hmmm what makes us choose PLD

[Kurb]

During my long absence i pondered the above question and discussed it with my LS upon my return...But due to recent developments bothe irl and in game it got me wondering ..again.

I origionally believed that a pld player was one who had a certain mind set.
i.e. take on the mob and protect the party at all costs

But while lvling WHM/BLM to tele status I realised in fact the opposite was true.Most of the Paladins i have partied with on whm seem to shy away from danger.
UPDATED:
In qufim one such PLD (lvl22)Stated that he wouldn't tank a Giant or pug because there was no WHM and suggested to the leader that we chain crabs.
After a lecture from a lvl 55 pld<ME> about how we could do it and live with this party set up he dc'd
Then we went and found a war/mnk also lvl22 and we then took out as many giants and when pickings were slim we took out the occasional crab

once most of us were at 23 we went to pugs and killed untill links became a concern then we went to the tower

So i guess I'll have to come up with a new therory.... since the personality theory was a bust

[Eohmer]

I origionally believed that a pld player was one who had a certain mind set.
i.e. take on the mob and protect the party at all costs

But while lvling WHM/BLM to tele status I realised in fact the opposite was true.Most of the Paladins i have partied with on whm seem to shy away from danger.

In qufim one such PLD Stated that he wouldn't tank a Giant or pug because there was no WHM and suggested to the leader that we chain crabs.

Sounds like he WAS protecting the party by not letting them risk death at the hands of a Giant.

You don't necessarily have to fight to protect someone.

[Davitron3000]

I agree, he was suggesting a better alternative to the party wiping and getting no experience. Being a good Paladin sometimes requires that you know your limits, and a dead Paladin has way more trouble protecting the party than one that is not dead.

[Kurb]

Being a good Paladin sometimes requires that you know your limits, and a dead Paladin has way more trouble protecting the party than one that is not dead.

This is true......

[Emurei]

Depends what level was he? I've successfully tanked Giants and Pugs at level 21 no PL and we were chaining 4-5 easy.... and it was funnier when I told them to pull the wrights during the night time lolz alot of O_o "r u crazy?" though I had the best gear a PLD can buy at that level. I should go level PLD again had a blast doing it.

Guess as a PLD I love the thrill of a challenge

[Armando]

I play Paladin for its "flavor" as a job, its power, and its control. I have a thing for Holy Knights (especially since FFT.) Also, Paladin is a job that while it doesn't appear to be very powerful on the surface, is a solid, no-nonsense melee. It's not really a matter of wether I like blink tanking or not, but I prefer blood tanking to evasion tanking and blink tanking, simply because it's not situational protection. And, as for control, well...aside from the backline jobs, the tank is the one that controls the flow of battle the most. I enjoy DD'ing, but I enjoy neutralizing the threat of the mob by mitigating damage well and keeping it firmly on me so much more.

And, yes, the PLD may have been doing what's best for the party. Personally, I don't shy away from dangerous mobs if we have proper support (Spiders, Raptors, you name it) but I also try to dissuade the party from overhunting very slowly. Not only is it less fun (with everyone's performance being significantly lower) but it's also more dangerous, and generally results in less EXP/hour even when noone dies. It all really depends on wether the party was capable of taking them and he was just scared of tanking them, or wether he felt the party wasn't prepared for those mobs.

[Kurb]

hmmm very good points and an even better signiture for a White Mage from
Eohmer

You don't necessarily have to fight to protect someone.

^^ NICE^^

[Aeolus]

After a lecture from a lvl 55 pld and tips he dc'd ...hmmm

Your lv55 Pld and still dont have the PTs best intrests in mind, you sound like dieing for the PT makes you a better Pld when in fact avoiding the situation in the first place would be far better for your PT.

[Kurb]

k i seem to be taking a lot of unnecesary heat for this so i am going to TRY and keep the update to this post as shortand as clear as possible we all know how i tend to ramble on and strain your eyes

you sound like dieing for the PT makes you a better Pld when in fact avoiding the situation in the first place would be far better for your PT.

Nobody likes dieing but I dont mind dieing if it saves the party.Obviously I'm not going to let people pull stuff that will kill half or all of the party and in the past i actually booted a thf from the party before the mob attacked
K update done.. hope it convinces people i am sane

[Celeal]

Actual, I do agree with the OP:
"Take on the mob and protect the party at all costs"

However, I don't mean to always take on the mob by PLD himself all time. If getting all the mob's attention is for the best of the party, then I would try to get all the mobs attention. If there are melee /nin in the party, I may use his shadows to conserve MP. If there is SATA WS for closing SC or hate control, I would use it as well. Also be honest with the limitation too. If I think the party has issue xp on certain mobs, I would let the party know.

Besides tanking technique, a PLD should have art in his skill.

[Jarre]

why did I choose Paladin? well i like tanking and as a Galka and my charcters name "Brick s House" tanking is in my blood. A war tank doesn;t have as much defense and less hate snatching tactics and Ninja is overated and too weak on defense especially against double attacking mobs, 1,2 there goes shadows and now your vunrable. I love my paladin and since I have got flash I have improved my hate keeping tactics to an extent that mages can cure 3 and curaga and blm's nuke like hell and I still keep hate.

Provoke, flash, sentinal, provoke, flash and keep swinging while keeping myself alive with cure II's and III's when required which also keeps the hate.

[Kurb]

WOW Brick house nice

[Jarre]

Not forgetting auto refresh now at lvl 35, helps a low Mp race like Galka alot. I use fasting ring and RSE hands to get a decent MP boost to match most humes and mithras, its nearly up to taru Mp standard.

[Vair]

To the OP:

Well, it's true that some, make that most, PLDs will shy away from danger, but not all of us.

In my opinion PLD is a path that can lead a true heroic persona down a path of enlightenment. This can apply for real life as well. When you think about it this game is the closest that most of us will get to being heroes, which most males seek to be in some form. I'm sure that most of us have felt the urge to fight for some cause at some point in life; to fight for somthing greater than ourselves. What personifies this feeling more than PLD? I have put aside all fear (especially fear of de-leveling. It's just a game after all) and do what ever it takes to keep my party alive. Just last night, I was in Caedervia Mire and my healer went away. At level 67 the flies there can pack quite a punch. With the healer gone, everyone else out of MP, and the fly strikeing me down into the red pretty quickly, I did not surrender until I fell. ~.^ b

Anyways, I choose PLD becuase I live my life by this motto, "Live your life, fear nothing. Look into the sky and be truely glorious."

Hope that helps at all.

[DrivenTooFar]

I also picked Paladin because I like to tank. Also like Armando has stated, it is not situational tanking. You are pretty much a brick wall all of the time.

One of the reasons I like it is because of the fact that I can protect others. I don't care about killing the enemy myself, I just want to be able to make sure no one has to worry about getting hurt besides me.

I can't remember what I was tanking at 22 but at any level I always make sure to check what is the best for my party. I am usually not concerned with dying (mainly because I always have an awesome Whm by my side) but if the kill is taking to long then it is inefficient. I would have tried one if my party was compentent enough and I would have asessed the situation from there.