Paladin: Designing for One resource, streamlining and a dedicated offtank role @70

[Barraind]

This is how I'd do it.

Goals:

Keep Paladins identity similar to today.
Restructure ability gain.
Repurpose current abilities that cost resources to cost a different resource (Time, Gauge).


Lets get going.


Savage Blade - Removed.
Riot Blade - Removed

Reasoning: We dont need these. They're the easiest cuts to make.


Abilities by level (Dont freak out):

1. Fast Blade - Unchanged.

2. Fight or Flight - Changed to: The next ability, weaponskill or spell you use is guaranteed to both crit and direct hit, cannot miss and will have its combo bonus doubled. Duration changed to 10 seconds. Reuse changed to 30 seconds.

4. Rage of Halone - Combo action changed to Fast Blade. Level obtained changed to 4.

6. Royal Authority - Combo action changed to Fast Blade. Added: Combo Bonus:
Restores MP. Level obtained changed to 6.

8. Goring Blade - Combo action changed to Fast Blade. Level obtained changed to 8.

10. Shield Bash - Changed from weaponskill to ability. Cast time removed. Cooldown changed to 20 seconds. Potency removed. Level obtained changed to 10.

12. Shield Swipe: Level obtained changed to 12.

14. Shield Lob - Resource cost removed. Changed from weapon skill to ability. Cast time removed. Cooldown changed to 20 seconds. Minimum range added: Cannot be used on a target in melee range. Level obtained changed to 14.

15. Flash - Resource cost removed, 12 sec cooldown added. Changed from spell to ability. Level obtained changed to 15.

20. Clemency - Resource cost removed. Cast time removed. Cooldown changed to 45 seconds. Level obtained changed to 20.

20. Sentinel - Level obtained changed to 20.

25. Total Eclipse - Cost changed to 10% of Base MP. Level obtained changed to 25.

30. Sword Oath - removed from global cooldown. Added cooldown: 12 seconds. Level obtained changed to 30

30. Shield Oath - removed from global cooldown. Added cooldown: 12 seconds.

30. Sheltron: Level obtained changed to 30.

35. Cover - Level obtained changed to 35.

35. Circle of Scorn - Level obtained changed to 35

40. Requiescat - Damage normalized across MP. Ability changed to: On use: Allows Oath Gauge to go beyond 100 for 10 seconds, adds 100 oath gauge, removes the cooldown of Holy Spirit and reduces its cost by 20. Level obtained changed to 40

40. Holy Spirit - Cast time changed to 0.0 seconds. Type changed from spell to ability. Cost changed to 40 Oath Gauge. Added Shield Oath bonus: Increased enmity. Changed: Shield Oath Potency:300 Level obtained changed to 40.

45. Spirits Within - Damage normalized across HP Levels. Level obtained changed to 45.

45. Intervention - Level obtained changed to 45.

50. Hallowed Ground - Unchanged

55. Divine Veil - Level Obtained changed to 55.

70. Passage of Arms - Level obtained changed to 70.



Traits:

Enhanced vitality traits removed.
Enhanced Cover - Removed


15. Resolved to Fight added. - Increases the enmity generated by Flash and Royal Authority on enemies targeting another member of your party.

20. Gladiatorial Resolve added. - While under the effect of Bulwark, Sentinel, Rampart or Hallowed Ground, the healing potency of Clemency on you is greatly increased.

30. Oath Mastery renamed 'Oathtaker'. Level obtained changed to 30.

35. Divine Magic Mastery - Effect changed to: All targets healed by clemency gain Convalescent for 10 seconds. Convalescent: Increases HP recovery from all sources by 20%. Level obtained changed to 35.

40. Oathkeeper added. - While under the effect of Sword Oath: Using Shield Bash or Shield Lob lowers targets damage dealt to other party members by 10% for 5 seconds.

45. Oathkeepers Intervention added - While under the effect of Intervention or Cover, the healing potency of Clemency on party members is greatly increased. Reduces damage received from a covered player by 20%.

50. Oath Mastery added - Sword Oath Bonus: Increases Intervention's damage reduction by 10%. Shield Oath Bonus: Increases enmity generation to all targets targeting another member of your party.

55. Savage Blades added - When using Holy spirit on a target afflicted by Circle of Scorn and Goring Blade, has a chance to reduce the remaining cooldown of Fight or Flight to 0.

