The DRK storyline

[Grayve]

But that's the thing. The 60-70 Questline was better than the 50-60 Questline for PLD because it was not a Paladin Story but rather a Gladiator Story.

That's a good point. It worked for me because I enjoyed the GLA npcs more then then PLD ones.... Fine. I am a huge sucker for romantic subplots. I just love happy endings, it makes me go D'awww, so seeing the GLA npcs' was great for me. Not to everyone's tastes I am sure, especially if you want more PLD lore. Though as a not exactly big fan of Ul'dah, I'm not sure how I feel about the job being tied to the Sultansworn, even if we are a free paladin.

[Draginhikari]

I thought the PLD was an improvement because I could at least follow what was going on and it didn't drift off into... whatever the hell the Heavensward ones were suppose to be. It's true the PLD ones this time around was more of an extension of the GLA storyline but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

[Kyran-Varlsen]

I thought the PLD was an improvement because I could at least follow what was going on and it didn't drift off into... whatever the hell the Heavensward ones were suppose to be. It's true the PLD ones this time around was more of an extension of the GLA storyline but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

For me, I just think it a missed opportunity. The Sultansworn stuff was a bland mess. And it's not like I respect them considering they were sitting out the entire Palace Intrigue that booted us into Heavenswards Content. If they were doing their job, Teledji would have been cut into pieces long before Raubahn was ever interrupted from his dinner. While I enjoy being a Paladin and how well it ties (or did tie) into my being a White Mage, I can't help but feel the class itself was shown very little respect by the developers when it came time to tell us the class story.

I mean for heaven's sake, the Hildebrand Story was a better Sultansworn Story than the actual Paladin Quests themselves, any of them lvl 1-60. A string of crimes connects us to a leading member of the Order tied to an ancient Ul'dahn conspiracy to cover-up one of Eorzea's greatest war crimes. This sounds a hell-of-a-lot better than finding lost honor through a lost sword that lost power.

And the Ul Cup story meta was bull. We weren't fighting swordsmen, we were fighting spell warriors that were dropping magic aoe circles the way most people drop trash into a can. Then in the cut-scenes of course they are just clanging blades like normal. It was dumb and stupid from any perspective.

It's stuff like this that makes me want to just lvl up a DRK (haven't yet) but then I remember that I am currently working on the Paladin Anima Weapons and drat... then again, DRK already had a bunch of good looking weapons.

Better then pld storyline.

Anything is better than the PLD story, the freaking White Mage story is better than the Paladin story.

[Belhi]

Well they were all using Swords and its not like PLDs don't use flashy techniques.

I think the very first 30-50 PLD story has been the most PLDy. It was basically about the values and principles that defined being a PLD. Staying true to your ideals and oaths. HW just lost that direction and its never picked back up.

The Sultansworn couldn't touch Teledji though unless they had evidence. He is one of the rulers of Ul'dah. The Sultana cant strong arm them without major political backlash. She just doesn't have the power or influence.

[Kyran-Varlsen]

The Sultansworn couldn't touch Teledji though unless they had evidence. He is one of the rulers of Ul'dah. The Sultana cant strong arm them without major political backlash. She just doesn't have the power or influence.

I think even the most beleaguered Queen should be able to have her guards forcibly stop a man and his own armed thugs from barging into her private quarters. Otherwise she can be captured and used for political purposes on a dime. Now I am not going to go and pick on this particular scab, because I am sure the opening to HW content has been washed by the player base time and again and like as not needs to be forgotten, but I will still penalize the Sultansworn all the same. The Sultansworn failed their purpose, completely and utterly. Any other order of bodyguards would have been rightfully disbanded and it's leading officers imprisoned and charged with criminal neglect of their sworn duties. Heads should have started rolling the moment the Sultana opened her eyes.

And yah, most one-on-one with npc in the Coliseum would have been right boring considering we Paladins get Clemency (it still was) so the flashy attacks was needed to enliven things.

[Claymore65]

The Dark Knight is also my personal favorite story, it has a lot of great elements to it. 30-50/60-70 had a really unique, introspective feel to it that few other questlines have managed to beat, while 50-60 explored and eventually subverted a typical "edgelord" character. While Dark Knight provides less information about the world at large, it instead explores the Warrior of Light's place in it.

