Paladin Pep Talk

[Valamore]

Hi guys,

So I just started playing p99 and decided for nostalgic purposes that I would play as a Paladin since that was the first ever character that I made back in Vanilla!

The only problem is I'm kind of concerned about the class...I feel like I'm going to end up really underpowered in later levels, so I was wondering if there were any mid or higher level Pallys out there that I could bounce some questions off?

I'm assuming that Paladins are meant to be a tank role character, however I feel like taunt isn't working very well at my level right now (at level 5) even when it says it has. Iv been in a group and tried to taunt and it doesnt end up doing anything for me...Is this going to get better? Because I think my overall damage output is really low, so how would you go about keeping a mob on you as a tank?

I don't mind putting hard work in, just want some reassurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel later in life. Any successful Paladins out there care to shed some light on the subject? Any tips, pointers or advise would be Much appreciated!

Thanks.

[Nataz]

It's done with spells. Blind and stun. Eventually you will get two spell lines of stuns and a stun proc. Good utillity over all and good group tank. At smalller raids you can RT. At 60 you get a 200hp buff that stacks with clr line hp biffs and fos.

[Pyrion]

I got a level 40 paladin. It's a really nice class, you can be the hero of any group. Where the SK has the tools to safe himself (FD), the pally will safe the group.

Below level 9 grabbing aggro is pretty hard. Starting at 9 you wil just use flash of light and instantly have aggro. Just beware to only do it when the mob is already in melee, because else it behaves like a fear spell. For example it's a very bad idea to use it for pulling. You will need a bow and arrows for that until you get stun (super aggro spell) or even later, cancel magic (most ppl don't realize that cancel magic is actually a nice pulling spell).

[fadetree]

Pally's are the best grind group tank. SK's are pretty close, and they are better at some things, but overall you can't beat a pally. ON raids can be off tank or rampage support. It's a good class.

[Lhancelot]

Pally has blind and stuns that do all your aggro work, along with roots later on. Aggro is never a problem for pallies. In fact, it can become so easy it becomes boring for some.

As you notice, taunt isn't much to rely on for aggro, hence why warriors can be so frustrating because they have to rely on taunt and weapons to proc for aggro, or other clickies and group assistance with roots etc. With a paladin, you never need any assistance from the group to hold aggro, ever.

That being said, don't judge the pally yet, you hardly have even broken the ice with the class yet! You get spells at lvl 9, you will start to see how it works then.

Now, if you plan to raid and want to tank the strongest of dragons, do not roll a pally. Stop now. Reroll a warrior. For group content a pally is awesome as a tank, for raids not so much.

Think what it is you want to do in the game before you go too far. or you can roll a warrior to compare, there's no limit to how many characters you play. :p

[EpicAdventure]

Paladin is the best tank from lvl 9-59. Sk is better at 60, and warrior is better then either if its geared well.

That is the short explanation. as a shaman Main (below 60) pala is the only tank I dont pull threat from. 2 -3 flash and its locked down. So for 90% of the game pala is the best tank imo. at lvl 60 sk pulls ahead due to utility of FD. Warrior takes less damage and also deals out more, but has less utility and is more gear dependent for performance.

[Atmas]

As a Paladin main I have a blast playing Paladin. Heals, roots, stuns, lulls, tanking, rezzes, lay hands, give palies a ton of utility.

People who think they are min-maxers give Paladins crap because they see the game in black and white when a lot of times you need gray. Paladins aren't the best at any one thing individually but a lot of times it is very beneficial to have someone who can do multiple different things. It's the reason why, as many have attested in this thread, Paladins are such good group tanks.

Now, a little talk about Paladins at end game. Paladin is generally not going to be the main tank for high end main bosses because warriors get defensive and have higher hpts gear being equal. I say generally because:

1. A lot of guilds only do content that Paladins are fine for tanking, things like Kael Arena and HoT. Infact Paladins are arguably better for tanking that stuff because they snap agro quickly where as warriors would have to use clickies or spend time getting agro.

2. I've been able to obtain pretty good gear and played in successful guilds so at one point or another I've tanked a lot of end game content including Vindi, a lot of the ToV dragons, ST golems, Dain, etc.

Anyway, the point is tanking still happens because there is a lot more than just single encounter boss mobs. There are epic encounters, trash clearing, rampaging, and planar clears etc.