60. Above Reporach added - Sword Oath Bonus: When clemency is cast on another member of your party, reduce their damage taken by 20% for 10 seconds. Shield Oath Bonus: When healed by your clemency, reduces your damage taken by 15% for 15 seconds.

70: Divine Soul added - Shield Oath bonus: Passage of Arms now affects all party members regardless of positioning. Sword Oath bonus: Divine Veil now affects all party members regardless of range.



Role Actions:

Convalescence Removed
Low Blow Removed
Reprisal Removed
Anticipation Removed
Interject Removed
Awareness Removed
Rampart: Obtained at level 15.
Provoke: Obtained at level 15.
Ultimatum: Obtained at level 50.
Shirk: Obtained at level 50.



I think this accomplishes the concept of a dedicated offtank role while allowing the paladin the ability to tank all content.

It also streamlines abilities through the early levels.


Will it lower msq dungeon clear times pre-50? Yes. Do I think that matters? No.

Obviously this is not a vaccum change and would go along with similar changes for all tanks, tp users and all classes (for role actions, tp system adjustments and levels obtained)

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

Gotta say, Personally, I disagree with a lot of these changes. Removal of Savage Blade and Riot blade, will make things too simple. PLD does not need to be made anymore simple, sure some skills need culling but reducing combos down to 2 buttons isn't gonna do it. The change to fight or flight has to be a joke, it's like DA meets Inner Release for one skill every 30 secs lol honestly fight or flight is fine as it currently is. As for cast time removals on Holy spirit and clemency, honestly can't see it happening, yea it is a pain in some fights but for the most part cast times are fine. (Slide casting is a thing )

The decrease in the actions learnt is a bit extreme, sure lower some of them so the lower levels aren't completely barren, but you literally moved it from the start to the latter half of the levelling process. Too many GCD have been made oGCD here, I will agree with the stance change but 10seconds is enough of a cooldown, stances are one thing that should be mostly homogenized across all the tanks.

As for the traits, Guessing there is a typo in Resolved to Fight or you'll be ripping aggro in no time spamming RA more than usual with you're reduced combo lol. Secondly, what's with your obsession with clemency, you should never use clemency unless you're in solo content or prog, you got healers, let them heal. Invention having a base 10% mitigation is enough, further augmentation via Rampart and Sentinel is fine as is, no need to buff it via trait. As for the rest of the traits, making passage of arms less of an issue to position, nah either people are behind you or they are not, stop trying to over-simplify everything.

Okay for role actions, Awareness is a must have because bosses and the like love to crit, and they can hurt in end game content, crowd control like silence and stuns, rather they stay on the cross role, they have their niche uses i.e silence in Seiryu Ex. Convalescence not as good as Awareness in the current healer meta, but has it's uses all the same and reprisal is too valuable to give up, while yes you added it as an effect via trait I rather just have reprisal as it currently is.

There is no need for a massive culling and job change to this extent, and probably only need to see maybe some skills upgraded in the current toolkit. Shield Bash which has little to no use due to Low Blow being available, and flash a skill that deals no damage are two skills that can be upgraded. Give PLD more snap aggro because it needs it, all tanks need good snap aggro, it's a joke that it doesn't have any.

[Sylvain]

So... beside the fact that PLD is currently a good off tank, isn't anyone bothered by the fact that PLD will remain an off tank in 5.0?

I mean, isn't that a bit deceitful that... "The wall", the "protector" the freaking heavy armored holy knight with a shield is best as.... the off tank?
On the other hand, the warrior whose whole identity for a long time has been "the DPS tank" is... (alongside DRK) the MT? (I mean, I've met my fair share of WAR thinking they were dps in the novice chat.... I've never encounter a single PLD thinking he was a DPS)

I for one actually thought that they would Rework PLD in order to make it MT for 5.0.

Wouldn't it make more sens? I mean, one can argue wether or not DRK / WAR / GNB should or not be mt/ot but... PLD?

Thematically speaking, should the PLD really be an off tank?

[jameseoakes]

So... beside the fact that PLD is currently a good off tank, isn't anyone bothered by the fact that PLD will remain an off tank in 5.0?

