Paladin Pep Talk

[Ennewi]

Originally Posted by Valamore [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

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.