Paladin, along with Warrior, was the first Tank introduced in A Realm Reborn and has long held the title of best off-tank. Paladin has become the knight in shining armor for many of their party members due to their overwhelming power in defending their party members.

However, Paladin can hold their ground as both a main tank and a tank that can deal damage to enemies. Not to mention, their unique approach to adding some spells that are typically not available to Physical Battle Jobs adds to the uniqueness of their Tanking journey.

This article will list ten of the best Paladin's skills and explain why they are so great, as well as why players should use them when playing the Paladin battle job in FFXIV.

10. Holy Spirit

A video describing how to play Paladin in Endwalker. See Holy Spirit in action at 02:25.

Holy Spirit is the first spell to be listed in this article and is one of the few unique, casted spells that a Paladin has.

Why Holy Spirit is Great :

• It can be cast instantly under the Requiescat effect and costs 1000 MP to use. It will deal 270 unspecified damage to the chosen enemy.
• In addition, when casting this spell, Holy Spirit will restore the Paladin's HP with a cure potency of 400.
• As a result, Holy Spirit is a very useful spell that can both deal damage and quickly heal the Paladin back to life.

Holy Spirit details.

9. Expiacion

A video describing why one should play Paladin. See Expiacion in action at 04:30.

Expiacion is the second ability to be introduced in this article. Similar to the Holy Spirit, it also is an offensive attack skill. However, now it is a skill that can be instantly casted instead of a spell like Holy Spirit.

Why Expiacion is Great :

• Expiacion deals unspecified damage with 340 damage potency to the first enemy and 50% less to the remaining enemies. This makes it a very powerful AoE attack for the Paladin to use.
• Not to mention, using Expiacion restores the Paladin's MP, allowing them to cast spells like Holy Spirit, Clemency, and Holy Circle.
• Expiacion can also be used between other GCDs and weaved in between other attacks, and with a cooldown of only 30 seconds, it becomes free damage that can be dealt to enemies in between the Paladin's other GCDs.

Expiacion details.

8. Sentinel

A video describing Paladin's skills in detail. See Sentinel in action at 15:30.

Sentinel, unlike the first two skills listed on this article, is a support or mitigation ability that is very important to the Paladin to maintain their life on the battlefield.

Why Sentinel is Great :

• Sentinel is one of the best mitigation abilities that a Paladin can have. Sentinel, which has a cooldown of 120 seconds, is most commonly used before a powerful Tankbuster or when pulling a large number of enemies in a dungeon.
• Using Sentinel will grant the Paladin a 15-second buff that reduces all damage taken by the Paladin by 30%, both physical and magical. This makes mitigation extremely important in any type of battle or situation.
• As a result, using Sentinel at an important time is critical in order for the Paladin to keep their HP above critical, as they will be able to reduce the damage they take on the battlefield.

Sentinel details.

7. Passage of Arms

A video describing Passage of Arms skill.

Passage of Arms is the fourth ability to be listed in this article. Similar to Sentinel, it is also a mitigation slash support ability of the Paladin’s. However, this one focuses more on protecting their party instead of only themselves.

Why Passage of Arms is Great :

• To begin, performing Passage of Arms summons a pair of massive beautiful wings behind the Paladin, and any party member who stands under the wings' embrace will be able to receive protection from the Paladin.
• Passage of Arms raises the block rate to 100%, and all party members within the wings take only 85% of all damage dealt for 18 seconds.
• It is a very powerful ability to use during downtime while waiting for the boss to cast their ultimate spell, as it can significantly reduce damage taken by the party and help them stay alive while facing a powerful attack from the enemies.

Passage of Arms details.

6. Divine Veil

A video describing the goods of Paladin. See Divine Veil in action at 12:05.

Divine Veil is another support and mitigation ability unique only to the Paladin. Like Passage of Arms, it focuses more on protecting their allies instead of only protecting themselves.

Why Divine Veil is Great :

• After using the ability, a healing spell will activate Divine Veil, which will create a barrier around all party members for 30 seconds. As a result, it is ideal for use when the Healer needs to heal their party members so that Divine Veil can be triggered quickly.
• It reduces the damage taken by all party members by 10% of the Paladin's maximum HP, allowing their party members to stay alive longer and take less damage from enemies.
• It will also restore the target's HP with a cure potency of 400, assisting the healer even more.

Divine Veil details.

5. Requiescat

A video describing how to play Paladin. See Requiescat in action at 02:15.

