Tanks are the key to your defense strategy. That’s why choosing a tank job requires much responsibility. One warrior from this class that stands out and has all traits of a reliable protector is Paladin. Paladins are sword-and-shield tanks that take pride in uncompromising defense skills that are occasionally combined with damage-dealing combos.
How to become a Paladin?
Paladin is one of the classes that can be picked right from the beginning of the game. You start as a Gladiator that transforms into a Paladin as he reaches level 30. If you want to change your class to Paladin in the game, you have to go to the Gladiator Guild and complete the Gladiator job quest.
Basic Abilities
Fight or Flight
Unlocked at level 2, Fight or Flight is one of the crucial abilities of Gladiator and then Paladin. It increases the damage you deal with enemies by 25%. It lasts for 25 seconds and has a recast time of one minute.
Paladin Melee Skills
Spirits Within
Using this skill, the tank provides an attack with a potency of 100 to a chosen target. If your health bar is close to maximum, the strength of the attack can rise to 370. You can use Spirits Within every 30 seconds.
Circle of Scorn
This buff delivers a 120-potency attack with a damage over time effect to all enemies located near the tank. The recast time is 25 seconds.
Sheltron
This ability can make a difference during the fight, as it blocks all enemy attacks for 6 seconds. It’s fairly enough for your DPS warriors to cast one powerful attack or multiple spells with an instant or reduced cast time without taking any damage. Sheltron has a cooldown of 5 seconds, but activating more of them in a short period will not always be possible. This skill is connected to the Oath Gauge that has to have at least 50 units to use one Sheltron.
Sentinel
Sentinel mitigates the damage enemy causes to you by 30%. It has a duration of 30 seconds and a recast time of 120 seconds. With that said, the best time to activate this buff is during the opponent’s most intense and powerful attacks. If you use it to protect your team from low-potency attacks, it will be considered a waste.
Cover
If you activate the Cover, the Paladin will take all damage meant to harm another team member. Make sure your party member is closer than 10 yalms to your tank. Otherwise, the buff will have no effect. Given the 3-minute cooldown of the buff, you have to be very picky when choosing the cast time.
It will be a mistake if you choose to protect a DPS or healer with a high HP. You are better off focusing on party members that are critically injured. Make sure you have 50 Oath Gauge to activate the Cover.
Intervention
This is a highly useful buff that reduces the damage taken by a teammate by 10%. What’s more, if you activate it when Sentinel is in action, it will reduce the Sentinel damage by 50%. The damage reduction lasts for 6 seconds. An aspect to note, one Intervention comes at the cost of 50 Oath Gauge, so make sure you accumulate the needed amount of gauge units before launching an intervention.
Divine Veil
This buff works mostly together with a healer’s magic heal cast. When the HP restoration spell is cast by one of your teammates, the Devine Veil creates a dome above all alliance members within a radius of 15 yalms to protect them against any enemy attack. The sturdy shield persists for 30 seconds.
Clemency
A Clemency is acquired for 2000 MP. This is an incredibly helpful spell that restores the HP of one of your alliance members, dealing with a cure potency of 1200. The cast is as fast as 1.5 seconds, so the chance of saving a severely injured teammate is high.
Magic Skills
You do not want to use these if not under the effect of Requiescat. Use 5 attacks while under the effect of Requiescat and then return to 2-3 cycles of your melee rotation combo.
Requiescat
When MP nears maximum, you deal additional damage, so its ideal to be above 80% MP when using this combo.
Holy spirit
Deals damage – potency 350.
Confiteor
Potency 800 AoE, deals damage to target and enemies nearby. Can only be used while under the effect of Requiescat. You lose the Requiescat effect when using it, make sure to use it last.
You can use riot blade and atonement to gain MP.
Weapon skills
Riot Blade
Used alone, this weapon skill provides a 100-potency attack. Combined with Fast Blade, the potency grows to 300. The cooldown is 2.5 seconds.
Atonement
Atonement is a powerful weapon skill that inflicts 550-potency damage to closely positioned enemies. The restoration of MP accompanies the attack.
Total Eclipse
This one delivers damage to all nearby foes that equals a potency of 120. Considering the fast recast time, which is 2.5 seconds, you can rely on this weapon skill when assaulted by multiple enemies.
Prominence
Prominence is connected to Total Eclipse. A combo of both delivers an attack with a strength of 220. If you decide to use Prominence alone, it’s possible, but the damage potency generated will fall to 100.
Goring Blade
This weapon works best in combination with Riot Blade, dealing with 390-potency damage to all surrounding foes. Used alone, Goring Blade inflicts 100-potency damage. This mighty weapon skill is also capable of causing damage over time, with a strength of 85 dealt in a time frame of 21 seconds.
Royal Authority
Royal Authority creates a combo with Riot Blade that generates damage with a destructive power of 550. You can also use it separately and expect 100-potency damage.
Situational
AoE Damage
Defense
Closing thoughts
To sum up, Paladin is a powerful tank able to defend other party members using his highly efficient abilities and spells. Paladin is not only concerned with mitigating damage taken and preventing fierce enemy attacks. It can also serve as an offensive element, delivering attacks that can cause damage with a potency ranging from 100 to 550. This turns it into a dual-skill warrior that can have a decisive role in a fight.
Besides using its weapon skills, it drives Paladin’s efficiency up with devastating combos that increase the damage inflicted considerably. When dealing with combos, Paladin requires players good coordination, excellent reaction, and fast decision-making to master it.
