (general consensus for safety net), double meld enmity to your sword and belt asap, these 2 things and you'll be set to really tackle endgame content.

Most head slots are worthless so get what you want, however a quick and easy filler is the Militia Armet, 100% drop from 60k chest in Aleport I believe. Acc is also a personal preference, it does suck missing a phalanx at the start so DD have to wait longer. Militia choker is a sizable upgrade however unless you manage to get top 3 provisioner, its really hard trying to get this by relying only on the 60k chest (im up to 0/45).

Here is a link I found about enmity which I found interesting.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s15/s...ba9d11a2516c77

While it appears most of it deals with War, the key part is [PLD] are so much more heavily ability based meaning enmity trumps dps for pure threat since there is no known stat that increases enmity from using abilities (outside of WS's that is). I'd suggest foregoing anything with +enmity of 10 or less, as this won't make a significant impact at the start of your endgame career, unless you run with a fully developed endgame LS and need all the +enmity you can get.

AoE is Pld's weakness, I for 1 find it a ton easier to AoE tank as Gla even though they tend to be squishier. Gla can hold anything better than a War can, and both Gla and Pld suck for AoE damage.

1 last note, drop Vit and Def asap, you need to stack way too much to get a significant boost, and since Gil seems to be a hurdle for you there is no possible way you'll get enough to come out ahead. I don't suggest Vit/Def/M.eva or any of the other defensive stats until the latter parts of your build, in which you've got plenty of hp and enmity you can work with other stats.

Earrings are also up for debate, flames have a decent GC 1 if you can work in the bonus. There is also the rose gold earring 25(30)hp/15 hp but super tough to hq, stonewall for +10 enmity and decent defense, or a dated electrum should you want eva.

However it does come down to what exactly you're tanking, be it a primal where enmity and hp is needed, miser where its a burnfest, or CC (the boss not the instance) or H1's where hp n survival are key. There really isn't a "1 size fits all" tank set, but you can get by with following hp and enmity, even succeed at speed-runs.

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Hmm.. It seems I have a lot of regearing to do lol. I was following the Tachi's guide for PLD (I assume you mean this guide?) and it was really helpful but what confused me is seeing people give different builds everywhere. I will try to get as much HP and enmity as I can then. I will also try to get the Stonewall earrings (I did gather few hundred grands yesterday just for the earrings!). Thanks for the insight :D

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Originally Posted by Molly_Millions

You don't need double enmity on your belt, but honestly if it's not doubled there, then double it on a sword. With either one, you'll do just fine.

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I will try to get a +enmity materia on the sword then work on another +enmity mateira for the belt :D not having to do another double meld on sword (for now) is a bit reassuring! My wallet can't take that hit XD.

I actually use a belt with enmity and HP, which helps get my HP to 4k. You can't put HP on a sword.

IMO, the best advice for gearing PLD is to follow a hierarchy of materia.

Enmity > STR > MND > HP > DEF > VIT


You can get a ton of Enmity from jewelry, Sentinel's Sabatons, and non meldable gear like the militia set (which is awesome for PLD btw and can rival even triple melded gear).

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Originally Posted by Molly_Millions

I actually use a belt with enmity and HP, which helps get my HP to 4k. You can't put HP on a sword.

IMO, the best advice for gearing PLD is to follow a hierarchy of materia.

Enmity > STR > MND > HP > DEF > VIT


You can get a ton of Enmity from jewelry, Sentinel's Sabatons, and non meldable gear like the militia set (which is awesome for PLD btw and can rival even triple melded gear).

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I'm really interested in the Militia set but have no idea how to acquire it (returned to the game a month and a half and have been catching up with leveling but never did end game yet). Any information about the set?

And thanks for the materia hierarchy :D.

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Originally Posted by Efreet

I'm really interested in the Militia set but have no idea how to acquire it (returned to the game a month and a half and have been catching up with leveling but never did end game yet). Any information about the set?

And thanks for the materia hierarchy :D.

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This thread has a list of which Militia equipment drops at which Hamlet. To get a chance for most (all?) of these to drop, your party must score at least 60k. The headgear at each Hamlet is the exception, and will drop every time for a 60k+ run (Armet, Barbut, Hat). Here's a very in-depth guide on the current consistently-successful Hamlet Defense strategy.

