Paladin Typical Role

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Typical Role Edit

Paladins in EQII are most commonly used as Main Tanks (MT) or Off Tanks (OT) in groups and raids. They also make good tanks for duoing with another class, and can successfully navigate almost all solo content. As a Fighter, a Paladin is expected to be durable and resilient, as well as the center of attention in a group or raid while tanking. This means that a Paladin should have high mitigation and should be able to draw a lot of hate (aggro) from the mobs - responsibilities made possible by the Paladin's abilities to wear plate armor, equip shields, and use taunts and other hate-drawing abilities.

Paladins also have a limited capability to heal themselves and others, and can also resurrect allies who have fallen in battle. While Paladins are not the best healers in the game and cannot throw out as much raw healing as the main healer classes (i.e. Priests), they bring a unique capability to the tanking environment with their heals.

Main Tank - The Paladin is useful as a MT in groups or raids because of its high defensive capabilities as well as its ability to draw hate from a group. While Paladins are not as durable overall as Guardians, they have other capabilities that help augment their role as MTs - to the point where a skilled Paladin can tank an instance or raid as well as any other tank in the game. Equipping a shield and upgrading the Paladin's Knight Stance, as well as gear high in mitigation, help give the Paladin the durability it needs to survive, while its unique Amends ability and other helpful taunts and hate attractors (such as Holy Ground) allow a skilled Paladin the power to hold aggro with any class in the game. Plus, the ability to heal itself (and to a lesser extent, others) gives the Paladin an edge that other tanks, other than the Shadowknight, do not have.

In short, Paladins may not be considered to be the best MTs in the game by some, but there is no doubt that a Paladin who wishes to MT can hold its own and do a superb job.

Off Tank - An OTs job is to support the MT in an instance or raid (more commonly in the latter) as a backup, of sorts. OTs are responsible for picking up adds (or mobs that join the main fight and harass your party), as well as controlling the main target should the MT lose aggro. When this happens, the mob will more than likely target Scouts and Mages, classes that put out the most damage per second and attract the most hate but are also vulnerable. A Paladin is one of the best OT classes - if not the best - in the game because of its ability to throw out 'snap' aggro (a large amount of aggro in a short amount of time). A Paladin has the Rescue ability as well as taunts, two area hate spells (Sigil of Heroism and Holy Ground), melee attacks that increase hate, and the unique Amends ability - which siphons a large amount of hate from another party member to the Paladin.

In short, being a Paladin in today's game means being a MT and an OT. A Paladin will never equal a Scout or Mage (or even some other Fighters) in DPS, but that isn't really what a Paladin is supposed to do. A Paladin is there to absorb damage so that the DPS classes can dish it back to the mob - and therefore a Paladin has a vital role to play.