DPS Paladin?

[Jenguro]

<DIV>In your opinions is it a good idea to orient a paladin toward dps?  I'm currently going down the DPS lines in the KOS tree (STR, STA, INT, 4-4-<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> and am focusing on STR as my primary attribute.  I've soloed most of the time up to this point, and I feel that it's worked well for me.  As I get higher however (I'm level 45) I will be grouping more often, and my tanking and support abilities will become more important.  Should I reorient myself toward those, or is DPS a viable option?  If I want to do DPS, would I be better off playing a DPS class, and focusing on my classes strengths instead?  Or is this all personal preference?  Thank you in advance for your thoughts!</DIV>

[Rast]

I found solo play up until around level 50 went pretty smoothly.  it is around 50 that it comes to a screeching halt for the pally.  or at least slows down enough to feel like a halting...  the DoF mobs and our DPS simply do not scale well, but note I really didn't have many AA points when I went through SS as I didn't really start getting them until I was in PoF, but by that time I was in duos more often that solo.

[Karlen]

>>>It is around 50 that it comes to a screeching halt for the pally. <<<Actually, there are some good solo quest lines in Lesser Faydark that should help get you through the 50s.  Combined with some trips to PoF and basket quests in TT, there is quite a bit to do.<div></div>

[Rast]

when I started into my 50's EoF wasn't even there yet <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><p>Message Edited by Raston on <span class=date_text>01-17-2007</span> <span class=time_text>03:35 PM</span>

[Arraza]

<DIV>I think that is strong possibility for you to consider doing all dps lines.  You will never do the dps of a true dps class, but you will have strong dps with good survivability.  If you plan on tanking groups, or just being utility / added dps in groups then the other aa lines give you some added benefit, but nothing incredibley game making / breaking.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have gone down the STA 8/8/8/8 and INT 5/4/8 for the crits (and the extra 4 in hammer ground, plus the extra 4 points in STA for HP, and the 8 points in the HP buff because I MT and OT raids for my guild).  I have also taken the wrath line for increasing damage to brimstone, relentless conviction, holy circle and decreasing the timer on consecrate and of course smite evil.  This combined with a good fabled 2 hander, and items that bring my STR over 500 and my INT close to 500 in Offensive stance, and A3 or masters in my spells and I do 600 dps against a single mob, and double that for groups while soloing.  In the right raid group I have done up to 1800 dps on grouped encounters and regularly do over 1000.   </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'm not sure how those numbers translate to lower levels or for folks without A3s or the gear required to get to those stats, but it should give you an idea of the end state.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV><p>Message Edited by Wintermute218 on <span class=date_text>01-17-2007</span> <span class=time_text>01:10 PM</span>

[khufure]

Top end paladins do ~750 zone when OT in a raid group, usually at least with a dirge buffing and amends on a wizard (str/int buff).  This is with the absolute best gear and master spells.   You will never get in a raid as a DPS class, at least not if there are any options, and even in groups you will have problems convincing them you should be a dps class.Having played many classes I can tell you from a solo perspective you should look at a class with feign death.  Brawler (monk/bruiser) might suit you real well; they can tank if they want and they do good dps.  The feign death ability is invaluable when soloing!  If you want a class with more end-game potential but can also solo well I'd look at necro or rogue.<div></div>

[RSZ]

<P>For what it's worth, took my dormant pre-DOF pre-LU13(18 months not played) 50 Paladin and at first it made me cry - he was simply awful to play.  However, I made a committment to improve him and now at 55 and with full complement of 50 AAs he is now MUCH MUCH nicer.</P> <P>I went full DPS route, STR, STA and INT 4-4-8 so my experiences are without filling out any of EoF trees.  I am actually quite impressed so far and I imagine that with the Wrath line it can only get better.</P> <P>I tank very well too, so I have no worries about that.</P>

[MeridianR]

I was on average hitting 1000 easily per fight in FTH tonight.  Only had a dirge to really give any buffs.CoB makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside.<div></div>

[Nazani]

<div></div>Phov, in Off mode with 2h or 1h and shield -for stats- and massive magic damage?My DPS with INT based equip is about 400-700 (In raid 3 rd or 4th groups without dps or haste buffs), but my melee DPS is always in the 20-56 range... <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  I don`t have the STA AAs for crits by the moment<img src="http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/4652/venganzanazaniancd7.jpg"><div></div><p>Message Edited by Nazanian on <span class=date_text>01-19-2007</span> <span class=time_text>01:28 AM</span>