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Originally Posted by Efreet

I'm really interested in the Militia set but have no idea how to acquire it (returned to the game a month and a half and have been catching up with leveling but never did end game yet). Any information about the set?

And thanks for the materia hierarchy :D.

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pieces of the set drop with 60k in hamlet defense. the Armet (helm) is a 100% drop from LL if you have over 60k, which is very possible without a provisioner. The chest piece is more rare, but is also from LL. I believe the gloves are from Golden Bazaar, and the feet are from Hyrstmill.

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Originally Posted by Molly_Millions

pieces of the set drop with 60k in hamlet defense. the Armet (helm) is a 100% drop from LL if you have over 60k, which is very possible without a provisioner. The chest piece is more rare, but is also from LL. I believe the gloves are from Golden Bazaar, and the feet are from Hyrstmill.

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Sorry if this is a bit offtopic but I thought I would ask here since you're speaking about Hamlet and its drops. I assume by 60k points, you mean the total at the end of the fight right? I just read a bit about Hamlet and that's what I assumed. My questions is about the Hamlet itself! How easy is it to get 60k points? And what factors how the points are calculated? How much you provide in the "preparing for fight" phase?? My friend only as a BLM and MNK leveled to 50, and from what I saw the parties only take Tanks, WHMs and DoL/DoH. Is there a way to fit him in? Also how accessible is Hamlet to someone who hasn't done any end game? I only did DH yesterday and it was 5 man and the time ran out after Ogre fight (which we did win) but that's the only real end game content I really did beside Natalan.

Sorry for the loads of questions and I appreciate everyone's help! Thank you!

60k is the minimum to get the best chest (which is always guaranteed to drop a head piece), as far as gaining points there are a huge number of factors that can both get you and lose potential points. Here's a list of some objectives for points

-Killing all 3 special NM's
-Not dieing
-Not losing any Archers
-Not losing any Carts
-Using /rally on all the Archers
-Using /psych on yourself
-Using /laugh on the beastman Leader
-Not having more than 2 of any job.
-Getting all 3 buff/debuff combinations and enmity resets for both DoL and DoH.
-Having all 3 buffs or debuffs up at the same time.
-Killing the beastman leader last.
-Equipping a lv.~10/broken weapon (only recommended for DoL and WHM/s)
-Having someone within the group in the top contributors listing
-Beating Hamlet with +5 minute left.

And the level of the hamlet will multiply that score (IE: Earning 20k points in level 3 hamlet gets multiplied to 60k) save for the time bonus.

So technically you don't need to do anything just make sure the hamlet is at level 2 in order to obtain the 60k, having a top contributor only helps reach it without as much trouble.

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Originally Posted by Efreet

My friend only as a BLM and MNK leveled to 50, and from what I saw the parties only take Tanks, WHMs and DoL/DoH. Is there a way to fit him in?

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he could go, but wouldn't be much help. You actually don't want players to be killing mobs, you get more points if the NPCs do it. Ultimately, anyone going in as something other than WHM, tank or DoL/DoH is going to make the fight more difficult. It can be done though, I've taken a BRD in place of a WHM and still got 60k.

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Originally Posted by SwordCoheir

60k is the minimum to get the best chest (which is always guaranteed to drop a head piece), as far as gaining points there are a huge number of factors that can both get you and lose potential points. Here's a list of some objectives for points

-Killing all 3 special NM's
-Not dieing
-Not losing any Archers
-Not losing any Carts
-Using /rally on all the Archers
-Using /psych on yourself
-Using /laugh on the beastman Leader
-Not having more than 2 of any job.
-Getting all 3 buff/debuff combinations and enmity resets for both DoL and DoH.
-Having all 3 buffs or debuffs up at the same time.
-Killing the beastman leader last.
-Equipping a lv.~10/broken weapon (only recommended for DoL and WHM/s)
-Having someone within the group in the top contributors listing
-Beating Hamlet with +5 minute left.

And the level of the hamlet will multiply that score (IE: Earning 20k points in level 3 hamlet gets multiplied to 60k) save for the time bonus.

So technically you don't need to do anything just make sure the hamlet is at level 2 in order to obtain the 60k, having a top contributor only helps reach it without as much trouble.

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Thanks for the list :D Been wondering about the factors which decides the points for Hamlet! Thanks a lot Sword :)! I will probably start doing Hamlet after doing Ifrit/Moogle for a few times.

