Paladin: Better than Live?

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Braveguard

Dalayan Beginner
Hi all. I'm brand new on SoD and I have a question. Did a search but couldn't find it specifcally addressed so I apoligize in advance if it has been discussed too often before.

I am a paladin. Can't help it. It's just my playing personality. I've played other classes and done well enough but my first impulse is always the shining knight shielding his friends from harm and pulling them out of danger in the nick of time.

I know the classes are supposed to be "balanced" for the most part and my question isn't really about that.

In EQLive, except for a short period of time after PoP, I always felt that paladins were undervalued and underappreciated without a real niche in the game. For a time, stuns made paladins the consumate group tank. Other than that, it always felt like a struggle to "prove" yourself worthy of a group.

It was partly due to being so gear dependent but not being able to pursue constant power-raiding to get better gear. It was also, I think, largely due that that lack of a niche that I mentioned.

Well, now I'm starting up with SoD (which looks great so far by the way) and I'm looking for a class to start playing. I'll probably end up playing several but I only have time for one "main" if you will. Unfortunately, I still have memories of the struggles with the paladin class. I was one of the original players so I suffered through the huge exp penalties and lack of gear and struggles for equipment that the "necessary" classes contested me for (still get bitter when I think about the winning roll for a cloak of flames that the guild leader decided should not go to a "non-essential" class).

So here's the question (thanks for enduring)... Is the paladin "better" than on Live? Meaning will I still feel it's a struggle to play that class over another. Is there a clear need for the class and will I enjoy just being a paladin? ...or shoud I chuck it and roll up a druid.
 
Paladin has the most rigged deck of all the tanks at the moment.

They are definitively the best experience tank.
There are very few raid mobs that cannot be tanked by a paladin as well.

I have no idea what they are like on live but they are by far the best choice of the 3 tanks if you are new to the game and dead set on being highly desired. The only issue is all the other paladins.


If you want to know what they do in a clamshell:
1) Best AoE aggro
2) Absurd undead damage. Enable crits on undead making them vital for certain exp zones if you decide to go with melees
3) Group heal over time yeaa
 
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Otcho said:
2) Absurd undead damage. Enable crits on undead making them vital for certain exp zones if you decide to go with melees
Click to expand...

To be clear Otcho means enable GROUP crits on undead for all characters capable of critting, whether innately or through gear/AAs. Rogue cleansing backstabs ftw
 
Everytime I see someone new to the board who makes a paladin thread, my 1st instinct tellsm e he's trolling... I don't know why. :p
 
paladin is by far the most popular tankclass for groups here, meaning you will do very well in grouping and exp. For raiding you would probably be better off with a non-tank class (since most guilds have the tanks they need, and everyone and his grandma has a paladin alt), but if paladin is what you want to play: go for it.
 
whatever lead you to believe I wouldnt have a paladin alt? ofcourse I do! as I was saying though, go for it :)
 
Braveguard said:
So here's the question (thanks for enduring)... Is the paladin "better" than on Live? Meaning will I still feel it's a struggle to play that class over another. Is there a clear need for the class and will I enjoy just being a paladin? ...or shoud I chuck it and roll up a druid.
Click to expand...

First, you just might want to do both, that is box a Paladin and Druid (or Shaman or Cleric).

The above posts are accurate in that you will not have a problem proving a Paladin's usefulness as a class. They are the choice for undead zones and for AE tanking.

What you already realize is that the class relies on its gear much more than many other classes. Thus you need to realize that you are going to need to spend a ton of plat at or around level 65 to be properly geared. This means buying Deepmetal Armor (best player made armor in game) or its equivalent. The quest sword (soulfire) will probably be ok for a while.

As has been said, you may have a very difficult time finding a raiding guild. Luck and personal expertise will play a part in that. Or starting your own guild.

Honestly, boxing a Paladin and Cleric, but choosing to raid with your cleric may by a good choice, as mained clerics are always in short supply. Tanks are often needed for grouping. Shaman and Druids are not needed as much as clerics, but also are much easier to get in a guild than a Paladin. Their advantage is that they add dps to the Paladin when 2 boxing.
 
Thanks for the info

Thanks guys.

I don't really care all that much about raiding *gasp* *waits or the murmurs of disbelief and outrage to die down*. I play to have fun. If I find friends who raid then I'll be more than happy to go with them. If I'm lucky enough to find a guild full of friends then I'll do my part as a guildmember but... Like I said earlier, I played EQ for years and I find that raiding in that game was a lot of work (not fun), arguing over who had rights to what loot (not fun), drama about loot or why we weren't raiding X mob/zone (not fun) or just general guild politics. I tried a few guilds in my years their and the most fun I had was with Ilsik Haucil before they started seriously raiding stuff. We had a history of doing things in a small guild that only the larger guilds would usually try. We failed a lot but we succeeded pretty often too. The successes gave us bragging rights and the losses were still fun. You may have noticed that I've used the word "fun" a lot. I'm hoping to pick a fun character to play. It doesn't have to be one that every guild wants/needs. I don't aim to be a guild tool and build a character just so I can be in a guild just so I can build a character just so I can be in a guild... ad nauseum. I just wanna have fun.

