One of the original tanks gets a rework
The full patch 6.3 notes are now out for Final Fantasy XIV, and it’s a lot to unpack. As is customary, Square Enix jammed a ton of statistical adjustments and quality of life changes amid all of the content they added, and several jobs were impacted more than others. The one that was clearly addressed over all the rest was Paladin (PLD), which got a sizable rework with its rotation. Here’s a breakdown, as well as the full patch notes straight from the source.
Paladin rotations are significantly different post Patch 6.3
Previously, Paladin rotations would widely work within a separation of physical combos/dots (damage over time) and magical phases. Now, they’re a bit more intertwined in Patch 6.3, and Square Enix has noted that the purpose of these changes is to make Paladin a more “bursty” job. They’ve also added more tools for survivability, and removed the dot aspect of the job entirely.
One of the biggest alterations to Paladin is the addition of Divine Might, a skill that basically functions as a miniature Requiescat. You’ll get a stack after completing a Royal Authority physical combo (or through using the AOE attack Prominence), which lets you insta-cast a Holy Spirit or Holy Circle. Goring Blade is also completely changed, and delivers an instant speed potency 700 attack (there’s no dot anymore!) on a 60 second cooldown. Blade of Valor no longer has a dot associated with it either.
As a bonus, Divine Veil also now restores HP, as well as getting a rework in the form of creating a barrier instantly for all nearby party members that absorbs damage based on your max HP. Yeah, it’s a lot: but we’ll break down the big stuff below.
Divine Might is now another tool in your arsenal
Divine Might, which is hidden very well in the patch notes, is an ability that allows Paladins to weave magic into their rotation without necessarily swapping to a full-on “magic phase.” Here’s what Divine Might does:
“Allows next Holy Spirit or Holy Circle to be cast immediately with increased potency”
Divine Might can be procced through Prominence (AOE) or the standard Royal Authority combo. Directly afterward, you have the power to cast a Holy Spirit, then weave back into your rotation. It should keep Paladin players on their toes and make things a bit more engaging, instead of using the same lengthy rotation throughout a fight. It’s also conveniently a planned buff, so you always know it’s coming, and can settle into a new rotation.
This change should also make Paladin more bursty during AOE dungeon trash clears.
Sheltron is straight better now
Sheltron/Holy Sheltron have been fully buffed to “reduce damage taken by 15%” instead of providing a “block” ability. The main reason this matters is that it helps against damage over time.
The takeaway for Sheltron and Holy Sheltron is simple: it’s going to reduce more damage overall, no questions asked.
Bulkwark is back
When you log in with your Paladin, add Bulwark back to your hotbar.
Bulkwark, a move that was deleted from the Paladin’s action set in Patch 5.0 (remember that generic blue shield icon?), is now back in action. In case you forgot, it’s an instant ability that blocks incoming attacks, and lasts for 10 seconds. It’s another tool in your toolkit for reducing big hits, if used at the correct time.
That’s really all there is to it! How Paladin players will react to these changes over time remains to be seen, but so far, it does feel more intuitive, and there is an added air of extra survivability to the rework.
The full Paladin 6.3 rework patch notes:
Gladiator / Paladin
| Action | Adjustment | |
|---|---|---|
| Fight or Flight | The effect has been changed from “Increases physical damage dealt by 25%” to “Increases damage dealt by 25%.” The duration has been reduced from 25 to 20 seconds. | |
| Riot Blade | Potency has been reduced from 170 to 120. Combo potency has been reduced from 300 to 280. | |
| Iron Will | Recast time has been reduced from 3 to 2 seconds. | |
| Sheltron | The effect has been changed from “Block incoming attacks” to “Reduces damage taken by 15%.” | |
| Prominence | The amount of MP recovered has been increased. The combo bonus “Grants Divine Might” has been added. | |
| Goring Blade | The effects of this action have been revamped. Goring Blade now functions as follows: Delivers an attack with a potency of 700. This weaponskill does not share a recast timer with any other actions. Recast time has been increased from 2.5 to 60 seconds. | |
| Divine Veil | The effect has been changed from “Upon HP recovery via healing magic cast by self or a party member, a protective barrier is cast on all party members within a radius of 15 yalms” to “Creates a barrier around self and all party members near you.” | |
| Royal Authority | Potency has been reduced from 130 to 120. Combo potency has been reduced from 420 to 380. The combo bonus “grants Divine Might” has been added. | |
| Holy Spirit | Potency has been increased from 300 to 350. Requiescat potency has been increased from 600 to 650. Potency is increased to 450 while under the effect of Divine Might. The effect of Divine Might will be prioritized over Requiescat when under the effect of both. | |
| Requiescat | Potency has been reduced from 400 to 300. Maximum stacks of Requiescat have been reduced from 5 to 4. The Requiescat effect has been changed from “Increases the potency of Holy Spirit and Holy Circle and spells will require no cast time” to “Increases the potency of Holy Spirit, Holy Circle, and all Confiteor combo actions and spells will require no cast time.” The additional effect “Grants Blade of Faith Ready when the effect of Requiescat ends” has been changed to “Grants Confiteor Ready.” | |
| Holy Circle | Potency has been reduced from 130 to 100. Potency is increased to 200 while under the effect of Divine Might. The effect of Divine Might will be prioritized over Requiescat when under the effect of both. | |
| Atonement | Potency has been reduced from 420 to 380. | |
| Confiteor | Potency has been reduced from 1,000 to 400. Potency is increased to 900 while under the effect of Requiescat. Potency will be reduced 50% for the second and all remaining enemies. Effect of Requiescat no longer ends upon execution. Requirement for execution has been changed from “while under the effect of Requiescat” to “while under the effect of Confiteor Ready.” | |
| Holy Sheltron | The effect has been changed from “Block incoming attacks.” to “Reduces damage taken by 15%.” | |
| Expiacion | Potency has been increased from 420 to 450. Reduced potency for the second and all remaining enemies will be increased from 50% to 60%. | |
| Blade of Faith | MP cost has been increased from 0 to 1,000. Potency has been reduced from 480 to 200. Potency is increased to 700 while under the effect of Requiescat. The additional effect “Restores MP” has been removed. | |
| Blade of Truth | MP cost has been increased from 0 to 1,000. Potency has been reduced from 560 to 300. Potency is increased to 800 while under the effect of Requiescat. The additional effect “Restores MP” has been removed. | |
| Blade of Valor | MP cost has been increased from 0 to 1,000. Potency has been reduced from 620 to 400. Potency is increased to 900 while under the effect of Requiescat. The additional effect “Restores MP” has been removed. The combo bonus “Damage over time” has been removed. | |
| Divine Magic Mastery | The combo bonus “grants Divine Might” has been added. | |
| Enhanced Prominence | Now acquired at level 72 (previously level 66). The combo bonus “grants Divine Might” has been added. | |
| Enhanced Divine Veil | The healing effect of Divine Veil now applies upon execution rather than when the barrier is applied to targets. |