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Originally Posted by Molly_Millions

he could go, but wouldn't be much help. You actually don't want players to be killing mobs, you get more points if the NPCs do it. Ultimately, anyone going in as something other than WHM, tank or DoL/DoH is going to make the fight more difficult. It can be done though, I've taken a BRD in place of a WHM and still got 60k.

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Ahh I see then lol. I guess he will just have to level his WHM to 50 XD. Thanks a lot for your help Molly :) Appreciate it!

Just as a bit of advice Hyristmill is probably the easiest of the 3, and I highly recommend you DON'T take on Limsa as your first venture through.

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Originally Posted by SwordCoheir

Just as a bit of advice Hyristmill is probably the easiest of the 3, and I highly recommend you DON'T take on Limsa as your first venture through.

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Will keep that in mind, thanks!

I tried skirmish with my LS today but kept failing on Tree boss (last one). Overall, I think I'm getting the hang of it but I seem to have a bit of a hard time with hate reset moves and damage mitigation. Any tips on those while we are at it :D?

Again thanks to everyone helped :D I appreciate it!

Mitigation comes with familiarizing yourself with your own cooldowns. Most say don't use both Divine Veil and Sentinel together, you want to stagger these for maximum mitigation potential. Rampart is kinda meh since Def suffers so severely. Don't use Aegis Boon while Stoneskin is up and don't cast it on yourself if you plan on using Aegis Boon. Which Stoneskin works wonders with sentinel and veil. Another thing that makes you a rather sturdy tank is being able to cure yourself, there are tons of tanks out there that will finish a fight with full mp, a sign of a bad (or lazy) tank in my book. A PLD will always have a need or a want to cure themselves, even if just for threat. Another decent self healing tool is to combine Bloodbath with Spirits Within. All in all its just familiarizing yourself with your own tools.

Hate resets are a whole different ball game, and quite honestly I think SE loves them too much, all you can really do is do as much threat as possible and hope your DD's play it smart and know when to back off. Saving both Provoke and Flash for those resets is definitely desired, as well as perhaps Rampart if those 2 are on cd and a reset happens again. 1 trick I try to time is managing to combo phalanx as a reset comes, but this is EXTREMELY hard to do, if not impossible. I've only ever really consistently managed it on CC, because he does an animation for Animal Instincts (the hate reset for him).

Hamlet drops for tanks:

Ale port: Head, Body

Golden Bazaar: Feet, Neck

Hystmil: Hands, Legs

Any of these pieces can drop at 40k or more, with better chance at 50k and best chance at 60k. The boots are trash though, sent sabatons even single melded win. Hands are good pre hdl hands, and hat and body are great (IMO better than hdl if your build can support it) and the pants are excellent. Note I am an enmity stacker as opposed to damage stacker like Molly.

4k is a nice number, but 3.8 is enough to make you two-shot proof on any boss. I roll 3880 and have no issues tanking raids with solo whm.

If you're gonna do an enmity double, do it on your belt not sword. You can get tones of sword upgrades but a nice 40+ enmity belt will last forever. Personally, I suggest plds aim for 150+ enmity, 300+ mind and 3.8k+ HP. Str is ignorable if your enmity is up. (Mine is 229 lol). Vitality and defense will give you next to no returns on bosses. You will find that enmity stacking, as opposed to str, will help you hold trash pulls past the first flare drop. After that, if necessary, cover is your friend.

Something important to remember Efreet, Paladin is one of those jobs where you can gear many different ways and still be effective.

Molly favors stacking Enmity and Strength whereas I favor Enmity and HP. Others till favor HP and DEF or Enmity and DEF. The important thing to note is that these each work for us and our playstyles, and you should experiment to find which one you favor.

You will find that abilities alone get you to a 30% block rate, slightly better with boon. So specing into it with dex will be marginal compared gains from other stats. The same is true of bosses that it will again return marginally against bosses.

Now, on trash and rank 50 mobs, owing to dlvl, you will find that def bit and block rate can combine to make you take nearly no damage. Unfortunately what works in a spirit bond party will not work on Chimera. Also, the skirmish bosses are weaker than raid counterparts.

http://i.imgur.com/y2kVy.png

Full party with food.

