[ShadowHolyFlyingDragon]

Man, people are gonna yell at me saying I'm trying to DD. haha

We'll try it and see.. I assume you wouldn't gear this way to tank gods or hnms or even Kirin cuz those are horses of a different color.... or do you?

[Takelli]

Originally Posted by ShadowHolyFlyingDragon

Man, people are gonna yell at me saying I'm trying to DD. haha

Actually. Plds don't get yelled at for "trying" to DD. If you can deal damage, the mob will die faster, and you will hold hate better.

Sure, you take a bit extra damage, but if you can kill the monster faster, mabing saving you what? 5 hits, you actually will take less damage depending on how your def is. The more damage a paladin can hit for, the more damage a DD can deal, and there for, the faster a mob dies.

Gear yourself like you want to deal damage, but want to be able to take damage as well.

[Armando]

I don't do endgame but HNMs are a whoooooole 'nother ballgame. What I'm saying applies to EXP, and other similar situations where you're not in an alliance and the monsters aren't ridiculously strong (e.g. Nyzul, Limbus)

Man, people are gonna yell at me saying I'm trying to DD. haha

You'd be amazed. Most don't even react when I pop sushi. If anyone gives you lip about your gear just ignore him; anyone that insists you need more VIT definitely doesn't know how stats work.

Just remember, make sure the party isn't overhunting (mobs are VT to low IT, no crazy IT++ mobs that take 2+ minutes to kill) and make sure you have a form of refresh. Under those circumstances sushi doesn't backfire unless it's Erucas.

Also remember to Zerk for Vorpal, balance it out with Defender afterwards, then when you get TP again you cancel Defender for another Zerk'd WS. Works great with Save the Queen because you can pop Cover for an extra +20 Acc on your Vorpals. Solid Vorpals are part of what really makes sushi a good idea - if a DD does an 800 damage WS and then you do a 300 damage Vorpal, you only have 500 damage to make up for. And a 300 damage Vorpal during Sentinel gives the hate of a 600 damage Vorpal.

[Empedocles]

If I remember correctly, (Been a loooooong time since I did anything remotely related to exp on PLD) Four Hundred (400) is the magic number for defense (Include Protect). From there, start swapping in the DD gear.

[Celeal]

I agree with Empedocles, around 400 Def+ (total, including buff or food, etc) at level 75 for merit parties is about it.

At the minimum, swap in DD gear before Weapon Skill.

At the end, DEF+ gear can only handle physical attacks. The balance between defensive gear and offensive gear in exp. parties are situational:

For example, if there is a DNC or /DNC that use Samba, if the PLD wants to receive the benefit of Samba, he needs ACC+ gear.

Another example, if there is a good THF or DD/THF to transfer hate on PLD, is very different from a party that loads up with DD/NINs.

If your healer's internet connection is lost during battle, or there is link or aggro at the camp, a good PLD could change gear and deal with that.