Paladin starter guide
Paladin starter route: role identity, unlock notes, gear basics, and source links for current Final Fantasy XIV job information.
On This Page
- Paladin at a glance
- Unlock and early route
- Gear and equipment
- Role basics
- Current-patch caution
Paladin at a glance
Paladin (PLD) is a Disciple of War job unlockable at level 30 as an upgrade from the Gladiator class and is a Tank job.
- Role: Tank
- First Appearance: *Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn* (Patch 2.0)
- Unlock Level: 30
- Weapon: Swords
- Armor: Fending
Unlock and early route
Guild: The Gladiators' Guild is in Ul'dah - Steps of Thal. Guild: Gladiators must specialize into paladin once they reach level 30, and complete the quests Sylph-management and The Rematch.
- Keep the job quest tracker current while leveling.
- Use the official job guide for the current action list.
- Do not treat opener or rotation advice as final unless it is current-patch reviewed.
Gear and equipment
The paladin is a disciple of war and wears armor and accessories "of Fending." They use swords as weapons and shields for both offense and defense.
- Prioritize item level while leveling.
- At endgame, check role gear names and materia priorities against current resources.
Role basics
Paladin belongs to the Tank role. Learn the role responsibility first, then refine job-specific optimization after you understand encounter movement and cooldown timing.
- Tanks lead pulls, position enemies, and plan mitigation before incoming damage.
- Healers balance recovery, mitigation, and damage uptime.
- DPS jobs focus on uptime, burst windows, party buffs, and avoiding avoidable damage.
Current-patch caution
Job Gauge: Oath Gauge Fast Blade -> Riot Blade -> Royal Authority: Deals high damage and, upon learning the trait Chivalry at level 58, recovers MP. Upon reaching level 60, the action Rage of Halone is upgraded to Royal Authority, further increasing the combo's damage. Upon reaching level 64, and learning the trait Divine Magic Mastery, Royal Authority grants Divine Might for 30s. This allows either Holy Spirit or Holy Circle to be cast immediately with increased potency, further increasing the combo's damage. Atonement -> Supplication -> Sepulchre...
- Use the official job guide for live action names, levels, and tooltips.
- Use expert community resources for high-end rotations only after checking their patch date.
- Treat this page as a starter guide and source hub, not a Savage optimization sheet.
Related on TJPedia
Sources
Auto-draft eligible, human review required for volatile guide updates.