Why PLD needs solo buffs.

[PapaSteel]

Stop using Cure. Start using stoneskin.
The former is dependant on a stat you DO NOT HAVE. The latter scales literally with VIT.

[ValkyrieL]

troll?...or this guys serious.

[Jesden]

But yeah, most solo boss fates have a telegraphed attack, dodge out of the way,put up stoneskin, get back in, jut keep dodging, and by the time it is worn off by the normal attacks it will do its telegraph again. that plus bloodbath keeps you up. Also, sword oath is lovely.

[LionKing]

I laughed so hard at "Paladin has one of the worst Survivability skills set" .... Excuse me sir, do you even know what you are talking about??? Hallow ground, Sentinel, Stoneskin to the face....

[Domira]

Hmmmm never had trouble soloing on my pld.....

I don't want to disregard the OP perspective but.....what PLD uses cure? I'm not trying to troll.

[Illya]

Why would anybody solo while leveling in this game?

I solo everything on my WAR without even seeing my HP bar going down. The only thing that is annoying to solo is any quest where I have to protect an NPC from dying, I kill things so slowly that while I'm slowly whittling the quest mobs down one by one, the NPC is busy committing suicide. The most recent example of this is the story quest "Reason Raoille" where you have to fight waves of mobs in a story instance while they kill the NPC. I failed it 3 times on WAR because I couldn't kill the stupid enemies fast enough before they killed the NPC. I switched to my BRD and spammed my AoEs instead and beat it in 2 minutes by just melting everything in seconds.

[Odd]

I take issue with the OP's assertion that BLM can outlast a PLD.

OP said BLM can heal, that is true, but no better than PLD can. And since BLM has MUCH lower defense and health, they can't last nearly as long as a PLD.

Yes, PLD does suck solo, but only because of how long it takes to kill mobs.

[xvshanevx]

Try this set up:
Left side: All Vit/Str (mainly Noct) gear.
Right side: All Str (mainly Gloam) gear.

I was Criting my RoH and SW from 900-950 (was constantly hitting RoH and SW for 500-600 damage).

Simply put, I take down thing quicker and easier than any other class I have played thus far (with this DPS set up).

And for those whom would argue: MNK/DRG need to be at the flank/back for good damage and BRD/SMN need long periods opf time... BLM still beast-mode with damage at any point.

Edit: Plus, your first 4 level of your Choco need to be a healer... trust me.

[Cabalabob]

Pretty much all been said but yeah, using STR accessories and sword oath you get decent damage. Using fight or flight is also a great boost every DD would kill for a free +30% damage.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with PLD's survivability. I have yet to come across a regular FATE boss I can't kill solo (or at least last til time is up) stoneskin takes quite a few hits to break and you can pretty much keep it up indefinitely with riot blade. If you ever do find your health has dropped to critically low levels, shield bash > stoneskin > rampart > convalesence > cure spam til you feel safe then bloodbath and riot blade to keep your HP up while recovering the MP you used. Bulwark is also a great skill, decreasing incoming damage while also giving you access to a decent damage attack that prevents the enemy using any skills.

[Thistledown]

Heal spec Chocobo is your friend.