Dawntrail 7.05 Paladin All In One Guide for Level 1-100: From Beginner to Experienced!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Patch Notes since release of this guide: 7.1 Patch Notes: Cover now leashes up to 20 yalms, before it was 10. Intervene is now learned at level 66 instead of 74. For maximum damage, weave Intervene during Fight or Flight, but prioritize it after Circle of Scorn and Spirits Within.

[@MegaDarkness5000]

PLD is my main class, something about this job that just clicks with me. Also being a Lalafell, tanking all the mobs, and the taking no damage to a tank buster from a boss that is 6 times your size is peak fiction for me.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

That's awesome to hear! I also always have loved the sword and board style of combat myself, and that alone always motivates me to play paladin too! 😁

[@gwelengu]

I just started leveling it again and I'm 92. Its rotation seems fairly straightforward and elegant I've found, and WOW some of the armor is so beautiful as well. One thing I love about Lalafell is how detailed and nice armor looks due to their smaller size.

[@bigmelon44]

PLD was my first job i chose, and with being brand new to FF, I love the gameplay loop and everything about PLD, im lvl 60 with it now, and I love the rest im seeing. Thanks for the guide!!!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

I'm glad to hear that! And welcome to the game! I do hope you enjoy your journey! 😄

[@bigmelon44]

​@@CaetsuChaijiCh I'm loving every moment of it!

[@panda6907]

Welcome to the game, we're glad to have you!

[@Aliensqueakytoy]

These videos are incredibly helpful. I come back to them regularly as I level different jobs for the first time. thank you

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

I'm glad to hear that! Thank you so much!

[@vespi57]

Paladin is the job I started the game with, and it is still my main, and it is never going to change. Nothing in this guide differs how I play the job👍. Reasons why I think Paladin is currently the best tank in the game are: its magic combos give it an edge the other tanks lack. Paladin can step outside of melee range and still deal nearly maximum damage before returning to melee range, if the time needed to stay out is longer than one GCD. And the second reason is that I think it currently has overall the best defensives. Guardian is simply awesome, with it tankbusters rarely deal any HP damage in dungeons. I also think Hallowed Ground is the best invulnerability in the game, despite its long cooldown. Healers don't need to stay on their toes when Paladin uses it, unlike with other tanks.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Indeed, I've always felt the way paladin stands out is the heavier damage reduction it has, and hallowed ground perfectly matches that 😊 It is certainly the easiest invuln to use of the four, especially in dungeon content! 😁

[@maxxwag]

No idea why your videos don’t have more views. Those guides are incredibly well done 👍🏻

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Thank you! 😁

[@retroactive_augury1080]

Ironically PLD is exactly the class i needed to relearn Thanks!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Oh nice! I hope you'll find it helpful!

[@usoxmob1]

Best guides out there!! Thank you!

[@cattyrunes]

This is exactly the class I'm currently learning to do for savages, perfect timing!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Oh wow! I hope you get far in your savage journey!

[@gwelengu]

This is extremely helpful and timely, as I was just leveling PLD and just subbed to your channel! The rotation seems fairly easy to do however the difference between the burst and filler phases does trip me up when I'm trying to pay attention to mechanics! I know it's not necessary to be perfect in casual content but I want to do the best I can. It always seems so simple on the training dummy but I struggle during actual content, haha.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Haha! Right! Yeah the challenge is doing the rotation on top of other stuff! 😁 Thank you so much! 😊

[@javi7636]

Another PLD main, representing! I started playing it shortly after the rework, and I loved it so much it convinced me to make healing my secondary role. Of course, a big part of it is being able to act as emergency healer when fights go poorly. 😂 Just yesterday I was fighting the final boss of the level 99 dungeon for the first time and we all got surprised by one of the mechanics, leading to the healer and a DPS getting KO'd. It felt so good being able to stabilize both myself and the remaining melee DPS, and we finished the last third of the fight surprisingly easily!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

That's awesome to hear! 😄

[@mcmarcuz23]

I love Paladin Edit: As a free trial player, I found that lvl 70 opener quite helpful, so thank you for that!

