Final Fantasy 14: Complete Guide To Playing Paladin

Final Fantasy 14 has a wide range of exciting jobs that serve a specific role in the game's various modes. The Paladin, for example, is one of the game's best Tanks that can dish out melee attacks and cast spells on the enemy while also protecting their teammates.

The Paladin's iconic sword and shield give them one of the more unique ability sets for their role and allow them to shine both offensively and defensively. If you're looking for a job that can hold the fort, protect your team, and deal decent damage to the enemy, the Paladin is practically throwing itself at you.

Updated December 17, 2024, by Seth Parmer: Considering we haven't touched this guide since the Dawntrail expansion launched for Final Fantasy 14, we decided to dive back into it and include everything that has changed since then, providing better Openers and Rotations for the Warrior Job, as well as bringing its gear up to its current best in slot!

The Rising Of The Shield Hero

Like most jobs in Final Fantasy 14, the Paladin job requires you to level a prerequisite class up to Level 30 before you can take on the role. In this case, you will have to unlock the Gladiator class and reach Level 30 before switching over to Paladin.

The Gladiator is one of the many starting jobs in the game, meaning you can select it after creating your character or learn the class as early as Level 1.

If you didn't choose Gladiator as your starting class, you can pick it up by heading to Ul'dah - Steps of Thal and speaking to Lulutsu at the Gladiator's Guild (X:9.2, Y:11.7). Accept and complete the quest "Way of the Gladiator" to become the class!

Road To Paladin

After obtaining Level 30 with your Gladiator, you can finally become a Paladin. To do this, make your way back to Ul'dah - Steps of Thal and speak with Lulutsu once more at the Gladiator's Guild (X:9, Y:11).

Pick up and complete the quest "Paladin's Pledge" to receive the Soul of the Paladin, which allows you to officially become a Paladin! From here, you will have to reach Level 100 to get the most out of the job.

If you need help leveling your jobs in Final Fantasy 14, please follow our detailed guide that breaks down the leveling system and how to approach it! Furthermore, if you're looking for a more fleshed-out guide on how to unlock the Paladin or other jobs in the game, head here to get the full rundown!

Paladin Rotations

As mentioned earlier, the Paladin's unique sword and shield combo allow the job to access special traits and actions that make them an excellent hybrid of offensive and defensive play.

Another bonus to the Paladin is they don't have to ever worry about positional attacks as they're a Tank and will almost always be positioned in front of the target. Below will focus on the basic rotations of the Paladin with no Off-GCD Actions thrown into the mix. That will come a bit later!

The basic rotations for the Paladin have changed in Patch 6.3, allowing them to perform two AoE Rotations instead of one now and scaling back their Single-Target Rotation to one rather than two.

They can now choose to replenish MP or HP with their AoE Rotations, which will come in handy when pulling large mobs or during specific boss encounters.

Basic Single-Target Rotation

• Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Royal Authority

Royal Authority grants three stacks of Sword Oath and deals significant damage to your target. Sword Oath allows you to perform several Actions, such as the Off-GCD Actions we cover in a later section of the guide.

Basic AoE Rotation

• Total Eclipse > Prominence
• Confiteor > Blade of Faith > Blade of Truth > Blade of Valor

The Total Eclipse Rotations recovers your MP while dealing damage to multiple enemies, allowing you to cast more Actions. The Confiteor Rotation deals mass amounts of damage to multiple enemies while also replenishing some of your HP, allowing you to stay in the fight a bit longer.

Paladin Off-GCD Actions

With the Paladin's basic rotation out of the way, it's time to focus on the core Off-GCD Actions that bring the job to life and makes it unique. You can find a breakdown of the Paladin's most essential Off-GCDs for offense and defense below!

The Paladin Job received the most changes of any Job in Patch 6.3 and almost again in6.4, and while the tables below only cover the Job's Off-GCD Actions, a lot of the changes will be present below and inflicted on the Openers section a bit later in the guide.

Offensive Off-GCD Actions

Action	Recast Time	Information
Fight or Flight	60s	Increases damage dealt by 25 percent for 20 seconds, allowing you to follow the buff up with eleven GCD attacks. (example of eleven-combo attack below)
Iron Will	2s	Enimity Generation is substantially increased.
Release Iron Will	1s	Ends the effects of Iron Will.
Requiescat	60s	Attack with a potency of 320.
Intervene	30s	Charge the target with an attack potency of 150. (action has two charges)
Circle of Scorn	30s	An AoE Attack with the potency of 140.
Expiacion	30s	An AoE attack with the potency of 420 for the first target, dropping by 50 percent for the remaining ones.
Imperator	60s	Deliver an attack with a sizable AoE, dealing 580 damage to your target and 50 percent less to all other enemies in the area.
Blade of Honor	1s	Deliver an AoE attack that strikes your target with a damage potency of 1,000, dealing 50 percent less damage to all remaining enemies in the area.

