Paladin Tank Guide

I wanted to write this basic guide because of all the woeful tanks I have been finding while doing books etc. Anything I missed, got wrong, or just want to ask a question drop me a /tell.
Links I have used are from www.xivdb.com and – http://eorzeareborn.com

Contents
1) Attributes
2) Ability’s
3) Cross Class Skills
4) Gladiator/Paladin Quest links
5) Combos
6) Things to not to do and/or consider as a tank
7) Rotations

Attributes

Paladin is your pure bred tanking class, it is like a brick wall so don’t expect to be pushing out big DPS numbers on it.
Your 3 Main stats are Vit (Increase your HP) Str (Increase damage and Block/Parry damage mitigation) Dex (Increase chance of Block/parry). Vit and Str are easy stats for a paladin to come by, Dex is a lot harder to get but tbh I would forget about Dex you will be wanting to pump in as much VIt and Str as you can into PLD.

For stat allocations when your levelling up I would suggest putting in 1 Str for every 2 Vit until level 40, the little extra damage you put out will help keep hate easier, when you are not very well geared and all the DPS are starting to push out stronger and stronger damage. At 40 you get Shield Oath and keeping hate is a lot easier this is when I would go back re-spec to pure Vit.

Ability’s

Sword Oath Lv30/ Shield Oath Lv40 ON GCD

These are your main two buffs. Sword Oath increases your potency of auto attacks by 50, and Shield Oath reduces your damage taken by 20% and increases the enmity generated. Both need MP to be used and will overwrite each other, meaning you can only have one or the other up.
If you are tanking and your lv 40+ you need to have shield oath on, if you are off tanking use Sword oath so the main tank doesn’t need to fight you for hate.

Rampart (lv2) OFF GCD

Reduces damage taken by 20% and lasts for 20 seconds.

Fight or Flight (lv6) Off GCD

Increases Physical damage by 30% for 20 seconds. This is enhanced by a trait at lv28 to increase duration to 30 seconds.

Flash (lv 8) ON GCD

Increases enmity for all nearby enemies and has the additional effect of causing blind for 12 seconds. This is your ability for keeping hate on a group of mobs but don’t rely on it all the time, it won’t give huge chunks on hate.

Convalescence (lv10) OFF GCD

Increases HP restored by magic or physical by 20% for 20 seconds. Boosted by a trait at 32 to increase the effect to 30%.

Shield Lob Lv15 ON GCD

This is a ranged attack that has a potency of 120 and additional effect of Increased enmity, you will be wanting to start all your pulls with this.

Shield Bash lv18 ON GCD

Shield bash is and attack with a potency of 110 that has an additional effect of stun for 3 seconds this is boosted by a trait to 6 seconds. Don’t be just throwing this out as it has a high TP cost of 150 and the mob will just gain a resistance much quicker, so keep it for when it is needed.

Provoke Lv22 OFF GCD

Increases enmity on target. Right the description in game is a bit miss leading, Provoke actually gives you enmity +1 then the person highest on the hate list, so if you are the highest person on the list and you throw out a provoke then nothing is going to happen and you will have just wasted it. Using provoke on pull instead of shield lob is also pointless unless you need to pull something from a very long distance.

Shield Swipe Lv30 ON GCD

Shield swipe is an attack with a potency of 210 that causes pacification for 6s, but can only be used with a successful block from your shield, so don’t rely on this move but use it when you can and like Shield bash the mob can gain a resistance to pacification.

Awareness Lv34 Off GCD

Reduces the chance of critical damage done to yourself by 25% for 20 seconds. This is boosted by a trait at lv 44 for 25 seconds. (This was broken back in the day, but I believe it now working).

Cover Lv35 Off GCD

This will tether yourself to who you casted this on and you will take their damage for them for 12 seconds. The other player must be within 10 yalms for this to take effect.

Sentinal Lv38 Off GCD

Reduces damage taken by 30% for a duration of 10 seconds, boosted by a trait at lv 48 to make damage taken by 40%

Tempered Will Lv42 Off GCD

This cures Bind and Heavy and prevents knockback or drawn in effects for 10 seconds.

Spirits Within lv 45 Off GCD

Delivers an attack with a potency of 300, the potency increases as your HP gets lower and has an additional effect of silence. I would hold on using this if a mob needs a spell silenced like Ram’s voice when fighting chimera.

Bulwark lv46 Off GCD

Increase block rate of shield by 60% for 15 seconds.

Circle of Scorn Lv 50 Off GCD

Delivers an attack to all nearby enemies with a potency of 100 has an additional effect of increased enmity and places a DOT effect on the damaged mobs that has a potency of 30 for 15 seconds.

Hallowed Ground Lv50 Off GCD

This will make you invulnerable to all attacks for 10 seconds. This is your O SHIT! Move if you’ve pulled too many mobs and the healers can’t keep up with the damage your taken or you look like you are going down put this up to help healers catch up.

Cross Class Ability’s

Foresight Marauder Lv2 Off GCD

Gives a 20% buff to defence, this is a good ability to have for obvious reasons this only effects physical damage so it is less effective against mobs with magical properties.

Protect Lv8 Conjurer Off GCD

Increases physical defence of all party members within range. Not as good as if a real whm cast protect this is only really good for solo stuff, leave the healers to cast this in dungeons.

Bloodbath Lv8 Marauder Off GCD

Converts 25% of damage dealt into HP, good for boss battles and for big pulls to help out healers a little bit.

Raise Lv12 Conjurer On GCD

Does what it says on the tin, no real use for PLD as you can't even cast it during combat, you could always raise dead noobs you find.

Mercy Stroke Lv26 Marauder Off GCD

Delivers an attack with a potency of 200. Can only be used when targets health is below 20%. If used as a killing blow up to 20% of your HP will be destroyed. Free damage and a free cure is always good and it does not affect your GCD even better.

