Paladin Guide
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This guide is intended to be a comprehensive guide to the Paladin class. While it does touch on other aspects of the game, in particular the mortal skills and the tier 3 Seraph and Divine Champion classes, it does so only in overview and not in detail. More information on these topics can be found in the Mortal Skills 101 guide and Divine Champion Skill Guide.
This guide assumes a knowledge of the basics of the game, such as combat, Experience Points, Morality etc., but little to no knowledge of individual skills, weapons etc. If you are unsure of the basics and have not yet read the New Player Guide, it is strongly recommended that you do so!
It is hoped that this guide will be helpful to new and advancing players; if there is any point at which is confusing or inaccurate, or if there is anything you think you can add to it, feel free to edit the guide or leave a comment on the talk page.
Happy reading!
[edit] Class Overview
Paladins are an Angelic tier 2 class, whose skills are focused primarily on combat. They serve as holy warriors for the forces of Good, whether defending Paradise, protecting the weak in Valhalla and Purgatorio, or actively hunting down Demons on their own ground in Stygia. They boast more powerful attacks than any other tier 2 class, as well as an unmatched resistance to damage. However, they do have their limitations; they are unable to cast Spells, and must therefore rely on their factionmates for support.
The Paladin's skillset consists of fewer flashy attacks and more innate bonuses then those of other tier 2 classes. Because of this, the Paladin is an extremely flexible class when it comes to applying Mortal skills. Any combat tree will benefit from Strong Attack and Elite Attack, while healers and crafters gain a great advantage in survivability from Divine Armor.
As an Angelic class, the Paladin may only join Good factions. Further, he must be careful that his Morality does not fall below 20, or he will temporarily lose all of his Angelic powers until his Morality is restored. The Sense Morality skill is often invaluable for an aspiring Paladin.
[edit] Levelling Up
This should be the first concern of any character; plans for tier 3 are irrelevant if a character never reaches level 20! Fortunately the Paladin has a wide range of options open to him when deciding how best to go about earning Experience Points.
[edit] Combat
In the sphere of combat the Paladin stands head and shoulders above the other tier 2 classes. He may gain damage bonuses other classes cannot attain before level 20, as well as innate armor unique among tier 2 classes. While of course characters and builds vary widely, one may say that against any opponent except the Pariah (who has his own weaknesses), the Paladin is likely to enjoy an advantage.
The Paladin's Divine Armor allows him to excel when live combat occurs, such as during Raids. Even if his opponent surprises him and gains the first strike, he can be confident that this will cause a lesser amount of damage. Few attacks can circumvent a Paladin's armor at tier 2; namely the Pariah's Blood Claws, certain ranged (non-autohit) Offensive Spells, and charged attacks such as Focused Attack. All these except Blood Claws require MP to use and thus any one combatant can use them only a limited number of times.
The Paladin is not as well-suited to hunting for hiding enemies as the Myrmidon, since he lacks Enhanced Senses. Due to a lack of targets he may find it necessary to fight mortals (despite the reduced XP) as well as other tier 2's and tier 3's. However, his innate armor does afford him a better chance of survival, should he decide to lie low himself.
A Paladin wishing to level up by this method should be sure to learn a full combat tree while still a mortal, so that he can receive the full benefit from his damage-boosting skills. Note that the Thrown Weapons tree is not to be recommended, as it is extremely weak compared to the other trees. However, the Paladin will find himself well-suited to each of the other combat trees.
[edit] Healing
The Paladin makes an impressive battlefield Medic, with his durability allowing him to continue healing when other classes would be killed or forced to retreat. In addition, healing is guaranteed to constantly improve his Morality, allowing him to defend himself against Neutral characters when the neccessity arises.
Since the Paladin does not possess an innate healing skill (unlike the Shepherd), a Paladin pursuing this course should be sure to acquire the full Surgery tree.
[edit] Crafting
Taking on a full Crafting tree is a large investment in CP - however, it can pay off in many ways. The most obvious is that Crafting and Repairing grant a decent amount of Experience points, making it a relatively fast and extremely reliable way to level.