Even if there isn't main tanking there is still a lot to do. Clerics are generally healing just the MT so other heals are often needed, enchanters need help sometimes managing broken pets. Paladins get a buff that no one else gets. Worst comes to worst you can always add your bad dps. Paladin dps is really bad but it is existent. Which loops back to the point that is beneficial to have a person who can do a lot of things decently at once. MT goes down a lot of times a Paly can step in (gear dependent), someone is about to die and needs a heal? A rogue will never be able to do that.

[Amyas]

Are you a highelf? that sweet sweet plane of growth sword!!!!!!!

[skarlorn]

You won't ever be main tank on raid bosses but you can be the best trash tank out there, and trash tanking is 90% of the work.

[Atmas]

Are you a highelf? that sweet sweet plane of growth sword!!!!!!!

I'm a high elf and I have a sword from Plane of Growth, but it's not Nature's Defender :p

[Ennewi]

I'm assuming that Paladins are meant to be a tank role character, however I feel like taunt isn't working very well at my level right now (at level 5) even when it says it has. Iv been in a group and tried to taunt and it doesnt end up doing anything for me...Is this going to get better? Because I think my overall damage output is really low, so how would you go about keeping a mob on you as a tank?


I don't have much experience with raiding as a Paladin yet but as far as groups are concerned, they have spells that are just as good for tanking as they are for pulling and it's not uncommon that you'll find yourself fulfilling both roles at once.

Even without memming the lull line of spells Paladins would still be capable pullers because of their cheap root spells, combined with how many hitpoints and heals they have. At mid-high levels you can pull multiple mobs without issue, positioning adds with root. This is especially useful versus casting mobs because you can position them outside of camp, keeping them out of line of sight of your group while still having them tagged rather than sitting at their spawnpoint available to the other pullers in zone. The added benefit of this is that the majority of other pullers in zone won't run through your camp to get mobs you otherwise would because they don't want to take proximity aggro spell damage from the rooted mob. This works with noncasting mobs too if you root them in or outside entranceways. So you can sort of use them as traffic cones, marking your territory, if you use root well enough.

Having the ability to heal/LoH also offers more leeway when pulling because you can buy yourself time without dropping aggro, assessing the number of mobs while getting a mana check from group, and then zoning the train if need be.

As for tanking at later levels, if you somehow run out of mana you can spam click your Deepwater bracer with your back to a wall to minimize interruptions and hold aggro that way. Similarly, you can use your Deepwater helm to act as a makeshift healer in less conventional groups. So far I've found DW helm is more efficient to use than medding with C2 / Greater Healing. The standing mana regenerated while you click helm can be used towards keeping enchanter or other group members alive, along with crowd control support.

So as others have already said, you really can accomplish many different things to tip the balance of a fight into the favor of your group but DPS is not one of them. Paladins don't deal damage so much as they deal with damage.

[Thanakos]

Paladins are more fun to play throughout the levels than warriors for sure. Warriors are extremely gear dependent. It really depends on what you expect. I would embrace the paladin and enjoy it if that's what you want to play.

[Sorn]

Stick it out to 9, then you'll get your first spell for what's called 'snap aggro'.

Here's how it should work:

You're pulling -
1) use a ranged weapon like a bow to pull (later you may lull pull to get singles)
2) Once it's close enough to hit, turn auto attack on and cast Flash of Light on it.
3) After you've been hitting it for a few seconds, the rest of your group can engage ('assist').
4) During the fight, continue intermittently casting Flash of Light and Yaulp.

Someone else is pulling -
1) This time you're the second on the aggro list, but it's a similar set of steps. Use your bow first to get some aggro from a distance, and then when it's in range melee and Flash of Light 'til it turns its attention to you.
2) Continue to use Flash of Light with a slightly higher frequency at the beginning until you have sufficient aggro to hold it from the puller.

At higher levels you'll get pullers with different skill sets. Monks can feign death and drop all aggro straight onto you (which is what makes the initial hit with the bow important). Bards can't do this, but they can sing haste songs and work crowd control in case of adds. Rogues can use evade to drop aggro as well.

The spells you can use to help build up aggro are the stun line, the flash of light line, and root. You should continue to use and skill up taunt because that helps in a fight for aggro with a high DPS class in the group.