Paladin Hate Routine

[Celvantes]

I have a question regarding the hate routine for all the high-level Paladins out there.

So far, I've been keeping hate well (only losing to the occasional 400+ damage Barrage). But I'm having some MP problems and I fear that as the DDs I party with get better toys and abilities to play with, I'll start losing hate more often.

I party with a few friends (sort of a quasi-static) who like to pull really fast. They're really good DDs and can skillchain the hell out of whatever we fight. My issue is that I find myself getting to the chain 4 and chain 5 points with less than a quarter MP, and were it not for conservative use of my JAs, +1 enmity from my sword, and some really good WHMs, it would get ugly.

My hate routine now is:

Mob 1:
Flash on pull >>> Provoke >>> Wait 15 >>> Sentinel >>> Wait 15 >>> Provoke >>> Wait 15 >>> Flash >>> Dead Mob. I Cure II as necessary, usually between Sentinel and 2nd Provoke and after the 2nd Flash.

Mob 2:
Flash on pull >>> Provoke >>> Wait 15 >>> Shield Bash >>> Provoke >>> Wait 15 >>> Flash >>> Dead Mob. Same curing situation.

Mob 3 (Both JAs are recharging):
Flash on pull >>> Provoke >>> Wait 10 >>> Cure II >>> Provoke on recharge >>> Wait 15 >>> Flash >>> Wait 5 >>> Cure II >>> Dead Mob. By this time, I have 100 TP for a Shining Blade to help with hate sometime during the battle.

Mob 4 is the same as 1 except now both the WHM and I are running low on MP and I sometimes need to substitute a Cure II instead of a second Flash in order to stay alive.

Mob 5 is the same as Mob 2 except that Shield Bash normally goes after the 2nd Provoke beacuse I'm waiting for it to recharge. By this time I'm using Divine Circle and throwing the kitchen sink at the mob in order to hold hate. DD skillchain near the end usually results in some of the ranger's shadows being used if I can't move fast enough for Cover.

I realize that we can start partying with lv 41 RDMs now, but I don't want to become reliant on Refresh. After all, you can't always find an RDM (or Bard) to party with. Is there any change in this routine that you all would suggest? Would it be better for me to lead with Provoke and use Flash halfway between the first two vokes instead?

Hopefully, I'll be able to level cooking high enough to synth pineapple juice soon, but there again, I'd rather not become dependant on it.

 

[masterorion]

use provoke first

 

[Veteran]

Actually it's better to use Flash first because the timer is longer and the range is larger. Anyway, MP will cease to be an issue once you start getting 41+ RDMs in your parties. Refresh brings PLDs to a level of pleasure so high you could almost call it orgasmic.

 

[Celvantes]

Actually it's better to use Flash first because the timer is longer and the range is larger. Anyway, MP will cease to be an issue once you start getting 41+ RDMs in your parties. Refresh brings PLDs to a level of pleasure so high you could almost call it orgasmic.

Orgasmic, huh? *laugh* I look forward to it then.

43 will be really fun. I've already got my mermaid ring ready and waiting to be macroed in to all my JAs and spells

 

[Noxxx]

I would recomend eating Schallopes Tropical, if you don't already, it gives your traditional +vit and 25% def, but also adds +20 mp and lasts 3 hours, I have absolutely fallen in love with this stuff since the last patch, and as long as you don't die its not any more expensive then other foods atm.

 

[pauk]

Voke first and don't party without some sort of refresh..

 

[Varick]

Actually your doing exactly what you need to do. I had the same problem when i was your level. DD's were doing alot more dmg than they used to and i was having a hard time having mp left for chain 4 or 5. Always lead off with flash and ill tell you why. First, it gives whoever is pulling some breathing room on their way in since flash has a longer range than voke. Also, since flash is on a longer timer you'll want to use it first followed by a voke then cure when needed. By the time you voke a second time you should have roughly 10-15 seconds before flash is ready again. Now until you can get a rdm with refresh or a brd with mages ballad, its gonna take some conservation of mp and a feel for how much hate you have. Of course they'll be times when you might not have either(and ive been in parties without either one)you're gonna have to adjust. I've been in some pretty weird party make-ups and i can tell you it gets alot harder from 55 and up holding hate all the time. I almost never lost hate pre 55, but after mages started getting access to ancient spells and mellee with more damaging ws i found holding hate all the time was impossible. What makes a good pld not only depends on how well he can hold hate, but also how well he can gain it back after hes lost it. By chain 5, odds are your dd are going all out to kill the mob as fast as they can, which means your probalby low on mp and going to lose hate. Now a good dd will know when to unload without getting himself killed or have enough sense to get behind you for cover. When you get into your 60s', your gonna find that, depending on your party, you will be giving hate to another person so the thf can sa/ta on you, which means you'll have to get a "feel" for the hate flow. I see alot of plds who just dont understand how hate works. Plds have to be aware of what everyone else is doing so they can figure if they need to throw in an extra cure or use a JA. Did the whm just use cure IV or cure III, did the blm just use freeze or blizzard 2, did the rng use barrage after he just landed a 1000 dmg sidewinder. Its not enough just to voke>>flash>>cure, you have to keep in your head how much hate you've built up so if you think hate might be lost you can predict it instead of being surprised when it takes off after whoever just pissed it off. Heh, sorry kind of got off topic there, but the point is you'll figure out how to ration your mp depending on the party and situation. If you have any questions just send me a tell and ill be glad to answer them. Good luck!



Varick 74pld/37war/57rng/30nin/30sam/10mnk/10thf
Rank 10 Bastok
Sky Pass O

 

[Varick]

Oh forgot also, if your really worried about MP look into buying some MP increasing gear and carry it with you if it looks like you'll need it.




Varick 74pld/37war/57rng/30nin/30sam/10mnk/10thf
Rank 10 Bastok
Sky Pass O