[Guide] Paladin Tanking Compendium (Last update 11/13/13)

[Kirbyprime]

Wanted to comment on this because there's seems to be sort of confusion about 2.1. The content coming in 2.1 is short of providing Endgame content. Other than Hard Mode Primals, Coil of Bahamut will remain the most challenging content until later patches (Turns 6-10), or so SE has said as much.

It's not as if you can get your hands on Allagan Helmet now. So anyone thinking of challenging Turn 5 anytime soon, let alone actually beating it legit, is fooling themselves. Valor Coronet will remain easily the Second BiS until that content can be cleared. Allagan will remain far superior even after any new content is added that doesn't provide a suitable upgrade to Allagan.

Just my opinion though.

Only thing I'm dreading right now is that if t5 isn't bugged, is that it's a equipment gated instance with stuff in crystal tower dropping something stupid like Resistance:Twister or Resistance:Magitech.

Oh yeah, also this.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...43#post1449843

[Avarice]

That's probably true, I haven't really given it much thought. I've honestly just been tossing back 2* food since the mats are easy to farm and I have cul50.

Same, actually. I did a little scrap paper math, and at the moment my base VIT pre food is 489, so with the 3% from, say, HQ Lava Toad Legs or HQ Black Truffle Risotto, that's 489*0.03 = 14.76
When I used the Toad Legs/Risotto, I checked and my VIT did indeed go up by only 14, which is 5 under the 19 cap (and also means it rounds down).

Since the VIT cap on HQ La Noscean Toast is 14, I lose no VIT by switching to that, and instead gain Parry over Crit (which I prefer, since I like to focus purely on Mitigation, and have no problems holding aggro). To get that full 19 VIT that the HQ Lv70 foods cap at, I'd need somewhere in the range of 630~ Vitality.

edit: Although, I may have to still look into NQ Finger Sandwiches.
edit2: Nevermind. With my current stats, the HQ Toast actually gives me two more Parry than the Sandwich, and then for the Acc/Vit, they're tied. So, Toast it is.

[MutantMonkey]

Marauder: Requires level 28 to gain all cross-class moves.

What do you get at 28?

[Obsidian]

Mercy Stroke at 26 is what I assume he was talking about.

[MutantMonkey]

Mercy Stroke at 26 is what I assume he was talking about.

Gotcha. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

[BerenTebogo]

Same, actually. I did a little scrap paper math, and at the moment my base VIT pre food is 489, so with the 3% from, say, HQ Lava Toad Legs or HQ Black Truffle Risotto, that's 489*0.03 = 14.76
When I used the Toad Legs/Risotto, I checked and my VIT did indeed go up by only 14, which is 5 under the 19 cap (and also means it rounds down).

Since the VIT cap on HQ La Noscean Toast is 14, I lose no VIT by switching to that, and instead gain Parry over Crit (which I prefer, since I like to focus purely on Mitigation, and have no problems holding aggro). To get that full 19 VIT that the HQ Lv70 foods cap at, I'd need somewhere in the range of 630~ Vitality.

edit: Although, I may have to still look into NQ Finger Sandwiches.
edit2: Nevermind. With my current stats, the HQ Toast actually gives me two more Parry than the Sandwich, and then for the Acc/Vit, they're tied. So, Toast it is.

I love me some buttons in a blanket lol.

I keep a reserve of toast HQ just in case I run into some shit hitting the fan.

[Obsidian]

How much DEX does it take to increase block rate by 1%? I've seen the chart for STR but not one for DEX.

[Ratatapa]

Tried tanking today in AK and it was awful

I was keeping Shield Oath up and spamming Flash + Fast Blade + Savage Blade + Rage of Halone on Single mobs and then Flash + Fight or Flight + Bloodbath + Circle of Sworn on more mobs

Had problem keeping hate and tip instead of lolrata?

[Seravi Edalborez]

Depends if you were trying to hold hate from relic+1 DPS going all-fucking out or just like modest-geared AK/DL mix + i55/70 weapon. In any case my usual for say a pack of 3 is:

Shield Lob something > run in, Circle of Scorn > Flash > Flash (if it's not solidified here-ish something's up)
Then Halone combo, optional Flash if you have say a SMN/SCH BaneDoTing stuff or DPS going AoE-crazy. Can also split Halone combo between mobs (Fast1 > Savage2 > Halone3 etc). It's not a big deal if first mob goes off the rails when it's near-dead.

Can also just raw Halone once for a quick burst of hate on first mob.

