Paladin-Red Mage, a.k.a The Brick Wall

 The PLD/RDM, a.k.a The Brick Wall 

Written By Enghorr '''

UNDER CONSTRUCTION ''' This guide is to help a reference or a tool thread for new or current PLDs who wants to experience this combo. All the information I gathered are base on my experience and things I learned from other fellow Paladins and other Players. The PLD/RDM combo has been use for a while, but it took a while for people to accept this set up benefits. In my server not many use PLD/RDM, when I was challenge to tank in exp as PLD/RDM because they think I would die in 1 shot, or not keep hate. After the 6th Chain, at Lufaise Meadows the WHM quoted "Wow Eng your like a Brick Wall" this is before TOA update, that is how I got that nick name which I think fits PLD/RDM perfectly as the "The Brick Wall".

PLD/RDM is excellent in exp, solo, pvp and tanking certain NMs. First let us list the benefits of /RDM at 68+, and I also do not recommend this combo until level 68 because you do not get Phalanx or Stoneskin till level 34 RDM.

PLD/RDM analysis by Race
Hume -Have balance stats and 2nd most highest MP pool, decent melee stats, its pretty easy to balance this race with stats for PLD/RDM. Subbing /rdm increase mnd and int. Humes balance allows them to choose stats give them many choices which gives them an edge of what gear to wear or food, without worrying about other stats being too low.

Tarutaru -Tarutaru PLD/RDM have advantage in the highest INT, MP, They have lowest vitality, but second of the highest agility in game which help them a lot. Subbing /rdm increases mnd and int. The tarus high mp will definitely give them a lot of edge in soloing. Most tarutaru worry about there HP, now they have Stoneskin and Phalanx as there cushing and only need small amount of MP to use plus they have a whole crap of mp lol

Mithra

-Mithra has the 2nd highest mp pool equal to Hume, highest agility and good dexterity in game. Decent melee, but there main strength is to evade, parry and perhaps higher shield proc rate because of there high agility. Subbing /rdm increases mnd and int. Mithras high agility will give them an edge in soloing.

Elvaan

-Elvaan has the highest MND in game which really helps them with Stoneskin and stronger swift blade. They have very good melee stats, 2nd highest HP in game,3rd lowest mp but with /rdm it just makes them more dangerous PLDs lol They get more MP, higher magic defense and can recover fast when resting. Subbing /RDM increase mnd and int. The Elvaan race is well balance on melee and mp is not too far from hume maybe 100-130(not sure) but with /RDM gives them about 60 mp extra. If they merit MP they can get up to 80 mp extra on there side, they already have high hp, vit, strength so all elvaan can use now is more mp.

Galka

-Galka are known for to be the highest vitality, very good strength and HP in game but lack MP. Now combine /RDM to a Galka, they will have that extra Fat Stoneskin, Extra Skin Phalanx for them to not worry about healing themselves as much. Also Galka can kill the mob faster than most of the races because of there high strenth, with Joyeuse they can be really nasty PLD/RDM. /RDM will also give them higher mp and mnd. Galkas should merit MP to 8 upgrades(80mp) with /rdm sub and 8 upgrades of mp will give them about 140MP to there mp pool.

Barspells, know how to use it
Barspells are awesome and gives you an edge on soloing.

Some examples:

Barblizzard + Barparalyze = higher resist to Paralyze and shorten duration

Baraero + Barsilence = higher resist to silence and shorten duration

Barwater + Barpoison = higher resist to poison and shorten duration

You get the idea! Know which to use!

Spells
Phalanx Red Mage: 33 Light Enhancing 21 N/A Single spell Gives you a certain amount of damage resistance.

Stoneskin Red Mage: 34 White Mage: 28 Earth Enhancing 29 N/A 10 Seconds 7 Self Decreases the amount of damage the target takes in battle.

Dispel Red Mage: 32 Darkness Enfeebling 25 N/A 10 3 Single Removes one buff from a mob

Barspells(for all elements) -Increase defense on specific element

Enspell -Adds damage element, this good especially what mob is weak too and weather day.

Blaze Spikes -Engulfs the target in an armor of fire(this is good, at 75 I do 8-10 dmg when mob hits me, this good especially for mnk type)

Aquaveil Red Mage: 12 White Mage: 10 Water Enhancing 12 N/A 10 Seconds 5 Single Avoids casting interruptions, increasing casting efficiency.

Dia II Red Mage: 31 White Mage: 36 Light Enfeebling 59 N/A 6 Seconds 1.5 Single Inflicts damage on the target and lowers its defense.

Bio II Dark Knight: 40 Red Mage: 36 Black Mage: 35 Darkness Darkness 66 N/A 5 Seconds 1.5 Single Does damage over time and decreases the target's attack

Blink Red Mage: 23 White Mage: 19 Wind Enhancing 20 N/A 10 Seconds 6 Self Makes the target harder to hit, increasing the chance of evading damage.

Gravity Red Mage: 21 Wind Enfeebling 24 N/A 1 Minute 1.5 Second Single Weighs an enemy down, lowering its movement speed and evasion.

