PLD Gear?

[Stufoo]

Everyone just remember that Aceofspades Aircav has done absolutely zero endgame and is in a linkshell of awful, awful, awful, awful damage dealers (therefore he can not see the necessity of enmity.) He will never do a 17 minute run, or a 25 minute run, and actually hasn't even cleared either dungeon once. He would never hold hate on the relic faction leves as they require high DPS from the damage dealers. The absolute only place that the gear set he posted is anywhere close to optimal is the Monk faction leve, but he doesn't know that because he doesn't play this game in any capacity worth noting.

He has no point of reference for what is needed to beat content efficiently and vastly overstates the need for survival gear because he sucks at playing paladin/has bad white mages/fights bosses for 15 minutes and wipes out because they have no DPS.

He honestly believes 11 defense is worth 45 enmity. That is an actual thing he does. He's not even mad that he can't beat the dungeons, and never has a shot at getting HDL. No no, see, we are the retards because we actually use this shit gear. How dare we.

Btw ace, you have exactly 0 more defense in gear than I do but I have 500 more HP and 200 more enmity. If I dropped down to 350 accuracy like your dumb ass I'd have more vit too, but that is entirely stupid. You are giving up the entire world for nothing because you're senseless.

Holy Shield: 25
HDL Body: 308
Sent Belt: 29
HDL Legs: 218
HDL Hands: 85
Underwear: 14
Stonewall Ear: 3
Militia Neck: 12
Raptorskin Wristband: 13
Electrum: 1
Stonewall Ring: 5
GLA traits: 30
Base defense: 20

Total: 763 Defense. Absolutely zero difference in defense (if I used a gimp shield like you I'd have more, btw) but a big difference in how I can function in endgame with competent players. Remember, I can switch to VIT rings. You can't switch to HDL armor.

e: Total: 313 Vitality. If I equipped rings, +36. If I equipped Giantsgall with 34 instead of Curtana, I would have 383 Vitality, before food.

Where are your defensive stats now?

Conclusion; DLH is overrated for PLD set up.

LOL , coming from a person who perfers DLH armor?

I would LOVE to see your HP/ENMITY built take the damage I take

soo are you just trolling at this point? If you go with DLH armor, you dont get to stack ANYTHING

and to adress the whole "my dark light has more stats" comment, this is further proof you are delusional, no one wears it because the stats dont help nearly as much as what can be stacked with materia.

This is just hilarious bitter sweet irony. Please enjoy it with me Ace.

[Brannigan]

I've never cleared a dungeon nor killed anything past Garuda. Don't take gear advice from me!

Did you just recommend HDL for a paladin damage setup? I mean for a real paladin damage setup you'd probably want something like Darklight Cuirass, Mind helmet, Str gauntlets, Str/Vit pants (or militia if available), Darklight Sollerets. The only reason HDL kind of sucks sometimes is specifically because it gives you nothing for damage stats outside of mind on gloves.

Wow this thread is garbage. I hope you at least got something out of it though, OP. Really the BIGGEST thing you need to upgrade is Ifrit's Blade. Get Mogblade or Giantsgall + acc ASAP. Also drop Gallant Cuisses for any felt trousers (even a single meld of HP or str/vit). Toss the shield for a melded kite. Stonewall ring ain't great (keep it around but wear acc instead for most stuff). Keep a bunch of different gear around for different situations.

Enmity for any fight where flash/provoke/healing make up a significant portion of your hate.
Str/Mnd for solo, low man, and low defense monsters
mega vit/defense for ruining threads and wiping to easy dungeon bosses

[Trollestia]

Wow, I really hope no one is listening to you people. You probably don't even have relics.

To be a good tank you have to adapt to the fight and party sent up. This game, in its current state, isn't XI where you can just say flat out "THIS IS THE BEST PIECE RIGHT HERE". Some fights are about staying alive, others are about keeping hate.

And to be honest, PLD is only useful for Neal Van Derpnus, Garuda (which tanking is a complete joke, could do in all AF without a problem) and Ifrit extreme (using AF body and max HP usually) so PLD gear is stupid to argue about anyway. WAR is way better for pretty much everything else.

And this is coming from someone with PLD and WAR relics and full heavy Darklight armor.

[Kaeko]

If you are really interested in min/maxing a PLD build, I recommend starting by reading up on game mechanics. Once you have a thorough understanding of how each stat works, then you can make your own educated decisions regarding gear, builds, etc. I think as you read more on how things work, you'll realize that the best set is situational; your best bet is to carry multiple sets for multiple situations. How do you know which set is optimal for each situation? Understand the stats and the mechanics.