Defensive Off-GCD Actions

Action	Recast Time	Oath Gauge Cost	Information
Reprisal	60s	0	Take 10 percent less damage for 15 seconds.
Rampart	90s	0	Take 20 percent less damage for 20 seconds.
Sentinel	120s	0	Take 30 percent less damage for 15 seconds.
Bulwark	90s	0	Negates all incoming damage for 10 seconds.
Sheltron	5s	50	Incoming damage is reduced by 30 percent for 15 seconds.
Holy Sheltron	5s	50	All incoming damage is reduced by 15 percent for 8 seconds.
Intervention	10s	50	Reduces 10 percent of incoming damage to the party member you targeted for Eight seconds.
Divine Veil	90s	0	Places a Barrier on all party members and yourself for 30 seconds that absorbs incoming damage equal to your maximum health. Patch 6.4 has increased its radius from 15 to 30 yalms.
Passage of Arms	120s	0	Your block rate increases to 100 percent, creating a cone AoE behind you for teammates to stand. Players standing in the AoE will block 85 percent of incoming damage. The duration of this action is 18 seconds.
Hallowed Ground	420s	0	Become impenetrable to most attacks for 10 seconds.
Guardian	120s	0	Incoming damage is reduced by 40 percent for 15 seconds.

Best Paladin Opener In FFXIV Dawntrail

Keeping the actions highlighted in the above section in mind, you should have a general grasp on your basic rotation and how Off-GCDs can open them up to incredibly potent combos.

It's essential to go into openers with the concept of maximizing your job's potential and setting up for the rest of the encounter. In the Paladin's case, we will showcase your main opener and what you will transition to once you complete it.

The Off-GCD Actions are placed in parenthesis and are bolded to help make them stand out, allowing you to pick them out in the openers!

Basic Opener

• (Pre-Pull) Holy Spirit
  • Cast Holy Spirit with about two seconds remaining on the countdown.

• Fast Blade > Riot Blade (Grade 1 Gemdraught of Strength) > Royal Authority (Fight or Flight Imperator) > Confiteor (Circle of Scorn Expiacion) > Blade of Faith (Intervene Intervene) > Blade of Truth > Blade of Valor (Blade of Honor) > Goring Blade > Atonement > Supplication > Sepulchre > Holy Spirit

Burst Window Example

• Royal Authority > Atonement > Fast Blade > Riot Blade > Supplication (Fight or Flight Imperator) > Confiteor (Circle of Scorn Expiacion) > Blade of Faith (Intervene) > Blade of Truth (Intervene) > Blade of Valor (Blade of Honor) > Goring Blade > Sepulchre > Holy Spirit > Royal Authority

Best Gear For Paladin In FFXIV Dawntrail

The final piece of the puzzle when it comes to putting together a strong build for your job is the equipment and Materia. This is where things can get rather tricky for players, especially newcomers to the game, role, or job.

If you aren't Level 100 yet, the table below will still be useful to you if you're wondering which stats/Materia type you should focus on when melding your Paladin's equipment.

	Equipment	Materia	Stats	How To Obtain
Weapon	Dark Horse Champion's Sword	Heaven's Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	DMG 146 STR 449 VIT 476 CRT 281 DET 197	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M4 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x8 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition IV.
Shield	Dark Horse Champion's Kite Shield	N/A	STR 179 VIT 191 CRT 112 DET 78	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M4 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x8 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition IV.
Head	Dark Horse Champion's Bandana of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	STR 371 VIT 391 CRT 236 DET 165	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M3 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x4 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition II.
Body	Augmented Quetzalli Mail of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	STR 588 VIT 621 CRT 374 TEN 262	Upgraded by giving x1 Surgelight Twine and the corresponding Quetzalli Armor to Theone in Solution Nine (X:8.5, Y:13.6).
Hands	Dark Horse Champion's Halfgloves of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Savage Aim Materia XII	STR 371 VIT 391 CRT 165 DET 236	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M3 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x4 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition II.
Legs	Dark Horse Champion's Breeches of Fending	Savage Aim Materia XII Savage Aim Materia XII	STR 588 VIT 621 CRT 262 DET 374	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M3 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x4 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition II.
Feet	Dark Horse Champion's Sollerets of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	STR 371 VIT 391 CRT 236 DET 165	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M3 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x4 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition II.
Earrings	Augmented Quetzalli Ear Cuffs of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Savage Aim Materia XII	STR 292 VIT 308 CRT 130 DET 186	Upgraded by giving x1 Surgelight Glaze and the corresponding Quetzalli Accessory to Theone in Solution Nine (X:8.5, Y:13.6).
Necklace	Dark Horse Champion's Choker of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	STR 292 VIT 308 CRT 186 DET 130	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M1 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x3 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition I.
Bracelets	Augmented Quetzalli Bracelets of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	STR 292 VIT 308 CRT 186 DET 130	Upgraded by giving x1 Surgelight Glaze and the corresponding Quetzalli Accessory to Theone in Solution Nine (X:8.5, Y:13.6).
Left Ring	Dark Horse Champion's Ring of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Heavens' Eye Materia XII	STR 292 VIT 308 CRT 186 DET 130	Can drop during AAC Light-heavyweight M1 (Savage) or purchased from Hhihwi in Solution Nine (X:8.7, Y:13.7) for x3 AAC Illustrated: LHW Edition I.
Right Ring	Augmented Quetzalli Ring of Fending	Heavens' Eye Materia XII Savage Aim Materai XII	STR 292 VIT 308 CRT 130 TEN 186	Upgraded by giving x1 Surgelight Glaze and the corresponding Quetzalli Accessory to Theone in Solution Nine (X:8.5, Y:13.6).

Even with the above showcasing the "Best In Slot" for the Paladin, there are still a couple of other ways to get even more damage/defense from the Job. The first is the most obvious and comes by way of consuming a meal before heading out into a Dungeon, Raid, Trial, etc.

The best food buff for the Paladin is Roast Chicken. The other method we already highlighted in the "Openers" section is the Grade 1 Gemdraught of Strength. Weaving this Tincture into your Opener will help you out quite a bit in most encounters.

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