In addition, a lone Paladin can keep his own weapons in Pristine condition, granting him a +10% to-hit bonus. Of course, this requires that the Paladin possess a combat tree in addition to crafting, and he must ensure that the two trees match (for example, to benefit the Long Arms skill, one would choose the Gunsmithing tree). A Paladin pursuing this course may wish to purchase his chosen crafting tree between the 20 CP skill of his combat tree (e.g., Archery) and the 30 CP skill (e.g., Advanced Archery), gaining the same to-hit bonus as the advanced skill would grant as well as a source of XP.
Unfortunately mundane armors do not stack with Divine Armor, so a Paladin will not benefit personally from taking the Armorsmithing tree. However, he can still provide a valuable service by making armor for his factionmates.
For Paladins in larger factions, Pristine weapons are usually readily available - hence, crafting trees are usually taken by characters wishing to help keep up the supply of weaponry and armor for their faction. The Paladin is as suited to this endeavor as any other tier 2 class.
[edit] Other Methods
Engineering and Reading are acceptable ways for any character to level, though they tend to be slower than other means. The Paladin has no special affinity for these, but they can still be used if all else fails.
[edit] Factional Support Roles
As stressed above, the Paladin's true forte is his ability when raiding and defending against enemy raids. Further, since the Paladin does not possess Spellcasting, he cannot cast Wards to protect his factionmates, nor can he dispel them. However, that is not to say that the Paladin is restricted to combat as his only means of advancing his faction's goals.
The value of Crafting to a faction, as already discussed, can be a deciding factor in any conflict. The Paladin is also capable of Infusion, which boosts the faction's Karma and grants greater Faction Bonuses to the entire faction, though this does not grant any Experience points. Infusion can also be used as a strategic weapon to prevent an enemy faction placing a Stronghold nearby.
Once he ascends to a tier 3 class, the Paladin gains additional support abilities. The Seraph's Morale Aura can grant a significant attack bonus to an entire attack force, for a short period of time. The Divine Champion may acquire Spellcasting, and his Cloak of Air can make him extremely proficient in casting support spells such as Wards. He also possesses a powerful and unique selection of Area of Effect attacks.
[edit] Tier 3 Exits
When deciding upon a route through tier 2 (and indeed through tier 1), it is of paramount importance to consider one's choice of tier 3 class. The Paladin has two exits: the Seraph and the Divine Champion.
The Seraph's strength lies in his reliability. His innate weapons and high hit points allow him to operate well even when bereft of usable weaponry, and his Enhanced Senses are invaluable when targets are scarce. Seraphs also tend to require fewer CP for their core skills, allowing them more freedom in picking up additional Mortal skills such as extra Crafting trees or Surgery. However, they do not in general deal as much damage per AP as Divine Champions, and further they have a narrower range of abilities. One unique ability that they do possess is the support skill Morale Aura.
The Divine Champion enjoys great potential damage output and unmatched resilience, powerful Area of Effect attacks, access to a variety of useful Spells, and extremely unique abilities such as Cloak of the Tornado and Soul Chill. He is at his peak when prepared with buff spells cast in advance, but can still be as effective as most classes without such preparations. Divine Champions require somewhat more care in tier 1 and 2 skill choices to take maximum advantage of their abilities.
[edit] Seraph
The abilities of the Seraph are focused purely on combat; in order to make full use of them, it is essential that one aquire a combat tree either as a mortal or, if focused on crafting or healing as a Mortal, then as a Paladin. Should the Seraph choose the Melee, Long Arms or Small Arms tree, he can gain an innate attack which uses his skills to have as a backup in case he runs out of ammunition, finds his weapon in a poor state of repair or finds his foe resistant to his damage type. However, the Archery tree is equally effective assuming one takes proper care of one's weapon, and the Hand-to-hand tree, though significantly less effective, is serviceable nonetheless. The Thrown Weapons tree should be avoided, as mentioned above.
The Seraph may benefit significantly from the Paladin skill Strengthen if he uses Melee or Hand-to-hand attacks, though the more damage he deals after soak the less effective it will be. However, Lesser Smite is less useful, since the Seraph may acquire a far more devastating charged attack once he reaches tier 3.