I mean, isn't that a bit deceitful that... "The wall", the "protector" the freaking heavy armored holy knight with a shield is best as.... the off tank?
On the other hand, the warrior whose whole identity for a long time has been "the DPS tank" is... (alongside DRK) the MT? (I mean, I've met my fair share of WAR thinking they were dps in the novice chat.... I've never encounter a single PLD thinking he was a DPS)

I for one actually thought that they would Rework PLD in order to make it MT for 5.0.

Wouldn't it make more sens? I mean, one can argue wether or not DRK / WAR / GNB should or not be mt/ot but... PLD?

Thematically speaking, should the PLD really be an off tank?

I really hate that PLD is now only a offtank, and am really worried by the idea of them have job built around the idea of being a MT or O. I play PLD to be a heavily armouned knight not whatever it is I am play at the moment.

[Lambdafish]

I mean, isn't that a bit deceitful that... "The wall", the "protector" the freaking heavy armored holy knight with a shield is best as.... the off tank?
On the other hand, the warrior whose whole identity for a long time has been "the DPS tank" is... (alongside DRK) the MT? (I mean, I've met my fair share of WAR thinking they were dps in the novice chat.... I've never encounter a single PLD thinking he was a DPS)

PLD off-tank isn't about dps, its about support. I hate the identity of PLD being a wall, thats more GLA than PLD. PLD is a protector as a supporter, and as with previous games, is almost like a hybid of a healer and a tank. We protect using skills like divine veil, cover, intervention, passage of arms etc. which is much more suited to than off tank role in the same way the SCH is an off heal role.

It also makes sense that the DPS tank is an MT, because there it has less loss of DPS when switching role, whereas PLD and DRK do (though DRK only technically loses damage due to how its stances work).

While I do love the PLD cooldowns, I would love for some more variety. Imagine if Bulwark was changed simply to give a debuff to the boss that reads (the next player to take damage from target gains the buff "bulwark"). This would allow it to be used in both an MT and OT setting. (Yes I know this makes PLD really powerful, but its more showing the direction I want PLD to go)

[Sylvain]

snip

I really didn't see the PLD under that light. Seeing how you portray it, I guess OT makes sens, I'm still bugged by the fact that it owns a shield and is basically not using it.
Well regarding the stance, Imo it's simply poor design.

They said there would be changes with stance.
I really hope they remove, at the very least, the -20% dmg done and make all stance ogcd. The loss of benefit from the DPS stance itself is more than enough of a penalty (Felcleave +5% crit, SO aa bonus, blood weapon)

I also hope stance become much more than what they are now, an enmity generation tool you turn on for 3 gcd.

[Lambdafish]

I really didn't see the PLD under that light. Seeing how you portray it, I guess OT makes sens, I'm still bugged by the fact that it owns a shield and is basically not using it.
Well regarding the stance, Imo it's simply poor design.

They said there would be changes with stance.
I really hope they remove, at the very least, the -20% dmg done and make all stance ogcd. The loss of benefit from the DPS stance itself is more than enough of a penalty (Felcleave +5% crit, SO aa bonus, blood weapon)

I also hope stance become much more than what they are now, an enmity generation tool you turn on for 3 gcd.

We shall see. In a way, PLD is kinda like 3.0 WAR but less broken. It can fulfill both the MT and OT slots, it just likes OT more due to the loss of damage from shield oath.

As for identity, it is a bit weird, but I don't think we can use that as an argument as the roles shift depending on balance, and PLD can fit in either MT or OT based on the way it is portrayed.

[jameseoakes]

We shall see. In a way, PLD is kinda like 3.0 WAR but less broken. It can fulfill both the MT and OT slots, it just likes OT more due to the loss of damage from shield oath.

As for identity, it is a bit weird, but I don't think we can use that as an argument as the roles shift depending on balance, and PLD can fit in either MT or OT based on the way it is portrayed.

It's a much worse MT than the other two tanks, it can't be compared to 3.0 as that was beyond broken

[Lambdafish]

It's a much worse MT than the other two tanks, it can't be compared to 3.0 as that was beyond broken

I say that in the fact that skills like sheltron and hallowed ground are some of the best mitigation in the game.

[jameseoakes]

I say that in the fact that skills like sheltron and hallowed ground are some of the best mitigation in the game.

I thought people where rating Holmgang better due to it's shorter cool down.