Unlisted stats:

Block +122
Enmity +127

EDIT:
In this instance, I sacrificed accuracy for one of my HP rings. It was on Ifrit, so I didn't need a base of 400 like you would need on something such as Garuda.

The best advice I can give you (After trying multiple builds for PLD) is to eventually get enough sets of gear to fit all situations:

- I have an HP set, putting me anywhere between 4k-4.2k. . . mostly a double melded cobalt body, melded sentinel gear, rings, etc. This can be replaced with militia.

- And my true tanking set (Anything I don't need 4k+ HP for. . . pretty much just Coincounter. . . haven't tried Chimera yet outside of Skirmish) which includes stacked STR and MND.

I love my STR/MND set. Along with my double meld +41Emnity belt, I use a Lieutenant Cutlass (Storm) with the 5 piece set of Body, Legs, Bracelette, Shield, and Cutlass. Sanction is usually on, but I have tanked in it without sanction. It's most definitely not a capped set of STR/MND, but it puts my STR close(ish) to 350 with +33 STR gloves, and my mind is around 280 with a double meld (trying for triple) Celata. My HP is around 3500~3600 depending on food.

It's the set I use for most of my tanking and it hasn't failed me. The Accuracy bonus of Cutlass, Acc from Explorer's Choker, and Accuracy from food/party buffs puts me well over 400. My weaponskills, which are probably used twice as often as Provoke/Flash, do a LOT of damage for what they are, and keep my hate high. Don't neglect Goring blade or Rage of Halone combo'd - They're both truly damage dealing skills when used in the right situation.

As you have probably noticed, people mention a LOT of different builds. . . this is just my preference. Paladin can be played a ton of ways, but know that damage is important, accuracy is important, and Emnity+ is important to an extent.

Sorry for not replying these last few days, been a bit busy and rarely played!

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Originally Posted by Tman

Mitigation comes with familiarizing yourself with your own cooldowns. Most say don't use both Divine Veil and Sentinel together, you want to stagger these for maximum mitigation potential. Rampart is kinda meh since Def suffers so severely. Don't use Aegis Boon while Stoneskin is up and don't cast it on yourself if you plan on using Aegis Boon. Which Stoneskin works wonders with sentinel and veil. Another thing that makes you a rather sturdy tank is being able to cure yourself, there are tons of tanks out there that will finish a fight with full mp, a sign of a bad (or lazy) tank in my book. A PLD will always have a need or a want to cure themselves, even if just for threat. Another decent self healing tool is to combine Bloodbath with Spirits Within. All in all its just familiarizing yourself with your own tools.

Hate resets are a whole different ball game, and quite honestly I think SE loves them too much, all you can really do is do as much threat as possible and hope your DD's play it smart and know when to back off. Saving both Provoke and Flash for those resets is definitely desired, as well as perhaps Rampart if those 2 are on cd and a reset happens again. 1 trick I try to time is managing to combo phalanx as a reset comes, but this is EXTREMELY hard to do, if not impossible. I've only ever really consistently managed it on CC, because he does an animation for Animal Instincts (the hate reset for him).

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I try to not use my abilities at the same time (and I usually don't). I also learned about Aegis Boon not working with Stoneskin from soloing but I didn't realize I could use Sentinel or Devine Veil to keep Stoneskin up! Thanks for that info :D. I try to heal as much as possible but I always seem to cure a bit late due to being with great WHMs XD but I try to seize every opputunity I can to heal even others. I'm getting the hang of it bit by bit I guess :D. I try to keep Rampart available whenever I seem to lose hate and want to get it back.

Hate reset is what I usually wipe at since it seems a bit random and out of nowhere and can happen when my hate tools are down. I think I just need more practice managing my tools :x. Thanks for the great tips Tman :D.

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Originally Posted by PiedPiper

Hamlet drops for tanks:

Ale port: Head, Body

Golden Bazaar: Feet, Neck

Hystmil: Hands, Legs

Any of these pieces can drop at 40k or more, with better chance at 50k and best chance at 60k. The boots are trash though, sent sabatons even single melded win. Hands are good pre hdl hands, and hat and body are great (IMO better than hdl if your build can support it) and the pants are excellent. Note I am an enmity stacker as opposed to damage stacker like Molly.

4k is a nice number, but 3.8 is enough to make you two-shot proof on any boss. I roll 3880 and have no issues tanking raids with solo whm.

