DualShocker Interview - 3.5 pt 2 next week, supposedly

[Shougun]

What if WAR and DRK each had their own specific way of balancing the increased passive defense of Paladin through debuffs they can impose? That would make PLD the easy button tank, and imply a bit more skill (perhaps) for WAR and DRK with more active management of their DEF (not including CDs).

I would extremely caution the idea that certain jobs have much higher results when played better than others at max skill level, you can change how hard it is to get to that master point and their floor skills though. Like easy to grab, hard to master vs moderately difficult to grab and moderately hard to master. Where at the max perfection of each job = the same end result (even if the method of the end may be different, like Paladin being so tanky that healers get to DD a lot more).

And correct me if I'm interpreting it wrong but it sounds like you're suggesting the difference between defenses is Paladin is easy to handle and the other tanks don't have better defense but are harder/capable of being at Paladin's level- meanwhile all the damage differences remain. The end result of that would still be what we have now where people dislike paladins and just request better tanks, except maybe in PUG DF where they might be happy to see a Paladin lol. Paladins would still be undesirable in raids where people want efficiency over player enjoyment (there are some raids that don't care about meta at all, and just want to play even if it doesn't mean sweeping the floor lol).

I'd like to see the change where each job offers something that makes you happy to see them, and Paladin is lacking in his side points to make those his glory moments and his defensiveness ability (minus cheesy abuse Hallowed Ground strategies) is not good enough to make that his shinning point (other tanks can offer up similar tanking ability, again minus that moment where you need 10 seconds of no damage). In the changes mentioned in the interview If his defense is his "point" then simply Paladin will become main tank and the other tanks will become "bruisers", even though most warriors I see already play mostly like a bruiser anyway lol.

Could have misunderstood you though

(that I thought you were suggesting all tanks can equal Paladin's defense but Paladin is just easy to play, meanwhile damage differences remain)