[edit] Divine Champion
The Divine Champion possesses innate weapons which benefit from the Hand-to-hand and Thrown Weapons and Melee trees. While the Divine Champion can be effective with any weapon using his Spellcasting abilities to boost his to-hit, he will be able to use more of his powers if he takes one or more of these trees.
If his chosen skills require a lesser number of Magic Points, the Divine Champion may benefit from the Lesser Smite skill, especially if he uses Ranged weapons. As with the Seraph, he may also benefit from the Strengthen skill if he uses close-combat attacks. However, if the Divine Champion intends to use skills which require large amounts of MP, he may find that he can rarely spare it for these relatively expensive powers.
As noted before, the Thrown Weapons tree is almost useless until an innate attack for it is acquired. If the Divine Champion plans to use these attacks, Thrown Weapons and (if wanted) Advanced Thrown Weapons skills should be taken late in tier 2, usually at level 16 or 17.
Divine Champions can cheaply cast powerful spells using their Cloak of Air skill. Many of these do not require any Mortal or Paladin skills to be effective, but some will benefit from the Hand-to-hand tree and the Ranged Combat skill. It is important to realize, however, that his innate attacks or regular weapons will likely be more effective than these attack spells.
[edit] Overview of Skills
The Paladin possesses access to six class skills, three of which are class-specific. Some of these are useful to a wide range of characters, while others are more situational.
[edit] Divine Armor
Divine Armor grants an impressive innate soak bonus even at level 10, and as one progresses in level becomes the strongest innate armor in the game. The soak bonus granted provides virtual immunity to attacks by Mortals (to whom other tier 2's are still vulnerable); other tier 2's will also find a Paladin with this skill extremely tough to kill unless they use a non-mundane damage type. Only the Pariah's Blood Claws and Hellfire attacks will ignore the armor completely, and even then only until level 14.
A Paladin with this skill is much more likely to survive when raiding or prevail in active combat, and also more likely to survive when in hiding. It is generally recommended to take this skill immediately upon reaching level 10.
[edit] Strong Attack
Strong Attack provides a solid damage bonus to all attacks. While a +1 bonus may not seem particularly significant, it directly improves the rate at which the Paladin gains Experience points from combat. In addition, it requires no Magic Points or upkeep of any kind, and is always active.
A combat-focused Paladin would be well-advised to take this skill very soon after Divine Armor, and no later than level 13. A Paladin who started with Crafting or Healing and picked up a combat tree in tier 2 should take the skill once they have acquired a full combat tree.
[edit] Elite Attack
Like Strong Attack, Elite Attack provides a significant damage bonus. This gives the Paladin unmatched damage per AP at tier 2.
A combat-focused Paladin should take this skill no later than level 15. Paladins using combat as a secondary source of XP should take the skill if CP allows.
[edit] Lesser Smite
Lesser Smite allows the Paladin to execute, on average, three very powerful attacks per cycle using his Magic Points. In addition to doing a large amount of additional damage, the damage type of the attack is converted to Holy, allowing it to bypass mundane armors as well as Exoskeletal Armor, and deal somewhat more damage against other innate armors. Because they cost 2 AP to use instead of 1 AP, they are useful only against heavily armored enemies or in live combat (when time, rather than AP, is the limiting factor).
For a future Divine Champion using Ranged weapons, Lesser Smite is an excellent choice of skill and can be taken at level 10 or 11, since the accuracy of these weapons is high and the attack uses only a single round of ammunition. Hand-to-hand and Melee users will find the skill less useful. Future Seraphs should think before purchasing this skill, as it will be made redundant by Greater Smite (which does not require Lesser Smite as a prerequisite). It is an individual choice whether to spend the 20 CP for a soak-breaking attack at tier 2, or save the CP in order to purchase more skills at tier 3.
[edit] Strengthen
Strengthen grants a damage bonus to the Paladin's Melee and Hand-to-hand attacks. This skill is not as spectacular as Lesser Smite; however, because it costs far fewer MP and lasts for 10 AP rather than for a single attack, it is very efficient. Again, it is most useful against armored enemies.
