Shadowknight vs Paladin

[Revanx22]

Which one is better for solo, duo, grouping, and raiding? It would be more casual raiding, just a couple times a week. I don't care about getting absolute BiS, but I would like to eventually get the epic.

I think I prefer the theme of shadowknight, and I really like the idea of having feign death on my tank, but fear kiting sounds like it could get old when I can't find a group and need to solo. I also have seen people say that shadowknights usually don't get brought to raids, which is another negative. Also, I only have about 15k for gear, which might be another negative for sk due to the cost of the circlet of shadows.

Any advice would be appreciated!

[Troxx]

Globally? Paladin and it isn’t even close.

SK has 2 hat tricks:

-FD does add value and could be considered necessary for a small range of content/targets. Only really applicable solo though as 2 other classes can do this and this is a cooperative game (m-M-rpg).
-fear kiting: boring and annoying way of soloing or small group xping without a healer. I’d rather poke my eyes out than routinely do this.


So yeah - paladin and it isn’t even close.

[Toxigen]

Solo: if not super twinked, SK due to fear kiting efficiency. You need a lot of stuff to make Paladin a solo powerhouse (narandi crown, fungi, deepwater BP, big CHA set, bags and bags of 10 dose Kilva's, etc). If a pull goes bad for paladin its root n scoot and hope you make it out. SK just FDs and its k.

Duo: about the same really, with 1 exception. Paladin actually duos very well with enchanter but its a different playstyle (you're the support).

Grouping: equal, you stand in camp and hold aggro...slight edge to paladin for sub-optimal groups I guess.

Raiding: paladin hands down because Soulfire can save raids and DS is a great buff.

I prefer paladin all the way. I had a blast leveling mine (but was mega twinked). If you love the SK aesthetic then do yo thang.

[PatChapp]

Sk's are a abandon-me-at60 class,paladins tend to see more play if your into the boring 60 scene

[Jimjam]

I prefer to play SK, but no one ever said at a raid “I sUrE wIsH wE hAd A sHaDoWkNiGhT“.

The only problem with Paladin is sometimes I ask them for “Brell’s” and that outs me as a post classic raid enthusiast.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

In solo scenarios, SK is better for any content that can be fear kited. Fear kiting and FD work wonders as Toxigen points out.

In groups they are basically equal when it comes to tanking and agro. Paladins give you extra heals, SKs can pull via FD. It depends on your group as to which one is better for the specific scenario.

Paladins are better for raiding and some solo challenge content due to heals being unresistable.

My general rule of thumb is pick Shadowknight if you mostly group/solo. Pick Paladin if you want to use your character for raiding.

[Keebz]

SK and Paladin can both be group tanks, but other than that play pretty differently. Having played both, here's my thoughts.

For soloing, they can both face tank, but when shit gets tough, the SK starts a fear kite, whereas the paladin roots and backs up. For pulling, the SK can snare + FD to get things solo, whereas the Paladin swaps to CHA gear and starts lulling. For getting around dungeons, the SK can invis and sprint through and FD somewhere if they get aggro. The paladin starts lulling and slowly checks for for see invis as they move through. SKs also deal significantly damage than paladins, esp. if you max level your pet.

For duoing, SK functions a lot like a monk but with some utility. You're pulling, tanking, ad DPSing, etc. For paladin, you can play this role, albeit with less dps, but you can also play support for a pet class, swapping between being the meat stick and being the healer.

For raiding, I take my SK to a few events (planes namely) where your ability to run around and infinitely tag things is useful. I also occasionally do train-outs with the pet and tank 32k mobs. I should note, these are slightly more nuanced and active roles that take some experience. Paladin on the other hand plays more as a support for the big tank and spank velious encounters. You cast DS on the tanks and watch their health and soul fire (CH clicky) them when needed. Both classes can tank some of the lower end targets and both make OK ramp tanks, but paladins are better here. Both will occasionally be asked to swap to characters.

SK can play pretty fluid, fast and loose, while Paladin more meticulous, thoughtful.

[Danth]

Already got good answers in this thread. I'll chime in too, as a player of both classes, largely in agreement with the above:

Either class can solo if necessary; neither is a solo powerhouse. SK has an advantage due to easier travel and better resistance to casters "accidentally" training the solo melee out of desired camps.

Duo, it depends on who you're duo'ing with. I duo'd on my shadowknight a great deal with my wife's shaman (for many years at 60, an exception to PatChapp's comment) and was well satisfied with it. I like the paladin better if I'm with something like a druid or enchanter.

Full groups I prefer the paladin's toolbox except when feign splitting is needed. Most groups wanting experience don't feign split because it slows stuff down. Aggro rebalance patch hurt SK aggro mana efficiency so paladin holds up easier when an enchanter/bard isn't present.

Raids, if you want to be a core raid participant, why are you picking a hybrid? Paladin has more advantage here but it's a hollow victory: Farming soulfires gets old fast and hybrids are simply not in the top tier of raid desirability in this environment.

In general I feel the SK was particularly hurt by the aggro rebalance patch a couple years back. It stood out from monk (a stronger/faster class overall) mostly due to on-demand aggro and that patch kind of trivialized aggro in general. Paladin's probably a safer bet on 2024 P99 unless you know you really want to make a shadowknight, and if you do you don't need to ask on an internet forum.

[sajbert]

SK needs Circlet of Shadows and arguably Holgresh Elder Beads. Epic is harder. The good races come with XP penalty. Useless in raids, more or less anyway.

Paladin has no FD or pet tracking but CAN self res and pacify (at least if you put some points into charisma which I totally would).

Both can solo OK.

IMO the Paladin is the clear winner.

[Troxx]

Across the board paladin is just the superior knight. The exceptions are where FD and fear kiting fundamentally change how you might approach the encounter. Typically this is seen solo but admittedly can play minor/major roles on raids or very specific camps like Fungi. If you’re rocking a trio at Fungi without a monk, the SK makes it possible where bringing a paladin would make it not feasible.

Paladin toolkit is really just hard to beat. Both hold aggro exceptionally well. Heals (not taps) for self others, stuns, lulls, roots, rez, heal over times, buffs … it’s just a great class.

Solo? Deepwater clicks are a game changer. Prior to that it can be painful if not really twinked out due to low dps. SKs are gonna do it better.