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Paladin (PLD)

Tank -- A Realm Reborn

Role

Tank

Difficulty

Medium (2/3)

Primary Stat

Strength

Weapon

Sword & Shield

PvE Rating

★★★★★

PvP Rating

★★★★★

Description

The classic sword-and-shield tank. Paladin excels at party support with the most defensive utility of any tank, including heals, shields, and the iconic Passage of Arms.

Playstyle

A structured rotation alternating physical and magical burst windows. PLD rewards planning and has the most forgiving tank gameplay with self-healing and strong mitigation.

Strengths

  • +Best party mitigation toolkit among all tanks
  • +Self-healing with Clemency provides safety in progression
  • +Structured rotation is easy to plan around boss mechanics
  • +Strong in all content types from dungeons to ultimates

Weaknesses

  • -Lowest personal DPS among tanks in optimized play
  • -Rigid rotation makes recovery from deaths difficult
  • -Magic phase requires hard casts that can be interrupted by mechanics
  • -Clemency usage is a significant DPS loss

Key Mechanics

  • 1Sheltron for damage mitigation
  • 2Requiescat magic phase
  • 3Fight or Flight physical burst
  • 4Passage of Arms party-wide shield
  • 5Clemency self/party heal

Rotation Overview

Alternate between physical combo (Fight or Flight window with Royal Authority combo and Atonement) and magical phase (Requiescat window with Holy Spirit/Circle and Confiteor combo). Maintain Goring Blade DoT.

Utility

Cover -- take damage for a party memberDivine Veil -- party-wide shieldPassage of Arms -- rear party mitigationClemency -- emergency healIntervention -- targeted mitigation

Tips & Strategy

  • 1Use Clemency only in emergencies -- it is a DPS loss compared to Holy Spirit.
  • 2Passage of Arms snapshots immediately so you can cancel it after one tick.
  • 3Align Fight or Flight with party raid buffs for maximum burst damage.
  • 4Sheltron should be used frequently -- do not hoard Oath Gauge.
  • 5In dungeon pulls, prioritize Holy Circle spam during Requiescat for AoE.