Slow Red Mage: 13 White Mage: 13 Earth Enfeebling 15 N/A 20 Seconds 2 Single Target is slowed

Paralyze Red Mage: 6 White Mage: 4 Ice Enfeebling 6 N/A 10 Seconds 3 Single Paralyzes the target for a short duration

Sleep -good for hate at start of fight

-Sneak,Invisible, Deodorize good for soloing. -other more spells, I just listed what benefits us in majority

Traits
Resist Petrify Red Mage: 10 Self You gain an innate bonus to Resist Petrification

Fast Cast I Red Mage: 15 Single

Magic Attack Bonus I Red Mage: 20 Single Increases the damage of offensive spells.

Magic Defense Bonus I Red Mage: 25 Single Increases magical defense.

Resist Petrify II Red Mage: 30 Self You gain an innate bonus to Resist Petrification.

Clear mind I Red Mage: 31 Increases base mana regeneration to 15 MP while resting.

Fast Cast II Red Mage: 35 Single

Enhancing Skill, how important is it?
Paladin has the 3rd highest Enhancing Magic skill in game which most people don’t realize(RDM > WHM > PLD). Stoneskin and Phalanx are all base on Enhancing skill, however when you increase MND it makes Stoneskin more HP. Enhancing magic skill for PLD 75 caps at 210 with full merits (226 enhancing magic, with swapping gear can reach near 250))caps 230-275 HP depending on your mnd also, it could be more or Less. Phalanx at cap 210 is -20 Points, combine that with Jelly ring you do the math.

How to skill up Enhancing magic skill
Most of your skill ups will be during exp or solo, but I suggest spamming spells while LFP or chilling in one area w/e the cast spamm spells and cap it. Here are my macro suggestions:

Get 2 Lines just for your RDM skill ups, Swapping macros etc

Here is an example! Box1 Line 1: /ma "Barthunder"  Line 2: /wait 5 or 7 you choose Line 3: /ma "Barwater"  Line 4: /wait 5 or 7 you choose Line 5: /ma "Baraero" 

Box 2 Line 1: /ma "Enthunder"  Line 2: /wait 5 or 7 Line 3: /ma "Enfire"  Line 4: /wait 5 or 7 Line 5: /ma "Enblizzard" 

Box 3 Line 1: /ma "Blazespikes"  Line 2: /wait 5 or 7 Line 3: /ma "Phalanx"  Line 4: /wait 5 or 7 Line 5: /ma "Stoneskin" 

Anyways you get the idea! macro your spells, so its easier for skill ups instead of choosing them 1 by 1 in magic bar screen area.

Capping Enhancing magic skill will make you strong!

Is Chivalry and Fealty worth getting?
Yes! Chivalry and Fealty just made PLD/RDM set up more stronger. There will be time during a fight and Chivalry or Fealty will save your butt, trust me get it! I rather have them in my arsenal, than not have them at all.

Chivalry at 300%tp caps at 490 MP(It has a 1.3.-1.6 modifier, nobody has made a complete test yet but majority of PLD all experience 490 is cap at 300%TP conversion to MP) Fealty last 1 min only

Should I merit Divine magic or Enhancing magic?
Meriting Enhancing magic has more benefits than capping merits vs Divine magic, we already have high divine magic skill anyway. Capping Enhancing magic means more HP to Stoneskin, -points Phalanx, and Higher Enspell Damage vs a higher % rate Flash wont be resisted? you choose lol

Bio II or Dia II?
First thing you need to know is that Bio II and DiaII do no stack they cancel one another, so the biggest focus should be which is the right spell to use for certain mob.

For Hardhitting monsters -I recommend BioII because not only it 5-6 DOT it is also -10% on the monster attack which will make its attacks weaker, therefore your Stoneskin will last longer in a way.

For Mage type Mobs and High defense mobs -I recommend using DiaII

Why? For mage type mobs they already weak to melee hits, so if you weaken there defense your hits and ws will kill them faster with DiaII on them.

Why for high defense mobs? Its obvious to use DiaII, imagine hitting another PLD/RDM or a Crab with huge defense, DiaII them so you can hit them and dmg lol

When to use Dispel
Dispel is such a great asset for PLD especially on soloing, this spell majority of the times always land. This is awesome when you have monsters buffing for higher defense, or mobs with Ice spikes or Blaze spikes on them. It is up to you how to set up your Dispel order, but for me I always debuff the mob because I know in the long run buffs mobs are harder to kill, but debuff mobs are easier to kill

General Idea how to get "0" Damage
I will explain this in the best simplest and possible way I can which involves no math or calculator, if someone figured a mathematical equation to it that shows how it works in numbers please do lol I will re-edit.

But here how I see it:

Lets say mob hits you!
 * Shield Block
 * Paladin Defense
 * Phalanx
 * Stoneskin

= "0" Damage

I hope this is clear enough lol clear? Like I said its very simple, we have the highest defense and highest Shield skill in game so having Phalanx and Stoneskin just makes our dmg taken so much less.

