PLD weapons.

[Sparroww]

For damage dealing what is recommended for a Mithra Pally?
I've seen some PLD doing low damage with a 1h sowrd.I thought maybe with the higher hit rate of the Mithra I might use some thing 2h.I have beed putting both 1h and 2h sword but what about a Spear, Club or Staff? I know a Spears is E but its faster and more damage then most 2h Swords.Whats your thought?

[Kai]

Well... as a PLD you shouldn't really be focusing on doing damage instead rather enhance your strengths. But I suppose your best choice would be Great Sword if you wanna do some more damage.

[Sparroww]

So meny views and 1 reply?

[bannefin]

if you want to do damage, picking paladin was a bad choice.

you're the tank, and as the tank, a shield is invaluable.

that limits you to 1 handed weapons, and imo, 1 handed swords are your best options.

http://www.vot-linkshell.com/~bannefin/item/honorsword.jpg
http://www.vot-linkshell.com/~bannefin/item/tacticianmagiciansespadon.jpg

these are very good swords, and actually do a decent amount of damage. up until i got my hunting sword i couldnt stand 1 handed weapons and considered going 2 handed multiple times. i'd advise you to just keep grinding away at that 1 hand sword and keep your skill high, it will pay off in the end.

[Arnda]

I'd do things this way (1-30 experience mine, 30+ from talking to a few other PLDs on Kujata):

1-9: Bronze Sword or Wax Sword +1, Xiphos if you want
9-11: Spatha (you get one free from the second squire quest)
11-18: Bee Spatha +1 (not great, but the best there is for a while)
18-27: Longsword +1 or Flame Sword (Longsword if you can't afford)
27-30: Gladius (Gladiator is not worth it becaaaaaaaause...)
30-34: Centurion Sword (TacMag Espadon's little brother)
34-42: Hunting Sword (War Sword if you're swimming in gil)
42-50: Honor Sword (it's your AF1, learn to love it, then hate it when you get...)
50+: Tactician Magician's Espadon (+12 attack? 38 DMG? Not so gimp anymore!)

After that, well, there are a lot of options, most of them good. Some of them are easier to get than others though, and all offer a variety of bonuses. But once you're over 50 I somehow doubt you'll need advice from a forum about what swords are good. It will kind of be obvious.

[Somajan]

Save the Queen (http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?fitem=1947)

This sword is nice. It's almost like a JSE sword for Paladins. Level 65 though, and fighting the monster that drops it is total hell.

Given the fact that its -2 damage doesn't really make it all that attractive though...

Espadon (http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?fitem=1955)

Here's a link with an espadon, 43 damage. Probably the best so far...

[Cade]

S'far as I'm concerned, Save the Queen is the best 1hsword thats in-game right now.... sure Espadon hits alittle harder, but... who cares? +10 to Cover! ...which means it probably makes it last twice as long! ....I hope it does anyway. That'd be nice.

[Lyonesse]

Go with 2h Sword for damage if you're not tanking and 1h sword for normal damage while tanking. For pure tanking, go with club and get the 100-125 Moonlight/Starlight for MP.

[Madison]

errr dood its +1 to cover but if i had the choice i would pick save the queen

[bannefin]

http://www.vot-linkshell.com/~bannefin/item/espadon1.jpg

its a toss up between this and save the queen

could care less about cover +1

but +20 accuracy is owny

[Arnda]

Not even a tossup, really. Espadon +1 whip's STQ nine ways from Sunday. The only way it could be better is if the Latent Effect: +20 Accuracy activates in a particularly common circumstance. Otherwise, it not only does less damage for a negligible speed increase, but you lose out on some extra (and guaranteed) Attack, VIT, and MND.

Granted, I don't have field experience with either, but the numbers pretty well speak for themselves. Again, unless the +20 Accuracy activates frequently.

[Kagi]

Originally posted by Lyonesse
Go with 2h Sword for damage if you're not tanking and 1h sword for normal damage while tanking. For pure tanking, go with club and get the 100-125 Moonlight/Starlight for MP.

I personally feel the MP gain is too little to really bother focusing on clubs.... the hate generated by the cures you use with the extra MP could have come from normal damage by a 1h sword. Just me though.....

[Lyonesse]

There's no real way to gauge but a Cure generates more aggro than a handful more damage from a sword than a club in my experience. Of course, we're kinda playing hypotheticals too.

