PLD is just boring

[Disc]

The problem with this is that the paladin is as good as a PHYSICAL defence tank as the dark knight is a MAGIC defense tank. the dark knight has greater DPS options while MT to boot.

This still needs to be tested. The changes to Shield Swipe should offer an average of around 700+ potency per minute or more depending on breaks in the fight. This is before accounting for less reliance on Halone & Bulwark itself being useful as an extra 600ish potency burst in 15 seconds.

You also can't have a tank that can survive more things than the other tanks or it would cause unbalance yet again. You can have one that does more damage but not defense as that is the most important part of a tank is weather or not they'll survive the next hit, putting more support bonuses on PLD would help but the best ones are already given to other classes except for hallowed ground.

PLD support abilities have potential to convert to DPS gain, SE has just been too cautious to allow it. Removing the cast time on Clemency for instance to function as reliably as Equillibrium would allow PLD to cover healing for a period, drastically boosting healer DPS. But that would be a lot harder to balance than just giving them more potency through Shield Swipes.

That's like saying water is supposed to be the wet drink. Sure, water may be the wettest drink, but you're going to want something more when you're dining. There are flavors to consider, textures, and other factors that make other beverages appealing. This doesn't make water any less desirable, but when paired with pasta primavera, you're likely going to want some white wine instead (especially when wine is also a drink that has water in it, and so therefore also wet by its definition).

Tanks are defensive by their very nature, so saying Paladins are supposed to be "the defensive tank" doesn't really stand to scrutiny. It's redundant, and not really distinct at all. There are things about Paladins that can be made appealing, but right now it doesn't really pair well with anything.

And I think a lot of people have a problem here: we want the job to be interesting and unique, and we come in with a love for the idea of a tank with a shield, but then we find out that SE slapped that shield onto the most generic job in the game, and we are disappointed.

Mayhaps PLD should stay as it is, and SE should develop a Javelinier/Spartan job (as just one possible idea) as a more involved "tank with a shield."

I'm sorry, but that initial paragraph was painful to read. Please refrain from using anymore analogies.

PLD is the OG. PLD seems generic because the other tanks have been built to mimic the job, nothing else can compete with a mitigation tank in a raid scenario. The only reason WAR & DRK can compete with it at all in raid mitigation is because the incoming damage itself has been nerfed(PLD/DRK mitigation scales with higher damage, War with lower) or adjusted to favor DRK. As for what you want out of the job, that's your own personal problem. I like the way it has developed with the exception of Clemency's cast time. The only reason I don't play it this raid cycle is because Alexander was designed for offense.