Kunark Paladin
 

Kunark is one of the expansions that I haven't played much since it was first released and I really want to focus on it when it comes out on Green. So if I wanted a character that tanks in 6-man groups when Kunark gets released is a paladin a decent choice? I was leaning towards warrior, but there's a thousand comments on this forum about them having trouble holding aggro and how they are mostly for raids.

Basically how is the Paladin tank in Kunark? I'm looking for reasons to play one instead of a warrior that makes up for the exp penalty. One thing I figure is people seem like they are going to prefer a hybrid tank over a warrior which makes the exp penalty moot point.

The best group tank in Kunark. So much CC with root, calm and stun. Heals to reduce downtime. LoH will save lives regularly if you're quick with it. Deepwater armor is also very underrated. The helm is amazing when in a duo or trio with a Shaman or Necro and basically gives them infinite Mana. The bracer is a 4 second stun with a 6 second cast and no cool down. Between it, shield/epic bash and your normal cast stun, you can pretty much lock down casting mobs entirely, which is huge in dungeons like Seb and Chardok where spells can really hurt you and eat a lot of healer Mana. Also the easiest epic since you can do most of it before Kunark even comes out. Paladin also capable of tanking all Kunark dragons, although you probably won't.

Basically the most underrated class in classic EQ in my opinion. A good Pally can make up for a pretty bad group just by himself because you have so much control of bad situations between your instant agro, huge amount of CC and heals.

Paladins shine in small groups, and yes, and with their toolkit they can often make up for ineptitude in their groupmates. They bring less to a high functioning group, however. Having two paladins is basically pointless unless one is chain pulling or primary heals, but extra warriors at least bring solid dps.

Both classes are fun. Paladin has more buttons to press and things to do.

Damn, you sure sell the class, Vexenu. I think it really speaks to me. For the last month I was gunning for a rogue until I played one in beta where I felt a little empty inside with just providing dps in a group. When the shit hit the fan in Blackburrow all I could do is run away and zone so I could drag corpses. I've realized that I need to be able to help my group in some way even that's just sacrificing myself as the tank.

If you want to be able to help your group when the SHTF Paladin is probably your best choice. Enchanters and Bards can mez, yeah, and Clerics can heal, but as a Paladin you can root CC, stun Enchanter pet breaks, emergency heal, grab snap agro at will, etc... basically you just feel like you have total control over the mobs in camp. Because you pretty much do.

I'm pretty high on Paladins. One of my favorite experiences on P1999 was leveling a Paladin from scratch on Red several years ago during that server's peak. With the group XP bonus on Red you leveled fairly quickly, so I ended up tanking in Chardok groups wearing mostly Bronze armor (plus DW helm and bracer). But it didn't even matter because the class itself is so strong in its specialized niche of being a group tank. I could completely shut down all the caster mobs, which meant I took very little damage despite my crap gear. With the rest of my group being similarly undergeared, there is simply no way a Warrior or SK could have tanked nearly as effectively. They would have required 2-3x more healing from eating most of the caster nukes. Those are the kind of situations where a Paladin really shines. There will be plenty of opportunities like that on Green.

Warriors are good in groups you just have someone root the mob youre killing and stand the closest. Then aggro is irrelevant

Flash of light spam to hold agro
LoH when the healer goes oom and pally is about to die.

Get haste gear and a solid 2H weapon for soloing
sword and board for tanking due to the extra AC

Another nice thing I'm noticing about being a paladin over a warrior is the fact that I don't have to feel buyer's remorse for not picking an ogre or even just a large race.

The paladin races all seem balanced especially the non-dwarfs. I'll probably roll a high elf with 20 pts allocated to strength. Since they can wear small armor I figure the weight issue won't be any worse than it is for humans and half elves who have to wear medium.

Thanks all for the confidence boost in picking paladin on green. Any other tips would also be appreciated and I'm sure it might help others too.

You are going to be a busy beaver if you play the class correctly, and you could go hours and hours without a 10 second breather. You might have to pull as well as help CC in camp all the while tanking. You are probably going to have to help spot heal and of course help with buffs if you want to conserve cleric mana. You are the enchanter's best friend at controlling the breaks on charmed pets. Stun, along with normal taunts and bashes can keep the enchanter from taking hardly any hits until mez or charm is reapplied. With your xp penalty you will probably have to start your own groups, so add group leader and all its intricacies to your job.

I’m a big advocate for the paladin class. That said prior to Velious they are a shadow of their former selves. No divine strength buff line, no group heal, no heal over time, no celestial cleansing (hot), not even divine purpose (self regeneration) or superior healing.

All the stuns and roots are there still. Basically tho you have greater healing and LoH. More a support aggro tank than a pinch healing class. I wouldn’t be against playing one from green, just all considerations to take into account.