Quote Originally Posted by Giantbane View Post
They have good mitigation vs. magic, mostly because of DA + Drk Mnd, but they're a little lacking vs. physical. The problem with dark dance is it's both not all that strong and completely unreliable. With bulwark, the boost to block % is high enough such that you can pretty much count on blocking or parrying any incoming attack when it's active. Of course, if you really need to block something, they also now have sheltron every 30s, drk has no equivalent.

Dark dance is just fairly weak at about a 6% average damage reduction. It's only really useful vs. large groups of enemies or to get a reprisal proc.
Lacking? Compared to whom?Dark Dance isnt as strong as bulwark--no one is debating it is. But you are saying that its 6% mitigation, would mean with a law shield a paladin is getting 12% out of bulwark (shields are blocking 21% at this time, unless you got ravanna ex shield). Of course, it only lasts 15 seconds vs dark dances 20...and it has a 180 cool down vs 60.



And you are ignoring the 20% dodge which works on auto attacks (which is, against auto attacks, a flat 20% mitigation).

So against auto attacks you have 26% mitigation, and 6% against parriable specials in raids (or 26% period in dungeons).
Bulwark is 12% (by your logic) against all abilities that are pariable/blockable.
Dark lasts 33% longer, is also has 1/3 the cd.

Sorry--its not paladin levels, but paladins dont have your offense, aoe, threat, ability to use magic damage (Ravanna seeing eye force fieldanyone?) and mobility. Yes--you make a trade off. Paladins right now are basically of no use in A4--most of their tricks do not apply, but they retain the disdavtange of terrible threat and damage---and you are better off bringing a warrior as an OT or even MT. So yes--the opposite situation will apply as well. The goal is not to homogenize everyone. You can level up every tank and pick what you need for the fight after all, or deal with a slight imbalance where a fight favors one or the other. Other classes deal with this all the time---movement fights classicaly did not favor Black Mages (and still dont). Certain fights favor WHM or Scholar over one another (pre nerf lustrate and Rammuh Ex when that was new).