Design of DRK and PLD

[RyomaUchi]

PLD doesn't use it's shield? Uh, lets count the shield-based abilities PLD has:
Shield Bash is heavy physical attack plus Stun but has a slow speed (so you don't spam this)
Shield Lob that is a ranged attack for low damage but high hate (so is the main 'pulling' ability, again, it's not meant to be spammed)
Sheltron resulting in a guaranteed block with the shield for the next physical attack while the effect is active (for 6 seconds).
Passage of Arms throwing up your shield in front to magically defend your party behind you with glowing angel wings.

Do any of these matters when it comes to savage and ultimate? well i guess PLD does use his shield"Passage of Arms. And by shield what i mean is indeed as Kalaam mentioned. Barrier.

[OdinelStarrei]

Do any of these matters when it comes to savage and ultimate? well i guess PLD does use his shield"Passage of Arms. And by shield what i mean is indeed as Kalaam mentioned. Barrier.

Yes, of course. Some of the usages are more fringe than others, but they matter a lot.

Shield Lob is a ranged attack option that you use when forced to disengage, and you don't have Requiescat up, or you are too early or too late in your physical rotation such that you can't use Holy Spirits as the ranged option for MP reasons. And even though Holy Spirit is used to pull once it's unlocked, all tanks still need a ranged GCD action when synced. This is the gap Shield Lob fits in. It will get more regular usage when Shield Lob no longer breaks combo in EW, unlike Holy Spirit, if the fight design encourages mandatory tank disengagements.

Shield Bash is situationally very useful, even if it breaks combo, does no damage, and ruins your rotation if you don't plan the usage. In Savage, there is only one fight this expansion that takes advantage of it. E8S add phase has a Water sprites that needs to be stunned by Low Blow, Leg Sweep, or Holy before it reaches the center crystal. Since it has the highest HP, it takes the longest amount of time to kill, so the movement path needs to be interrupted by stuns only. Since you are not guaranteed a WHM on your side, (they are probably better off throwing glares anyway), and Low Blow/Leg Sweep are both oGCDs with cooldowns, PLD remains as the one of the two jobs in the game able to chain-stun, and also stun both sets of Water sprites. This of course, isn't useful now with echo and overgearing, but when progging the fight and learning it, this was pretty huge. In earlier expansions, there were similar cases like this, Gordias and Midas in particular were huge about add control like this. It gives PLD another niche. Outside of raids, it is incredibly useful in Deep Dungeons and Exploration content.

Sheltron is the short-term CD. Since it uses gauge, it has the disadvantage of having to charge up at the start of fights, but the benefits greatly overshadow that problem. Being able to use two of them rapidly, the duration meaning you can block multiple instances of damage at the same block reduction, mitigating auto attacks to prevent gauge overcap. With Intervention also being in the kit, Sheltron is really flexible. Sentinel/Rampart + Sheltron + Intervention on the cotank is a staple of double/shared tankbusters, and is efficient CD usage. This is like asking do any of the tanks need their short-term mitigation, and the answer is overwhelming yes. And it's only getting better next expansion.

Passage is arguably the primary reason why PLD is taken in progression groups, next to Clemency. The ability to reduce 15% of all damage for the party, either as a quick weave for a few ticks of damage mitigation for high-powered raidbusters (Morn Afah), or as a focused channel for an taking multiple hits in a row (E12S enrage is a great example of this), on top of the 100% block rate during the entire cast. It's probably one of the best non-invulnerability mitigation skills in the game. Very flexible.

PLD uses a shield, but with all of these tools, PLD falls squarely in "Utility Tank" territory. There is no tank that is better at being a defensive swiss-army knife, in contrast to it's fixed damage rotation. It goes all in on the "Protecting others" part of conventional Paladins. Damage transfer, full party mitigation in the form of direct shielding and mitigation when other tanks have only one, high emergency healing, high rDPS, a ranged phase. It is my firm belief that PLD is probably one of the best designed jobs from expansion to expansion since HW. Barrier tank is firmly DRK's thing now.

Also the most recent Berserk anime is pretty much a crime against the medium, read the manga.