It's good to hear that they've taken some of the frustration out of the class as it really is my favorite *archetype*. As long as I can find a group when I want one and feel like I can help people out in game, I'll be happy. I will still build a druid (Enas) because I like that class for the occasional change of pace but the paladin will always be my "main".
 
I mained a SK and kinda almost wish i had rolled a paladin. I love paladins, and agree with your sentiments of fun. Raiding can be fun when you're with a group of friends but i find the raid guilds kinda intimidatin (no offence to you guys). Play a paladin, reap the rewards.
 
I just wish I could find some other adventurers lvls 33-35 to help me take down these three mid 30's adepts so I can finally play my pally again. Playing all squeshy characters, it's finally good to not worry when he's getting wailed on.
 
If you think the recent change to knights have made this question hard to answer then you still haven't played a shadowknight, at least extensively.


Paladin is still one of the best classes in game.
 
Don't know about Live but Paladins here struggle in any high end dungeon unless you are raid geared.

If you don't mind sticking to about 8-10 areas that's fine but, for example, a Deepmetal Geared Pally will struggle in Catacombs, single mobs may be manageable but your healing requirements will eat mana and 1 mistake and your group is splat. There are a handful of better items available for tanks that will make things slightly more bearable that cost the earth (woeful torque, emblazoning greaves and stalwart sash 10K plus each) and VD map gear is OKish assuming someone lets you come along as offtank.

You say that you don't want to raid but this server is specifically designed for raiders and getting a Paladin into any high end Guild is near impossible.

Seriously, roll a cleric, rogue, ranger or necro and aim to raid.

Raiding in a high end guild here is about as fun as you can get and be legal
 
Goldfolk said:
If you don't mind sticking to about 8-10 areas that's fine but, for example, a Deepmetal Geared Pally will struggle in Catacombs, single mobs may be manageable but your healing requirements will eat mana and 1 mistake and your group is splat. There are a handful of better items available for tanks that will make things slightly more bearable that cost the earth (woeful torque, emblazoning greaves and stalwart sash 10K plus each) and VD map gear is OKish assuming someone lets you come along as offtank.
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A low end paladin and a low end shadowknights tanking is not going to be very different, the paladin heals will more or less make up for any mitigation. Healing requirements lol. I hate to tell you as well but mistakes lead to your group splatting regardless of which tank you chose. The biggest impact your going to get is through aas and spoilers tanks have done cata with worse gear then deepmetal. Maybe you should try splitting or mezzing.


You seem to try to make paladin out as some horrible class that noone desires and that its unable to do anything without exuberant amounts of gear. Maybe you could do it the way normal people do it and work slowly on gathering aas and eventually upping your game to tmap/deepmetal gear and dare I say eventually form a vd map and not try to tank it by yourself(instead of making it seem like you could only possibly offtank it because of someone else showing unbelievable charity and mercy by letting you in since your oh so bad) because thats retarded and not the only way to do it.






Goldfolk said:
You say that you don't want to raid but this server is specifically designed for raiders and getting a Paladin into any high end Guild is near impossible.
Click to expand...


This is flat out untrue, You're perfectly capable of getting into any guild you want as a competent player especially as a paladin. Getting into a high end guild as a paladin is not IMPOSSIBLE by any means.

Do you think that paladins somehow are always opted to be boxed over a good player due to gear and whatever other (stupid)reasons? Lol I can tell you a guild who sucks if this is the case with them.


ps lol.
 
Think you are wilfully misinterpreting what I am saying Otcho,

I have a Paladin and enjoy playing him but it is very hard work to get upgrades and as others have said there is a surplus of tanks on server.

I have been to Catacombs with him and it is perfectly possible with DM but very hard work and healers complained about how hard I had to be healed. That's great if it's your first or second time but not when you are going for the tenth time.

Pick up raids for VD maps don't happen that often and preference is given to tanks with better than DM gear and Main Tank has to be well geared way above DM to survive.

Oh and by the way I did it exactly the way you suggested with my Pally but it was very very hard work

Anyone with skill, persistence and hard work will do well in SoD but Pallys possibly have the hardest time of all because there are so many on the server.

In contrast a cleric or enchanter or necro once they get to 150 AAs or so can get a high end Guild fairly easily, they can gear up quickly and then they own the server.

Opening for Pallys in low end Guilds occur relatively often, but, leaving aside the last two weeks, how many high end guilds have actively recruited a Paladin in the past year and compare the vacancies that exist now for clerics.

I love playing a Pally and the feeling you get when you successfully do your job properly is great but please accept that it is one of the most difficult classes to progress in the game at the higher levels.
 
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