I'm also a sucker and waiting for level 63 so I can have some PLD/SAM fun with a Kraken club (or was it 61?) when I'm hunting stuff in my party downtime =D

[imac2much]

Starlight/Moonlight or whatever will only give you 17-20 MP I think... that's not even enough for a Cure II. No way a Cure I is going to generate as much hate as the increased damage a 1hs (and it's WS's) can do. Plus, I'm not sure about other PLDs, but I'm almost always involved in renkei, so I wouldn't want to use those MP-gain WS anyway.

[nuvas]

Personally at 60 I'm using a Gluttony Sword. I just purchased it yesterday and the jury is still out on it. I haven't been out xping so I can't really tell if it's going to help my tanking ability yet. But I see a lot of high level japanese PLD using it, which makes me feel a little bit better about the purchase. I just hope Vitality is as jesus as everyone says it is.

[Lyonesse]

The 12-33 MP (33 at 300 TP) isn't gonna get a strong cure going alone but comboing it with your leftover MP is a very different matter. I usually am short a few MP from casting another Cure III most of the time and those put me over the top =p.

[imac2much]

I don't know about you, but I'd rather deal 550+ guaranteed damage regardless of enemey defense with 300% spirits within than gain 33 MP with 300% moonlight/starlight. After level 41 I always PT'ed with either a BRD or a RDM, so MP was never a concern. I agree that until 41, MP is always an issue for PLD... more cures and flashes are always nice :biggrin: But after teaming with a good RDM with refresh or BRD with ballad 1+2 .... well, you'll realize that the club WS's are totally unnecessary. If you are worried about MP, do what I do... carry some ingredients for drinks and use a drink in an emergency. That way you don't have to gimp yourself on damage and renkeis by using a club. Khazam pineapples are like 64gil each, and water crystals are basically free (people usually just throw them away or sell to npc), so that's like 130 gil for one drink... not expensive at all. Plus one drink will give you 90 MP I believe before the effect goes away.

[Sparroww]

What so great about a Sheild? It adds like no Deff, it never blocks and most of them are way to expensive.

[Arnda]

You wouldn't be down to your last bits of MP if you were using a sword instead of a club... food for thought.

What so great about a Sheild? It adds like no Deff, it never blocks and most of them are way to expensive.

1. It adds a lot of def, somewhere in the neighborhood of third or fourth after your cuirass, leggings, and helmet. Every little bit of defense helps, and every bit of defense is multiplied when using Defender, Sentinel, food, etc.

2. Blocking a little is better than never blocking at all, and when you combine it with parry and evade, you'd be amazed how well it does defensively.

3. I can't understand this. No shield before the 30s is expensive. You can get an Aspis for less than 1k, a Decurion's Shield effectively for free, and the Kite Shield is free.

Finally, your best weapons are one-handed (A+ in Sword is a big difference over B in Greatsword, though GS can do more damage), so there's no reason NOT to use a shield. Greatsword DOES do better damage in time (especially with the PLD-unique ones), but the defense you lose from your shield is really not worth it if you're main-tanking.

[Lyonesse]

You wouldn't be down to your last bits of MP if you were using a sword instead of a club... food for thought.

Err, I'll be using MP no matter what whether or not I was using a sword instead of a club.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather deal 550+ guaranteed damage regardless of enemey defense with 300% spirits within than gain 33 MP with 300% moonlight/starlight.

Boo urn! I'm not that high yet =P. I'm still waiting for a good Sword WS and that isn't until the 50s =| At any rate, at this point I think the MP gain from a Starlight is a bit more beneficial when combined with my MP bank to keep hate. A 75 damage (100 tp) Shining Blade or RLB, or Fast Blade just doesn't generate the aggro that a friendly Cure III casted yours truly would :biggrin:

After level 41 I always PT'ed with either a BRD or a RDM, so MP was never a concern. I agree that until 41, MP is always an issue for PLD... more cures and flashes are always nice But after teaming with a good RDM with refresh or BRD with ballad 1+2 .... well, you'll realize that the club WS's are totally unnecessary.

True, RDMs and BRDs are always great but it's never a guarantee that you'll get one. Besides, Seraph Strike beats the snot out of all of the WS below Seraph Blade at this point. Does sooooo much better and more consistent damage. I'm just waiting for Mr. Vorpal =O.

