[Hilde]

Basically I was asked to replace someone in a party, I was asked if I wanted XP.
My answer was of course...Yes.
So I headed out to Baflough Thickets via Nyzul to where the mamool BSTs & greater Colibri's hang out.
Party was all 75s.
MNK/WAR, DRG/WAR, SAM/WARx2, WHM/WAR ( I kid, actually it was /BLM).
We start out and the hate begins to float everywhere. I use about over job ability, burn through MP, and I never really get above 50% health.
The WHM (party leader) takes not that I am not doing my job very well.
Given I am competing with 2H wielding DDs, I opted to increase my MP for more curing, which given I haven't upgraded that chunk of gear yet means lvl 30 RSE.
We continue for a few before the comments begin again.
One notes that my place is basically a waste. Another notes that this is a TP burn and he doesn't recall ever having a Tank in a TP burn. Both inform me they meant no offense. My response is simple. I was invited to an XP party. And then I am told this is a merit party.
The WHM asks me where I would like to be teleported to. I answer Altep. And then every one gets all in flustered as if I have a bad attitude and am bailing.
The WHM informs me I'm leaving as a merit party is no place for lvl 30 RSE. Once again I reply I wasn't invited to a merit party by the person I was replacing.

So knowing the story, might I ask. What kind of gear set up should I lean towards to better deal with the XP/merit crowd?

[Armando]

DD gear.

For traditional EXP parties, incorporating +Accuracy and +Attack into your tanking gear increases your damage output, which means you make more hate through damage and can reduce your dependency on curing for hate. On top of that, you kill the mob faster and by holding hate better, allow the DDs to do more damage (which in turn also kills the mob faster.) But by 74 it's a little bit late for you to worry about traditional parties, I think.

For most merit parties you're expected to act as a DD and thus have a complete set of pure DD gear.

[Celeal]

The camp at greater Colibri is tricky: basically the main tank has no food.

With a party setup like MNK/WAR, DRG/WAR, SAM/WARx2, WHM/BLM, the PLD has no food, no TP (Colibri reset TP), limited Refresh, no Bard's songs (or any buffs that are equivalent).... DRG/WAR (polearm bounce against birds + 2-handed weapon), SAM/WARx2 (2-handed weapon), MNK/WAR (hate machine, lack damage migration)

Although DD gear PLD approach is the right way, with a exp. setting like that, TBH, that party is not going to burn anything.

[Evion]

Keep the PLD, add defensive gear, drop the WHM, add another DD, and have the PLD act as main heal/Tank

[Zempten]

I agree with Evion. PLD just isn't going to be holding hate against 2H DDs.

Perhaps if your PLD is extremely well DD geared, but otherwise the average PLD won't be holding hate. Even if you do, it''ll only be for about the first 10-20% of mobs life or when the first WS fires off.

So yeah

[Quetzalcoatl]

what i do at Exp/merit pt's when im invited to Greater Colibrie camp is that i just first voke and let the DD's kill as fast as they can when the mob is at 50% HP i run and voke another that way i act like a Tank/puller making 15k/hr thats why some ppl look at me to do "my job" when merit and i have no problem doing it cuz well even with WHM or RDM healer we can do very well the healer just hv to keep DD's alive while i can keep myself alive with my own 3MP refresh (Sanction+Auto Refresh+Parade Gorget) that way the RDM dont hv to woory on healing me.
So my advice as a PLD could be get all the +Shield skill u can a DEF and try this...full Adaman armor works very well just keep your AF boots (+10 Shield skill)

Good Luck!