If you're gonna do an enmity double, do it on your belt not sword. You can get tones of sword upgrades but a nice 40+ enmity belt will last forever. Personally, I suggest plds aim for 150+ enmity, 300+ mind and 3.8k+ HP. Str is ignorable if your enmity is up. (Mine is 229 lol). Vitality and defense will give you next to no returns on bosses. You will find that enmity stacking, as opposed to str, will help you hold trash pulls past the first flare drop. After that, if necessary, cover is your friend.

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I have yet to do Hamlet due to the LS being still new to end game so I'm trying to just wait a bit on them but I will keep that in mind :D. I don't have sentinel boots but I do have the hands. I'm not aiming at HDL any time soon XD haven't started much of end game yet though soon hopefully!

My hp when in a party is usually around 3.4k. I'm currently trying to save money to meld HP to my gears but the process is taking longer than I thought XD.

I already have a single melded belt with +enmity and currently trying to obtain a double meld since it seems to be the best belt I can get now. I'm also trying to get the Moogle Sword for the +30 acc to open space for rings where I can put MND rings instead of ACC :D.

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Originally Posted by Alerith

Something important to remember Efreet, Paladin is one of those jobs where you can gear many different ways and still be effective.

Molly favors stacking Enmity and Strength whereas I favor Enmity and HP. Others till favor HP and DEF or Enmity and DEF. The important thing to note is that these each work for us and our playstyles, and you should experiment to find which one you favor.

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I realized that there wasn't a build for PLD that set in stone. Every thread suggested something different. I think I might actually go with HP and Enmity build. I tried going with VIT and Enmity but my HP wouldn't go past 3.5k which doesn't put me in the safe spot. My first priority now is to double meld my belt and then start replacing my AF pieces with HP melded set. Also probably a Mogblade for +30 ACC on it!

Thanks a lot for your help Alerith :)!

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Originally Posted by Digirotta

http://koti.mbnet.fi/rottis/XIV/PLD.jpg

I personally like to go for VIT-DEX-MND.

VIT for obvious reasons.

DEX for added block rate, accuracy and the occasional evasive maneuver.

MND for dmg output and better heals. Curing teammates often makes up for missing a WS like Flat Blade or Spirits Within. I also tend to think, that a PLD with a full MP bar is no PLD. But that's just me.

Pic is taken in a full group, with food (Trapper's Quiche / +230HP and +10VIT) and a Muscle Restorative (+250HP), which i usually pop for bosses, though a Giant's Drink (+300HP) would work too.

I'm in a middle of parsing this build, but so far i've been going for a rough 40% block rate in the new skirmishes. I should try joining a SB party to get some readings for trash mobs too. Holy Succors go for 800-1100 a pop and WS damage is decent enough to be called useful.

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Oh, forgot to mention, that the stats that aren't visible there are:
+137 Block Rate
+56 Enmity

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Your VIT seems waay higher than mine XD but doesn't your DEF seems a bit low? Especially with that high of VIT! I thought every few VIT points transfer to defense or do the VIT factors differently? I personally thinking of going HP + Enmity build since it seems to suit the style I'm using :D. Thanks for the food info xP might steal some and use it myself!

Also 347 ACC, isn't that a bit low? I'm using 2 ACC ring and trying to keep it above 375 and still missing more than I should!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PiedPiper

You will find that abilities alone get you to a 30% block rate, slightly better with boon. So specing into it with dex will be marginal compared gains from other stats. The same is true of bosses that it will again return marginally against bosses.

Now, on trash and rank 50 mobs, owing to dlvl, you will find that def bit and block rate can combine to make you take nearly no damage. Unfortunately what works in a spirit bond party will not work on Chimera. Also, the skirmish bosses are weaker than raid counterparts.

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I was told that Skirmish is just fighting a dumpdown version of the boss itself and so far I only did it few times and wiped at the tree (damn hate reset!). Currently, I'm thinking of keeping my AF for Spiritbond while the melded set (which I still don't have xP) for end game purposes.

Thanks for the input PiedPiper :D.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alerith

http://i.imgur.com/y2kVy.png

Full party with food.

Unlisted stats:

Block +122
Enmity +127

EDIT:
In this instance, I sacrificed accuracy for one of my HP rings. It was on Ifrit, so I didn't need a base of 400 like you would need on something such as Garuda.