Understanding spells which creates hates as PLD/RDM in ExP
Flash: Always use it

Blind: Blind with haste can be spam every 5 secs, with enmity 18+(I have 22) its equal to Flash on hate. Flash + Blind stack hate. It does not matter whether Blind Lands or not, casting it on mob creates hate, this why bard and rdm can get hate easily.

Sleep: I only recommend using this at start, its more of a spell that sets a hate stone on mob and if you ever loose hate cast it if have mp to spare. Imagine a RDM casting Sleep with 18+Enmity lol

Enhancing spells or moves: Most people don’t realize that casting Enhancing moves or spells creates hate. One big example is Rampart which enhancing parties defense! There was time during a exp or skill up parties, when melee WS around 50% and I casted Stoneskin after the mob turns to me lol

As PLD/RDM it is a efficient tank, especially on specific set up.
PLD/RDM Shines
 * Mount Zhalyom
 * Imps
 * Lufaise Meadows

Party Set up
 * PLD/RDM
 * THF
 * SAM
 * BLM
 * RDM
 * WHM

This is merely one of my favorite traditional set up, but I have use different types. When it comes to ws burn parties, I just use RNG 75 anyway, but this just give you an idea how PLD/RDM works efficiently in exp, best are for VT+ and IT+ mobs

What food to eat?
Dorado sushi = I use this food when I know I will have challenge holding hate, this food gives Enmity some say 3-5 but IMO it multiplies your Enmity x 1% base on experience. Gives you accuracy as well.

Tavnazian tacos = I use this food when I know I wont have hard time keeping hate. Common Gear set up in Exp:(Focus is Enmity)

-I use taco salad for Lufaise meadows, since most parties invite me or I create have SATA so hate is not a problem. -Adaman Head -Adaman Body -Adaman Hands -High breath Mantle -Koenig Shield -Durandal -Bibiki shell -Warwolf belt -Adaman Legs -Gallan Leggings -Shield Torque -Buckler earring -[Drone earring]] -Hercules Ring -Mermaid ring

Main reason why my set up for this is that with /RDM I know I will take less damage so I just need more enmity to keep hate. Sure I have to spam blind, but Blind is so much cheaper than curing myself so much lol so Im like a Blink tank but can hold hate better.

PLD/RDM Solo wish List! The Ubber solo gear! The Best IMO!
Full Homam set DEF:146 HP:127 MP:127 Accuracy: +32 Haste: +12% Magical Accuracy: +4 Ranged Accuracy: +6 Enimity: +3 Wyvern: +50HP Enhances Triple attack (+5%) Enhances Fast Cast Effect Aegis What more can I say, -25% magic damage taken! Best shield bash enhancement! Highest shield proc rate, highest -% taken when full Block. Now combine this with /RDM? Ubberness!

Locquacius earring Mp 30 and Enhance fast cast

Ethereal earring Hp+15, Attack +5, Evasion +5. Converts 3% damage taken to MP(hp, attk, eva and converts to mp? Omg ubberness)

Swift belt With Full homam set, you will have 16% Haste

Shadow Mantle and Shadow ring Combine both get occasionally annuls magic and physical damage taken Ring gives “On Darksday magic def bonus” Mantle gives “On Daksday gives VIT+20" (wow it+20, basically took care of your vitality stats when you swap Adaman > to Homam)

Defending ring Phalanx + -10% damage taken, you do the math lol

Crimson gear pros and cons Well Legs and Feet give high mp, and HP plus +40 on all Elemental resist. The bad part about this is when you fight Demons, you will get intimidated a lot which is the con.

How I start the fight: (Lufaise Meadows or Mount Zhalyom)
(Steps) Baraero(good for wind attacks from birds) Blink x 1 at start Keep Stoneskin and Phalanx up every fight Flash > Sleep > Blind Spam Blind -you will get away with estimate 6-8 hits (2)from Blink will take (6) Stoneskin will take -Spam blind every 5 secs -SC > MB = Mob is Dead, you probably got hit 1-3 times, compared to /war you got hit every time. = IF your really good, you can get away with the fight without mob doing too much dmg on you and WHM wont cure as much.
 * Monster been pulled**
 * Now SC is ready**

Imp:(my favorite exp area as pld/rdm) Amnesia takes off all /ja, but does not remove magic spells so me as /rdm give me more hate tools. In this fight, you will just have to spam blind and flash to keep hate. On my exp parties as /RDM in Imp camps, I don’t even rebuff SK until mob is 90% so my next fight Ill be ready with Stoneskin.

Imps don’t hit me hard, with my magic def and shield + I can solo them too. Main focus as PLD/RDM is to take lesser damage than /war and more hate tools to use.

Which Race can be PLD/RDM
-All races can use this combo very efficiently, IMO though Galka and Elvaan are one the toughest for this combo they become stronger. More MP, and already have strongest base def, high str, add this defensive combo they are a Brick wall+1 lol

Where and How to solo?
As PLD/RDM I can solo pretty much EP > EM easily or even VT, especially in TOA areas where I get Sanction refresh I never have to rest. We are now stronger in soloing because of Chivalry, Shield mastery, Auto-refresh, Higher shield block rate which makes our solo vs certain NM even better potential fighting. The biggest mistakes of Paladins when soloing is not having the right set up for a specific mob.