I would try this thread:
http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/107...-how-they-work.

This stuff will all change in 2.0 so I wouldn't get too worked up min/maxing in the current game. If you really do care though, there is a lot to read on the link I gave. I'd warn you as to which posters you probably don't want to be taking advice from on the PLD forums, but I think it would be an insult on your intelligence to think you can't figure this one out on your own.

***

Also for clarification, it has been incorrectly said many times on this forum that DEF gets less effective as dLVL increases. This is FALSE. You will actually gain more damage reduction per point of DEF the higher the dLVL is. The reason DEF is considered useless on high end mobs like Ifrit is because DEF gets less efficient the further you are from the damage floor, regardless of the dLVL. So if you're fighting an R50 that just happens to dish out high physical damage, DEF is still going to be marginally useful. On the other hand, if you have an R58 that does weak physical damage, DEF will still be useful.

Don't think of DEF utility in terms of dLVL, but in a more simplistic "how much damage am I taking" way. If you're taking very little and know you're not at the floor, stack more DEF. If you're taking a whole lot, best to try something else.
For most things where a PLD is required, the mob(s) do a lot of damage so DEF is not that hot. For standard 8 man 'endgame content' you won't find too many uses for DEF stacking unfortunately.

Also, the enmity modifiers for flat blade and spirits within are constantly given as 4.5x for flat and 1.5x for spirits on this forum. The actual modifiers are 5.5x and 2.5x. The mix up comes from the way the JP blogger who tested these wrote his explanation and the subsequent mistranslation. He actually says "an additional 4.5x" (meaning in addition to the base amount). There is no formula or data for how MND affects the flat blade enmity bonus. MND does increase damage though, which is then multiplied by the 5.5x / 2.5x modifier.

***

[Stufoo]

Ever the diplomat, Kaeko.

[Neversleeps]

Hi guys can people give me some idea's on how to pimp out my PLD....

Atm i've been trying to get full Heavy DL but not going to well seems to have a drop rate of a Irish man hitting the floor drunk....


But any way this is what i'm wearing so Far...

• mh ~ Ifrit's Blade
• Head ~ Militia Armet
• Body ~ Gallant Surcoat
• Legs ~ Gallant Cuisses
• Hands ~ Militia Gauntlets
• Feet ~ Sentinel's Sabatons
• oh ~ Thormoen's Purpose
• Ears ~ Stonewall Earrings
• Neck ~ Stonewall Choker
• Wrists ~ Coral Armillae +1
• Right Finger ~ Stonewall Ring
• Left Finger ~ Rubellite Ring

i've been looking into crafting up some Heavy Darksteel and trying to get that maybe melded, but at the same time thats going to take for me almost as much time as just getting DL...

What do you guys advise for me to get and change out to pimp out my gear till the best i can....

Sorry for nooby question but PLD is my main but the long run at Heavy Darklight doesnt seem to be happening anytime soon, but that's my No.1 Goal... Just want some ideas on how to pimp out best i can before DL...

Thanks to everyone who takes there time and gives me some idea's

P.S. I'm from Ul'dah Grand Company ><

I think it's already been mentioned, but the shield you are using is definitely sub-optimal in almost every build.

As has been argued endlessly in this thread, there are many different builds that a PLD can gear for depending on the encounter. For the purposes of this thread, I'll recommend gear for the three builds I find most useful and list encounters where they'd be applicable. As a side note, the gear listed is not what I use, but gear that I find reasonable for a new PLD to obtain. Furthermore, this is only my recommendation.

Damage Dealing Gear (Garuda, Miser, Certain Relic Factions [DRG, BLM]):

• MH: Morbid Mogblade (I'd actually recommend this weapon above melds or other primal swords because you'll get accuracy without having to pay too much for it. On my server, Heavens' Eye prices are brutal)
• OH: Kite/Vintage Kite with HP Meld
• Head: Cobalt Celata w/ MND Meld
• Body: Darksteel/Cobalt Haubergeon (Vit or HP Meld, not really that important for the purpose of this build) or Darklight Cuirass (if you can get)
• Hands: Cobalt Gauntlets (if you're doing multiple melds, I'd suggest Felt Bracers for it's multi-job function and accuracy) with STR Meld
• Belt: Sent/Cobalt Plate Belt w/ HP or Enmity Meld
• Legs: Felt Trousers w/ Ironman's Will Meld
• Feet: Sent/Cobalt Sabatons w/ HP Meld or Darklight Sollerets (if you can get)
• Ears: Explorer's/Stonewall Earrings/White Ravens (if you find that enmity is not an issue, that +10 enmity doesn't really offer you much over Explorer's)
• Neck: Militia Choker (or Explorer's Choker if you're having Acc issues)
• Wrists: Raptorskin Wristbands +1/Coral Armillae +1
• Rings: Electrum Rings +1