On a side note, I'm hoping to get my Club up high for when I start my WHM up again (which is at 31 right now). I'd like to be able to get Hexa Strike as soon as I level and meet the skill requirements (which is only a level higher than PLD, A+ for PLD, A for WHM).

If you are worried about MP, do what I do... carry some ingredients for drinks and use a drink in an emergency. That way you don't have to gimp yourself on damage and renkeis by using a club. Khazam pineapples are like 64gil each, and water crystals are basically free (people usually just throw them away or sell to npc), so that's like 130 gil for one drink... not expensive at all. Plus one drink will give you 90 MP I believe before the effect goes away.

Never was a big food cooking buff myself =P. I'd rather spend that money on oh so tasty fishkabobs. :cool:

I'm a mage at heart (went WHM -> PLD rather than WAR -> PLD like most people) and how much damage I do has never really been a big thing for me (although I still punked all the RDMs below 30 with my WHM's :lol) Although, it is nice to do some bigger numbers on occasion so I'm training Gsword now as well.

What so great about a Sheild? It adds like no Deff, it never blocks and most of them are way to expensive.

Shields for PLD are essential, the special ones that PLDs can use give as much defense as a head piece can most of the time and that's a huge chunk. Block frequency is based on your skill level and agility I believe. So it's necessary to raise the skill to get it to block often. I got lucky on a Beetle in Crawler's the last time I leveled and blocked 5 of his attacks with my shield and parried the next 3. Taking no damage is quite fun =)

Arnda has a point, there really isn't a reason why you shouldn't have a shield when you're tanking. It adds defense and the best PLD weapons are one-handed (A+ in both 1h Sword and Club). There's also some excellent bonuses with shields like the Royal Knight, or Temple Knight shields at 50.

[Dark-Cress]

Use the tac. mag. espadon at lvl 50, then get the gluttony sword at lvl 57. It may cost a hellva lot but you cant beat vit+7.
Im gonna use that till lvl 70 when i get the company sword.

[Kagi]

Lyonesse, 1h sword is A+ but club is A-.

[imac2much]

Lyon, you make some good points, and I agree with you mostly, since with your style of gameplay maybe club isn't that bad at all.

However, in my case, every single PT I have joined or invited me has ALWAYS had a RDM or BRD. They just are that important IMO, and I think most people know that, so they always go for one. It's not like I reject invites from PTs that don't have one, but every single one I've been in since 41 has had either a RDM or BRD (don't know if I'm just lucky or what). Also, to my knowledge, 300% spirits within is still better than vorpal at level 60, since spirits ignores defense and only depends on your TP and HP... vorpal can miss and doesn't do great damage on IT's.

Don't underestimate cooking :biggrin: It's not exactly very profitable, but think about this: boiled crab gives nearly the same def as fish mithka, and you will fight a LOT of crabs in your PLD's career. Whenever they drop crab meat, the PT will usually be kind enough to donate it to you, especially if you cook it on the spot... they know you need it more than they do. Fire crystal = 100g, rock salt and water = super cheap from npcs, bay leaf = 1.8k for a stack in AH (prob cheaper somewhere else)... so basically one boiled crab will be like 2-300 gil, instead of 5-600 gil for a fish mithka. Also I can make steamed crab now and then, which is better than fish mithka esp since it lasts an hour. And juice is just godly, especially in emergencies. I don't know, I feel that cooking is a PLD's best friend :biggrin: I'm high enough to make fish mithkas but I generally just make boiled crab since I fight so many crabs (in kuftal then in boyahda)... once we move to another area without crabs I guess I'll make fish mithka. More food for thought = you can cook fish mithka for about 5k a stack, instead of buying it for 6k a stack (by just buying ingredients from AH). Not that big of a difference I guess, but nothing to scoff at.

To add to Arnda's reply, shield bash is also incredibly useful: gain a nice amount of hate, and stop spells (ancient magic and tier III magic or tier II ga magic)

[bannefin]

thoughts on :

http://www.vot-linkshell.com/~bannefin/item/nagan.jpg

a very pimp sword indeed, you can see the graphic at

http://www.vot-linkshell.com/~bannefin/bluesword.jpg

but of course, is it better than a sword/shield combo?