Gear: Know and understand your gear, especially base on what your fighting. There is a huge difference of having good gear and having the right gear on soloing. Most people will go out DD gear, but our strongest trait as PLD/RDM is a defensive player basically out lasting the mob. Try to balance your gear with Def and Attk gear.

I have many types of macros which helps me in Enhancing, Pre-buff, MP start, and then finally my Battle Mode Gear. I only recommend pre-buff gear with Enhancing gear+ only when fighting NM and tough stuff. You only need MP Start and Battle Mode gear macros for common stuff when soloing for exp, farming etc. In the end you will figure out your own style of fighting and your own inventory of arsenals that you bring to battle. I have 60/60 on my inventory that tells you that I am always prepared for any situation lol

Monsters you can Solo easily: I will give you monsters that I solo for exp while LFP or just skilling up on my own with some notes:

Analyzing the Mob
Analyzing the mob strength and weakness takes a lot of observation, mastering it will give you an edge because you will be able to kill it. Some examples!

Mob read “Tough with high defense and High evasion” One of the mobs strength is its high defense, to solve this problem. -Use DiaII Examine it again should read “Tough and High evasion” Gravity is 50/50 for it to land, but I think Elvaan or Tarutaru may pull it higher than other race as PLD/RDM -Use gravity, it should solve your problem of hitting it

Other ways to be effective on killing a monster is knowing which food to eat, which gear to use when fighting monster.

My common Fighting strategies
Set A (Melee monsters)
 * Joyeuse
 * Koenig Shield
 * Koenig Schaller
 * Koenig Handschuhs
 * Byrnie
 * Adaman Cuisses
 * Gallant Leggings
 * Str4 x 2 ring or jelly ring depends on situation
 * Buckler Earring
 * Drone Earring
 * Bibiki Seashell
 * Amemit Mantle+1
 * Warwolf Belt
 * Haste Belt(if NM)

Set B (Mage monsters)
 * Joyeuse
 * Tatami Shield(for faster kill) or Koenig Sheild if mage monster hit hard
 * Byrnie or Adaman(or AF for divine magic)
 * Wahlahra Turban
 * Adaman Gauntlets
 * Adaman Cuisses
 * Crimson Greaves(elemental resist for magic)
 * Lamia Mantle+1

Heirach belt(at start)warwolf or Haste B Buckler earring Death earring at start then drone Str+2 mnd+5 rings x 2(for swift blade) -use those rings for higher magic def, higher Stoneskin

Future change of gear:
 * Crimson Cuisses
 * Crimson Finger Gauntlets swap for bioII
 * Ethereal Earring
 * Loquacious Earring
 * Homam Corazza Set
 * Boxer's Mantle
 * Swift Belt

Food

Situation A: (High defense mob)
 * Chiefkabobs

Note: DiaII to it first to remove high def, then BioII Situation B: (High evasion mob)
 * Sole sushi so Joyeuse lands all hits

For mage monsters: Just chiefkabobs mainly to kill them fast, unless high evasion then Sole sushi

Note: Up to you depends on what fighting dia II or bioII.

Why: Melee set up Well in this set up, I try not to sacrifice PLD/RDM main strength which is taking less dmg with defensive gear. I can solve the attk problems by simply eatting the food I need without loosing base defensive gear

Why mage set up: Focus is magic def gear, more mnd,more mp, elemental resist gear since most mage monsters damaging moves are magic attk spells.

Beginners
These are for guys just started PLD/RDM and want to get use to the dynamics of this combo, these mobs don’t hit hard and very predictable.

(Bhafau Tickets) Lesser Collibri(Bhafau tickets) Decent challenge or Easy Prey to 75 -I recommend using BioII it will give 5-6 per tick on /37 RDM base dark skill and -10% on mobs attack. Doing this will keep your Stoneskin and damage taken far lesser -Don’t eat food, they have a move that absorbs one of your effects which are food -use Enspells base on weather, except Enaero -all your buffs

Aht Urhgan Attercop (Bhafau tickets)DC-EP to 75 -Have barpoison up(they have a mean poison) -BioII -all your buffs

These 2 what I recommend exping solo, they die fast and don’t hit too hard and you never have to rest with Sanction refresh + Chivalry(barely use in these areas) I usually get 2k exp avg with Sanction and exp Ring.

(Caederva Mire) Puk trap EP-DC to 75 -With these mobs so easy to exp on same exp as Collibri but faster to kill, eat some mithkabobs here so can exp faster

Orderly Imps EP-DC to 75 -Love killing these, they go down very fast and give more exp

Moderate PLD/RDM
Remember when you get so piss on skill up parties and sometimes just wish you can solo? Well you can do it with /RDM These mobs hit harder, this will sharpen up your rebuffing and timing skills for Phalanx > Stoneskin > Blaze spikes > enspells > barpspells

The Boyahda Tree

Steelshells Ep-Tough to 75(For beginners fight the EP-DC only) -Remember when we cant solo these? Now we can easily with /RDM, I recommend wearing a “Bibiki sea shell” and “Tatami Shield” with these 2, it makes the crab sh*t on there pants -I come here to skill up, parry, staff etc -Always have Barwater up

Korrigan. EP-EM to 75 -I loved fighting these when capping Shield because they attack so much, also they die fast with my Blaze Spikes lol -Recommend Barsleep all the time

Hardcore PLD/RDM
Here is the big leagues for PLD/RDM. These mobs are NM or VT mobs I fought on my own and took risk of death because I want to see how well I do without support of party, just on my own. These bad boys are unpredictable and here you will understand more of tactics how to weaken the mob and also how to use your arsenal.