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How much HP do you usually run with? And what food XD? HP?

Also for Garuda, the ACC should be +400?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Curcio

The best advice I can give you (After trying multiple builds for PLD) is to eventually get enough sets of gear to fit all situations:

- I have an HP set, putting me anywhere between 4k-4.2k. . . mostly a double melded cobalt body, melded sentinel gear, rings, etc. This can be replaced with militia.

- And my true tanking set (Anything I don't need 4k+ HP for. . . pretty much just Coincounter. . . haven't tried Chimera yet outside of Skirmish) which includes stacked STR and MND.

I love my STR/MND set. Along with my double meld +41Emnity belt, I use a Lieutenant Cutlass (Storm) with the 5 piece set of Body, Legs, Bracelette, Shield, and Cutlass. Sanction is usually on, but I have tanked in it without sanction. It's most definitely not a capped set of STR/MND, but it puts my STR close(ish) to 350 with +33 STR gloves, and my mind is around 280 with a double meld (trying for triple) Celata. My HP is around 3500~3600 depending on food.

It's the set I use for most of my tanking and it hasn't failed me. The Accuracy bonus of Cutlass, Acc from Explorer's Choker, and Accuracy from food/party buffs puts me well over 400. My weaponskills, which are probably used twice as often as Provoke/Flash, do a LOT of damage for what they are, and keep my hate high. Don't neglect Goring blade or Rage of Halone combo'd - They're both truly damage dealing skills when used in the right situation.

As you have probably noticed, people mention a LOT of different builds. . . this is just my preference. Paladin can be played a ton of ways, but know that damage is important, accuracy is important, and Emnity+ is important to an extent.

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I'm currently trying to afford for a set which focus on HP and Enmity but I never saw a STR/MND set before. Unfortunatly, I joined the Immortal Flames so the Storm gear is out of my reach. I might try a STR+MND melded gear down the road but for now I am aiming at HP and enmity.

I'm still not getting the hang of RoH combo but only because the need of positioning (behind the mob). I only managed to pull it off few times but practice makes perfect I guess!

And I started this thread because of the many different builds I found on this forum XD I was a bit lost (and still am but I just need more time to familiarize myself with the job I guess).

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Originally Posted by Efreet

Also 347 ACC, isn't that a bit low? I'm using 2 ACC ring and trying to keep it above 375 and still missing more than I should!

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The raw numbers don't always tell everything, and the main stats (STR, VIT, DEX, etc, etc.) are used as a variable in damage/hit calculations, hence lower base accuracy with high DEX rating might yield close to same results as to someone with a higher base acc, but with lower DEX.

But you were right. I thought i could handle my ws'es and steady dmg output with the high DEX i had, but i got my hands on the Explorer's Choker (Acc +15 & Crit rate +20), and it made a world of difference to my old Att PWR +30 neckie. I didn't miss a single WS in the event (Skirmishes) after that. I'll consider re-gearing my PLD, after i get some more results from, let's say AV and CC. I'm also in dire need of a new wep, as i've blown up 4 GG swords so far, trying to get them dualmelded.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PiedPiper

You will find that abilities alone get you to a 30% block rate, slightly better with boon. So specing into it with dex will be marginal compared gains from other stats. The same is true of bosses that it will again return marginally against bosses.

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I completely agree, you'll get more evasion from evasion materia or stacking gear with evasion on it than you would from DEX. DEX just isn't worth it on PLD. Block rate has been adjusted to a point where it's pretty high without any added DEX, add aegis boon to that, and we block quite often. You also have to consider that gloves are the only place a PLD can add DEX, which would be MUCH better with STR, or even HP. More STR results in more enmity, after all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Efreet

Your VIT seems waay higher than mine XD but doesn't your DEF seems a bit low? Especially with that high of VIT! I thought every few VIT points transfer to defense or do the VIT factors differently? I personally thinking of going HP + Enmity build since it seems to suit the style I'm using :D. Thanks for the food info xP might steal some and use it myself!

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This is because DEF from VIT has a cap. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I know that at one point the DEF benefit of VIT was completely broken at level 50, meaning there was no DEF increase from VIT at all at level cap. That's why I've stressed the following hierachy

Enmity > STR > MND > HP > DEF > VIT