Early paladin feels weird?

[Phoenicia]

OK I may be very biased here since I hated ARR PLD. But PLD is terrible until 64 where you get Holy Spirit. (it was terrible even at 60 in HW but the fixes in SB retroactively fixed a lot of those issues like lack of AoE damage and bad DPS combo that had aggro move in it).

The lack of AoE (which you spend a lot of the leveling experience using), lack of combo variety until 60, TP issues because you only have TP costing moves and nothing to help you regen TP until 64 (where you spend some MP while TP regenerates) just kills the job for me.

Then to be fair, I find most jobs unbearable in under cap content. WAR losing Inner Release upsets me. With the removal of the third combo, Dot, Reprisal, DRK's playstyle was a snore fest until 68 (gauge spender in Bloodspiller) and it's mitigation was a joke until TBN at 70. I can go on to the DPS but that is besides the point.

However, once you learn Holy Spirit (and later on Requiscat) PLD picks up. I main it now (along with dark knight since they share gear and melds). PLD feels so good main tanking (as long as you don't force me to initially pull) , off tanking (I can do so much for the MT and raid), or even my DPS. As a matter of fact, PLD's "max DPS" value is higher than WAR because every raid buff can benefit the PLD. (WAR has a higher base DPS because it brings its own slashing debuff and is not affected by raid crit and direct hit buffs due to how Berserk/Inner Release guarantee DCH. Its burst nature also inflates its numbers against the other two tanks in fights with any form of down time).

[Kalise]

TP issues because you only have TP costing moves and nothing to help you regen TP until 64 (where you spend some MP while TP regenerates)

TP issues? Really?

I'm sort of confused about that. Given that really, the only time you can run out of TP as a tank is when spamming your AoE or ranged attack. But PLD has the thing where not only do they not really spam their AoE (Because for the most part, it's Flash and not something that deals damage) and the fact that because their AoE is mostly just Flash until level 46 it doesn't actually use TP...

As a WAR, sure, running empty on TP can happen when you're spamming Overpower... But PLD? I haven't really noticed that to be the case.

Then to be fair, I find most jobs unbearable in under cap content.

True, many jobs don't feel complete until max level.

However, plenty of jobs are decent enough at lower levels. With in my opinion, only a few notable examples that are pretty dire... PLD is one of them, given their complete lack of well... Anything pre-50. BLM is utter trash pre-40 when you have access to Blizzard III and Fire III to properly swap between Astral Fire/Ice (It improves a lot more at 60 when you have Blizzard IV and Fire IV but it at least feels like a cohesive job 40+). SAM feels kind of lame pre-50 for that final and most used Iaijutsu.

Oh, and then there's MNK, which I've yet to level mine to a point where it doesn't feel trash (I assume this is because I don't group very much when leveling my DPS and like half of MNK's potency is from directional skills so feels like ass when solo)

I think the rest of the jobs feel good enough at lower levels. With only a few mild annoyances, such as Gravity being level 52 or Redoublement (The skill that makes RDM's melee combo worth using over Verthunder/Veraero spam) being level 50.

But I guess it's preference in the end. Like, do I miss Inner Release when sync'd as Warrior? Sure. But I think the job still feels fine without it, given it has most of the core kit by level 38, with AoE, 2 different combos and the Beast Gauge (And a skill to use with it), things after that point are just luxuries that add to the class, rather than core things like the rest of a combo that you get the start of at level <10 *Glares at Riot Blade and Impulse Drive/Disembowel*

[Phoenicia]

TP issues? Really?

If you read my post carefully, I was referring to ARR and HW. PLDs ran out of TP on single target in exactly 180 seconds at 0 skill speed. Gets worse with SKS gear and buffs like Arrow/Fairy.

As a WAR, sure, running empty on TP can happen when you're spamming Overpower... But PLD? I haven't really noticed that to be the case.

WAR shouldn't have TP issues because they have TP-free moves (such as Steel Cyclone in AoE and Inner Beast in ST) and their AoE contributes highly to things dying faster as opposed to the PLD's lower per-GCD average AoE damage.

True, many jobs don't feel complete until max level.

However, plenty of jobs are decent enough at lower levels.

I know that plenty of jobs "Pick up" early. But it does not change the fact that the "main mechanic" that gives the job its identity is so back loaded into the highest of levels. The problem isn't leveling the first time, the leveling experience is actually good for most jobs. It is level-sync down once you reach those "fun" levels that makes you realize how the pacing isn't always very good. It was worse actually, remember when PLD learned Sword Oath 10, TEN, levels before Shield Oath? haha, yeah.

So, yes WAR gets its gauge Inner Beast at 35 and its DPS combo by 38, but Fell Cleave is 54 and IR is 70!

BLM gets Fire III and Blizzard III around early 40s, but the real fun begines when you get Fire IV at 60.

SMN's Tri-Distaster (being its main source of DoT application in 3 out of 4 casts) is level 56 and its reset (DWT) is 60, until then you literally apply DoTs and wait a 1 minute timer to do actual damage with Festers or Bane (which was nerfed too hard).

DRG's Blood of the Dragon is 54, 4th step of combos at 56/58 and its real use (Geirskogul) is 60. Their 5th step combo via Lance Mastery (DRG's "other" unique mechanic) is at 64.

BRD is not as fun until Iron Jaws and Empyreal Arrow.

I mentioned DRK and PLD in my previous post and the list can really go on on why I dislike down-sync to anything under 60~70 based on job. But then again, I began my post with a clear "I may be biased".