Paladins specialize in close-range combat, just like warriors. However, through long hours of spiritual training, paladins have acquired the ability to cast white magic spells, making them even more valuable on the battlefield.
Official description
Paladins (ナイト, Naito?, lit. Knight) appear in Final Fantasy XI as an advanced job available to characters who have completed the Paladin flag quest after reaching level 30 with at least one job.
Paladins are one of the two main "tanks", due to their high Vitality and Defense, protective and curative white magic, and defensive abilities like Cover, Sentinel, Rampart, and Invincible which actually does render a paladin immune to physical damage for a short period of time (magic damage is still received as normal).
Becoming a Paladin[]
The quest to become a Paladin begins in San d'Oria. This is the only quest for an advanced job that has prerequisites besides a level requirement and a quest. Player must first complete two Squire's Tests before they can be eligible for the Knight's Test. The Squire's quests can be completed before the character reaches level 30.
The Quest to become a paladin takes the player to Davoi, the capital of the Orc nation. Strangely enough, the proud Elvaan Knights send the player on what is basically a sneaking mission to find an old well. Inside is more than water, but a dead paladin's soul. After retrieving the knight's soul the player has proven themself worthy and earned the right to level as a Paladin.
Abilities[]
Job abilities[]
| Job Ability | Level | Recast | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invincible | 1 | 1:00:00 | 0:00:30 | Grants immunity to all physical attacks. |
| Holy Circle | 5 | 0:05:00 | 0:03:00 | Grants resistance against undead to party members within area of effect. |
| Shield Bash | 15 | 0:03:00 | — | Delivers an attack that can stun the target. Shield required. |
| Sentinel | 30 | 0:05:00 | 0:00:30 | Reduces physical damage taken and increases enmity. |
| Cover | 35 | 0:03:00 | 0:00:15 | Allows you to protect party members by placing yourself between them and the enemy. |
| Rampart | 62 | 0:05:00 | 0:00:30 | Grants a Magic Shield effect and enhances defense for party members within area of effect. |
| Chivalry | 75Only unlocked with Merit Points | 0:10:00 | — | Converts TP to MP. |
| Fealty | 75Only unlocked with Merit Points | 0:10:00 | 0:01:00 | Grants a powerful resistance to enfeebling magic. |
| Divine Emblem | 78 | 0:10:00 | 0:01:00 | Enhances the accuracy of your next divine magic spell and increases enmity. |
| Sepulcher | 87 | 0:05:00 | 0:03:00 | Lowers accuracy, evasion, magic accuracy, magic evasion and TP gain for undead. |
| Palisade | 95 | 0:05:00 | 0:01:00 | Increases chance of blocking with shield, and eliminates enmity loss. |
| Intervene | 96 | 1:00:00 | 0:00:30 | Strikes the target with your shield and decreases its attack and accuracy. |
Job traits[]
| Job Trait | Levels | Tier | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undead Killer | 1 | I | Gives you an edge when fighting undead. |
| Defense Bonus | 10 / 30 / 50 / 70 / 76 / 91 | VI | Improves defense against physical attacks. |
| Resist Sleep | 20 / 40 / 60 / 75 / 81 | V | Increases resistance against sleep. |
| Shield Mastery | 25 / 50 / 75 / 96 | IV | Grants bonus TP when blocking an attack with a shield. Also prevents spell interruption. |
| Auto Refresh | 35 | I | Gradually restores MP. |
| Max HP Boost | 45 / 85 | II | Increases your maximum HP. |
| Guardian | 75Only unlocked with Merit Points | Varies | Reduces enmity loss while using Sentinel. |
| Iron Will | 75Only unlocked with Merit Points | Varies | Adds a spell interruption down effect to Rampart. |
| Shield Def. Bonus | 77 / 82 / 91 | III | Reduces damage taken when blocking an attack with a shield. |
| Crit Def. Bonus | 79 / 85 | II | Improves defense against critical hits. |
White Magic[]
|
|
|
Skill ratings[]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gameplay[]
Strengths[]
- Strongest defense and a high shield skill make Paladins capable of surviving hits other jobs cannot.
- Paladins have a variety of spells and abilities designed to direct enmity towards them and/or away from other party members making them ideal tanks, protectors of the party.
- Paladins have a very large amount of Enmity equipment available and can hold hate very well in most situations.
Weaknesses[]
- Depending on what enemy is to be fought, a Paladin may not be as useful as a Ninja because of the damage he will take. Some creatures hit too hard for even a paladin to survive. Other enemies attack quickly but with relatively low accuracy—high enough to hit paladins though—and pose less of a threat to other potential tanks.
- Due to player preferences, it may be difficult to find an experience party at extremely high levels.
Support Jobs[]
Warrior[]
Warrior is the major support job for Paladins up through level 70 and for almost every purpose they would be used in high-end events. The simple reason for this is just that warriors get the ability Provoke, the simplest and most reliable way of creating enmity. Certain other abilities are enjoyed by Paladins, such as Defender and double attack.
Ninja[]
Sometimes Paladins between level 70 and level 75 will use a ninja support job to function purely as a direct damage. With the support job they can function reasonably well in TP-burn parties with their A+ rating in sword as well as benefit from Blink through Utsusemi. A ninja sub can also be useful for soloing because Utsusemi reduces the need for healing (and thus downtime), and Paladin/Ninja tanks can work in situations that don't require large amounts of enmity generation. Paladins have an advantage over some other jobs that use Ninja as a support job in that Shield Mastery will prevent spell interruptions from damage if the hit is blocked with a shield, which when combined with Flash, substantially improves the efficacy of Utsusemi: Ichi.
Red Mage[]
When soloing, Red Mage can be an effective support job for Paladins due to an increased MP pool and spells like Phalanx and Stoneskin to reduce damage, while also having en-spells like Enblizzard to increase damage dealt, usually with a sword and shield set-up.
Dancer[]
The most popular job for solo Paladins in 2010, PLD/DNC allows the Paladin to continue to heal him/herself even when MP is running desperately low.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game[]
Paladin appears on cards.
Final Fantasy Portal App[]
Paladin appears as a Triple Triad card.
Gallery[]
.png "Mithra PLD (FFXI).png (99 KB)")
Etymology[]
The paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France.