Question about GLD/PLD Gear

[JonBigwood]

When you buy at the Market Boards, click the item and see if there are High Quality available and the price. HQ are equivalent to aethereal and you sometimes can find unexpensive ones (for example the ilevel 55 PLD shield if you are lucky, it is hard to obtain the drop in WP and it will be the same principal stats.) The stats you see of items without clicking are of the normal quality items, there might be one HQ that suits you and you don't know it at first glance. Yo see the HQ stats putting the mouse on top of the HQ item icon.

[Maelwys]

Basically, VIT is best (corresponds with ilevel), then Parry (for added mitigation) and Str (for added enmity generation).

In terms of secondary stats (Determination and Critical and Skill Speed and Accuracy)... Determination > Critical > Skill Speed for a PLD in terms of additional DPS. But you ALWAYS want to be at the accuracy cap for the level of content you're doing. For the most part, this means that if you're not doing coil, you don't need to worry about stacking any accuracy... but if you ARE doing coil, you want to be hitting upwards of 470 accuracy (482 is a good "cap" for the uppermost levels of Coil at the moment, counting food buffs)

Back in the day the progression was to grab Relic Weapon and more-or-less full Darklight (I never bothered with the Head + Body, greatly preferring Hoplight gear). With CT drops you now have a little more choice. Darklight Legs are still a very good pick though, since they give good buffs to both Parry and Accuracy.