Paladin Advice please.

[Myric]

You actually can't fit in any. You can get in 8 GCDs per Goring at the moment. Even at 554 skill speed I can still only fit in 8.

Our basic combo is:
Goring > 1 > 2 > Halone > 1 > 2 > Royal > 1 >2 > Goring

Royal/Halone depends on hate/dps needs.

Swipe is borderline useless right now and a DPS loss. It is however a TP gain. If Bulwark is up you can do 3 swipes instead of your a 1,2,3 combo. Of I you get a swipe near the beginning of the rotation plus have Sheltron up you can play with RNG for a 3rd proc. This would only be used for TP gains, hate and DPS should be regulated with Halone/Royal.

Swipe being a dps loss is irrelevant. We are tanks, needing optimal dps isn't our job. Maybe for an OT, but they aren't getting the proc anyways.

[rawker]

While not mandatory, it greatly helps if everyone do some respectable amount of dps on top of doing their main job. Heck even healer dps isn't something to look down upon. So what's stopping tanks to contribute to some dps??

Anyway, just a personal thing i do but i usually 1-2-3 until i get a huge threat lead and then i activate FoF and use it exclussively on GB(experimenting on GB > Fracture > CoS) and RA.

[Xyphon]

I use shield swipe between my enmity rotation switching between targets. Its good for a quick snap of enmity, instead of winding up halone combo.

But like Sir Taint said its a DPS loss. Why should we as tanks care about DPS? It helps in making it easier to hold threat; see str acc. Also in terms of healer DPS, we as tanks actually have the accuracy to not miss.

Also convalescence + clemency ftw.

[GeekMatt]

I'm definitely an advocate of defensive tanking (and if you aren't, PLD is the wrong class). I typically favour mitigation build over a DPS build, at least when entering/learning new instances at my level. IMO going DPS build all the time is mistaking arrogance for confidence, and too many tanks get carried, IMO.

However, party DPS is important. Anyone that can contribute without risking their performance in their role should contribute. More DPS means a smoother run, and a dead mob is the best damage prevention there is. PLD was just given 2 DPS rotations and it's so we can DPS. It was stated in the live letter today that PLD isn't intended to perfectly cycle all of it's combos, we're meant to build aggro when appropriate and DPS when appropriate, and I never understood why people thought otherwise. When it comes to some of these recommendations I've seen across multiple forums where people are explaining how the perfect rotation involves all 3 combos (Combo X followed by Combo Y, followed by Combo Z, repeat) it's silly. If your goal is to top out your DPS, you won't have a standard timing for a RoH combo in your rotation, you adjust to meet aggro requirements while trying to utilize your new DPS combos. (Someone else mentioned this in this thread I believe.) The goal should be to learn how to build aggro, not just the most aggro but all options. Then know how to DPS, and adapt the two to your situation.

Your aggro needs will vary from tank to tank, party to party. Some tanks have more STR or a better weapon, and some DPS know what they're doing whereas others don't. I've had one situation where I've had to stick to my RoH combo almost exclusively, and other times where I opened with RoH and then kept aggro using the RA combo as well as Shield Swipe, while maintaining my GB DoT. I'm currently working under the assumption that if I can control aggro with Shield Swipe, I'm better off cutting out my RoH combo.

In any case, tank priority should be Aggro management > Survive > DPS and Support. Just because it's at the end of the list doesn't mean it's not important.

[Twilite]

I like reading well informed big huge posts on something I'm trying to learn. :>

[SirTaint]

Swipe being a dps loss is irrelevant. We are tanks, needing optimal dps isn't our job. Maybe for an OT, but they aren't getting the proc anyways.

Maybe in dungeons it not but in end game raids it's critical. Look at all the threads on ravana double prey. With good raid DPS including tanks you should never even see double prey. It will be even more important in savage Alex.

[PWilson]

Okay so been away for little bit came back and jumped into my main scholar and got it to 60, How ever my off class is paladin and i have kinda forgot the rotations and am just about to start leveling it in next day or so.

So to keep it short can someone give me a rundown of the paladin rotation as it stands now and what order you pop your cool down for defense buffs.

also any other tips or tricks that can help would be nice as like i said its my second class i fall back on.

DRK has drawn a bunch of new players to the tank class. The AST, in comparison, has not made a ton of new healers. Healers are the hotness in demand right now, and if you're not needed to heal, you may as well just deeps.

While all the advice in the thread is good, my best advice would be to choose a different sort of off-class, if you're trying to be useful in the PF. If you run mostly with your FC, then keep doing what you're doing.

[LutinaWolfstine]

I like to have one of each class at max for the ability to come as whats needed by leveling my scholar first as it gives two birds with one stone as i got my summoner to 60 in the progress.

Just got the paladin to 52 last night. and seem to be keeping threat okay and i normaly swap between these defence cool downs on pulls.

FoF>BfB - leading into flash>Aoe dot> Flash > 1-2-3 rotation on the melee monsters. Soon as dot drops i pop rampage.

Next group if FoF and BfB on cool down i use this.

Conservation>the 20% defence buff from warriors - Starting by flash>Aoe dot> Flash > 1-2-3 rotation on the melee monsters.

I do wait till i get within 5 feet or so before i pop the mitigation stuff and for the most part it seem to work okay now and then i do drop a flash into the rotation to keep tp up a little.

From this am i doing the job right?

[Kosmos992k]

Thanks as for the healing skill sounds like a good panic button if a healer is down or someone if low like you said and is good to know you only get 3 casts per bar i was unsure if it used mp as the site i checked the skill did not have an mp cost on it.

Would have been nice if they allowed Paladins to raise in battle, if we are to be a bit healer-ish, then giving us that trait seems logical especially if we are off tanking and the healer goes down.

Actually, now I think about it, giving us that trait would make Paladin an idela off tank since we can stance switch to shield oath and provoke if needed, but stay in Sword Oath and DPS/support while watching out for that 'oh-crap' moment when the OT has to transition to MT, and keep things on the straight and narrow.

[Jandor]

Would have been nice if they allowed Paladins to raise in battle, if we are to be a bit healer-ish, then giving us that trait seems logical especially if we are off tanking and the healer goes down.

Actually, now I think about it, giving us that trait would make Paladin an idela off tank since we can stance switch to shield oath and provoke if needed, but stay in Sword Oath and DPS/support while watching out for that 'oh-crap' moment when the OT has to transition to MT, and keep things on the straight and narrow.

Raise would be an iffy one now I think, as OT we could raise, heal, protect, stoneskin and then get all our MP back fairly quickly.