A short intro

Hi everyone.
My character name is Anoobis and I am one of the main tanks for the Guild "Astral Riders" from the League side of the ISA server. It is my job in Allods to make sure that my party or raid manages to make it through the instances in this game. I do this by forcing the big hitting mobs to attack me because as a paladin tank i have abilities that allow me to survive damage unscathed that would kill the lesser classes in one shot. This allows the rest of my group to focus on killing the mob and healing me.

Whilst many people in-game know me for my fun and trolling ways in this brief guide you the reader will find nothing but cold hard facts about the changes that have made Paladins into even more lean mean tanking machines and might even learn something about this class that you have never known before. This is not really a tutorial about how to play as a Paladin, it is more of an advanced guide of how to adapt to the changes brought about by the volume 4 patch and how to integrate the changes into your build and play style.

Anoobis Lvl 45 Paladin Tank (Tanking and Spanking since OBT)

The changes
Volume 4 Astral Odyssey has brought many changes to Allods Online not just to the classes but to how we perceive and play the game. However this is a guide about the changes to the paladin class and so we are not going to go into those changes for more information on those changes check guild portal. For now lets check out the changes to our class, The Paladin First of all the passive changes: Runic Entropy Nerf nerf nerf is a common word for those using the Paladin class and here is yet another one Runic Entropy is basically a de-buff based on your/opponents runes and decreases the amount of heals you receive. For Paladins this is a double blow because not only does it decrease the amount of healing you receive from your healer whilst tanking but it also decreases the amount of healing you receive from your own healing spells making them less useful than before. However this change does prompt us to focus even talents on dpsing and tanking and less on healing Kanian Racial Ability (Zealous Blow) In previous versions of Allods Kanian paladins have had to resort to using 1h/2h spears if they wanted to use their racial ability or forgo it if they did not want to use a spear. However after the vol.4 patch Zealous Blow can now be used with any type of weapon equipped making it a very useful skill for both dps and tanking. This ability does large damage to a target (providing you hit your target :P) and places a decent dot on it. Sword of Justice (SoJ) Stun time for our "Charge" ability has been changed to 2 seconds regardless of rank. This change however only really affects pvp and even that is not that much because the stun is also dependent on your/target' willpower/conviction. For tanking it is mostly the same because it was mainly used to get you to the target and also generate more aggro at the start of a fight. Spears All paladins regardless of race are now able to use 1h and 2h spears. Whilst this may not seem like a big change to some for those paladins using the Elvin race this allows them to use a weapon that uses less energy and attacks faster than the spear whilst not criting as high this is still a very useful weapon depending on your type of build.

Now for the interesting bit. Firstly, the new talents.

Crusader Seal - inflicts xxx to xxx dmg and puts a "Mark of the Pariah" on the target. This skill is basically a supped up version of Crusader blow which by now all paladins should love. Rank 2 of this skill does more damage than rank 3 Crusader blow so as you can see it is a useful talent to get. However you have to unlock this ability and have an equivalent rank of Crusader blow so it can be an expensive talent to get. Also works with condemnation.

Entangling Chains - Inflicts xxx to xxx dmg and for each MOTP detonated dmg is increased by xxx...also energy is increased by a certain amount increasing with the amount of MOTP detonated and also dependant on the type of weapon used. The energy regen is more than from the Original retribution and also rank 2 does more damage than the rank 3 retribution so this skill is also worth getting. It takes less talent points to unlock than Crusader Seal. Also needs to have a equivalent rank of Retribution.

Ardent Devotion - Regenerate your "Cannons of Light" at a rate of 1 per 3/2/1 minute(s) depending on the rank of this ability. Useful if you use your healing spells and heavenly nova judiciously. This skill allows you to basically double your cannon regeneration

Eternal light - A supped up version of the light healing ability "Light Infusion" this ability just has a increased healing over time (HoT) effect from "Light Infusion and shares the same characteristics of that ability. Uses 2 cannons of light to use this ability.

Aura of Ferocity - In exchange for decreasing your armour rating by 30% this ability causes your weapon attacks to increase the physical damage done by you and your party members physical attacks to be increased by 5/10/15 % depending on the rank of this ability. This aura is not limited to paladins as Scouts, Warriors and even Wardens have this ability. For paladins focusing on tanking this ability is NOT recommended as you cannot use it whilst having a shield equipped and the reduction in armour can be fatal.

And now the new additions to the Ruby Tree

Crusader Blow Tree: Holy Power Reduces mana cost of overcome and deliverance by 35/70/100 % depending on rank

Holy Indignation Increases DMG of Crusader Blow/Seal by 3/6/9%

Power of Light increases holy damage and condemnation length by % and 2 seconds per rank

Righteous Word Tree

Mental Stability Reduces effect of all Control, knock down abilities on you by 10/20/30 %

Powerful Blow Increases physical DMG by 3/6/9%

Life Power increases energy regeneration rate by 1/2/3 every 4 seconds Retribution Tree

Unbreakable Faith Gives you 1/2/3 cannons of light everytime you receive a critical strike up to 30 cannons.