Both future Seraphs and Divine Champions can benefit from this skill, but only (obviously) if they use Hand-to-hand or Melee attacks. Again, it can be taken as early as level 10 or 11.
[edit] Purify
Purify is a factional support skill which allows a Paladin to claim a piece of territory for his faction. Once claimed, this grants a Karma bonus to the faction, which in turn allows diverse benefits. For more information, see Infusion.
The Paladin is the only combat class capable of infusion, and it can be of great benefit for a faction to have its combat-oriented characters take the pressure off Spellcasters when not actively fighting. However, the skill grants no Experience points, and so is only useful if the Paladin is willing to make a sacrifice for the sake of his faction.
A Paladin should ensure that he has a reliable source of Experience points, whether from Crafting or from combat, before taking this skill.
[edit] Useful Mortal Skills
The following should be considered the staple Mortal skills for the Paladin class. Of course no single Paladin will take all of these skills, but skills from this list will very often comprise the majority of the Paladin's CP expenditure at tier 1, as well as being bought later at tier 2 and even tier 3.
Child skills such as Advanced Long Arms are listed under their respective parent skills.
[edit] Sense Morality
Sense Morality is practically essential for any Paladin who wishes to be able to react quickly to a threat. Since attacking a good or neutral target enough times will cost the Paladin his powers, a Paladin without this skill must attack his target once and watch his MO to determine if he may safely continue to attack. In the heat of battle there is frequently no time for this.
Note, however, that Sense Morality should not be taken until after a combat tree has been acquired, since it does not contribute directly to gaining Experience and even 10 CP are precious for the first few levels.
[edit] Ranged Combat
The various Ranged Combat trees are an excellent choice for a combat-focused Paladin. Their high accuracy compensates for the Paladin's lack of accuracy-boosting skills, and works well with charged attacks such as Lesser Smite.
The downside is that it is necessary to search for ammunition in advance. Generally this is well worth the AP spent; however, some ammunition types are harder to find than others.
Anyone taking these skills should also purchase Search (which allows you to find ammunition faster) and either Engineering or Repair Item (both of which allow you to craft ammunition from Wood or Gunpowder).
Archery and Advanced Archery allow the effective use of Bows. Of all the Ranged trees, this is the easiest to find ammunition for, especially in Paradise (Taverns and Cottages both yield good rates of Arrows and Wood). Anyone taking these skills should also purchase Strength, as it provides a hefty damage bonus.
Small Arms and Advanced Small Arms allow the effective use of Pistols and SMGs. Ammunition for these weapons is reasonably easy to find. Future Seraphs have an extra reason to select this tree to make their Incendia Conicio skill effective.
Long Arms and Advanced Long Arms allow the effective use of Rifles and Shotguns. Ammunition for these weapons is the most difficult to find of all the Ranged trees, but they also do the most damage. Future Seraphs can use MP in place of ammunition using their Clockwork Cannon skill, though being not much more effective than a Pristine Rifle this should mainly be considered a backup option.
Thrown Weapons and Advanced Thrown Weapons are essential for Divine Champions wishing to use thrown heavy objects with Cloak of Steel and its child skills, and enables the use of more of the abilities of Cloak of Vengeful Fire, Cloak of Hoarfrost and Cloak of Lightning. Since Thrown Weapons are practically useless until tier 3, these skills should ideally be left until level 16 or 17, in favor of more immediately useful ones. Future Seraphs should in general not take Thrown Weapons.
[edit] Melee Combat
Melee Combat is a solid but not spectacular choice of weapon for a Paladin. Because Paladins lack any accuracy-boosting skills, the hit rate with Melee can be frustrating at times. Later on at tier 3, Divine Champions can offset this using the Shade of the Dervish spell and Weapon Mastery, but Seraphs have no such recourse.
