PLD Gear?

[Judge_Xero]

Ideally, the gear set I want to have someday is: With all my points in STR and MND (228 and 234)
Curtana + Holy Shield
HQ Cobalt Celata (51 MND)
Darklight Cuirass
Darklight Gauntlets
Darklight Sollerets
HQ Felt Trousers (25 STR/27 VIT)
HQ Cobalt Plate Belt (120 HP)
Explorers Choker
2 X HQ Rubelite Rings
White Ravens
HQ Raptorskin Bracelet

(I could also use the Storm Earring, Belt and Bracelet for a bit more attack and Str (3 piece bonus)


***Edited for Stats:

DL Gear (no storm bonus) - STR 323, VIT 321, MND 287, **ATK 557
DL Gear (storm bonus) - STR 330, VIT 322, MND 287, **ATK 564

Food for Accuracy or extra ATK/STR Smoked Raptor, Tuna Mac'bob

Darklight Gauntlets can be swapped for 40+ STR Gloves, but the VIT is nice, and 50 ATK is decent.
(If I ever get a pair of 50+ STR Gauntlets they will be going on, but the Darklight sill gets more badassery points)

The stat Caps on Curtana is around STR 368 - MND 320 (Low DPS value @ 41.03)

[Brannigan]

Wouldn't that leave you with only like 314 str? Curtana's got to cap higher than that. You've got other triples on there, might as well go for triple Str gauntlets over Darklight. Hell, if you wanted to keep your belt you could use the Maelstrom Shield/Earring/Bracelet. You'd probably have to switch out those Rubelite for Electrum on some fights (like Curtana/2xHQ Electrum/Militia gets me only ~95% accuracy on Nael/Ifrit, would be lower on Garuda) so having more str options would be good if that's your focus.

[SwordCoheir]

Wouldn't that leave you with only like 314 str? Curtana's got to cap higher than that. You've got other triples on there, might as well go for triple Str gauntlets over Darklight. Hell, if you wanted to keep your belt you could use the Maelstrom Shield/Earring/Bracelet. You'd probably have to switch out those Rubelite for Electrum on some fights (like Curtana/2xHQ Electrum/Militia gets me only ~95% accuracy on Nael/Ifrit, would be lower on Garuda) so having more str options would be good if that's your focus.

I'd have to agree there, I think there was an ongoing discussion on the MNK forums that the caps for Relic are roughly 380/330 so you have to really push it to make the caps.

But on the other hand if he insists on using the DL gauntlets, rather than swapping out his HQ STR rings he could also swap to the Lominsan Officers Gloves which give +50 Acc with Sanction so he'd at least get the better of both worlds.

[Brannigan]

But on the other hand if he insists on using the DL gauntlets, rather than swapping out his HQ STR rings he could also swap to the Lominsan Officers Gloves which give +50 Acc with Sanction so he'd at least get the better of both worlds.

I forgot about those gloves. Lucky Lominsans and Adders actually got good paladin gear from their company. Still, the Sanction requirement kind of sucks.

[Tango]

The state of the prime healing class is incredibly relevant to how a PLD or any tank should manage his gear sets. WHM is horribly overpowered. A major reason damage mitigation is not really a huge deal on PLD is because a single WHM carries so much healing efficiency and burst healing capability. Because a single WHM can max you out constantly with minimal effort (when played at a reasonable, standard level of skill), it isn't a huge deal if you're taking 800 vs. 1000 damage shots (just need to avoid to getting 1-2 shot). For this reason, you're better off focusing on damage / enmity at this stage of the game given the current endgame content.

This is why I am a strong proponent of ENMITY and DPS gear over dmg mitigation, and as long as you can hold hate 100% I would go full HP gear. Maxing your HP while maintaining the 99.9% accuracy rate (as long as you can keep 100% hate) is the best set no matter the situation. Having a higher HP pool allows you to self heal safely which in turn raises your enmity ceiling. Not to mention the strongest enmity producing skill is HP based.

[Arcell]

As a member of the Maelstrom, what are some worthwhile pieces to get for PLD? I mean I've looked around and have an idea but suggestions would be welcome and help solidify my decisions.

[SwordCoheir]

Well here's some that I use.

Full Time:
Lominsan Officers Overcoat +10 STR, VIT, MND, DEX (Sanction: +70 Defense)
Storm Sergeant's Bracelets Atk. +3 (3 Piece: +7 STR)
Storm Sergeant's Earring Atk. +4 (4 Piece: +7 Crit. Atk.)

As Needed:
Storm Lieutenant's Cutlass DMG: 102, Delay: 2.6, DPS: 39.23, +20 Acc (5 Piece: +30 Atk.)
Lominsan Officers Gloves +100 HP (Sanction: +50 Acc.)
Storm Sergeant's Jackboots +30 Evasion (2 Piece: +10 DEX)

[Arcell]

I was considering the bracelet and earring, are they really worth the loss of enmity from those slots? I mean I guess I could make it up elsewhere, just curious.

I'm assuming the Cutlass and Gloves are listed for their Acc bonuses, correct?

[SwordCoheir]

It's subjective really, they're both a great pieces but if you can't obtain the 3 piece requirement to get the +7 STR on at least the bracelets I would consider otherwise, but then again my setup is more melee oriented.

Yes the gloves and Cutlass are listed mostly due to their accuracy bonuses which is helpful for instances like Garuda when you'll likely need it. Since you'll likely be below the STR cap however, a Giantsgall Longsword melded with STR, MND, or Enmity would probably wield greater benefits and damage potential than the Cutlass.

[kro]

I have to commend you guys for arguing to the point where Kaeko had to come out of hiding to dispel all misinformation.

Bravo, bravo.