[MeridianR]

I was using the 2h Piercing spear from the 3 Princes (Outer Rim I believe it's called) and in pure offensive mode.   My self buffed str is near 700 in offensive mode, and I can get my INT over 400 as well without any other classes.Burst dps is easy if you have a dirge due to CoB and Consecrate, but not all of those fights (I think I hit 7 in a row over 1k) consecrate was up.  My dps mod was only at like 35 and haste at 25 (this is my self buffed haste from DT Reward, and 2% increase adornment on my belt), if I had a Coercer and Dirge I would have been averaging about 1200 I am guessing.Of course I was pushing the limit cause me and the dirge in my group were having fun seeing who would come out on top of the parse (between us 2, I can't touch our Wizard, Swashie, or Necro...lol)  I gotta say our Dirge was hitting 900-1000 a lot as well, so we were having a ton of fun.<div></div>

[RaistNA]

<P>well in FTH is easy to parse.  When i try i can get 1.4k if i go FULL offensive.  I use planar axe, 3p symbol in offhand, tact armor symbol in range with +45 divine damage aug on it.  Max out our EoF aa's that increase our 2 buffs that add procs that double damage undead....yea.  I was proccing for 2k on the vamps (2 hits for 1k+) plus our attacks that double hit undead... I was also in a good dps group hehe....main problem i find with this is i can hit these big numbers, but because of amends and the fact u gotta use a taunt to debuff their divine resist to get these numbers, i found myself ganking agro a LOT and with no shield on i was about as useful as an SK taking hits.</P> <P>Its possible for a paladin to dps...to me it just doesnt feel natural =-(</P> <P>*edit* lol phov i was lookin at ur sig, ur using the same red bp and green sleeves of raist >_<  question is tho..u got the banananan pants to match?!</P><p>Message Edited by RaistNA on <span class=date_text>01-19-2007</span> <span class=time_text>06:30 AM</span>

[Gilthen]

This is something I've always wondered about.I'm only level 34, but in full offensive, two-handed sword, all Adept I's, and going down the Str and Int lines... I thought I was doing ok.Is this just for the level I'm at?How does a Paladin (oriented toward Offensive DPS) compaire to others? - Berzerker - Guardian - Shadow Knight - Monk/Bruiser - Scout Classes  - Healer Classes - Caster ClassesWhere would we fit in?<div></div>

[MeridianR]

<div><blockquote><hr>Gilthenin wrote:This is something I've always wondered about.I'm only level 34, but in full offensive, two-handed sword, all Adept I's, and going down the Str and Int lines... I thought I was doing ok.Is this just for the level I'm at?How does a Paladin (oriented toward Offensive DPS) compaire to others? - Berzerker - Guardian - Shadow Knight - Monk/Bruiser - Scout Classes  - Healer Classes - Caster ClassesWhere would we fit in?<div></div><hr></blockquote>Compared to other classes:Zerkers pwn usGuardians with Buckler Reversal tanking are about the same as us in Full offensiveMonk and Bruiser put out  more then usSK put out more then usFuries CAN put out more dps then us sometimesClerics spec'd in Full Battle Cleric (mainly Inquis) can outdps usWe can outdps Bards, all other scouts outdps usWe can outdps SOME chanters, all other mages outdps us</div>

[RaistNA]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> MeridianR wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Gilthenin wrote:<BR>This is something I've always wondered about.<BR><BR>I'm only level 34, but in full offensive, two-handed sword, all Adept I's, and going down the Str and Int lines... I thought I was doing ok.<BR><BR>Is this just for the level I'm at?<BR><BR>How does a Paladin (oriented toward Offensive DPS) compaire to others?<BR> - Berzerker<BR> - Guardian<BR> - Shadow Knight<BR> - Monk/Bruiser<BR> - Scout Classes <BR> - Healer Classes<BR> - Caster Classes<BR><BR>Where would we fit in?<BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>Compared to other classes:<BR><BR>Zerkers pwn us<BR>Guardians with Buckler Reversal tanking are about the same as us in Full offensive<BR>Monk and Bruiser put out  more then us<BR>SK put out more then us<BR>Furies CAN put out more dps then us sometimes<BR>Clerics spec'd in Full Battle Cleric (mainly Inquis) can outdps us<BR>We can outdps Bards, all other scouts outdps us<BR>We can outdps SOME chanters, all other mages outdps us<BR></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>imo if we spec 100% offensive we could at least keep up with brawlers MAYBE but i think we would have absolutely minimum tanking abilities.  If you ever plan on tanking anything outside of nest of the great egg then its probably not worth it to go full offensive =-(

