How to Build a PLD, needing tips plz.

[Raymeo]

Im slowly repping my AF gear but I think Im gonna go Def > HP > Emnity.

anyone know if theres a hard cap on defence as far as i am aware their is not

There was some testing done on defense caps here:

http://kanican.livejournal.com/55915.html

In short, defense cap rises as the level of an enemy mob rises, and with boss mobs it's an unbelievable amount to hit the cap. So there is a cap of sorts, but it's likely not something you'll ever need to worry about going over.

[SwordCoheir]

Aye, basically d-Lv factoring and weather or not the mob is a regular creature or NM/Boss drastically affects the amount of defense you would need before you receive diminishing returns. It's one of the reasons people are able to do naked Ifrit runs, and one of the major reasons people are trying to get SE to put more emphasis on defense in game mechanics.

[Ruminaasagi]

While there is no physical need to level MRD you are pretty much required to get at least 14 in MRD for the provoke ability

[Absintheminded]

While there is no physical need to level MRD you are pretty much required to get at least 14 in MRD for the provoke ability

Speaking of "required" skills from other jobs, are there any others? For instance someone told me the LNC ability Invigorate was a must. I've picked up Cure and Protect from CNJ as well and was told I should level it up to 26(?) for Stoneskin.

[Sasagawa]

Speaking of "required" skills from other jobs, are there any others? For instance someone told me the LNC ability Invigorate was a must. I've picked up Cure and Protect from CNJ as well and was told I should level it up to 26(?) for Stoneskin.

For Glad tank invigorate is very useful to build tp and ws continuously

for PLD tank Stone skin is a MUST casting it as many times as you can during boss special moves can really mitigate damage.

Sasa

[SwordCoheir]

So is having Sacred Prism to either AoE Stoneskin on fellow teammates or throw out a quick superficial curega for a decent hate spike.

[syntaxlies]

first things first you wanna equip an ax...

[Onidemon]

Well I'll try to break it down a little for you and explain the stats some, they are similar to FFXI but there are some noteworthy differences.

Each job has two modifiers called stat bonuses which give a significant boost to damage. But the bonus stats don't exactly play to PLD's strengths, so unlike other jobs that juggle two maybe three stats, PLD gets to juggle four. These stat bonuses however show an actual difference in your damage output, so it makes them worth looking into when figuring out your setup.

STR- Stat bonus, helps damage output
MND- Stat bonus, Increases Enmity modifier in Fastblade > Flatblade Combo, Helps increase cures and magic accuracy
DEX- Increases Block rate, Increases Acc
VIT- Increases HP, effects magical and physical damage calculations when taking damage.

Enmity is to be consider as well.

+10 Enmity = 1% Enmity Bonus

Thankfully Materia and Jewelry gives you quite a bit, and does not really conflict with other gear choices.

Shields work a bit differently, and actually just got adjusted and receiving other adjustments here in the near future so I won't derive into them much. However you can attach materia to your shield, but your options are limited to pretty much HP/MP or Defense materia. (Personally I wen't defense)

Gear Wise, Plate Mail will be your best friend on this adventure providing the best overall defense, most stats on the different pieces are somewhat negligible enough you can be flexible (IE: Little difference between Sentinels and Cobalt gear, but Sentinels is much more expensive.)

One debate that's going on right now is the usefulness of the PLD AF, stat wise it's comparable (for the most part) to a single materia melded Cobalt counterpart making it a good free alternative, that gives bonus effects to different PLD abilities. However I recommend doing this when you can afford it, is try for a double/triple melded piece of gear and slowly replace your AF.

Below is my current personal setup for PLD, I like what it provides but I recommend you find your own preference and merely take this as a suggestion. Materia Augments are in Parenthesis next to the name.

Ifrit's Blade / Cobalt Winglet (+24VIT)
Vintage Kite Shield (+16Def)
Gallant Coronet / Cobalt Celata (+24MND)
Cobalt Cuirass (+32Def)
Cobalt Plate Belt (+42Enmity)
Felt Trousers Red / Black (+7STR, +7VIT / +7VIT, +7DEX)
Gallant Gauntlets / Sentinel's Gauntlets (+15DEX)
Sentinel's Sabatons (+60HP)

Stonewall Earrings
Explorer's Choker / Electrum Gorget
Coral Armillae
Amber Ring x2

Hope that helps you out.

What % of your points do you allocate to each stat?

example, STR 50%, VIT 20%, DEX 15% MDN 15% etc...... Whats the best rule to follow for a Paladin?

One more question, the paladin quest.... in order to become one. It ask for a party which is stupid IMO but at what level can you solo it?

[Seffy]

I've been wondering about rings. Are VIT rings the way to go or should I try to get VIT and DEX rings? :O Right now my points are just all in VIT and DEX. I assume that at least is right.

Also what about the HQ level 49 Rings? Are those worth it?

[Onidemon]

I've been wondering about rings. Are VIT rings the way to go or should I try to get VIT and DEX rings? :O Right now my points are just all in VIT and DEX. I assume that at least is right.

Also what about the HQ level 49 Rings? Are those worth it?

Isnt STR important too? I understood that damage = enemity and mind too sound important... This is confusing as it makes 4 stats to play with.. other classes focus more on 2 or 3 max....