MMORPG.com Final Fantasy XI Correspondent Wesley Bond writes this overview of the Paladin class in Square Enix's MMO.

The iconic image of the White Knight with his sword and shield has always been a part of the realm of fantasy. Charging head long into battle, the clang of weapons and the sounds of war follow the way of the Paladin. You will be on the front line of the fight, the tip of the spear, but your job won't be killing. If you are looking to post huge damage numbers and gloat over enemies slain then this would not be the job you are searching for. The Final Fantasy Paladin is based around defense with a mission to shield other fighters during battle. Looking back to the days of the Final Fantasy III Knight class, little has changed as the Paladin is still a group of white magic wielding guardians. Your job is to take the hits meant for others and if need be, die for your party. It's not a glamorous job but one that is quickly missed if removed from play. The Paladin can be little else and is wholly consumed with becoming a wall of protection to his comrades, the target of hate for his foe. As a defender, you will stand on the precipice of life and death, to hold back the tide of power that seeks to destroy your party of adventurers. You will spend your waking moments staring at monsters eye to eye. You are charged with funnelling their hate toward you and taking hit after hit until it can finally be brought down. Unlike the Dark Knight, whose job is to unleash fury, your job is to harness the fury of your enemies and use it against them. While they dump their rage squarely on your head, the rest of the party will be working to bring the beast down and healers can mend without fear of reprisal. Unlike other tanking classes, yours has no other role to fill and considered a "pure" tanking class in the world of Vana'diel.

Read the Paladin Overview

Good read!

Nice article :) It was at the very least a great introduction to the job.

[quote]In FFXI forums across the net, there is always the debate of "best" tank but in actuality it comes down to what type of tank is best for the job at hand...Paladin, Ninja or Warrior? [/quote]

The only time warrior has been, or will be a tank is before RoTZ and CoP released. PLD and NIN are far supperior. WAR, is a DD first and foremost now. It is no longer a tank. I don't know what forums you are looking at, or how old the threads are, I degress though, Allakazam is not a reliable source for discussion or player strategies. I was wondering if the author could cite some of these "Forums" in which warrior is discussed as an actual recommended tank, and not as a "Well crap I want to exp but there are no NIN or PLD seeking what else can I use" sistuations.

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Originally posted by loyaltrekie

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In FFXI forums across the net, there is always the debate of "best" tank but in actuality it comes down to what type of tank is best for the job at hand...Paladin, Ninja or Warrior?

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The only time warrior has been, or will be a tank is before RoTZ and CoP released. PLD and NIN are far supperior. WAR, is a DD first and foremost now. It is no longer a tank. I don't know what forums you are looking at, or how old the threads are, I degress though, Allakazam is not a reliable source for discussion or player strategies. I was wondering if the author could cite some of these "Forums" in which warrior is discussed as an actual recommended tank, and not as a "Well crap I want to exp but there are no NIN or PLD seeking what else can I use" sistuations.
 
 

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I played a warrior to 75 and tanked plenty. I was the tank in a static group that we had. I don't know where you get the idea that Warriors would suck at tanking to the extent that you seem to be expressing it. I even got to blink tank a couple of gods in Sky with a NIN. Yeah, this isn't ToAU or WotG, and I do prefer damage dealing to tanking, ANY DAY. It is possible and actually very viable for Warriors to tank. At least it was.

It's not misleading to mention warriors as tanks, as they can serve that purpose if necessary.