Wyvernpoacher Drachlox 70-75NM Ranger He is the NM that drops Othinos Bow for Rangers. This goblin is my 1st NM to solo, I have a personal grudge against it when I use to camp Obow for 2 weeks lol His main strongest attack is rng attack of course since it’s a ranger. Great thing about Paladin is that we can also block rng attacks, his reg hits don’t hit too hard and does not attack fast as most people think. I recommend casting slow on him, yes he can be slowed as /rdm and BioII. Use sole Sushi on him so your hits always land, he tends to evade hits.

Antican Legatus 73-75 NM Paladin He is the 2nd NM I fought, I chose him because his a Paladin so I wanted to see how well I do vs another Paladin NM. This antican don’t hit too hard, I suggest using DiaII on him because he has high defense. Dispel when he buffs(this is very important), save Shield Bash when he cast CureIV spells. Key to beating this NM is to outlast him, and rebuffing all your buffs without being interrupted. Chivalry plays a big role in this when you run out of MP, when you know you will be out of mp in few minutes start saving your tp ro 300% so get 100% MP recovery.

Antican Praetor 73-75NM Black Mage I wanted to fight him because Paladins biggest fears are being hit by BLM spells. Well guess what, with /RDM sub we have Magic defense bonus and Barspells. I recommend using Lamia Mantle+1, Crimson Legs and Crimson Greaves against him so when he spam spells damage taken from elemental spells will be a lot less. Physically he doesnt hit hard, so I recommend using DiaII to kill him faster. When he 2hr(Manafront) and starts casting his 1st spell, Shield Bash him. After that kite around so he cant cast a spell on you then charge back when (manafront wears off)At 80% HP he will spam Sleep and Enfeebling Magic, this is when Fealty Shines because no matter what Enfeebling magic that NM did to me my “Fealty” move 100% resisted all of them.

Heraldic Imp 80ish(Mage type) Monster read Very tough to me at 75. I just did this recently and have won every battle vs this Imp. You obviously don’t have high enfeebling magic to cast silence on him, so best way to counter elemental spells is to keep interrupting it with Shield Bash or Dmg. Also wearing high resist elemental traits is awesome vs these(Crimson legs, Crimson greaves and Lamia Mantle+1)It does not hit hard, Sk only wear off when it cast TierIII spells rebuffing is not hard I just Flash > SK all the time. Use BioII on him.

Here some pics of me killing them x 4 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...wround3.gif http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...drdmftw.gif http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...pround4.gif

Marauder Dvogzog67 ORC MNK (Sandy Mission 6-1) He is easy, Keep Blaze spikes since it will dmg him a lot since he attack so fast. When he 2hrs use Invincible, keep blaze spikes up. Use BioII, keep buffs when you have 300 shield skill, you will block majority of this guys punches I only casted Stoneskin once during the fight.

Dhalmel: (Reads Tough in Bibiki bay as 75) Pretty easy to kill and give 195-240 exp per kill. I fight them now to cap parry I am at 216(225 cap). It attacks slow, just rebuff it usually takes 8-10 for them to remove SK. Berserk can be dispeled so dont worry. I did about 6-7 intimidation vs this with Koenig Shield(Beast killer trait)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...lfight2.gif Shows how much exp I got http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...elfight.gif Another Kill in my Kill list http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...meldead.jpg

Killing Zuug The Shoreleaper
by: The Brick Wall(PLD/RDM)

Hey guys just want to add more to the Kill List /bow

Zuug thee Shoreleaper

Your all probably wondering how I beat this sob lol well first of all it took me 1/4 until I beat him(Claiming it vs rmt was a bitch). Lost 3 times won the 4th time lol took more detailed planning, more tactics, precise buffing, precise numbers etc I dont like to give up, I max out full potential of my job as much as I can. I wont explain how I lost the other 3, but will explain how I won the 4th time.

Most soloers wont tell you how they beat a NM solo, since it take a lot of skill, but I will share it with you guys because my time in FFXI may have come to an end. Sharing my experiences to help other fellow PLD will be something I can take with me, and be happy. Sure I havent accomplished the ubber gear I wanted like, Ethereal earring, full koenig, Homam, cop gear etc but at least I had good times and did my best to have fun. Soloing stuff without the most godly gear and winning, is my accomplishment. Here it is, enjoy thanks!