With a mogblade, the DD stat caps are 330ish STR and about 295ish MND. For most encounters, you want about 420ish Accuracy to hit around 95-100% of the time. Missing a Spirits Within is brutal, so I place a high emphasis on accuracy. The main purpose of this build is to maximize your effectiveness. Some fights, extra HP/Def is wasted when the mob doesn't hit very hard. If you have one WHM who can keep you alive while maximizing your DPS for both Hate and Speed, why not?

Depending on the fight, you can start sacrificing HP (Belt and Wrists) for Enmity if you're struggling with hate. This is applicable for every build. In fact, I highly suggest you mix and match your gear as the encounter requires. Very rarely do I strictly stick to a 'certain' build as it's always recommended to adjust your gear as appropriate for the fight. Another example would be if you're hitting 100%, you can slowly start to sacrifice Accuracy for other stats as long as you maintain about a 95-100% hit rate. After all, if you're hitting 100% percent even while wearing only one Electrum Ring +1, why do you need two?

HP GEAR (Ifrit Extreme, Nael Hard, certain Relic Factions)

• MH: Morbid Mogblade
• OH: Kite Shield/Vintage Kite w/ HP Meld
• Head: Cobalt Celata w/ MND Meld
• Body: Gallant Surcoat (you expend a lot of MP during these fights, and this is the best way to recover. In a long, extremely drawn out fight, this body piece usually ends up most beneficial over the span of that fight)
• Hands: Militia Gauntlets/Cobalt Gauntlets w/ HP Meld or Heavy Darklight Gauntlets (if you can get)
• Legs: Felt Trousers w/ HP Meld or Militia Trousers
• Feet: Militia Sabatons/Sentinel's Sabatons w/ HP Meld (double meld here would actually be better than Militia Sabatons)
• Ears: Stonewall Earrings/Rose Gold Earrings/White Ravens
• Neck: Explorer's Choker/Militia Choker
• Wrists: Raptorskin Wristbands +1
• Rings: Electrum Rings +1

These two encounters are highly specialized (I haven't done Hard-Mode Ifrit in ages, so this build might actually be suitable here) in that the mobs hit like freight trains. At this point, your main goal is to stack as much HP as possible while also maintaining your accuracy. Your main hate holding techniques revolve around Provoke/Flash, Healing, and Spirits Within. If you miss a Spirits (especially on Ifrit Extreme after a hate reset dash), it's brutal. Damage mitigation gear during these fights are relatively pointless because you'll still get hit for 1000 damage + per attack and even potentially more. As a result, staying topped off and having HP buffers is imperative. Especially for Ifrit Extreme where most strategies require you to eat the damage from Radiant Plumes (which hits for about 2300ish damage non-Sentineled).

Damage Mitigation Gear (Moogle, Trash Mobs R50-R52 from Beastmen Strongholds)

• MH: Morbid Mogblade/Garuda's Gaze (Gaze actually becomes useful insomuch that you're usually engaging multiple mobs, so you're mainly relying on Flash/War Drum to keep hate here. As a result, the Block and Enmity from Gaze actually become useful)
• OH: Kite Shield/Vintage Kite w/ Defense Meld
• Head: Cobalt Celata +1 w/ MND Meld
• Body: Cobalt Cuirass +1 w/ Double Defense Meld/Militia Cuirass (Militia Cuirass has the base Defense of an NQ Cobalt Cuirass. When going for defense builds, it's best to use +1 pieces because they increase the base defense and get you closer to the damage floor.
• Hands: Cobalt Gauntlets +1/Sentinel's Gauntlets w/ Dex or Militia Gauntlets (has the equivalent defense to Cobalt Gauntlets and also offers HP + Mind + Enmity. Not bad overall, if even if you lose out from the benefit the Dex gives to blocking)
• Legs: Felt Trousers +1 w/ Ironman's Will
• Feet: Explorer's Sabatons (defense equal to Cobalt +1/Sentinel's Sabatons, but also gives more Vit)
• Belt: Sentinel's Plate Belt w/ HP or Enmity (probably HP)
• Ears: Stonewall Earrings/White Ravens
• Neck: Militia Choker
• Wrists: Raptorskin Wristbands +1
• Rings: Amber Rings +1

For Moogle, I'd actually recommend starting off the fight in DD gear when you're fighting the Moogles one-by-one. When they're all dead and during the time they summon the King, you switch into the Damage Mitigation set. For the most part, this set does a fantastic job of minimizing damage taken from multiple mobs because you're able to get close to the damage floor. While it's true that Vit mitigates both physical and magic damage, I prefer defense in these situations because of the 3:2 ratio that Defense gives to Vit. http://kanican.livejournal.com/55915.html. Also, Heavy Darklight shines in this gear set. The only way you can get close to the Def/Vit offered is through multi-melded gear.