Repel Evil Receive 4/6/10 % less magic DMG

Pulsing Rays decreases the DMG stored in your second and 3rd barriers by 3/6/9 % every 3 seconds

Now that you are acquainted with the changes to the Paladin brought about by the Vol.4 patch let me explain to you how I have adapted my build and how I play as a Astral Odyssey tank. First off My Build

The Talents: Crusader Blow Rank 3 Crusader blow and Crusader seal are the main abilities used in conjunction with condemnation to generate aggro. However in Order to get Crusader Seal to its maximum rank you need to have Crusader Blow at an equivalent rank. Not all tanks spend their time tanking likewise during a fight it can be advantageous to detonate marks for extra dps and energy regeneration when condemnation still has a while left on its timer. The best ability for this is Entangling Chains however to get Entangling Chains at maximum rank you need to first unlock Retributions maximum rank. This ability defaults to rank 1 and for mot tanking builds thats where it is recommended to stay. This doesnt mean that the ability is useless though as it is our only ranged pull. This ability is also useful for pvp vs. mages as it goes right through all their barriers and puts a mark on them. The bread and butter of paladin tanking. This ability allows you to erase a lot of damage from a barrier depending on its rank (55% + xxx for rank 3) and in combination with some of the rubies from the righteous word tree it also heals you for a lot of hp. Taking this at rank 3 is a must because you will be using this ability for those large hits that you just dont want to take the full damage for. This ability can be used to save you from damage larger than your HP. The only ability modifying the amount of cannons of light you can have and their regeneration rate. I took rank 1 because I dont plan on doing any heals I only need cannons of light for the AOE Aggro ability. This ability is used to force a mob (or player) to focus its attacks on you. It is a very useful ability to have if you lose aggro and for some bosses using this skill is essential. I took rank 2 to decrease the cool down of this abil to 20 seconds and to increase the time the mob is forced to attack you. Also a great ability when your party starts DPSing on a mob straight away as it gives you time to generate aggro with Condemnation

Retribution Rank 3 -

Righteous Word Rank 1-

Overcome Rank 3 -

Solemn Prayer rank 1 -

Challenge Rank 2 -

Condemnation Rank 3 -

This ability when used on 3 stacks of MOTP creates a nice dot and is also used in combination with Crusader Blow / Crusader Seal to generate Aggro. I took rank 3 to increase the damage out put from this DOT. The paladins charge ability. This ability is great for closing the gap between you and your target quickly and is also a great way for generating that little bit of extra aggro in the beginning of a fight. I took rank 3 so that the cast time and cool down of the ability is decreased as much as possible. The only ability that allows paladins to erase all damage in the first barrier. This ability is great for those OMG where did that mob pull that hit out of moments and is essential in some places in GT. I only took rank 1 because spending a extra 5 talents for rank 3 is not worth the 10 seconds decrease on its cool down. This ability is used to refresh the timer on the first barrier and decrease the damage in that barrier by a certain amount depending on your strength. Great for when you have a hit in your barrier that you dont want to receive but cant erase yet using overcome or Deliverance This ability is used to restore Cannons of Light and to silence to a opponent. Seeing as though this build does not use healing so regenerating cannons is not a priority. I took this ability at rank 2 for the nice Silence de-buff it puts on a target during pvp. This ability is also useful on caster mobs forcing them to switch to melee mode while the effect lasts. Inflicts a certain amount of damage to all enemies in range and also generates 5x the damages threat on those enemies. I took rank 1 of this ability because it is a useful AOE force aggro and also very useful in removing a mages Illusions during pvp. During a fight it can be handy to do extra damage to a mob whilst still generating aggro and this ability allows you to do that whilst also regenerating energy. I took rank 3 of this ability for the increase in damage. This ability does the more damage than Crusader Blow whilst still generating aggro with Condemnation. I took rank 3 for the extra damage and hence extra aggro generation.

Sword of Justice R3 -

Deliverance Rank 1 -

Tenacity Rank 3 -

Penance Rank 2 -

Heavenly Nova R1 -

Entangling Chains R3 -

Crusader Seal Rank 3 -

Crusader Blow Tree The rubies available in this part of the Paladin ruby system influence our damage from our main abilities and also our aggro generation. Disciples Power R5 - Strength is the main modifier for all of a paladins abilities, hence taking all of these rubies is a must in order to get the full stat bonus. Divine Gift R2 Parrying in this game happens a lot more often than you might think especially for a agi spec paladin tank. Taking this at r2 is useful because when you parry it allows you to preserve energy which is especially useful when you are using a high energy consumption weapon like a mace.

Rage of the Righteous R2 - Taking this ruby at rank 2 makes it easier for us to balance stats as our luck stats dont have to be that high to get the same critical strike chance as a higher number because this ability increases the crit chance of Crusader Blow by 50% Power Of Light R3 This ruby increases holy damage and the duration of condemnation. Seeing as though we will be using condemnation as tanks all the time maxing this ruby is very worthwhile for increase in dps and aggro gen. Increases crusader blow/seals damage. Crusader blow and Crusader Seal are our main abilities as tanks so maxing out this ruby is essential for good aggro generation. Places a DOT on the target that does a decent amount of damage. Rank2 of this ability is enough because with R2 youve got a 2/3 chance the DOT will be placed. This ruby decreases the CD of your Crusader Blow and Seal attacks. Whilst many people dont like the energy drain caused by this Ive taken this ruby at rank 3 so that my abilities are ready when I want them to be.

