PLD viable for speed runs?

[REDace0]

First, Sentinel boosts enmity from weaponskills, not abilities, so don't pop it before Provoke, Flash, or Rampart, because it won't help them.

Here's what I do, ideally, if the party will listen:

Provoke+Flash (and from then on every 30s)
Pull to position
Divine Veil
Sentinel
Phalanx -> Spirits Within
Tell everyone to gather on me and get on hate list (if safe). All it takes is an auto attack or a heal.
War Drum
Rampart when everyone is close.

Rampart gives you more enmity the more people it hits, but you generally have to explain the plan to the party ahead of time. Even then they seem afraid to come near on most bosses, so you may or may not get the extra several hundred points of enmity there.

[Alderton]

First, Sentinel boosts enmity from weaponskills, not abilities, so don't pop it before Provoke, Flash, or Rampart, because it won't help them.

Here's what I do, ideally, if the party will listen:

Provoke+Flash (and from then on every 30s)
Pull to position
Divine Veil
Sentinel
Phalanx -> Spirits Within
Tell everyone to gather on me and get on hate list (if safe). All it takes is an auto attack or a heal.
War Drum
Rampart when everyone is close.

Rampart gives you more enmity the more people it hits, but you generally have to explain the plan to the party ahead of time. Even then they seem afraid to come near on most bosses, so you may or may not get the extra several hundred points of enmity there.

I'll generally start the fight the same way, it is just a strong way to build enmity at the start.

After the first Spirits, however, I'd actually use sentinel for your Goring Blade combo. The reasoning isn't really the enmity, but the fact that you're layering two defensive abilities on top of each other instead of spreading them out. I'd rather pop Divine Veil >> Phalanx >> Spirits, wait for DV to wear, then do Sentinel >> Goring combo. You should have enough time to slip in a Flat blade combo as well before sentinel wears.

That said, I'm kind of curious if anyone has actually tested the Sentinel enmity boost with WS that give additional enmity as well. I would assume Sentinel only increases the enmity of the raw damage, and not the adjusted enmity those WS get, but that is only a guess with no testing whatsoever.