Worth it to roll a pali?

[edgecrusherO0]

I'm probably coming back to EQ2 after a long break and was wondering if it's worth it to roll a pali. I've checked the boards a bit and seen that some people (duh) aren't happy with the way paladins are.Are they still the tank/off healer class I remember from way back when?Or do they feel gimped and have issues finding groups now.Thanks in advance.

[Valphine]

<cite>edgecrusherO0 wrote:</cite><blockquote>I'm probably coming back to EQ2 after a long break and was wondering if it's worth it to roll a pali. I've checked the boards a bit and seen that some people (duh) aren't happy with the way paladins are.Are they still the tank/off healer class I remember from way back when?Or do they feel gimped and have issues finding groups now.Thanks in advance.</blockquote>Imo the best off-tank in game. Also by experience realy good aggro control (very few times I lose aggro) Thanks amends for that <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> For solo the pally ok I guess, tho there is better classes for it. For groups I never have any probs, its a tank class, dont think ppl matter if its a zerk, guard or pally.. whats matter if you are good tank / know ur char <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Val

[Rast]

<p>I've been playing my pally since late 2005 and I still think it is a great class (I actually have a pally that I rolled back in Nov 04 too, but I retired him because when I came back from my first break there had been so many changes to the game, I couldn't figure out how to play him again...)</p><p>I've tanked raids with Jal, I've been an OT and a 3rd tank a time or three.  I've yet to find a group zone I can't tank (I've not delved too far into the t8 ones yet, but even before they nerfed it, I found CoA to be a breeze, two runs, and I don't think we ever wiped, came close due to a wanderer that I didn't see once, but all in all, pretty smooth)</p>

[edgecrusherO0]

Good to know pali's can still tank. I'm sure soloing, while easy, is very slow as always too.Now I'm a bit more curious about how pali healing is doing? Still function as a quasi-off healer? O.o

[Nitestalker]

I love my pally (lvl 74).  I've actually found soloing to go well and was able to solo all the lower level dungeons with reasonable speed (BB/WC thru RE and DFC)...after that it slowed a bit and I sometimes needed a group but better than I expected.  I don't raid, so I can't speak to that, but I have no problem tanking in groups and no problem finding a group.  I've also tanked some pick up raids in feerrot, ss, and el, and did fine.  Questing/leveling is reasonable with all the AoEs.  The trick for me was to lock xp and quest so that I had a good amount of AA.  The increase in shield efficiency, smite evil, the melee/spell crits, the last line in the STA line (yes, I do use it and like it), the str line...all of it helps a ton.<div></div><div>I find it hard to back up heal effectively.  Yes, you can heal in a pinch, and there's always lay on hands, but the heals aren't all that great...one way to fix that is, of course to keep your spells up to adept III at least, but also invest in the EoF healing line...with that it helps but if the group really needs a 2nd healer then the pally ain't it...we're more like an extra half of a healer, imho.  Hope this helps.</div>

[Fuury]

<p>Is it still the case that Paladins solo better than Guardians?</p>

[Aull]

<p>I do not play a paladin but I have some friends that do and imho I feel paladins (if played correctly) are the best group/instance running tank in the game. Sure paladins do not solo as well as other fighters but no other fighter can run in an extremely high dps instance group with the speed and success that I well played paladin can provide. </p><p>Take a paladin, defiler, troubabor, swashbuckler, warlock, and fury in any pre rok instance and watch the mobs start dropping. Lots of extreme fun. Other combos of classes work too but the more ae oriented the class the better since paladins do very well in the ae department.</p><p>My friends say that soloing a paladin is slow at first but with proper aa selection they do well in a solo setting. That can be said of any class in the beginning though.</p>

[NANEEJE]

Yes. Paladins are very useful, and if you get a good reputation as a good pally. When you call out 80 Pally LFG, people will say, hey.. there's our tank, or back up healer, or dps. Only roll a Pally if you can invest time into him. If you can not invest time in a Paladin, your dps difference from Mastercrafted level 72 gear, to High end instance gear is 700-800 damage per second, to 2,000 damage per second. Not to mention your ability to use all the tools they give you. Paladins are the most excellent utility class in the game, saving groups from wipes, and many more attributes. Good luck and have fun!

[Full_Metal_Mage]

<p>I'd recommend that anyone considering starting up a Paladin wait and see what kind of fallout comes from the changes that are being made to fighters.</p>

[Kordran]

<p>I'd also say that playing a plate tank fighter of any kind, and Paladins in particular, represents a significant investment of time. There's gear dependence and how stats work for Paladins (you can't just focus on STA, STR and AGI like you can with a Warrior, for example), balancing your melee and spell damage, and a somewhat higher learning curve for the class compared to Guardians and Berserkers. It's easier to be a poor tank as a Paladin than it is as a Guardian simply because of how the class works (and I play both).</p><p>Being a good tank, of any class, also requires a good understanding of how the other classes work as well as the overall combat mechanics of the game. Mindless button mashing will put you on the path the mediocrity, at best. Understanding hate generation, autoattacks and their significance, the difference between contested and uncontested avoidance, the importance of critical mitigation in the new expansion, the right and wrong ways to pull encounters, etc. are all necessary.</p><p>Or put it another way. If you're interested in playing a plate tank, and one of the first questions that you have is "how well does the class solo?", then I would honestly suggest that you consider playing another class.</p>