Paladin (Final Fantasy XIV)



The Gladiator is a Disciple of War in Final Fantasy XIV. Their guild is situated in the Coliseum in Ul'dah.

Overview
Gladiators specialize in the handling of all manner of one-handed blades, from daggers to longswords, be it single- or double-edged, straight or curved. A defining characteristic of the guild is its emphasis on diverse combat tactics, training its members to bring their martial skills to bear in any situation.

As such, there are practitioners who marry sword with shield, seeking to defend their fellow companions. Others opt for an empty off hand, choosing instead to focus entirely on their sword arm. The gladiator's proficiency with blades extends to those hurled at range, such as throwing knives.

Role
Gladiators attack using a variety of styles of sword and is the only Discipline of War capable of equipping a shield. The Gladiator's primary role in a party is that of a tank, and therefore their focus is to shield their allies from enemy ire by forcing them to focus their attacks on them.

The Gladiator's skillset contains many abilities that allow them to increase enmity with enemies, as well as abilities that increases their defense. As such Gladiators tend to have the highest defense of all roles in the game, being able to equip heavy armor. This is offset with having one of the lowest damage per second ratio of any role.

After patch 1.20, gladiators received many of the abilities from the scrapped Sentinel discipline, and lost a bit of attack power in exchange for better defense and tanking abilities.

Equipment
The Gladiator class is defined by wielding a one-handed sword. Since they are also meant to use a shield, they are the only combat class without two-handed weapons. For this reason, Paladin is the only job to have two Relic/Zodiac weapons.

In terms of late game armor and accessories, Gladiators and Paladins share "Fending" gear with Marauders and Warriors.

Abilities
Note: Range and Radius for Weaponskills vary depending on the weapon equipped. The values listed below are for Gladiator weaponry. Distance is measured in yalms (yards).

Note: As MP cost for spells vary depending on the class and level of the character, these values are not listed here.

Paladin
For centuries, the elite of the Sultan-sworn have served as personal bodyguards to the royal family of Ul'dah. Known as paladins, these men and women marry exquisite swordplay with stalwart shield work to create a style of combat uncompromising in its defense. Clad in brilliant silver armor, they charge fearlessly into battle, ever ready to lay down their lives for their liege.

To be a paladin is to protect, and those who choose to walk this path will become the iron foundation upon which the party's defense is built.

The Paladin Soul Crystal can be obtained by completing the quest Paladin's Pledge that becomes available when the adventurer reaches Gladiator level 30 and Conjurer level 15; it further enhances the Gladiator defensive abilities, but only allow the use of Conjurer and Marauder cross class skills.

Abilities
Every Paladin ability can be used only after completing specific quests.

Announced for upcoming expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward are several new abilities and a new combo involve Riot Blade. In addition, new actions Divine Veil and ??? are announced. Divine Veil is an ability that places a protective barrier under which any target receiving healing effects while also heal any ally in the barrier. ??? is the name given to announced skills that help block more effectively, to better utilise Swipe Shield.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Paladin and Gladiator appear in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game with Thunder-elemental cards.

Trivia

 * Gladiator animations are used by any Disciple of the Hand or Land that enters combat with their tools.