[@FubukiShiromiya]

Of the tanks I’ve played, (all but warrior) paladin has by far been my favorite and I’m considering tanking a lot more because of it and the fun of the first extreme. I was looking forward to this guide and it happens to hit just a few days after I decide I want to play the job more seriously! I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do with this information (particularly priorities for using abilities) to improve, thanks!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

That is awesome! And I do hope it does help you improve! 😄

[@FubukiShiromiya]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh absolutely! It shows me there are a lot of things I’ve just been freestyling that I would benefit from having an order to. Like the priority for FoF. Better planning of ranged combos to keep uptime. Helping the main tank when I’m off tank, using rampart to boost the mitigation I can pass to the main tank if I don’t otherwise need it did not occur to me. Effective use of cover, it’s not easy especially given the limited range. These are some of the things the guide has me considering for further improvement. I might try tanking m2s at some point as a next step. For some reason, I am just enjoying paladin a lot more than gnb or drk and that’s getting me to consider playing the role a lot more! Thank you for the excellent guide, I will be coming back to it as per above there are just a lot of things I can work on and optimize to improve.

[@zuxua7162]

... so i have never seen bulwark in my life, and I recently leveled all my tanks to 100, so.... thank you for this guide!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

It was quietly added when they reworked the job in endwalker, and it being level 52 makes it very easy to miss! 😂

[@siosilvar]

I had the same realization with Physis as I've been leveling Sage recently. Looked at Cae's bars on stream, said "what the hell is that button?", and now life is easier.

[@vespi57]

Bulwark was returned to Paladin in 6.3. I don't know when it was first removed. Speaking of which, Sheltron was also different. It increased block rate to 100%, which is what Bulwark does now.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

@vespi57 bulwark used to increase block chance by 60%, and was removed with the release of shadowbringers. It was indeed returned in 6.3, which was when paladin got reworked! 😁

[@naotohex]

Gladiator/Pld was the tank I disliked the most, but around 70 it started to become my favorite, and now at 90 its just my favorite tank. It really falls into its role well, and making a tank buster do 1/8 of your hp is just so fun to watch.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Yeah the job definitely takes a while to reach it's potential! 😊

[@nighttiger314]

Another fun fact about PLD in Bozja specifically is that because of the interaction with Haste, augmented lost order gear is even better for faster sheltron regeneration. And because of the way gear scaling works (where it's basically irrelevant what you're actually using, like in Palace of the Dead), the Garuda weapon is best-in-slot because of the high attack speed for the same reason.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Yep that sounds about right! I imagine paladin would be completely insane in bozja if they had holy Sheltron there! 😂

[@diasmusempal]

🗡️ and 🛡️ babyyyyyyy!~

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

The heroic silhouette of a paladin! 😄

[@paz8723]

Been a PLD Main since i started in 6.0, I like to call it the GCD King because oh boy your hotbar is gonna be spinning for hours

[@whiskeyii]

Heya, can you explain the Goring Blade part around 13:20 in more depth, please? I think I'm getting confused by what you're saying and what I'm seeing onscreen. Like, when you say you should use Goring Blade if you only squeeze in one more GCD under FoF only if you have 5 targets left, but on-screen there's an order of Prominence first, so does that imply that I should be prioritizing Prominence instead of Goring Blade if that's an option with 5 targets?

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

That is an excellent question and understandably confusing! If you only have time for one more GCD, then prominence being 170 potency is more damage than goring blade (700 potency) on five targets (as prominence would be 850 combined) If on the other hand your next aoe GCD would be total eclipse, then goring blade on the healthiest mob would be the better choice as total eclipse is only a measly 500 on five. Since you're here anyway, it gets even more wild if you are making this decision with 2 GCDs left: Obviously the perfect choice with five targets is prominence - goring blade. Second best is total eclipse - prominence. Third is total eclipse - goring blade. So you can probably see how this sort of dictates how the rotation plays out on this specific five target case: "can I get one more prominence in? Or no?" and that decides when or if goring blade happens! I hope this makes sense! 😅

[@whiskeyii]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh It does, thanks!