Holy Indignation R3 -

Atonement R2 -

Pious Anger R3 -

Righteous Word Tree The rubies in this section affect the Paladins tanks survivability and barriers this is the place to spend points if you want that extra survival. Sword of the Just R 2 This ruby is useful because it makes SoJ instant cast and reduces its cool down period.

Faiths Grace R3 -

This ruby is AWESOME as it allows us to heal ourselves from the damage in our barriers from Overcome. Rank 3 is a must

Pulsing Light R3 -

This ruby decreases damage in our first barrier by 9% every 3 seconds at rank 3 which is very useful when you have taken a hit in that barrier as it basically decreases damage taken. Decreases damage taken by 15% at rank 3 after a successful parry. Rank 3 of this ability is a must because you parry a lot and the 15% bonus defence is HUGE.

Aegis of Faith R3 -

Retribution Tree This ruby tree affects our healing and gives us other unique abilities. If you want to make your paladin special this is the tree to focus in. Ascetic Training R4 Luck affects all of our damage thats why taking these rubies is a good idea to gain us much of a bonus as possible to it. Whilst not exactly the most useful of rubies it is along the best ruby path to the Combat res so I have taken it for that reason. This ruby increases all healing received by 3% for 10 seconds after a barrier has broken/faded. A very useful ruby to have as it increases dmg from our condemnation, Retribution and Entangling Chains attacks. Rank 3 is a good idea for that lil extra dps. This ruby in this build is completely useless as my build doesnt have any healing. However it is along the path to the Combat resurrection so I have to take it. For those who are interested in doing some healing this is a useful ruby to take.
This ability is probably one of the most useful abilities in the paladins ruby system. Reparation allows the paladin to resurrect a party/raid member IN COMBAT. Whilst at first this might not seem that special when a main tank or healer dies in combat this ability can save the day.

Departing Light R1 -

Wave of Life R3 -

Blessed Light R1

Reparation -

Hints and Tips

Skill rotation These are just two ways to start a fight with a main mob/raid boss. There are many different Ways to engage a fight but these are 2 that I have found efficient. Gradual Aggro Gen: First use Righteous word to place a Mark of the pariah onto the target. Next use condemnation to place a DOT effect on the target. This Allows all your next crusader seal attacks to start generating additional aggro. Follow this up with a SOJ charge and start using Crusader seal on the target. When you have 3 stacks of MOTP on the target recast Condemnation so that it has the increased DOT effect. This will help with dps and also with maintaining aggro. After that do as is necessary to stay alive and maintain aggro.

Instant DPS aggro:

Select your target and use your SOJ to get to it. After this use Challenge to secure aggro so that you can generate aggro whilst your party/raid is DPSing on boss. After this use ZEALOUS BLOW to place a MOTP and DOT on the target. This will increase DPS and help with maintaining aggro. Next use condemnation to place a DOT effect on the target. This Allows all your next crusader seal attacks to start generating additional aggro. Start using Crusader seal on the target. When you have 3 stacks of MOTP on the target recast Condemnation so that it has the increased DOT effect. This will help with dps and also with maintaining aggro. After that do as is necessary to stay alive and maintain aggro.

Barrier Juggling:

When you have multiple barriers with damage in them always remember to clear out the Barriers with the largest amount of damage in them this way you constantly have a barrier available to receive damage and also less likely to forget to empty a barrier.

Overcome:

Only use overcome on damage that is less than double your full HP and only do this when you have full hp and if possible try and warn your healer to get ready to nuke you after you do this. Always use your overcome when your HP is full so that you are constantly emptying barriers.

PVP
Pala vs. Pala : Use condemnation judiciously so that the dot overcomes their barriers. SoJ as soon as possible and get the scout down before he can cast his slow down on you Try draw the fight out. The warriors lack of self heals will lose them the fight Pala vs. FH Not really much to say here palas in general dont have the dps to kill a FH. However when you fight a FH try to detonate your MOTP before the FH can cleanse them off. Tank the player until their mana is out then start dpsing heavy. Run hide do what ever to get away.their mind fire will mess up your barriers Ignore the pet and go straight for the player. You can tank the pets hits. Pala vs. Scout:

Pala vs. War:

Pala vs. MH Pala vs. psy

Pala vs. Warden/Sum

Thats all for this Volume I hope you find this instructional and helpful maybe even Entertaining. This guide is dedicated to all those paladins out their learning to tank. Special thanks to Auriana, Tianna, Gudwin, Edhemkavut, Shire, Lutefisk and Kovda for keeping me playing this game. Also thanks to BuBu (Nomis) and Divinetouch (Poisonous) for keeping me company whilst typing this wall of text and to Xocht for helping me discover the hidden power of the paladin tank and for helping me in my quest to perfect the paladin.

AnOObiS