[Obsidian]

Savage Blade on one target, Halone on the next, just keep rotating through targets, and start by spamming Flash two or three times to give your healer some leeway.

[Kirbyprime]

Lob 1, Scion + Flash, Flash, Flash, Fast Blade 1, Savage Blade 2, Halone 1, Fast Blade 1, Savage Blade 3, Halone 1.

Unless dps is actively single targeting wrong target you shouldn't lose hate.

[BerenTebogo]

I mark my shit, so unless DPS are being stupid I lob #2- > SW #1 -> Flash + CoS -> fast + savage #3 -> Halone #1 -> fast -> savage -> halone #1 -> go back and forth between 2 and 3 because if stuff is still alive your DPS are awful and it will be impossible to lose hate to them and if it's dead they'll be on 2+3 anyways.

Also my healers love playing the "See how long Sath can survive without cures" game so I never have to worry about losing hate to cures because I never get cured

[Raineer]

I mark my shit, so unless DPS are being stupid I lob #2- > SW #1 -> Flash + CoS -> fast + savage #3 -> Halone #1 -> fast -> savage -> halone #1 -> go back and forth between 2 and 3 because if stuff is still alive your DPS are awful and it will be impossible to lose hate to them and if it's dead they'll be on 2+3 anyways.

Also my healers love playing the "See how long Sath can survive without cures" game so I never have to worry about losing hate to cures because I never get cured

This captures my rotation as well. Also you can tab/spirits/tab pretty damn quick between GCD. The most important thing is marking, by L50 I hope everyone is. If your DPS aren't following order then AFK until they learn.

In early days my battle was always with the healer, but scorn/flash with another flash after about 4 GCD solves this for me. This also improves as your gear improves.

Don't be shy to ask for CC either, once you learn what can be slept in there. In your early runs of AK it makes a huge difference in incoming dmg (which is less hate for the healer).

And yes everyone on this board does 19 minute speedruns and no one ever had "early days in AK", you're just terrible.

[Exoduso]

Is anyone else worried about how to optimize between the hero/af+1 and allagan gear in order to still have enough accuracy?
It seems that there has to be a tradeoff at a certain point between the amount of parry you can have, and the amount of acc you need to still hit everything (at least in coil). I assume there's no hard cap on parry, so how are people dealing with this issue?

For example, I got the allagan legs the other day, and reverted in the meantime to hoplite feet, but really I'd rather have the AF+1 legs and allagan feet. That being said, I tried multiple combinations of gear and it seems like accuracy will always fall short (unless, again, you sacrifice some piece with higher parry than others in exchange for accuracy). Food can't solve the issue either because unless I alter 1-2 pieces around from what my end goal is gear-wise, I'll be sitting at about 455 accuracy.

[gaogaostegosaurus]

I'm repeating what everyone else is saying, but I think it's basically about front loading as much enmity as possible on the main target so that you're still tanking while finishing your first combo. The Halone combo has a ramp up so if DPS are slamming the pedal from the start any decent one will take hate from Fast Blade with their first attack. If that's happening a lot then starting with Halone or Flash first, weaving in Spirits or Circle, or both (and I would actually say you should always do this). Or just saying fuck it and Provoking it off them before comboing into Halone.

Edit: man, people mark at 50? Aint no one got time for that shit

[Raineer]

Edit: man, people mark at 50? Aint no one got time for that shit

4wiw, i mark 1 as i shield lob, 2 and 3 come later before 1 is dead. Still expect single-target to follow that though.

[Kirbyprime]

Edit: man, people mark at 50? Aint no one got time for that shit

I mark for non-speedruns because pugs will be pugs. DF is horrible if you don't mark.

[Seravi Edalborez]

My marks are in semi-easy spots so I just do it as I'm running if I feel like it. The DF ones who stand still for about 20 seconds marking everything are the worst; if I'm not gonna do it fast then let's just hurry up and kill shit.

[Kirbyprime]

I have 1,2,3 on my macro bar so marking usually takes like 2 seconds max... which I tend to do while running at them.

[gaogaostegosaurus]

4wiw, i mark 1 as i shield lob, 2 and 3 come later before 1 is dead. Still expect single-target to follow that though.

Mostly being self-deprecating =p

One of the benefits of tanking on JP servers is that most JP players seem deathly afraid of engaging the wrong thing, so if it's not obvious what target is best they won't really hunker down on anything. They also rarely whine in party chat about the lack of one two three, too, so the necessity to mark from 1-50 was relatively little for me.

While leveling, I actually told my groups to try to go ABC order (the little letters by mob names), so that's another option for the lazy.