I've not found paladin to be such a great group assistant. Built to assist... I think that's what's intended, maybe, but I don't think it quite pans out like that.
At lower levels, yes they're brilliant, but now I'm in the 50s I'm finding my wards and heals aren't keeping up. They're becoming less relevant. If the **** hits the fan, my wards and heals are no longer likely to mean the difference between death and victory (with the possible exception of Lay on Hands).
A beserker is really much better than a paladin in a non-tanking role. Their damage is much more useful at higher levels than a paladins drop-in-the-ocean wards and heals. And they're likely to be better tanks (gear and skill notwithstanding). I find not being the tank in a group to be a bit of a futile experience.
I think there's a problem when we offer less than beserkers in a tank role, and less than beserkers in a non-tank role.
However, it could be worse. In the grand scheme of things, we're still the 3rd best tank I think. I can tank any single group mob just fine. While frustrating sometimes to stand aside for a beserker and get the feeling that I'm a waste of space, it's not enough to make me start over.
Anyone reading this wondering if they should make a paladin or a beserker - my advice would be make a beserker (with the additional bonus that you can betray to a guardian later on if you feel like it).
Message Edited by Shackleton1 on 07-04-2006 09:42 AM