Stoneskin Lv32 Conjurer ON GCD

Creates a barrier around the target that prevents physical damage for up to 20% of the targets maximum HP. Always good to have on pld you don’t get any penalty’s from the spell as it depends on your maximum HP. Use this during phase chages of boss fights just before a big attack, help the healers out a bit save them MP and let them worry about everyone else, also use this before a big pull if the healers have not already put it up.

Gladiator/Paladin Quests

You can find all Gladiator quests here – http://eorzeareborn.com/gladiator-class-quest/

And all Paladin quests here –
Lv30) http://xivdb.com/?quest/66591/Paladin%27s-Pledge
Lv35) http://xivdb.com/?quest/66592/Honor-Lost
Lv40) http://xivdb.com/?quest/66593/Power-Struggles
Lv45) http://xivdb.com/?quest/66594/Poisoned-Hearts
Lv45 part2) http://xivdb.com/?quest/66595/Parley-in-the-Sagolii
Lv50) http://xivdb.com/?quest/66596/Keeping-the-Oath

Combos

Why use combos? Sounds like a silly question but I have seen plenty of people not using them, using combos will increase the potency for the next attack in the combo and will unlock added effects with Rage of Halone (Strength down by 10%) and Riot Blade (Restore MP)

Fast Blade –> Savage Blade –> Rage of Halone
This is your bread and butter combo and will give you most enmity, get to know it well you will be using this a lot, when you use Rage of Halone in the combo it will have an added effect of reducing targets strength by 10% so that means your going to take less damage along with all that lovely enmity.

Fast Blade –> Riot Blade
This combo is for when you are needing to top up your MP and WILL NOT give you any added enmity. When used in the combo Riot Blade will recover a set amount of mp.

Things to not to do and/or consider as a tank

Right this is how I have seen other people play PLD and if I see anyone do any of this I will hunt you down and I will slap you in the face with a sock full of diarrhoea

See a group of mobs and flash miles away from them? – Why some guy kept doing this is beyond me yes flash is AoE but it only has so much of a range. You will want to group the mobs 1st to make sure all mobs are hit.

Start off with provoke instead of Shield lob? – You get no real benefit from starting off with provoke this is not FFXI you don’t receive a set amount of enmity from it only use it if you need to 1) Tank swap 2) Gain hate back from a mob you have lost hate from or 3) Pull mobs at a distance (like the group of tonberrys after 2nd boss in wanderers palace so not to trigger the big tonberry) but I would even still recommend not use provoke to pull.

Spam Riot blade combo? – Some reason a lot of people got it into their heads that riot blade is the best thing to use to hold hate I have no idea where this has come from, with over use of Riot Blade and not using your rage combo you are no better than a very bad DPS.

Not using your Buffs – I have heard a lot of healers complaining about this if you’re going to pull a large group of mobs then USE YOUR COOLDOWNS, it is not down to the healers not healing properly when you could have reduced your damage taken by using your defensive buffs And this also leads me on to my next point.

Getting hit by 20 AoE’s at the same time – If you are going to do a huge pull try not to stand still, keep moving but don’t move far if that makes sense. You want to avoid getting hit by multiple moves at the same time all the while keeping the mobs grouped together and facing them away from the mages.

Mob Positioning – Most mobs need to be faced away from the party and that should become just a natural position but some mobs like the dragons in CT and the last boss of AK are best with the healers and mages side on to the boss with them having a large conal from their back.

1st time in a dungeon - As with all jobs not just paladin if its your 1st time, dont be shy let the other members know, I would say about 90% of people are willing to talk your through mechanics and boss fights and besides they are going to know anyway when "noob bonus" pops up.

Rotations

Low level Trash mobs
Shield lob your 1st target, group the mobs together then flash twice then start using your rage combo on the mobs flashing after every other combo, try and rotate the mob you use your combo on. Use Riot combo near the end if you need to top up your MP pool for the next pull, use cool downs when needed. Keep an eye on hate on the mobs and target the one that you will lose hate on.

Break Down

Shield Lob –> Flash –>Flash –> Rage combo –> Switch Mob –> Rage Combo –> Flash

Low Level Boss
This is even easier, start with putting up Fight or Flight and run in with Shield Lob go in a Rage combo to your heart’s content using flash to put on blind, you shouldn’t need to use the Riot Blade combo at all on boss mobs. Control the adds if there are any.

Break Down.

Fight or Flight –> Shield Lob –> Flash –> Rage Combo –> Rage Combo

Level 50 Trash mobs

Make Sure you have Shield Oath up!
Start again with Shield lob and gather your mobs, use circle of scorn then flash, start working on the mobs with the rage combo rotating to mobs you are losing hate and start using flash more often depending on how many you are pulling you might want to flash a lot more often in dungeons like brayflox HM when your pulling most of the zone. Use riot combo near the end to top up MP if needed for next pull.

Break Down

Shield Lob –> Circle Of Scorn –> Flash –> Rage combo –> Flash –> Rage combo –> Flash

Level 50 Boss Mobs

Make sure you have Shield Oath up!
Start off as normal Fight or Flight + Shield Lob followed by Circle of scorn, flash when needed and keep pumping away with your rage combo. Use your cool downs before big attacks take control of any adds that might spawn and keep the bosses positioned correctly.

Fight or Flight –> Shield Lob –> Circle of Scorn –> Flash –> Rage Combo

End Notes
That’s all I can think of atm, but I am sure I will be adding a few more things, it is a lot to take in but keep at it, just be smart at it because knowing is half the battle.

Amazing guide thank you raven :)

Great guide for starters!

Should add an advanced section for cooldown rotations, art of tank swapping and even stance dancing in the near future :D