Questions about Mithra-PLD's and PLD's in general...

[Lanih]

I've been reading about PLD's for a few days now and the more I read, the more I wanna try it. I think I know the basics about PLD's and their role in a party, but I'd still like someone to do some last minute convincing that it really is as much fun as it seems, lol I'm planning to finish the quest today and try out PLD.

I've read that the difference between hume and mithra PLD's is quite marginal, but I've seen enough numbers about this... I'd like to hear some in-game stories that would lighten up the possible differences. My highest job is lv30, so I haven't had the chance to study PLD's in real action myself. I'm mostly concerned about my HP/VIT as a mithra; I really don't want to get one-shotted :sweat: Do the shield- and parry-skills kick in often enough to balance this, or do I just have to spend all my gil on HP & VIT-gear and Fishkabobs?

What I'd like to hear are your experiences on being a PLD and/or partying with a mithra-PLD. You don't have to be a mithra to share your experiences here, though, cause I'll be happy to read as much as I can about the PLD-job ^^

[ As a side note; It was Whren's Seiryu-vid that got me interested about the PLD-job, so big thanks to you if you happen to read this ^^ ]

[Shifty]

PLD is great class. they look so spiffy. personally i retired my pld cause its just not enough play for me. i like cost per lvl, and not having to worry about repetitiveness such as heres my battle plan as the pull comes in: voke, flash, cure2 cure2 voke, cure2 flash, sentinel or shield bash(whichever unless your fighting a mob that has a harsh ability which can be shieldbashed)etc.
over and over and over, but its nice having it so that you never lose hate, and everyone says at end of pt that your pimp pld, even tho you just mashed macros over and over lol.

the only thing with mithra is low vit, which can be negated with the right gear (new lvl29 war/pld set, gluttony sword, anything that gives +vit) friend of mine is now 65 pld as mithra and s/he tanks fine.

shield and parry activate alot, but its hard to max them without skill up pt's outside of exp pts.

[Verus]

I'm not entirely sure but I've heard Mithra and Hume are very similar ecept for a bit of a swap of vit and agi. I play a Hume PLD and love it. I keep my gear up to date and use my abilities like they're supposed to be used and I never have any problems. I always get compliments on how well I do and sometimes I'll even get people trying to pull me out of one party to join there's because I've partied with them before. Keep your gear up to date and try to be a decent PLD and any race can do a fine job with this class.

[Grizzlebeard]

My concern is how much of an impact Elvaan paladins will have on me post 70. Currently an Elvaan paladin with similar gear to me will have roughly 80-100 more hps than myself whereas I'll likely have 80 or so more mps. Whilst I can argue that my extra mp more than makes up for the gap in hps this becomes kind of moot when you factor Refresh/Ballad into the equation. I hear regularly that Elvaan paladins will always be chosen over me for HNMs and it just concerns me that when I do get to that level that I'll be relegated to support role or sat on the bench.

[neelon]

I never had problems tanking as a Mithra Paladin frankly. Sure I get hit a bit harder due to my lower natural VIT stat, but I also feel that due to my higher natural AGI stat I parry/block/evade a little bit more.

Also if you get into the later levels 50+, you get access to many +VIT items like Gluttony Sword. Right now, unbuffed, I have a bonus of +21 VIT, but if i should swap some items I can get that higher if i wished to do so, but I feel it isn't needed.

Despite what some people (I encounter not that many anymore) like to say (perhaps through ignorance or prejudice or whatever reason), Mithra can tank just fine.

[Reanda]

Grizzlebeard - Whether or not you get to tank all depends on how many PLDs your LS has. Even if you are elvaan, there is still possibility you have to sit out.

In regard to the topic =
Mit PLD are decent in exp parties like all other races.

For HNM, mit PLD should work for some merit point boosts (+vit, +HP very important).
Do remember that mit PLD have same VIT as taru PLD.

[Lanih]

Thanks for the input, everyone, I really appreciate it

I've now almost done the PLD-flag, just the Davoi-part left and I guess it'll be no prob. I've decided to take good care of my PLD and maybe go all the way to 75 with it. Right now I feel like it'll be THE job for me, but I guess I'll have to actually try it before deciding anything, lol xD Yeah, I'm pretty excited about this ^^

Thanks again for the informative replies, keep 'em coming ^_~

[Lostbeatz]

Re: Questions about Mithra-PLD's and PLD's in general...

Originally posted by Lanih
, but I'd still like someone to do some last minute convincing that it really is as much fun as it seems,

its fun at first...but..once u get very very high...

its really boring (in exp pts)..

b/c you are constantly pressing the same macros over and over in each battle......its like...did this...done that.....provoke...flash...provoke...a few cures......every now and then use a /ja ability......then repeat it over and over...

[Nemes]

Mithras are easily underrated by people.

If you compare a mithra to a hume,

mithras have more DEX, humes have more STR. But, the gap in DEX is much bigger than the gap in STR.

Mithras have more AGI, humes have more VIT. Again, the gap in AGI is much bigger while the the gap in VIT is small. At level 60, I think there is a 3-4 VIT point difference, while there is a 7-8 AGI point difference.