[MeridianR]

<div><blockquote><hr>RaistNA wrote:<div></div> <blockquote> <hr> MeridianR wrote: <div> <blockquote> <hr> Gilthenin wrote:This is something I've always wondered about.I'm only level 34, but in full offensive, two-handed sword, all Adept I's, and going down the Str and Int lines... I thought I was doing ok.Is this just for the level I'm at?How does a Paladin (oriented toward Offensive DPS) compaire to others? - Berzerker - Guardian - Shadow Knight - Monk/Bruiser - Scout Classes  - Healer Classes - Caster ClassesWhere would we fit in? <div></div> <hr> </blockquote>Compared to other classes:Zerkers pwn usGuardians with Buckler Reversal tanking are about the same as us in Full offensiveMonk and Bruiser put out  more then usSK put out more then usFuries CAN put out more dps then us sometimesClerics spec'd in Full Battle Cleric (mainly Inquis) can outdps usWe can outdps Bards, all other scouts outdps usWe can outdps SOME chanters, all other mages outdps us</div> <hr> </blockquote>imo if we spec 100% offensive we could at least keep up with brawlers MAYBE but i think we would have absolutely minimum tanking abilities.  If you ever plan on tanking anything outside of nest of the great egg then its probably not worth it to go full offensive =-(<hr></blockquote>No way even 100% full offensive could I keep up with our Bruiser.....dude is a beast.  Monks, if they slack then maybe, but if they are going all out, nah not going to happen.</div>

[Vulkan_NTooki]

<DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV> </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>imo if we spec 100% offensive we could at least keep up with brawlers MAYBE but i think we would have absolutely minimum tanking abilities.  If you ever plan on tanking anything outside of nest of the great egg then its probably not worth it to go full offensive =-(<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Comment on this one: We can do descent dps, but you'll still be able to tank most zones if you carry a non dps set with you as well..</DIV> <DIV>I have 4.7k mit self buffed in mit gear.. and should soon hit 1k regulary on normal group settings in pure dps gear. ( Did a nice 1140 ext dps vs head butler the other day <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />) In a group of 5, inq,monk, ranger, other paladin and me.. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> with 1h and shield.. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[Anariale]

<P>From my personal experience...</P> <P><STRONG>Single Target Damage</STRONG><BR>Bruiser<BR>Monk<BR>Berserker<BR>Guardian<BR>SK<BR>Paladin</P> <P><STRONG>AE Damage</STRONG><BR>Berserker<BR>Paladin<BR>Bruiser<BR>Monk<BR>Guardian<BR>SK</P> <P><STRONG>Defense/Tanking</STRONG><BR>Guardian<BR>Berserker<BR>Paladin<BR>SK<BR>Monk<BR>Bruiser</P> <P>W</P>

[Pentarum]

<div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><p><strong>70Lv 98AA Sk here but I like seeing what you guys are talking about sometimes. Have to disagree on last post. My Single Target high currently is 1968 dps. My aoe high is 2803. This is without using blessings/miracles cause I just changed to Sol Ro. I dont think any but the best geared pallys in the game can match that. I also disagree on your list order. Im a Mage DPS SK and I almost always get put in the mage group with a fury healer and the only people who out parse me on a regular basis are a few scouts and the dps mages (Warlock,Wiz,Necro,Conj) Sometimes I even outparse them. </strong></p><p><strong>List Looks more like this...</strong></p><strong>Single Target Damage</strong><p>SK ... Bruiser... Beserker... Guardian w/buckler.... Pally</p><p>Monk removed we dont have one and the only one I've grouped with never ever beats me not even close in any situtation single or aoe.</p><p>Sometimes the Bruiser and I trade off but its almost always within 10-80 dps difference</p> <p><strong>AE Damage</strong>SK....Bruiser...Beserker... Pally... Guardian</p><p>The Beserker can top us sometimes but he would have to use his 2-3 big arts and that almost always ='s death for him. While the Sk and bruiser can unload a ton of aoe damage and flop if they draw agro while dots and effects are still ticking. In general on aoe/encounter fights If im really trying usually only a warlock will beat me. I've yet to see a pally do more than 1800dps at anytime single or aoe. Pov might hit 2k+ but thats nowhere near the norm.</p> <p><strong>Defense/Tanking (This one is tuff cause we have a SK whos geared up the wazoo and sometimes he tanks much better than our 2 guardians and sometimes he goes down fast) Also While Pallys have some great +'s to tanking. Since EoF Sk's got alot of love. Pallys got a bit more defense while Sk's got a TON!! more fast healing, agro and alot more dps. A well played SK/Pally/Bez are all about equal just in different respects and its all based on group makeup, gear and spells.</strong></p><p><strong></strong>GuardianBerserker/Pally/SkBruiser</p>I may be completly off but this is what i've seen since EQ2 started. <div></div><p>Message Edited by Pentarum on <span class=date_text>01-22-2007</span> <span class=time_text>08:38 AM</span>

