Quote Originally Posted by Asyx View Post
Now, I really like the idea of the Paladin but I'm afraid if will be too boring. I'm not sure why. It feels a bit mushy if that's the right word. I never feel like I'm in control (level 47 or 46 or something like that). Obviously, more so in low level dungeons. One I have shield oath, it's fine. Also related to my shitty gear, I'd assume. Probably need to go shopping.
Pld is the Tank that is most dependent on item level and Shield Oath to boost their enmity generation. The reason is, honestly, a bit of an oversight on SE's part, but that's a topic for another thread. The point is that Pld's have the least tools at their disposal to hold threat. Flash deals 0 dmg (despite scaling with Str stat), and RoH generates less threat then Butchers Block (War) and Power Slash (Drk). They're not a "one and done" tank that can pop an Overpower or two and never worry about losing aggro. So, any discrepancy between a Pld's item level and the rest of the party (especially AoE Dps who are good at their rotation), is far more noticeable than the other two Tanks. It's for this reason that a lot of people actually consider Pld to be the hardest of the three tanks to use when it comes to Mob tanking.

IF you chose to go with Pld, you have to be committed to ensuring that you have your Pld outfitted appropriately at all times, and be extra vigilant when Mob tanking, using all of your tools (including alternating shield swipes and RoH combos throughout your targets) to maintain aggro. Pld requires a broader focus than the other two tanks to be used efficiently.

Quote Originally Posted by Asyx View Post
But I hear so many bad things about the Paladin. How he's useless and everything. I also hear a lot that the PLD is boring but I've never heard a proper explanation on why it's a boring job.
I actually find Pld's to be one of the most fun out of the three tanks, but it depends on what you're doing. People find Pld's boring, usually, for one of these reasons:
  • 1-2-3 Tanking

    Pre lvl 50, Pld's only had one combo. So, it was relatively simple and boring to hold boss aggro and manage your Cd's (keep in mind this is not the case for mob tanking, as Pld's have to rotate targets to keep high enmity efficiently). Post 3.0, this is no longer the case, and Pld's now have 3 combos to work with. The stigma, however, has stayed with them.

  • The Pld rotation is extremely precise.

    Even 3.0, a Pld's rotation requires very precise use of their Cd's and the appropriate combo at the appropriate time. It's one of the reasons they were so popular as Main Tanks in the Coil days. They have, by far, the most controlled rotations out of the three tanks, and a coordinated Raid group could completely plan an entire encounter with a Pld and typically have no surprises. There is almost nothing random about it (aside from oh S*** moments). By comparison, Warriors and Dark Knights have an air of spontaneous improvisation. A lot of people find that kind of tanking to be more entertaining, since it leaves them more vulnerable to bigger dips in their Hp

  • Pld Dps is lower

    This is, partly, SE's fault. Pld's always had lower Dps than Warriors, but it wasn't nearly as big a deal until 3.0 rolled out. SE seems to have decided that "Difficult" is synonymous with "Dps Checks." So, since 3.0, a large portion of the fights require high Dps outputs to clear them but far less mechanics than what were traditionally found in the Coil fights. Because of this, Pld's have been landed with a huge stigma concerning their dps output and are often frowned at in Raids (savage only).

    The other issue is one of Ego. A lot of players seem to measure their penis size by the amount of Dps they are dealing, and instantly shun the Pld and call it boring because it's not capable of outputting the same Dps as a Warrior.

Personally, I do not suffer from this deficiency, so I have no issues with Pld dps output as it is. Given that Pld's require more focus to maintain mob enmity, I actually find them more enjoyable to play in dungeons than Drk's and War's (which are essentially like tanking on easy mode for me). I also enjoy the precision of the job. Perfectly balancing my DoTs, combos, and ensuring all of my CD's are synced correctly is nice if you have a slightly obsessive compulsive streak in you... but I guess that's trading one deficiency for another...