[@cobbil]

So my friends and I opted to boost a job (never do it , its a mistake!) and my choice was paladin. As a white mage and dancer main, listening to these optimization guides makes my eyes go cross and head hurt.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

It can be difficult, but remember you don't have to learn it all in one go! 😊 Sometimes trying out the things demonstrated in the guide as it is being explained can sometimes make it feel more easy to follow as well! 😊

[@peezerthecat729]

is your leveling guide still up to date? or do you have plans to make a more up to date one? love your guides.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

I'm glad you asked! I am working on a new one, but I can say most of the advice in the most recent one I've released is up to date 😊

[@peezerthecat729]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh your seriously the best ff14 content MASTER. Thanks for all the guides and work you put into them. cant be easy!

[@anierikidemona]

I'm not sure if it's been fixed. But reprisal used to prevent the application of arms length. Which is just another reason to try not to overlap mitigation. I also find your oath defensive Shelton is amazing paired with arms length. So if you like big pulls you can open with two sheltronsin a row and arms length then continue with a standard pattern.

[@cbanana665]

In normal mode boss fights, my suggestion is to prioritize spending the Oath Gauge on the healer(s) or the DPS (if they have vuln stacks and the healers don't). They're simply way more likely to die than the main tank in normal mode.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Making extensive use of intervention is a good idea in general, regardless of who needs it! 😊

[@FatMan2539]

Watching this as someone who has PLD at only level 38 I find that I'm in two minds about PLD - on one hand the defensive kit sounds very satisfying to use, but on the other hand the DPS priority checklist sounds overwhelming

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Once you try the high level rotation, I am sure it won't feel as overwhelming, because you won't have to look at all the things at once! 😊

[@javi7636]

I definitely encourage you to keep going! You get each new ability gradually over time, so the learning curve is actually very smooth. And yeah, the defensive kit is exactly why I main PLD. At higher levels it feels great to be able to help allies in a tough spot, or press a button and just ignore damage for the next few seconds. 😄 You also don't need to think about the priority checklist right away, you can save it for challenging yourself after you learn the simple combo (just pressing the next attack as it becomes available). The full combo flows into itself quite nicely, making it easy to figure out how to adjust it on the fly.

[@ArmageddonEvil]

Holy crap, that's an insane increase for Tank Stance's Emity. Edit: Paladin is like my 3rd or 4th favorite job.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Yep! It is quite insane when it used to be like... Times three before shadowbringers! 😂

[@ArmageddonEvil]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh Three Times, damn. But you also had 'FLASH' Spam. Before they got rid of it. Forget which Expansion got rid of Flash Spam.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

@ArmageddonEvil shadowbringers removed flash 😊

[@ArmageddonEvil]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh And removed the DPS Stances. Also, it's nice to know Flash was removed in Shadowbringers.

[@TheValiantBob]

I have a question about sheltron. Sometimes a boss will use a move where filling their cast bar starts a mechanic (ex. spread markers), or starts a length animation way before the attack lands. Since sheltron has such a short duration, I'm never sure when to use it when these types of moves happen. Does the damage get locked in once the bar fills so I should use it before the cast bar fills, despite the buff ending well before the actual attack lands? Or should I try and line up sheltron's duration for when the attack actually lands?

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Most attacks "snapshot" their damage exactly when the cast finishes, meaning the damage is decided at that moment, even if your buff runs out before the attack actually lands! 😊 There are exceptions, but those are usually multi hit attacks where each hit has their own timing, and they are often closer to when the attack actually lands too!

[@CheshireDude]

PLD has always been my least favorite job, by a looong shot ... But with Dawntrail, maybe it's just that I'm more experienced now or something, but I'm finding myself appreciating other jobs a whole lot more, and I'm wondering if maybe I just never gave Paladin a fair shake. Hopefully this guide can help me understand the basics a bit better so i can see if it's not as bad as I thought

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

I hope you giving it that second chance will be worth it! 😊

[@user-eg2oe7pv2i]

The benefit of shield bash is not all but huge amount get interrupted

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Shield bash in the right circumstances is amazing! It is a shame that it loses value as you level up though!