[motx]

<DIV>my pali self buff about 650 str / 450 int, if i got the dps buffs goin in raid i can do about 1000 dps, solo on mobs that are an actual drag out fight, not the panzy stuff i get 600/700 on a good run to near death, but things have to go good for me</DIV>

[Anariale]

<DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Pentarum wrote:<BR> <P><STRONG>AE Damage</STRONG><BR>SK....Bruiser...Beserker... Pally... Guardian</P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>There is no way in hell than an SK can out-DPS a Paladin in an AE fight against epic mobs.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>W</DIV>

[motx]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Anariale wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Pentarum wrote:<BR> <P><STRONG>AE Damage</STRONG><BR>SK....Bruiser...Beserker... Pally... Guardian</P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>There is no way in hell than an SK can out-DPS a Paladin in an AE fight against epic mobs.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>W</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>my buddies sk does about 1200 to 1300 in raid, ae or not in raid. and in small groups or solo, he just flat out smokes me....but hey, what do you expect he's evil, heheh, we are the goody two shoes of plate tanks, er i mean healers ?<p>Message Edited by motx on <span class=date_text>01-22-2007</span> <span class=time_text>09:11 AM</span>

[Anariale]

<P>The only people who beat me currently in AE fights are our Warlocks... Im sure good Conjurors would smoke me too... but beyond that, Im not really sure.</P> <P>Smite Evil ftw</P><p>Message Edited by Anariale on <span class=date_text>01-22-2007</span> <span class=time_text>12:17 PM</span>

[Pentarum]

Anariale.... Thats some good stuff your on.. Very good stuff. Cause I usually parse the same as a conj and sometimes match our warlocks. You have a aoe that does up to 3000x8? thats only one of my 5 aoes. A good mage Sk or offensive (not tank defensive sk) will smoke a pally in a aoe fight. I've had Tap veins go off for 3300 on 5 mobs and its currently at 39.3 recast. You will not win vs a sk in a aoe fight unless your are VERY lucky with hits and crits. That or your SK's are very poorly equip and dont know they can do dps.<div></div>

[Anariale]

Smite Evil always hits for 3000-4000 damage on the encounter.  Recast is 1 minuteRigheous Conviction hits for 1100-1800 damage on the encounter.  Recast is 30 secondsHoly Circle hits for 1100-1800 damage on the encounter.  Recast is 30 secondsBrimstone hits for 1000-1500 on the encounter (no max targets).  Recast is 15 secondsConsecrate does 400-600 every 3 seconds for 1 minute (no max targets).  Recast is 5 minutesSeriously... SK's dont have that many AE's.You dont have Brimstone.You dont have Smite Evil.You dont have Consecrate.<div></div>

[Vulkan_NTooki]

<P>You can also add inn some more AoE's allthough situational and minor dmg, it still adds up.</P> <P> </P> <P>Hammerground AA(If Im not mistaken this does dmg as well as stun.)</P> <P>Judgment </P> <P>Castigate</P><p>Message Edited by VulcanPromance on <span class=date_text>01-24-2007</span> <span class=time_text>03:02 PM</span>

[Pentarum]

