Paladin - the lack of identity

[Masenken]

Second combo: Riot Blade combos into a 5 second buff that mitigates 10% damage received from target. We're already brick walls, why not just keep the trend going.

Part of me would like a stronger heal, but with the sheer amount of damage we absorb I don't really find it necessary. I like being a big stalwart immovable mountain of a man. Plus me and another pld friends of mine take turns going MT/OT in dungeons and boss fights. We have a blast together. We're building totally different specs, so it's a fun competition we have with each other.

I like pld as is but since tweaks are welcome

[Asteldian]

There are a lot of changes that could be made to make pally more fun, the obvious being a third move after riot.
Other improvements not just for pally but for all jobs would be:
1) in addition to the 5 skills a job gets, it also gets traits related to its cross classes (not all, just ages from each, or possibly even a choice to take from one or the other, a GC item could reset this choice similar to the stat item)

2) when you take a job you lose flexibility from your cross. Lass choice and only have 5 cross class skills. I think the game is too tight with what is available for cross class. While the current selection is fine for generic use, once you get a job and 'specialise' with only 2 classes to cross class, more of the spells should open up (for example, perhaps cure 2 is a pally cross class but not gladiator, perhaps sentinel is a war cross class but not marauder)

The cross cladding is a great concept, but in its current form very underwhelming

[Duelle]

Moving along, this thread is about PLD and the aspects of it that are missing.
Traditionally, PLDs have always been noble and righteous Knights that wear heavy armor with high resilience and fortitude AS WELL
utilized white magic to their advantage.

In FF XIV - PLD is feels pretty heavy sided on the "Fortitude, Armor, Resilience" and pretty bare and lacking on the "Magic".

Historically, FF Paladins have had weak magic and XIV's PLD reflects this to a T. Our cures are not and should not be on par with healers', because healing should be left to them. We can help raise people after a fight. We have access to Protect. We even have Stoneskin as an option.

We're not Warhammer Warrior Priests or Warcraft Paladins, both of whom are focused on holy power and martial prowess. FF Paladins are called "Knights" in the Japanese version of the game for a reason.

I'm not saying it is not efficient or gimp. Its fine. Its just booooring. Please look into adding Magic and some melee that makes this job more interesting.

The bolded word has ruined classes in the past because then you start adding stuff not because the class needs it to improve or to achieve better balance, but because some individuals feel better pushing more buttons than others. That ends up pissing off people like me, who prefer straight-forward gameplay.

[Royze]

*snip*.

Did you play XI or XIV 1.0?
Its true Paladins shouldn't be able to compete with healers, but there is about a hundred miles gap between current PLD prowess with White magic and that of WHMs and SCHs. This, paired with the fact that Cover and Tempered will are absolute garbage only amplifies the current lame horse PLD is play-wise. Its a boring job.

There is a lot of middle ground to explore. As it stands right now, PLD has cross class abilities from CNJ that are redundant, useless and worthless. They bring nothing to the table. Stoneskin being the only exception.

I'd settle with just Reprisal and Enlight. These should have been available at max 50.

Also, GLA, as I stated earlier, due to access to more CCA is more of a PLD than PLD is.

[Duelle]

Did you play XI or XIV 1.0?

Yes. And I abhorred Holy Succor. Self heals in XI felt clunky and as unnatural as an aggro-generation method the players had to invent because the devs couldn't bother to fix the job, enmity and the ton of other problems XI's PLD had.

Its true Paladins shouldn't be able to compete with healers, but there is about a hundred miles gap between current PLD prowess with White magic and that of WHMs and SCHs.

As I've already said, Paladins in Final Fantasy have weak white magic. This is par for the course with their concept. It also fits the fact that they're Knights to the Japanese.

This, paired with the fact that Cover and Tempered will are absolute garbage only amplifies the current lame horse PLD is play-wise. Its a boring job.

Cover and Tempered Will aside, PLD is a solidly-designed and straightforward tank job. If you find that boring, that's your business.

Cover's problem is its short duration and would probably be more useful if it was changed to be like a minimal damage mitigation buff for one party member. Tempered Will may have limited utility in PvE, but knockback prevention and the root break makes it useful in PvP.

[Sakasa]

txt

Well your despise for Holy Succor I assume is derived from the fact using it effectively requires you to look outside your self to gain the maximum benefit which is understandable it is a different playstyle for that ability. But what I believe should be brought back which would really give a paladin some identity in its own right is Divine Veil. Well no so much the specific move but the mechanic of enhancing other party members abilities by them doing their primary function. So Divine Veil made all cures aoe regen, but that could be adjusted for spells and effects in general, for instance stoneskin, galavize, mantra, eye for an eye would be be massively overpowered but you understand my meaning it spreads limited AOE effects directly to party members. While it won't make the class itself less boring to those that think it is it would make it more special with out forcing mechanical changes and could be balanced easier.

[Duelle]

Well your despise for Holy Succor I assume is derived from the fact using it effectively requires you to look outside your self to gain the maximum benefit which is understandable it is a different playstyle for that ability.

More the fact that it was a healer mechanic that was shoehorned into the framework of a tank. It was basically Beacon of Light from WoW and WHM should have gotten that.

[thelastwarden]

you just started a thread where half the people are asking for more mitigation. good job.

but seriously. I think adding a damage focused combo thats only available while in sword oath would make more sense. well... I doesn't solve the 123 repeat but at least pld's can do something as off tank.

[Eohi]

There wouldn't be a problem with letting a PLD have a decent cure if WAR was given its good IB back(keep the trait it got too). They could also allow you to battle raise since the chances of you getting one off are slim and in dungeons its better to just respawn anyways unless its turn 2 and you can't. Overall though I think both tanks need some tweaking to be a tad more overpowered than they are now. Too many people think tanking is easy or boring, if they let them cut into the dps/healer roles a little more that could change. Just saying that tanks should feel more like a tank rather than a bunker that need to be constantly repaired.

[CodeHavoc]

The healing needs a slight buff. Can't seem to keep decent heals on my character