Sorry for all the info, but I hope this helps with your gearing question. If you want something more all purpose, these are some things to consider:

• Accuracy: If you can't hit the mob (landing Flat Blades and Spirits Within), you can't keep hate. If you can't keep hate, all the Def/Vit/HP in the world won't help you.
• Enmity: If you find your DDs are constantly taking hate, it may be worthwhile to invest in some enmity. Realistically, however, the benefits aren't going to be night and day. It just helps.
• HP: If you find yourself in a situation where the potential to be one-shot is high, HP begins to shine.
• DEF/VIT: The lower the damage the mob inflicts on you, the stronger DEF/VIT gear becomes (can get closer to the damage floor). Especially in situations where you're getting hit by multiple mobs.
• Block/Block Rate: Yeah...I've never prioritized these stats. Between being able to use Divine Veil every 60 seconds to guarantee Blocks for 20 seconds and Aegis Boon, it just doesn't seem all that worthwhile to gear for these stats.

Again, this is just baseline level gear. Multiple melds, Heavy Darklight, and other such gear should and can be mixed and matched into these sets. That being said, most of the gear I listed is easily obtainable to a newer player until you can get Multiple Melds, Darklight, and Heavy Darklight stuffs. Good luck!

[Daniel_Fury]

Also note, with just head and chest peice, where the vit dose suprass that of what i can acumulate on cobalt gear, my def for the two peices combined are 11 def higher then that of DLH, dlh has roughly 13 more vit, i think the trade off speaks for itself.

Thats the thing though, you are favouring 11 more defense over 13 extra vit, 45 emnity, 34 hp, regen +5. That's a huge sacrifice and a bad suggestion as a tank to say that your 11 defense is better than all those stats.

The only issue I have with body piece is the loss of 32 mind, but that can still be made up with mind rings.

[Kestiel]

Also, the enmity modifiers for flat blade and spirits within are constantly given as 4.5x for flat and 1.5x for spirits on this forum. The actual modifiers are 5.5x and 2.5x. The mix up comes from the way the JP blogger who tested these wrote his explanation and the subsequent mistranslation. He actually says "an additional 4.5x" (meaning in addition to the base amount). There is no formula or data for how MND affects the flat blade enmity bonus. MND does increase damage though, which is then multiplied by the 5.5x / 2.5x modifier.

***

I always did the wonky way of calculating based on the original quotes. If you do 100 damage for flat blade, you multiply that by x4.5 and then add the damage of the enmity to it (100*4.5+100=550ENM). Roundabout way of doing it for sure, but I've seen quite a few people forget that last crucial step.

As for the info about DEF and dLVL, is there a boss-type mob that does not have both high dLVL and high attack? The two may not always arrive in pairs but one augments the other surely. Higher dLVL is likely to have higher attack when concerning yourself only with bosses and/or mini-bosses, no?

However I whole-heartedly agree, people skim too much and make too many half-baked conclusions on only understanding a piece of the puzzle. The old adage in FFXI still holds true for FFXIV, at least for PLDs "shit is situational" build for that and I don't think you can really go wrong, aside from inventory clutter. Here's hoping ARR fixes the DEF function a little, I'd like to see better gains with diminishing returns so that the closer we are to the DEF cap for that particular mob the less benefit they give.

[GreyJorildyn]

It's just nice to see some rational people in this section again. Thank you guys.

[Dzian]

Is the Militia Choker really that damn good.....?

I personally use electrum gorget+1. I have about 505 attack power with my build. 475 without that gorget. so the gorget increases my attack and by extension my damage and by further extention emnity by 6.3% which surely is better than 3%...

OK yeah im forgetting flash/voke but they seem to be a relatively small amout of my emnity. a flat bade at x5.5 is typically 150 x 5.5 = 825 emnity on garuda.

those militia chokers are 6million on my server and personally I dont think it's worth it.

correct me if i'm wrong.