First of my gear:
Wahlahra Turban Joyeuse Koenig Shield Bibiki Sea Shell Shield Torque Buckler earring Drone earring Byrnie Adaman Hands Adaman Legs Amemit mantle+1 Haste Belt(very important, but if you have homam set dont need or Loquacious earring) Gallant feet Str+4 rings Str+4 rings

Important Items:
1 Pro-Ether 5-6 Melon Juice(I think I use 5 during the fight, took like 10-12 min)lol wasnt focus on time just wanted to stay alive and win! Chiefkabobs(He has crappy evasion so landing hits np, but doing damage to him is another)So get this food to dmg more

Important /ja:
Chivalry(I recommend upgrade it to 15min recast)

Most tactics of fighting him is sleeping wyvern and killing NM first. Well as PLD/RDM sleep dont land as well lol because /37 RDM. Therefore plan is to eliminate wyvern and same time stay alive, fortunately we have a /Ja that is versatile and save many lives "Invicible"

Step1: -Build 300% TP while killing PH, (so save tp when you know he will pop) he has a 2-3hr repop but need to kill PH

Step2: -When he pops dont panic, pop your juice get a full MP bar, pre-buff, Use haste belt(Very important). -When your ready, have your game face and A game focus! Ever move you make on this fight counts, 1 mistake your dead.

Step3: -When you pull NM make sure your clear of Link and not raining so Water eles dont pop

Step4: Believe in yourself!

The Fight
Before we start I want to make a huge advice about Flash: Since Update Flash has been nerf, NM builts resistance to divine magic when use a lot, so Spamming Flash will build lot of resistance and Flash wont stick as much vs him

My advice, Only flash when your rebuffing.

-Make sure Blazespikes and Enthunder is up all the time -Always have Barwater up -Pull with Bio III(The reason why is that he hits pretty hard, so BioII will do DOT + -10% of attack) -At start use Spirit Within -After 5-6 hits Rebuff Stoneskin, continue to keep your buffs -As you fight him dont worry so much how much about the wyvern popping anytime soon(From all 4 fights he pops wyvern at 75-80% HP for some reason varies really) -KEEP YOUR BUFFS UP PHALANX + STONESKIN( DO NOT GIVE HIM TP, I REPEAT DO NOT GIVE HIM TP!) -When his near 80% Save your TP -Wyvern pops -Fight wyvern immediately -Use "Invincible" -Vorpal Blade wyvern -Vorpal Blade vyvern Note: The Wyvern has approximately 1200hp, but it goes down fast as long as you use x 2 Vorpal Blade and reg hits with Joyeuse his dead in 30 secs.

IMPORTANT NOTE! I know what your thinking why not use Icarus wing? well I learn during my fights with him Icarus wing and Pro ether dont stack, you can only use 1 medicine stat and cant use for a while. Pro-ether is important during the final moments of fight, so dont use a icarus wing unless you have another way of beating him while not running out of mp in last 25-30% of fight.

-[Orangered]Wyvern is dead, if you dont kill wyvern during "Invincible' Your dead! lol so make sure Wyvern dies before 2hr[/Aqua] -Now 1 on 1 on the bastard! Continue rebuffing, Dispel his buffs(very important) -Cast BioII(Very important -Save tp to 300% now for "Chivalry" Later -Keep estimating time when buffs are going to wear off, always keep making sure Refresh Drinks is always up, Always make sure Haste is up from Haste belt -DO NOT GIVE HIM TP, VERY IMPORTANT SO KEEP SK AND PHALANX UP -at 50% HP it goes crazy, buffing himself etc so dispel them -At this point you will notice Flash do not stick too long, he starts building resistance so he will only miss 1hits(The 2-3 hits gone lol Boo! SE bastards) -Rebuff, rebuff most important is to out last him, not out DD him(He cant cure himself but we can) -at this point your mp is almost out. "Chivalry to the Rescue" whoot! -at 30% It goes even more crazy starts hitting harder, I think he has a /ja or something buff that increase his dmg forgot what but I notice he hits harder at this point -at 30% I didnt care too much of Stoneskin, but kept phalanx up -Again always have juices up, and use Pro-ether when you think you have to -Keep haste up, whenever 100tp is up use Vorpal Blade -Vorpal Blade, Vorpal blade =Dead Zuug The Shoreleaper

My Thoughts
Fight was very close, I ended up near 200-300ish HP and 150ish mp left. Basically it was too close of a fight, Flash did not stick too long anymore at 50% hp mark so I know in 30% the end moments of battle I had to Dmg him a lot. Fight Lasted I know more than 10 min at least. I admit that its hard to believe that I beat it, but it took time, dedication, careful planning and believe on my job to beat it.

Things you need to understand also is to understand the NM weakness, its a DRG so you know it depends a lot on Wyvern, that is why I killed the wyvern right away. Zuug does not have high def, but has good attk so use BioII. Enthunder did most add dmg on him vs other Enspells. You cannot beat this NM without Joyeuse, the constant attack twice of Joyeuse is needed to build TP and to Kill this monster fast enough before it kills you.