Those numbers look extremely inflated even with crits compared to the pally spell list. Also odd that one of th most respected Pallys on this baords says Sk put out more than a Pally and all I ever see is pallys saying they dont do enough dps and they struggle to hit 1k dps. Yet as a Sk I'm doing up to 2k dps and not fully fabled. 1876Dps other night on Vulicade ranged the entire time wearing a deagro robe and proc gear. As a test....  I hit him for melee 2x for a total of 683 melee damage the entire fight to get range on aoes. Also Are these numbers your comming up with on Undead only? Yeah lots of that content around. You'll do great in 1-2 zones. The rest you'll be back doing 700-1k dps.<div></div>

[Anariale]

<DIV>Im sorry, but I really dont think you did 1800+ Extended DPS on Vilucidae as an SK.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For Paladins, all you really need is to spec the Smite line and get people to start debuffing Divine.  Granted again, Im not saying zone-wide parses are better for Paladins than SK's... Im just saying on an AE fight, you wont come close to a good Paladin who is Smite specc'd.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>W</DIV><p>Message Edited by Anariale on <span class=date_text>01-25-2007</span> <span class=time_text>11:00 AM</span>

[MeridianR]

<div><blockquote><hr>Anariale wrote:<div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>Im sorry, but I really dont think you did 1800+ Extended DPS on Vilucidae as an SK.</div> <div> </div> <div>For Paladins, all you really need is to spec the Smite line and get people to start debuffing Divine.  Granted again, Im not saying zone-wide parses are better for Paladins than SK's... Im just saying on an AE fight, you wont come close to a good Paladin who is Smite specc'd.</div> <div> </div> <div>W</div><p>Message Edited by Anariale on <span class="date_text">01-25-2007</span> <span class="time_text">11:00 AM</span></p><hr></blockquote>I agree with this.Single target wise SK's will wtfpwn us....and overall zonewide they can own us as well....but on AE encounters we do have the benefit of having a few more AE's...Granted I wouldn't mind having a AE lifetap, but meh I guess Holy Circle is that for us...lol</div>

[Pentarum]

<div></div>Sk str line for recast timer reduction, Int line for the crits. I have 71% atm. For SK lines I took all the Reaver aa's that increased my dps and cast timers. I have all +25 spell damage augs on Neck, Hands, Wrist, and +45 on symbols along with Sol Ro cloak for another +65. My int was up to 987 int and a troub in group for +300 damage per spell (Im normally in the mage group on raids cause thats what im doing with the toon.  mage dps sk. Mostly mage little melee and its fun as hell.) 4 Items that proc damage on hostile spells. With HT, Incenerate and running Ro's Fury... I actually peaked at over 2k dps and had to lay off cause I pulled agro at 50% ranged spell casting only. Its very doable if you know what your doing. Now im not saying thats a normal thing for most people. I setup in a very unusual way compared to most sk's. I dont tank very often casue I had so sacrifce some things for the extra dps. I still can when needed but im justnot cut out for it now. But I enjoy the character so thats what matters. Phov we are both on unrest hit me up sometime I'll show you what I can do.<div></div><p>Message Edited by Pentarum on <span class=date_text>01-25-2007</span> <span class=time_text>10:42 AM</span>

[MeridianR]

<div><blockquote><hr>Pentarum wrote:Sk str line for recast timer reduction, Int line for the crits. I have 71% atm. For SK lines I took all the Reaver aa's that increased my dps and cast timers. I have all +25 spell damage augs on Neck, Hands, Wrist, and +45 on symbols along with Sol Ro cloak for another +65. My int was up to 987 int and a troub in group for +300 damage per spell (Im normally in the mage group on raids cause thats what im doing with the toon.  mage dps sk. Mostly mage little melee and its fun as hell.) 4 Items that proc damage on hostile spells. With HT, Incenerate and running Ro's Fury... I actually peaked at over 2k dps and had to lay off cause I pulled agro at 50% ranged spell casting only. Its very doable if you know what your doing. Phov I'd be happy to show you since we are on the same server.<div></div><hr></blockquote>I am a Pally bro <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Though I believe a full spec'd DPS SK could out dps Pallies on any encounter your typical Pally vs SK is going to be as stated above.</div>

[Pentarum]

