Paladin (job)


 * This article is about the recurring Job. For the weapon from Final Fantasy XIII, see List of Final Fantasy XIII Weapons.



The Paladin (パラディン), also known as Holy Knight or White Knight, is a special Job that appears in several games in the series.

Profile
The Paladin is a sacred knight, and acts as a counterbalance to the Dark Knight. Paladins equip heavy swords and armor, and use special swords that have been imbued with sacred power. They generally can use basic White Magic spells, and have the ability to Cover allies whose HP are low. Some games also give Paladins skillsets that emulate these abilities and expand upon them, giving them the power to strengthen and protect allies and attack enemies with holy-themed techniques. As Dark Knights wield the Deathbringer, the holy-sword Excalibur is sometimes associated with Paladins. Another common Paladin weapon is the Save the Queen.

Final Fantasy
As the upgrade to the Fighter class, the Knight was the prototype for the future Paladin class and has more in common with them than later knights; specializing in swords and shields, having access to the strongest armor, and the ability to cast low-level White Magic.

Final Fantasy III
In the NES version of the game, the Dark Knight was called the Magic Knight, which was obtained from the Water Crystal. The Magic Knight has access to all White Magic in the game. The Knight job, obtained from the Fire Crystal is a strong fighter who can also shield other party members from attacks and cast certain healing spells.

Final Fantasy IV
Cecil Harvey transforms into a Paladin on Mount Ordeals. As a Paladin, Cecil has access to low-level White Magic and will use Cover to protect weakened allies.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Cecil returns as a Paladin, retaining his skills from Final Fantasy IV. His son Ceodore Harvey similarly has White Magic and wields heavy equipment. During the game Kain Highwind becomes a Holy Dragoon, the Dragoon equivalent of a Paladin, giving Kain the ability to use White Magic.

Final Fantasy VI
Leo Cristophe is officially classified as a General. However, he equips heavy equipment, has a strong sense of honor and justice, and bears the Shock ability, all attributes associated with Paladins.

Final Fantasy IX
Beatrix is a Paladin and is temporarily playable, as well as being fought as a boss. She has her own skillset, Seiken, which consists of some Sword Arts attacks, and can cast White Magic.

Final Fantasy XI
Paladins are an advanced job, and are popular tanks due to having several defensive skills along with strong armor. They can also cast White Magic.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Basch is given the Paladin job. He uses heavy equipment and swords, and his skillset consists of abilities that protect and strengthen the party.

Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII does not have a Paladin job class; however, Snow Villiers is theoretically the best Sentinel in the game, which acts a bit like "cover", as Sentinels provoke the enemy and defend using guard abilities. Snow also has trademark names for his heavy coats, such as Save the Queen, and even a coat that is named after the job class, Paladin.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
The Lightning DLC: Lightning's Story: Requiem of the Goddess gives Lightning a menagerie of new roles, mostly to relate her to the 'mythic' theme of her current predicament. Of these, Paladin is her Commando analogue, and compared to many of the other roles at her disposal, preforms exactly like the Commando.

Final Fantasy XIV
The Paladin is an upcoming job class that will be released in Patch 1.21, and can be unlocked by the Gladiator class.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Delita Heiral, Agrias Oaks, Cidolfus Orlandeau and Wiegraf Folles are Holy Knights; Folles' title is White Knight, though his abilities are virtually identical to that of the others. The Holy Knight skillset is made up of holy-themed attacks that can inflict status ailments on enemies.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
The Paladin job is exclusive to humans in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The job is a strong attacker and can use abilities with the rare Holy element.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
The hume-exclusive Paladin makes a return in Tactics A2. Frimelda Lotice is a Paladin.

Knights of the Crystals
The Paladin class is obtained by completing the 04:Crests collection. It offers a minor boost to attack and a major boost to defense.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
The Paladin job is usable in The 4 Heroes of Light, and focuses on defending itself and its allies.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Cecil appears in this game as both a Dark Knight and a Paladin, able to shift forms when attacking. His Paladin form specializes in swift aerial sword combos and light-based magic attacks.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Cecil's Paladin form returns, as well as his Dark Knight form, functioning exactly the same as in the original game.

Kain also makes an appearance in this game, with the Holy Dragoon class as his EX Mode.

Etymology
The term Paladin dates back to Charlemagne's biography, in which the Twelve Peers, as they were called at the time, were used to further glorify Charlemagne's campaigns. The exact nature, and even the very existence, of these knights are still debated today.

The holy knight form of the Paladins originated in the classical RPG board game Dungeons and Dragons, and have quickly become an icon of Role Playing and gaming.

Gallery
Paladin Paladino