That said, both the Seraph and Divine Champion have access to skills which use the Melee tree. Seraphs may acquire Clockwork Blade, while Divine Champions gain innate attacks for this tree when Cloak of Vengeful Fire or Cloak of Hoarfrost is active. In addition, Divine Champions can execute powerful attacks with heavy objects using the Cloak of Steel skill and its derivatives; these attacks also use the Melee tree and can deal very heavy damage.
[edit] Hand to Hand Combat
Hand to Hand Combat is recommended for future Divine Champions wishing to take Cloak of Steel (and possibly later Cloak of the Carbon Core). For other characters, Hand to Hand suffers from the same low accuracy as Melee, but does not have the benefit of being able to use Enchanted swords and magical daggers.
Secondary reasons to take this tree are as a backup weapon (though both Paladin-exits have plenty available in the form of innate weapons) and for the dodge bonus.
[edit] Dodge
Dodge provides a cheap defense bonus, but only against Hand to Hand and Melee attacks. Because it costs only 10 CP, it is recommended to any character who may at some point find themselves in a dangerous situation. Even though the Paladin possesses no other defense skills with which to stack it, it remains an excellent bargain.
[edit] Strength and Stamina
Strength is a very useful skill in almost any situation, even if only for the extra carrying capacity. Stamina grants a hit point boost which is obviously a great asset in a fighting character. Also of note is that this bonus can be stacked with Grace of Blood at tier 3, making the character's high hit points a genuine obstacle for many assailants.
In general, these skills are great choices for any "spare" CP one finds in one's character plans. However, they may be skipped when pursuing a particularly CP-intensive build.
[edit] Other Mortal Skills
The following skills are generally taken for class-agnostic reasons; Crafting trees for example, may be used to provide one's faction with top-grade weapons and armor. This guide does not consider these primary aspects, but rather the secondary effects that may be particularly relevant to Paladins.
[edit] First Aid
First Aid, and its derivatives Medicine and Surgery, allow a Paladin to effectively heal himself and his comrades using First Aid Kits, greatly increasing his survivability in live combat. With good control, this can be a tremendous advantage, as healing damage is often considerably faster than dealing it.
First Aid also allows the Paladin to see his opponents' hit points. When hunting targets are scarce, this can be used to wring extra Experience out of a single foe. Example: A Paladin with Strengthen encounters an inactive tier 2 enemy with 39 hit points, against whom he normally deals 8 damage after soak. By delaying the use of Strengthen until after he has scored a single hit, he can gain 58 XP as opposed to 50 XP, an excess of over 15%. The same can be done with Lesser Smite. Of course, against multiple foes the technique can be applied in the opposite direction, expending the minimum of effort against each enemy.
[edit] Repair Item
The various Crafting trees which stem from Repair Item provide a reliable way to level and an important faction support role; this applies for any character class.
A lone Paladin who cannot rely on the support of factionmates (or one whose faction lacks certain capacities) will appreciate the 10% to-hit bonus that the use of pristine weaponry provides. Since the Paladin has few other ways to improve his accuracy, most characters will want to acquire pristine weapons of whatever type they use, either from their comrades or by crafting them themselves.
Unless the Paladin decides to take Engineering, Repair Item is nearly essential for a lone ranged-weapons-using Paladin as it allows him to craft ammunition from raw materials (which are generally found in the same location as the ammunition itself). Again, a Paladin without the skill will be reliant on his faction to a considerable degree.
[edit] Sense Magic
Since most Paladins will use Melee or Ranged weapons even at tier 3, a good number will acquire Enchanted or Magical items at some stage. Combat-enhancing Potions are also a great boon to Paladins in a tight spot. The Sense Magic skill is virtually necessary to identifying and hence using these items, since the effect of a potion cannot be told by its appearance, and many magical items look exactly like (often inferior) mundane ones.
[edit] Conclusion
Above all, remember that the Paladin is a flexible class. He can be a purely offensive combatant, a reliable and resilient tank, a powerful utility spellcaster, a solid infuser, crafter or healer, more than one of these things or something completely different. It is hoped that this guide will have served not to narrow your perception of what your character can do but rather to broaden them.
Thank you for reading, and please do leave any comments long or short you have on the talk page!