[Susano]

I can't decide if I should buy a Hunting Sword or save my money till 40 for armour and just wait to get Honor Sword (I am currently using Centurians Sword).

I don't do much damage, and I don't know if the Hunting Sword will really change that substantially. Any thoughts.....

PS: I know the DAM is higher on the sword, just don't know how well that will reflect without any passive damage modifiers.

[Arnda]

Look at it this way:

In 30 levels, the damage on a sword goes up from 6 to 19, or 13 points.

In 4 levels, the damage on a sword goes up from 19 to 27, or 8 points.

There is no chart that can adequately represent quite what a difference that is. But it is your call.

[Lyonesse]

Lyonesse, 1h sword is A+ but club is A-.

Why does my sword cap the exact same as my club then? =P

However, in my case, every single PT I have joined or invited me has ALWAYS had a RDM or BRD. They just are that important IMO, and I think most people know that, so they always go for one.

Yeah, I try for a RDM or a BRD whenver possible but the situation on Fairy doesn't allow it as often as I like. When It does though, It's a godsend since I can have some fun with Gsword and still keep aggro :biggrin:

Also, to my knowledge, 300% spirits within is still better than vorpal at level 60, since spirits ignores defense and only depends on your TP and HP... vorpal can miss and doesn't do great damage on IT's.

I'm just giddy at getting something that's more than one hit. ;) When and/or where can I get this Spirits WS you speak of?

On that note, I also wanna check out True Strike and Judgement for club. I've been a sucker for the club's weapon skills.

As for the food, I've been lucky and found fishkabobs for 300 gil a piece the last 3 weeks. It's saved me a bundle but I'm still low on cash since I bought that Valkyrie's Mask and the Mythril plate gear for level 49 to make my character look like a sexy Dark Paladin :cool:

Susano: If you can get it cheap, I'd highly recommend it since the damage increase is substantial. However, if you don't have that much cash, you can stick with the Centurion's Sword until 42 for the Honor Sword (which I just got last night but I'm only 41 right now).

Banne: That sword = rox. However, you're still better off with a shield and sword for tanking and that for any other situation.:spin:

[kainzero]

my thoughts on hunting:

one of my friends found it on bazaar for 10k, so he bought it for me. so now i have hunting sword =P
damage increase is noticeable, but... you're still gonna lose out a lot on damage anyway. if you really want it, you can go for hunt it, but i wouldn't term it an absolutely necessary upgrade. i got my AF1 but i'm keeping my around if my LS ever does BCNM40.
it looks sexy though. if it had a slight blue tint i'd call it the master sword =P the honor sword is.. meh compared to hunting.

[Arnda]

Yeah, the honor sword looks reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaal nice... if you're lv17. :rolleyes:

[Susano]

I got the hunting sword for 19k ><

The damage comment made sense and also, someone also mentioned BCNM40, so I bit the bullet and got it. I do see a big difference in damage, but that was against the EP mobs I was farming for cash to recoup my cash (Buying the sword put me at 83 gil left) :P

Now I'm sitting at like 30k, so I am back into a happy gil situation for now.

It does look very nice....and on the topic of AF weapons....I have noticed, they all look rather lackluster......the armours look great, but SE should really think about updating the look of the AF weapons.

[Kagi]

Originally posted by Lyonesse

Why does my sword cap the exact same as my club then? =P

The differences in skill caps are not obvious at lower levels. As you get higher they'll get further and further apart. Also, plds using a 1h sword have the advantage of the lv 225 ws which is pld only.

[Lyonesse]

The differences in skill caps are not obvious at lower levels. As you get higher they'll get further and further apart. Also, plds using a 1h sword have the advantage of the lv 225 ws which is pld only.

I'm wondering when that kicks in because I'm 42 and it's still capping the same for me. Of course, the class specific WS are always nice ;)

[Tinzen]

I'm wondering when that kicks in because I'm 42 and it's still capping the same for me. Of course, the class specific WS are always nice

The differences between A+,A,A- etc weapon skills take effect at 61.

[Lyonesse]

Now that's interesting =| Same skillcap until 61 then that +/- kicks in >_<. It's crazy I tell you! Crazy!

[bakavic]

I was wondering, what skill lvl is spirits within?

[Tinzen]

I was wondering, what skill lvl is spirits within?

Its skill level 175, you can obtain it at level 55.

[bakavic]

thanks