How important is defense for a PLD...?

[Giantbane]

And yet I always hear horror stories in my FC about PLDs in full DL that are like pudding. I think this just proves once again skill > gear.

Are you kidding? Any PLD that can find his Shield Oath button already has access to top notch mitigation by just standing still. If he can figure out how to execute his 1-2-3 combo then he's even better off.