[@thedarkness490]

Wait the shield from guardian can crit? Well that explains some TB's I have taken and ... Just not see my hp move. F it its my new main with that fact

[@mymail2881]

Perfect timing haha, Thank youuu!!!!

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Enjoy! 😄

[@MrMayoyama]

I still think its strange that gap closer damage was removed from 2 tanks but not all 4...

[@siosilvar]

They're trying to roughly balance the amount of weaves in the window across tanks. DRK wouldn't be able to push any mitigation buttons during the burst window if it still had Plunge. GNB is also somewhat oGCD heavy, but not to the same extent. PLD and WAR, on the other hand, would only have a couple if they didn't get new ones added, and PLD at least doesn't really have the bar space for that.

[@Maha-gx4zm]

So I am confused .should I watch the old paladin guide 1-50 ? Or this one ? New player here 🙋‍♀️

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

This one is for all levels so just follow this one 😊

[@kohlicoide2258]

When you have to use Clemency on or two things happend, there is _nothing to attack_ and/or _something went terrible wrong_ My "Clemency Rule" as PLD Main. But dont use it to much.. 2 Clemencys is absolutly fine but 3 or more have the risk to go "OOM" (Out of Mana/MP) in your Burst Phase. What can also be _very_ helpfull Goring Blade and the "Atonement Combo" _don't break_ your Confiteor Combo this can be helpfull when you know you have to move the boss... or go out of meele range etc. For example: You know you have to go out of meele range after the 4 GCD in your burst you can play your Burst like.. FoF/Imperator Confiteor, Goring Blade, Blade of "Nice Person" (tbh i dont know the name of all blades i always just say Confiteor 1 2 3 4 :D )

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

Indeed! It is easy to forget that "does not break combo" ALSO means does not break the blades combo! 😊

[@thetwintiger]

I haven’t been on the balance done before Dawntrail, but wouldn’t it be better to use that Divine might Holy spirit within FoF? So using atonement, then FoF then the rest of the opener as described? DM Holy Spirit is 500 potency, atonement is 460.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

In the level 100 opener? It would, but in the opener, you haven't used atonement yet, so it blocks off supplication and sepulchre, and if you wait one more gcd with bursting, you might miss some raid buff value (for what amounts to a 10 potency gain in the burst since it adds 40 more potency to fight or flight!) Meaning in the opener, your choice is holy spirit, atonement supplication (500+460+500), or atonement, supplication, sepulchre (460+500+540) In all other bursts, optimally you would want holy spirit and the second and third steps of the atonement combo, but again, making the most of where you are in your rotation is the best you can do actually! 😊

[@thetwintiger]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh I push atonement up to right before FoF (inside pot, but outside FoF) then continue, as normal, or swap Suppl/Sepul in front of the Confiteor combo if distance from boss is required. I sometimes also dont double weave if my latency is high, throwing each oGCD between available GCDs. It still lets me get everything off in the FoF window with maybe half a second to spare.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

@thetwintiger the timing of the opener is about raid buffs. Most raid buffs are used about 5-7 seconds into a fight, which is right around where royal authority into fight or flight is used. Delaying fof to after atonement to get this small 40 potency gain is likely to cause your last gcd to miss out on raid buffs (assuming coordinated group of course), and this will happen for EVERY two minute burst for the rest of the fight, which will add up to a bigger loss than those 40 potency you gained by delaying fof a GCD in the opener 😅

[@thetwintiger]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh I guess I should admit that I don’t end-game raid 🙃. So my mind doesn’t think about that. My bad.

[@thetwintiger]

Also, it’s kinda neat that despite not raiding and following meta, I more or less got the idea of the Paladin opener on an individual level, intuitively. It’s been my “main” since ARR. and it’s nice to be able to intuit it’s design.

[@dreameater2661]

Im a new player right, So question why does paladin and warriors keep there gap closer damage. And Drk don't im still confused on that.

