There are combat Lives that cover pretty much every expected RPG archetype - the Mercenary smashes enemies with a massive greatsword, the Hunter pelts enemies from afar with arrows and the Magician uses spells to get the job done. This leaves only one RPG mainstay… no, not dual dagger - the traditional sword-and-board user, the Paladin! This page will discuss the basics of playing as a pinnacle of law and order, defender of the weak, punisher of the wicked, including the Paladin’s general playstyle and some of the skills you should prioritize early on.
Page Breakdown¶
(1 of 2) Unlocking the Paladin Life is a simple enough affair - talk to Auntie Anne, then to Cuna to start your Novice quest, which requires you to put down some wolves,
Unlocking the Paladin Life is a simple enough affair - talk to Auntie Anne, then to Cuna to start your Novice quest, which requires you to put down some wolves, (left), after which Cuna will promote you to a proper Fledgling Paladin! (right)
How to Unlock the Paladin Life¶
The Paladin is one of the many lives available to you right from the start of the game. In fact, the Paladin uses the Guild Office in Eternia Village as their Guild Hall, making it an extra convenient pick for new players! In Chapter 1 you’ll get the quest Visit the Guild Office after you’re instructed to start a new Life to avoid idleness. Head to the Guild Hall in Eternia Village and talk to Auntie Anne to pick any vocation of your choice - including Paladin. It honestly doesn’t matter what Life you pick first, as you can immediately change to any of the lives you have unlocked, but having at least one combat Life is a good idea, as getting through the game without directly attacking enemies isn’t the most riveting way to go abouthing things… if indeed it’s even possible at this stage. After you take up the mantle of Paladin you’ll need to talk to Cuna, the master Paladin, who will give you your novice quest. Complete it - it’s just a bit of running about and thrashing some wolves - and you’ll graduate to a Fledgling Paladin!
Tips for Playing the Paladin¶
A sword-and-board user, the Paladin is best used for getting up close and personal with enemies, smiting them with a sword and warding off damage with a shield. A well-timed block is even more potent, but playing without worrying about well-timed blocks - or even blocking at all - works fine. At higher levels the Paladin can unlock abilities that cause them to counterattack when they block and while their damage output might not be as high as the Mercenary, they do have higher emphasis placed on defense, with skills that mitigate incoming damage and improve defense, magic defense and elemental resistances.
Best of all, the Paladin dabbles in blade beams - it’s the subject of their Charge Attack, Sonic Blade and their Special Attack, Saintly Slash. Both of these are ranged attacks that deal heavy damage to enemies struck, and in the case of Sonic Blade, at Sonic Blade III it shoots out three beams in a wedge in the direction you’re facing. Not only do these attacks blur the line between a melee and ranged class, giving the Paladin some great versatility, but both Sonic Blade III and Saintly Slash can have a shotgun effect - if you’re close enough to an enemy (or if the enemy is large enough), multiple beams can hit a single target, dealing massive damage. You’ll need to advance to Adept rank to unlock Sonic Blade III, but it’s a real game-changer when you get it, giving the Paladin great damage output and AoE, making them great for any combat scenario! Just keep in mind that Sonic Blade consumes a fair amount of SP, and should your SP run dry the Paladin’s offense will slow down considerably.
(1 of 3) Your standard sword-and-board Life, the Paladin can mitigate incoming damage with their shield,
Best Paladin Skills¶
Saving up points to unlock Sonic Blade ASAP is a good move for the Paladin - even the early-game, single-beam variant of this skill is much better than whacking everything with your sword. In addition, you should also focus on the Paladin’s SP needs by grabbing every SP+ skill you can get, especially SP Recovery +. Unlocking Saintly Slash is also a good early goal, once you have Sonic Blade and all the SP skills you can grab, as it’ll just provide another blade beam attack to your arsenal, albeit one that you only get to use when it’s charged. Sonic Blade III is the next goal you should work towards, but if you need to purchase skills to enable progression, it’s hard to argue against Attack + and Critical Rate+ skills, after which dabbling in the defense skills isn’t the worst idea (all the ones you can access before Expert rank, anyways).
Sonic Blade, SP, Saintly Slash, and Attack/Critical buffs, in that order.
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