PLD is a very boring class compared to WAR.

[Edellis]

First off, i'm not saying PLD is a bad class. But after leveling PLD up to endgame (EX Shiva, or Turn 6), and now through leveling WAR (currently only level 32), I can without a doubt say this is the most boring class in the game. There are a few reasons for this. I'm just going to compare skills, and how I feel using them when playing the class.

MRD/WAR:

1) Overpower is a MUCH more satisfying AoE skill than Flash. I personally think Flash is better for enmity, but Overpower adds so much more functionality to the class since it's an On-GCD AoE ability. I'll gladly burn my TP on trash pulls knowing i'm hitting all of them.

2) Berserk adds a very noticeable increase in damage output, with a debuff afterwards that really makes it feel like you're going all-out.

3) Defiance + Wrath mechanic (attack skills on GCD, with high potency and using Wrath Stacks) really adds to the whole feeling of being an axe-wielding monster tank. It helps provide the feeling of your power increasing as you fight, with high-potency attack skills at max stacks. It's comparable to maintaining Greased Lightning / Astral Fire.



Now, GLD/PLD

1) Essentially Flash, then Fast > Riot. Until level 26, you're spamming that combo. Then Flash, Halone combo. Forever, always, unto infinity.

2) Vast majority of GLD skills are damage mitigation....which isn't a bad thing, they are fantastic at their job as tanks. But shit is it sleep inducing. My HP is going faster, lemme use more CDs, ok back to halone.

3) They don't get an AoE damaging ability until Level 50! And it's DoT, off GCD, meaning it isn't even satisfying to use. It's a glorified Flash...literally. Use when avaliable, or when there's no MP for flash, ok back to Halone.

4) The Paladin Skills...really, I think these were the most unsatisfying job skills in the game. Sword Oath grants 150 potency auto attacks, which is quite significant. The problem is that it's 100% passive, it just happens and you have no control over it. I press a button, my DPS passively increases. You don't even get the added satisfaction of seeing your damage numbers increase...it just puts a 50 potency tick by your autoattack. Boring. Shield Oath is the same way, you just die less and hit weaker, end of story.

5) Spirits Within has no synergy with any of the other PLD skills. Off GCD, use it when its up, yay more DPS. Hallowed Ground is another silly one that comes at the END of the road, as opposed to Warrior where you get it before you even cap.


Again, functionally there's absolutely nothing wrong with PLD. It's just that it's supremely boring to play. There's no satisfaction mechanics built into any of the skills, they're almost entirely pure function and number benefits. Warrior has alot of its survivability built into its DPS skills, which just makes it feel way more active than PLD, where I start dying and then just press a button that makes me stop dying.

[Gooner_iBluAirJGR]

Totally agree. I think a lot of the changes in Heavensward are going to change this a lot though.

[SpookyGhost]

You are correct and I don't think anyone will argue otherwise (unless they're incredibly misguided).

They're trying to fix that in 3.0, though, with new combos and utility.

Obviously leveling is still going to be dull because PLD 1-50 is zzzz, but post 50 things could get a bit more active and interesting for PLD.

[Edellis]

Obviously leveling is still going to be dull because PLD 1-50 is zzzz, but post 50 things could get a bit more active and interesting for PLD.

Yeah, i see they're working on that now, and since the class isn't broken i guess there's no reason for them to change it. It would have to be a rework purely for quality of life's sake, which may be a waste of resources, since im sure summoner took most of that attention. But after playing WAR it's really depressing to realize just how boring PLD was.

I feel like if Warrior was designed to just blow through swathes of enemies, PLD should be able to put out some satisfying 1v1 damage in dungeons. Overpower alone makes stomaching pre-50 dungeons 100x easier on Warrior, but factor in Maim, and Berserk and it's a night and day experience. This is without Raging Strikes and Straight Shot if you go as MRD. Mind you, i haven't even gotten my second Warrior skill yet, but reading the descriptions alone makes me excited.

With PLD though...i literally have to fight off sleep while tanking, and I barely feel like i'm influencing the speed of the pulls.

[LimeSamurai]

I personally don't find PLD boring and I really enjoy it.

I like my defensive cooldowns because I think it matches the playstyle of a Sword n Board class unlike War which is a class two-handed axe going HAM at the enemy.

Don't get me wrong, I've been leveling a War, and I do enjoy it, there is just something about the PLD I enjoy more.

I can't wait for all the new PLD changes though.

Saying someone is misguided because they enjoy something you don't, not cool.

[Risvertasashi]

I personally don't find PLD boring and I really enjoy it.

I think this and the OP shows that SE did something good here, IMO. The tanks have two very different play styles. Someone can dislike one, but like the other a lot. If both were closer to the same, someone that dislikes one might just stop tanking.

[Dante_V]

Warrior is definitely more engaging and Pally as an OT is definitely sleep inducing but if I'm MT in raid or solo tanking I'd choose Pally tbh.

[Kuwagami]

Depends on what you play. I quite enjoy my PLD when I'm doing things like T5, T9 or T10-13, where I have to plan in advance what I'm going to do next. PLD offers me more thinking time than WAR, with which I'm going all out all the time. Though I do enjoy a lot my WAR on T11-12 in those I have listed.

[Teirafon]

Im completely agree with you , OP. I leveled PLD to level 34 just to see if it would get more interesting for me. Nope, it didnt. I love WAR more.
But Im glad PLD is getting new moves in Heavensward, might be more interesting to play.