Paladin pro tips needed

janton1015 · #1 03-21-2016, 01:50 PM

I just rolled a newbie Pally and while he's very low level, I wanted to come here and ask for some pro tips on playing a pally effectively in groups. I know their downfalls in soloing and that's ok as I prefer to group to level up. I also know they are not as popular in raids but that's ok too.

What I'm looking for are the tips on what to do/use/have mem'd in order to bring the full toolbox a pally has to a group. I want to be the pally that groups want in their group cuz I play the class to it's full capacity.

Any help and insight is greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance.

(and before anyone says it, I have no desire to play a Shadow Knight LOL) [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Lartanin63 · #2 03-21-2016, 01:59 PM

The spells you have mem'd depend alot on your level and what spells are available to you.

Flash of light is a must if you are grouping. Make sure you are within melee range before you blind them.

I usually have 2 stuns,flash of light, root, my best heal and my next best. Yaulp unless I have a haste like augmentation that it doesn't stack with. And either an undead nuke, invs vs undead or calm.

If you want people to know you play your class well do a few obvious things. Calm if you are pulling for minimum mobs. Root cc mobs and park then once you get agro on another mob. Heal in down times or if someone needs saving.

Lay on hands someone at 1% life and they won't ever forget that. Just tank good and use the limited spell that are offered.

janton1015 · #3 03-21-2016, 02:03 PM

Thanks Lartanin. Great info and I've noted it all to use.

Sage Truthbearer · #4 03-21-2016, 02:48 PM

A good Paladin does his best to ensure none of the following types of events results in group members getting pummeled.

The Shaman slows too early
The Mage's pet breaks a mezz
The Wizard nukes on pull
The Enchanter's charm breaks
The Rogue/Monk don't drop aggro

You do that by having good environmental awareness and being ready to get snap aggro quickly. Most of this you will learn as part of "on the job training" so the best way is to "git gud" is exactly what you're doing, grouping a lot and getting tanking experience under your belt for every situation.

janton1015 · #5 03-21-2016, 02:55 PM

Awesome! Great tips too Sage. Keep em coming folks. I'm excited now!

janton1015 · #6 03-21-2016, 02:56 PM

Also, is it best to do 1h and shield or a 2hander as a grouping pally? Thoughts?

Lartanin63 · #7 03-21-2016, 03:11 PM

Depends on weapon. Best dmg dly weapon helps all around for hold agro and doing the most DPS possible. Definitely use a sword and shield for those pesky spell caster. Bash and stuns make them easy if you keep an eye on spell casting

Sage Truthbearer · #8 03-21-2016, 03:53 PM

Until you get your epic I recommend using sword and shield for groups, and 2H for soloing.

username17 · #9 03-22-2016, 02:07 AM

Are you familiar with the Blind mechanics? Blind is your main aggro spell but it has some mechanical quirks which you'll need to learn to work with.

Blinding an enemy while in Melee range causes the target to attack whoever is closest (similar to the root mechanic).
Blinding an enemy while NOT in Melee range causes the target to be feared.

The fear can be useful when soloing or when fleeing. But in most cases you're not going to want it to be feared.
It's important to keep root loaded at all times because of the possibility of the fear (see below).

If you run up to a mob and blind it there's a chance that it will be feared anyway. This is because, while you're in melee range on your client, the server hasn't yet updated that you're in melee range.

My solution to this has been to either hit the mob or stun it to hold it in place (if it was chasing someone) and then hit it.
Once you land a melee hit the server immediately updates, knows you're in melee range, and will not cause the target to be feared when you land blind.

Once you've blinded the mob you have to be sure to stand very close to the enemy. If you're standing at max melee range any other person on the aggro list in melee range will probably be hit. Blind, like root, causes the target to attack whoever is closest. So it's important to get right up on the mob when tanking.

As far as spells I keep blind, all 3 stuns, top 2 heals, and root memmed at the very minimum.
Your level 30 Stun "Stun" is going to be your enchanter, cleric, or other squishy saver. It's also your pre-aggro Stun and interrupting spells if your Bash failed.
This Stun does no damage is a quick cast (compared to Holy Might and Force). You'll want to use this Stun on a broken mez, a broken charmed pet, any mob on a cleric or other squishy, or on your next target when your current target is about to die.

As a Paladin you really don't have a lot of control over mob placement. You can't really grab aggro on a mob and force it to come to you. You have to go to it. This is in regards to mobs in camp. Not pulling.
If there's a mob 10ft away and you stun it the melee is gonna hop on it and start DPSing it there or pet classes will send their pets in. You might still have enough aggro from the stun once the stun wears off for it to run to you. But most likely you're going to need to run in, hit it, and cast blind. Then once it's blinded it's not going to move. It'll just attack whoever is closest once you move away.
I don't want to turn this into a SK vs Paladin thread but I recently gained some SK perspective as I'm leveling one (in the 30s). SKs have the ability to grab aggro without doing damage or stunning the mob and forcing it to come to you. Whereas Paladins pretty much always have to go to where the mob spawned, was mezzed, or rooted.
Depending on the situation it might not matter. But I recently noticed this and thought it was relevant. YMMV

If you're looking to be a good Paladin who uses his or her toolbox to the max situation awareness, communication, understanding of mechanics, and the tools in your toolbox are key. Stun, root, heal, cures, and lull (if pulling) are your main utility spells. Making a macro for each of these can be handy to let the group know what's up. If you have a heal incoming on the almost dead enchanter or if you're rooting a mob (so they know to stay away until it's mezzed).

Regarding gear I used a Sword of the Morning and a good shield until I got my epic. I highly recommend this setup. SotM is a good, cheap, Paladin weapon. http://wiki.project1999.com/Sword_of_the_Morning

If you have the plat and plan to hunt Undead I also recommend a Ghoulbane. I never went to Unrest but the Ghoulbane was still an effective weapon in my 40s while hunting undead in City of Mist. You'll eventually need a Ghoulbane for your Fiery Avenger (pre-epic). So it's worth buying either way.

Tips for leveling:
Pre-30 stun make sure you land a melee hit (watch combat log) before casting Blind
Get a Deepwater helm at level 45. It's a free heal assuming the target isn't cleric buffed
If you need a break from the grind go work on http://wiki.project1999.com/The_Bone...rak_Lightforge

janton1015 · #10 03-22-2016, 08:03 AM

Wow Username17, that's some amazing info. I am still very low but I did manage to get a set of banded armor and a Green Jade something or other so that is helping me level up. I'll look for a Sword of Morning too.

This is the kind of stuff I was looking for to help me work into being a good pally. Thanks much everyone!