<div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>Oh I know I see you around when your not taking breaks <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> but he said its not possible... It is and I do it. My Guild shakes there head at me.. Calls me a warlock in plate. Gives me a hard time for wearing a robe or ask me to put it on for the deagro! =P. But just cause he hasnt seen it done doesnt mean its not possible =) Your right.. the typical pally/k wont be. Yeah Aoe lifetap (Tap Veins) is the best thing they ever gave us next to fd =P pisses the healers right off when they see me in the orange and I complete heal <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> One of my guild leaders fury named her god pet Friggansk just cause of it lol. I do have 5 1/2 aoes btw + the encounter proc from claymore that while some poo poo goes off ALOT! Unending misery, Death Circle, Tap Veins, Doom Judgment, Hammer ground and Pestilence can turn aoe if timed right. <div></div><p>That being said you all are normally the better tanks and we are the better dps. A Sk can go my route and still be able to tank decent just not great. While a Pally that went dps would probally hurt his abilities for healing/tanking too much and that might be why you dont see them doing it often. Most guilds wont want a pally that cant heal or tank or survive.</p><p></p><p>Message Edited by Pentarum on <span class=date_text>01-25-2007</span> <span class=time_text>11:49 AM</span>

[Fellindar]

Personally I dont think it is a good idea to orient a paladin towards DPS. As a class it is an area we are fundamentaly weak in, our best application is as a taking / healing class (obviously this is all in my opinion lol). I followed the following AA's, keep in mind I group alot + raid about once per week:                 1Str   Agi   Sta   Wiz   Int                  Healing         Hero8      4      0      8        0                        5                 50      0              4                              5      5         5      5                        8                                  4                 4                        8                                  5                 5                        8                                  1                 1I wanted to maximise the amout of power I have to heal my self and others, the reuse speed and quality of my heals, and my tanking ability through increasing avoidance (through some extra agi although it doesn't make all that much difference) and through the EoF end hero line ability for 24% block chance increase. I now have more power, and can throw my ward out on my self more often (once every 10 seconds.Basically what I'm saying is spec to maximise what you already have not to build on a weak area of your class - If you want to DPS roll a DPS class - that said though its your Character =) and there is freeform enough in EQ2 to be able to make a reasonably capable DPS paladin, it will just hit your other abilities harder than it would another class.Sir Felindar Fierblade - Paladin of Tunare<div></div>

[boosted]

<P>Lots of good info here.  I play conjuror and paladin but mostly raid with my conjuror at this point.  I am responsible for parsing dps and posting graphs on our website.  From what I have seen, SK's do quite a bit more dps than pallies and heal themselves for a massive amount in the process.  Could just be that our pallies are lazy hehe.  We did a fun raid for alts in Courts the other night and let our SK tank for the hell of it.  On the parses he was third or fourth almost every fight behind the wizzy, necro and conjuror that showed.  When I raid on my conj, I am usualy the top dps'r with the necro and wizzy spiking and beating me once and awhile.  What got me was the heals.  He was second on heal parse!  The top healer had healed for 315k the entire night, the SK 172k.  I was like, wow.  He brags constantly about being unbeatable in duels and his ability to solo.  I will never turn to the dark side lol.  I like my honorable pali and like being the good guy.  I meant what kind of knight fakes death to get out of danger haha.  No doubt sk's are a solid class at this point though.</P> <P>70 Conjuror</P> <P>60 Pali in training</P>

[Pentarum]

Sk healing got a huge boost in EoF. I sneeze I heal. I get hit, proc or cast any spell or taunt I heal. Even our Harm touch can have a heal on it for 1300 now. Add in our dot heal, Aoe's that heal for each mob hit, Aoe lifetap and then Reaver healing me again for every mob hit with a spell for 248 per spell cast and I can go from red to full hp every 39 sec as long as the mobs cant kill me in that time and there are a few mobs. I've done over 600hps healing in groups and yes I often outheal main healing classes but the drawback is I must be the tank to get the full healing out of the sk class. If im not my getting hit my healing gets cut down alot. Its really tuff to take me down in a good group as long as the healers know not to waste healing when its not needed on me. My fury guild leader knows I can aoe lifetap and she will wait till I've cast that and CH'ed myself before she starts trying to heal me again. Alot of this is to make up for not having a true ward and to compensate for taking more hits. Sk's want to be hit for more agro. Its how one of our buffs work. Where pally's want to prevent it. Its also how we do more damage. The more mobs hitting me the more damage I do from the SK's version of thorns and grave blessing our reactive lifetap. I'd still like to have pally group heals though like Sk's had Group HP/Mana taps in eq1. That spell was so good when it crit and made your group alot tuffer to kill in fights with a constant flow of mana and heals comming in.<div></div>