I'll agree that VIT is very important, but does 7-8 AGI really make up for 3-4 VIT? It depends on who you ask. I do know 99% of the paladins wear the +3 AGI earrings, and some even take it over the +2 VIT one. I for one prefer the AGI, but some might prefer the VIT. There's not good and wrong answer there.
(Btw, AGI lowers critical hit rates, and some people say it raises parrying/blocking rate. I'm one of those, but it doesn't mean it's true.)

What we really lack compred to a Hume, is MND and CHR. MND is pretty useless in my book, but I might just be ignorant on what it does. CHR, however, is supposed to help provoke. And it's really lower than hume's CHR, so we lose on that. (of course, it's not confirmed that CHR helps provoke, but a lot of ppl think so, and I think it doesm ake sense)


So, yeah, I went in the details, to show you that the stats of a mithras aren't gimped at all. In the end, it makes little difference. I just wanted to show you that you shouldn't worry about the stats of a mithra for a PLD, because they're fine, really.

[Shifty]

99% of plds wear drone earrings? i see alot with pigeon earring (+20hp) or bloodbead (+25hp) or like you said the latent effect: +2vit earring. one problem is most people look at the +hp items as what is +? hp gonna do for me? its only like 20hp! but, with af, and whatnot i think i had +100 hp, which is better than +0 hp :p
it really depends on your style.

[Karinya]

Well, I wear one merc and one drone, partly because the +max hp earrings are really expensive on Carbuncle, and mostly because I'd rather reduce damage or reduce crits/raise block/parry/evade on every hit than have enough hp to survive an extra 1/3 of a hit (less if it's a particularly hard-hitting mob and bio2/drown aren't on yet).

From level 1-50 PLD, I have only been one-shotted once, and it was when my party took on Korroloka spiders a couple levels too soon. (Never fight a spider worth 200 or more exp.) I have more trouble with e.g. DRK/THF turning the mob with Last Resort+Sneak Attack+Vorpal Scythe, SC Distortion, maybe a MB, and *them* getting one shotted (566 damage shoulder slam, my highest damage taken from shoulder slam in that same party was 280-something). Hopefully the +enmity from AF will help with this. If you take 95% of the hits and one of the other 5% one-shots someone, does that make you a bad PLD? Or am I just being over-critical of myself when my party members get suicidal? And why can Antican PLDs to 566 damage with their TP and I can't? :mad:

Anyway, I put a high priority on +VIT - savage gauntlets are amazing and go a long way to make up for the racial VIT difference, for example - but my AGI is still pretty good because I'm mithra and have a few AGI items in slots where I can't get good VIT or DEF. In general I go VIT > DEF > AGI > Max MP > Max HP. If I could wear an astral ring without taking off one of my verve rings I'd seriously consider it. Max HP just isn't that important.

I think the CHR thing is just a rumor, but MND is known to affect resists to slow, paralyze and silence, so don't discount it completely; but it's not that big a priority since you usually have a WHM who can haste, paralyna and silena you. It also affects banish, but I don't even bother MBing it on fusion except for show, even though my divine magic is usually close to cap from Flash.

[Shifty]

why do antician mages hit for 80dmg and not normal mages? :p

lol, i love when i lose hate for 1 second, and it 1shots the mnk or whoever gained the hate, then i provoke one second later. laugh my ass of i do. happens alot tho...like they were waiting for thier chance to use it on them. ive been hit for 700 with bark spiders(boyahda tree). also having a rng pull an antician mage, and me running to provoke it cause hes about to die. then having him not tell me he was casting flood... hit for 891 dmg...i had 893 hp. figures my HP wasnt at max when i did that...

[Materia Hunter]

Let me put it this way. I'm a Mithra Paladin myself and... while by no means am I an 'uber' Paladin or anything, I get a lot of compliments and people tend to regard me as one of the better tanks they've had. And there are a lot of Elvaan Paladins out there. Since I'm going to assume they've had the opportunity to PT with the PLDs of other races, that means a Mithra can stand out as a great tank even in comparison.

As for HNMs... yes, Elvaan are simply better on account of the HP.

But I've heard of all races tanking HNMs, so...

Anyway, go for the Mithra Paladin. It's one of the more "uncommon but nothing wrong with it either" combos you'll see. And it's always nice to not see clones of yourself everywhere. Now if only everyone else would stop picking the White Haired Mithra Clone face. =>.>=

[Zaptruder]

Like it's been suggested to you, the proof of a good player is in their ability and actions rather than the race.

BUT, that said, the same player will do better with the other races that aren't mithra or tarutaru.

Also, if there's competition for parties, unless people know you, expect humes, elvaans and even tarus to be chosen before you.

Moreover, if you're just starting... realise that you'll be spending hundreds if not thousands of hours with the same character and that your decision now may be regretted deeply at a later stage. Pick wisely now, and you'll avoid that.

Personally, though I play a hume female character... for a good majority of the time since I started on my path as pld, I've wished I started as an elvaan male... and if I had restarted when I first felt that, I would be roughly in the same position as I am now with regards to lvl, items and standing in community... but when you do think to change, the amount of work you've put in seems daunting to have to redo again, just for relatively small changes in stats.

[Reanda]

Amen Zaptruder. Couldn't have said it better myself.