Since we're talking about Paladin somewhat anyway...talk to Sidurgu after completing the level 70 Quest. Even he thinks the whole "Paladin's fighting for Dominance" thing was stupid. Honestly, while I enjoy the Paladin in many other games, for me personally it was one of the weakest questlines in the game. 30-50 takes way too long to get interesting, with most of it being "go to a place, light a bonfire, kill some animals", and while 50-60 had a fun concept (teach a child to become a Paladin) the execution was terrible, especially the level 60 quest. I'll need to try out the 60-70 soon though.

[Belhi]

I think even the most beleaguered Queen should be able to have her guards forcibly stop a man and his own armed thugs from barging into her private quarters. Otherwise she can be captured and used for political purposes on a dime. Now I am not going to go and pick on this particular scab, because I am sure the opening to HW content has been washed by the player base time and again and like as not needs to be forgotten, but I will still penalize the Sultansworn all the same. The Sultansworn failed their purpose, completely and utterly. Any other order of bodyguards would have been rightfully disbanded and it's leading officers imprisoned and charged with criminal neglect of their sworn duties. Heads should have started rolling the moment the Sultana opened her eyes.

And yah, most one-on-one with npc in the Coliseum would have been right boring considering we Paladins get Clemency (it still was) so the flashy attacks was needed to enliven things.

I honestly have no idea what your talking about. Telehji would have never pulled off a coup by force which is why he framed the WoL. He needed public support and he would have lost that the moment he forcibly threatened the Sultana, even if he succeeded. However there is no reason a leader of Ul'dah couldn't visit the Sultana's quarters with Ul'dah's equivalent of the police if he felt there was a matter of security. The whole point about the events of 3.55 was that they managed hide any criminal activity so that everything they did appeared legit. The Sultansworn themselves would have arrested us if Telehji hadn't. If there was a failing it was not picking up on the Assassination attempt, not what happened during or after. The law was on the side of the Syndicate members, unless we could prove foul play, which at the time we couldn't. Hell, we literally had the vial of poison in our pockets.

[Kyran-Varlsen]

Access to a Monarch, however weak, is one of the most closely guarded corridors of power in any such system. No system of laws would have prevented the Sultansworn from cutting down Teledji before he could force himself into the Queen's own bedchamber which is a crime of intrusion without probable cause (yes the handmaid was there, but where were the Paladins?). Kings often feared their own nobles because they could be captured by them and propped up under threat as a puppet ruler. If the guards surrounding you are not loyal to you then you are not in charge. The Brass Blades were basically Teledji's private army and the Sultansworn were the Sultana's private army - her bodyguards would have been incompetent not to know this. Had we been arrested by corrupt Sultansworn this would have made sense, but this whole episode smells because they seemingly had no input (corrupt or otherwise).

And this underscores my point - the Sultansworn are either corrupt (already established) or incompetent (a likely possibility as well). Ergo the basis for the Paladin class is severely undercut.

The Dark Knights not having to be connected to an established order or political movement free's them from the risk of such ridiculously wishy-washy story telling drivel.

[Belhi]

How did you know Teledji didn't have permission of the Guards? "I have urgent business with the Sultana"

If the Monetarists wanted to shelf Nanamo she probably would never had gotten to full adulthood. However Ul'dah works on a balance of power in many ways and while they manipulate things and control most of the finances of Ul'dah, they still are subject to the opinions of the people. More over most of the power in Ul'dah already sits with the Syndicate. It is very hard for Nanamo to do much without their agreement. Teledji wouldn't have been able to prop up the Sultana as a puppet ruler because A) the other Syndicate members wouldn't allow it since they all have their own competing interests and B) the people would riot.

The whole thing was set up to legitimise Teledji's arrest of the WoL. It wouldn't be hard for him to set things up to have a legitimate reason to be visiting the Sultana at the time, nor would it be strange for him to have bodyguards.

[Kyran-Varlsen]

It would be very strange to confront a monarch with armed guards in her own sanctum where there were no other guards. So many red flags would have been raised by even a semi-competent guard force. In the medieval ages it would be game over at that point unless the Sultana could rely on a successful rescue attempt.