Requiescat is a unique ability that can be classified as a support ability, but it falls more on use for the Paladin’s offensive skills rather than their mitigation or heals.

Why Requiescat is Great :

• To begin, using Requiescat will deal 400 damage to the enemies. Following that, it will grant the Paladin 5 stacks of Requiescat.
• This Requiescat stack allows a Paladin to instantly cast Holy Spirit and Holy Circle for 30 seconds, allowing them to use their magical spells without having to cast them, as well as attack from a distance.
• It will also grant the effect buff of Blade of Faith ready after all Requiescat stacks are depleted, as well as the efficacy buff of Blade of Faith ready.

Requiescat details.

4. Holy Sheltron

A video describing how to properly play Paladin. See Holy Sheltron in action at 03:20.

Holy Sheltron is the next ability to be introduced in this article. Like its predecessor of Sentinel, it focuses mainly on mitigating damage taken by the Paladin, but with a little extra.

Why Holy Sheltron is Great :

• Casting Holy Sheltron will protect the Paladin from all incoming attacks for 8 seconds and grant the buff Knight's Resolve.
• Knight's Resolve reduces damage taken by the Paladin by 15% for 4 seconds and then grants the Paladin the buff of Knight's Benediction.
• For 12 seconds, Knight's Benediction will gradually restore Paladin's HP with 250 cure potency. Overall, Holy Sheltron is a very powerful mitigation tool for the Paladin, not only for blocking incoming damage and lowering damage taken, but also for recovering the Paladin's HP.

Holy Sheltron details.

3. Blade of Faith -> Truth -> Valor

A video describing Endwalker's skill changes for Paladin. See the combo in action at 00:25.

The next set of skills to be introduced in this article is a combo attack from Blade of Faith, to Blade of Truth, and lastly Blade of Valor. The reason why they are numbered together is because they are a connected combo that cannot be separated.

Why Blade of Faith -> Truth -> Valor is Great :

• First, Blade of Faith will deal damage of 420 for the first enemy and 50% less for the remaining enemies. In addition, it will also restore the Paladin’s HP by 400 cure potency as well as restoring their MP. 
• Next, Blade of Truth will deal a 500 damage potency to the first enemy and 50% less for all remaining enemies. It will also restore the Paladin’s HP with 400 cure potency and recover their MP.
• Lastly, Blade of Valor will deal a 580 damage potency for the first enemy and 50% less for the remaining enemies, as well as dealing damage over time for all nearby enemies for 21 seconds. Like the two before it, Blade of Valor will also restore the Paladin’s HP with a 400 cure potency as well as recovering their MP lost.

Blade of Faith -> Truth -> Valor details.

2. Confiteor

A video showing the standard rotation of a Paladin. See Confiteor in action at 02:30.

Confiteor is the Paladin’s most powerful offensive spell and the last offensive spell to be listed on this article. It is a very important skill to be able to deal high damage to the enemies as a Paladin.

Why Confiteor is Great :

• To begin, using Confiteor will deal a whopping 900 unspecified damage potency to all enemies, with no reduction for the remaining enemies. Confiteor is thus a very powerful spell that can be used in any situation, whether it's in a dungeon with a lot of mobs or in a raid with only one boss to target.
• Next, Confiteor will heal the Paladin with a 400 cure potency, allowing the Paladin to deal massive amounts of damage while also healing themselves with only one skill.
• It can only be cast while Requiescat is active, and it costs 1000 MP to execute. Confiteor, on the other hand, is a must-use skill whenever the Paladin uses Requiescat.

Confiteor details.

1. Hallowed Ground

A video describing Hallowed Ground.

The last skill to be introduced in this article is none other than the Paladin’s infamous invulnerability skill, Hallowed Ground.

Why Hallowed Ground is Great :

• Hallowed Ground may have the longest cooldown for an invulnerability skill compared to other Tanks, clocking in at 420 seconds, but it is certainly powerful enough to justify the lengthy cooldown.
• For 10 seconds, a Paladin will be immune to most attacks thanks to Hallowed Ground. This means that the Paladin will not take any damage during this time, and their HP will not decrease.
• What distinguishes Hallowed Ground from other Tanks' invulnerability skills, particularly in cases where the Paladin must deal with another mechanic immediately after the invulnerability period ends, is that the Paladin's HP does not decrease at all.
• This also allows Paladins to tank a lot of damage without needing to be healed, as they will still be at full health when the boss unleashes their Tankbuster attacks.

Hallowed Ground details.

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