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

I believe the explanation is that at higher levels (notably max level), the amount of weaves the tanks have are significant in a burst, and dark knight(peaks at around 12 WITHOUT the removed plunge attack) has way more ogcds already than paladin(7 with intervene included) and warrior (8 assuming you get two infuriates). Something similar can be said about gunbreaker(7 without the gap closer attack), although the addition of the lion heart combo reduced the amount of continuation ogcds in their two minute burst by three as well, which does mean that, say, level 99 gunbreaker (10 ogcds without removed rough divide) would highlight a bigger issue there too 😊 I hope this clears up things a bit, but it is worth noting this is mostly a guessing game because I don't think the development team has given us the straight answer on it! 🤔

[@dreameater2661]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh Ohhh..ok I get it now. But they could at least give use something to compensate for the skill.

[@siosilvar]

​@@dreameater2661 They did. DRK and GNB have very high potencies on the 1-2-3 combo now, and the level 94 potency boosts also apply to a few oGCDs instead of just the GCDs. It's unexciting, but that's where the potency went.

[@Scerttle]

I don't understand why WAR gets 3 charges of onslaught but PLD only gets 2 charges of intervene...

[@Scerttle]

Also, it's a bit of a shame that PLD feels hollow all the way into the 60s. It might be the least fun tank at level 50 or even 60. But I find it one of the more fun tanks from 80+

[@CaetsuChaijiCh]

My best guess is that warrior were just given an extra one to compensate for the fact they used to have to pay beast gauge for it (but had a super short cooldown).. How that adds up I can't say 😂

[@Scerttle]

@@CaetsuChaijiCh Yeah. It made sense back in ShB but it just kinda feels unfair since EW dropped lol

[@kohlicoide2258]

@@Scerttle Because PLD has one oGCD more then WAR WAR: Upheval, 3x Gap Closer. PLD: CoS, Expiacion, 2x Gap Closer My explanation for that because in the end most of the time you just use Gap Closer for dps

[@user-eg2oe7pv2i]

spirit within ? Just before the last skill combo .

[@siosilvar]

Doesn't actually matter when you use it as long as you use it in the Fight or Flight buff and then whenever it's up. The exact skills in FoF will often change, so don't tie it to a specific GCD, just press it after FoF. Usually it's paired with Circle of Scorn.

[@user-eg2oe7pv2i]

Arm length , apply it to long cast enemies .

[@user-eg2oe7pv2i]

Holy spirit ? Some foe dislike it .its situational . Basically it delay by one cast your rotation . I rarely use it

[@kaeldiar]

Holy Spirit, when you have the buff from Divine Might, is one of your strongest actions, so you definitely want to use it! When you don't have the Divine Might buff, it is still much better than Shield Lob, which is much better than doing nothing at all

[@kohlicoide2258]

PLD also dont really have a "Rotation" He has more a priority System and he has (imo) the most flexible "rotation" of all Tanks

[@user-eg2oe7pv2i]

clemency is mandatory to heal other . One of the the reason for tenacity . The other reason ? It also raise your protection . Remember you are a tank

[@kaeldiar]

Tanks and Healers in FFXIV do quite a lot of damage! If the job of the tank is to reduce damage taken by the party, killing enemies is an effective way of accomplishing that! If someone is in need of a heal, it is often the Healer that can take care of the problem, without needing to sacrifice damage, as they have healing abilities (oGCDs) or damage-neutral options (like WHM Lily). You should only be using Clemency as PLD under dire circumstances, or during downtime

[@siosilvar]

Tenacity almost never changes the amount of healing you need. Ending fights faster with more damage, on the other hand, does.

[@randoomingnope7574]

no skillspeed since its spells NOTED so we get castspeed then?

[@siosilvar]

No. PLD is a mix of weaponskills, spells, and cooldowns, so none of the speeds are useful. The only tank that actually wants some speed is GNB to get 2.40 or 2.45/2.46, but it's also fine at 2.50. DRK and WAR don't mind being at one of those GNB speeds but also don't get as much out of it as other stats.