I need to merit mp more 4 upgrades 4, and merit Enhancing magic. Having 241+ Enhancing skill(with merits)+ gear during pre-buff wouldve made a huge difference in the long run since buffs lasted longer in the 1st start of the fight. If I had x 2 fast cast gear, Blink wouldve made a huge difference. Shield skill of 300 is a must to block his hits, I would use Koenig shield not tatami shield.

Overall I learn a lot from this battle, how important Haste and fast cast is for rebuffing. Timing, precisive estimates on dmg when to rebuff is so important. Killing wyvern is a key to beating him as PLD/RDM, use your 2hr wisely. Chivalry is a huge key in fight, or I wouldve ran out of mp. I did avg of 50-60 reg hits on him +10-15 add dmg, 80-111 criticals, I dont remember all but chiefkabobs on 3rd fight made huge difference. I use sole sushi on the 1st 3 battles lol I learn he doesnt have good evasion anyway so his not hard to hit.

PLD/RDM FTW!

Things that I should have brought:
Persikos Aum Lait(couple of them) Yagudo drinks instead Maybe some Elixirs

/JA that I should get:
Iron Will(Maybe the -% spell interruption during rampart at near of fight will help me greatly during when flash starts getting resisted)

Gear that wouldve made a huge difference:(With this gear, right skills and training you can beat him more efficiently)
Homam Legs (Forgot other stats but it has Haste+, hp+, mp+ and enhances fast cast) Locqaucious earring (MP+30 and Enhances Fast cast) Ethereal earring (-3% damage converts to mp) Shadow mantle Aegis

Well anyways I found the time to post this, before I forget lol it took me 3 deaths, couple of lost claims but I did it on my 4th claim. Do I plan on fighting him again? Hell yeah if I dont quit game, want to fight him again but I am aiming to get my other gear first to be more well equipped. I know some will flame me or not believe me, but I did it ok! ^_~ I did this for personal reasons as a player, but also did it for other PLD soloers outhere to give them hope.

I have gotten message of pld/nin better at soloing vs pld/rdm they are both great subs just know how to use them. IMO pld/nin and pld/rdm really depends on a players fighting style or what mob you fighting, but if I ever would use pld/nin I would still use my shield. I have shadows, and if shadows loose I have Shield block but as of now I prefer Stoneskin and phalanx because I know its there.

I did not post this to brag or anything, I just wanted to share my experience that is all. Flame me if you want, idc lol I am just happy I did it. Thank you everyone who supported me in Ifrit and other servers, and those who underate me I hope this open your minds. /bow

PLD/RDM x 2 Duo, which mob we can duo!
Ose Well I am so happy at this very moment, me and my PLD/RDM buddy Miraiken just successfully duo Ose and Owned his ass lol yay! I took some pics, but was so excited I wasnt able to take a lot since was so excited in the fight. I did took picture of me and miraiken showing we killed it and showed drop, but after that manticore aggroed us and I took pic. When I log off and pasted it on my animation shop I realize the part I took pic of Ose defeated been reseted lmao

PLD/RDM x 2 vs Ose = PLD/RDM x 2 FTW

Here are some of the pics I manage to save

Me and Miraiken duo Ose http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...rr/Ose1.jpg

Me and Miraiken pic http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39...rr/ose2.jpg

Ose duo advice: Ice day, Barblizzard + Barparalyze + Ebulient ring + Rice Dumplings = Good resist to paralyze and lower duration of paralyze We fought him coincendatally on Ice day luckily. Use Barparalyze + Barblizzard + Ebulient ring = will lower duration of paralyze on you or resist it from Ose. Paralyze is what makes Ose really dangerous, using this would give you an edge.

Important -Echo drops -Yagudo juice or Melon Juice -Chivalry

The fight
Main thing is that the 2 PLD need to share tanking. Must know when to take hate, so other can rebuff and other tank. Me and Miraiken did awesome, we didnt have to use chivalry till the end. I use 2hr, but it wasnt really necessary we just had a rought start but after we manage to set up routine sharing tanking was easy for experience Paladins like us :P

BioII is very important, its DOT and decrease damage of Ose. Only Flash when have to take hate and Rebuff, since NM resist update FLash dont stick as long as it use to on NMs.

Quick tips to get hate with duo: When someone has hate and lost buffs, Cure them and flash. Then they rebuff and you tank, continue cycle till Ose is dead.

What refresh drink is best?
My favorite drink is Melon juice because its cheap(Yagudo Drink is the best, but ingredients for me is too much to carry). Reason why I love this juice is that it only cost 3 ingredients(water crystal, Thunder melon, Watermelon) so its easy for me to carry stacks of the ingredients and craft them when Im soloing. Melon Juice is 2 mp per tick total mp=90 mp in 2min 15 secs duration. So with Auto refresh and this is 3 mp per tick, with Sanction refresh you have 4 mp per tick lol Up to you what juice to use, but here is a list of each juice do.

Apple Juice = Restores 45 MP(1mp per tick) over a 2 min 15 sec period Grape Juice = Restores 60 MP(2mp per tick) over a 1 min 30 sec period Melon Juice = Restores 90 MP(2 mp per tick) over a 2 min 15 sec period (2nd Best but cheaper, easier to make) Orange Juice = Restores 20 MP(1mp per tick) over a 1 min period Pineapple Juice =Restores 80MP(1mp per tick) over a 4 min period Tomato Juice = Restores 60MP(1mp per tick) over a 3 min period Yagudo Drink = Restore 120MP(2mp per tick) over a 3 min period (1st Best)

How to fight in a duel
I will not share all my tactics that I learn how to beat every job, but I will give you some tips

. My combo is PLD/RDM always Uncapped fights, I dont believe in Ballista 60 because every job changed at 75 with merits, plus a jobs full potential.

Gear at start prebuff before Fight:

Walahra Turban Adaman Body Adaman Hands Adaman Legs Crimson Feet Death Earring Hierach Belt Lamia Mantle+1 =588 mp with my merits Buff up -Protect IV -Shell III -Blaze spikes -Phalanx -Aquaveil -SK -Barspells whichever use, base on the situation read your opponents plans -Enspells, use base on day -Blink at start

I have my own PvP gear macro set, I disagree with poster to go DD gear in duel situations. PLD main strength is Shield, Defense and basically outlasting the opponent. Go all out defense with /rdm your a Brick Wall. however I do use Byrnie and Amemit mantle+1

Notes: VS mages -Wear resist gear and lot of mp, magic defense

VS Melee -Always use slow -BioII and poison -Paralyze -Dispell if necesarry -diaga -etc use your head -KEEP BUFFS DONT GIVE THEM TP!

VS

Ninja/WAR -I own this job, takes a while to kill if they have high evasion gear and merits -Use Gravity lower there evasion -Use BioII -/diaga

if they use /rdm or /whm -They wont have much mp, debuff them with dispel -Keep your buffs, dont give them TP

MNK -Biggest mistakes of MNK when they fight me is they expect to kill me with 1 or 2 Asuran Fist. WIth my shield gear, I block a lot of the ws but not many mnks can even get a chance of using a ws on me unless they use icarus wing. -Keep your buffs, dont give them TP you will see that MNK will hurt themselves vs Blaze spikes. -BioII them -Debuff same strategy as for nin -Eventually MNK will die, because you outlast him -If he 2hrs use invicible, keep Blaze spikes -Slow spell

RNG -I have a rng 75, man we suck at pvp lol only team type we good at

SAM -They will land a ws on you at start, try to flash -Paralyze them and slow -Same steps, sam dies fast because not good in defending

THF -Most thfs will try to sleep bolt you or blind bolts then sata -Use poison potion on you -With your shield and phalanx, just fight thf head on -diaga

Drg -Kill their wyvern first, after that his crippled

WAR -same steps for nin, most sub nin or /rdm

DRK -lol one time I 1 shotted a dark when he use sole eater, the /ja that is a doubl edge sword

BLM -magic def -resist bind gear -use poison potion, dont fall asleep

RDM -my longest fight took 25 min with rdm -wear lot of anti mage gear, thats my advice will not share all my knowledge, but we can beat them VS /RDM

-Bring Echo drops -Bring juice or use Vcloak -Ebulient ring -Garolous ring -more resist stats gear -Barparalyze, vs a RDM ice spikes best way is to shorten the effect -Dispel, when I fight RDM we always end up with a dispel war, dispel will majority of the time land. -Now with chivalry, and Fealty you have even greater edge for long fights -Use your enspells -use blazespikes -BioII -wear shield+ gear so he dont hit you, most of the time rdm hurt me more with enspells -diaga shadows 1.

WHM -most will use kraken and sub /rdm -outlast them all I can say, keep blaze spikes

BLU -PLD is only job able to block disservement and hysteric barrage -when it does chaotic eye, go behin him and wack him -takes lot of skill to beat 1 -use barpoison, for add effect disservement -outlast them

BARD -man there good, especially when sub rdm -they can last long -I have my ways, but quick tip have more MP than bard to beat

PLD/RDM -all i can say is, my match with another pld/rdm lol fight never ends till time runs out

smn, pup, cor, havent fought 1 yet

Always stay positive, we have so much potential but takes skills and experience to be good in pvp. I learned so much from pvp other jobs strengths and weakness, even there capabilities. Most people loose because they are too confident, my biggest advice to people that PvP is to never understimate your opponent.

Good information threads

PLD/RDM vs VT Heraldic Imp thread http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.ht...m=10;page=1

Paladin history and Game weapons, armor, gear and Items History from RL history http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.ht...um=9;page=1

Ballista Role Advice by Taraishttp://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.ht...m=14;page=1

Tanking as PLD/RDM from 50+ by Doval http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/pal....works.html

PLD/RDM in Exp thread http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.ht...m=74;page=1

Chivalry http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.ht...m=42;page=1

I want to thank everyone for taking there time to read this, I am not a master nor will take full credit of this combo. Everyone who use this combo should take credit, because we all took the initiatives to try something new which turn out great. Also want to thank this old school RDM I know in game that help me a lot from Ifrit understanding RDM spells, strength and weakness. Eldoras!

Please if you have any suggestions or anything you would like to add please feel free to speak your mind. Thanks!