I'm going to say Diablo 3's Crusader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZJh2fHi1Zg
Maybe it's the incredible voice acting, and how the character is unfailingly positive and goodly, in a grim setting. The game overall is pretty bleh, but the Crusader acting, writing, and abilities are superb.
Smashing demons with the Crusader just feels right.
What about you? Which game portrayed the Paladin the best to you? Videos supporting your post are always welcome!
Warhammer Online - god thats a title I haven't heard about in a LONG time.
They had some very interesting classes, and very well done abilities and designs. It's a shame the overall game was such a mess.
What was the mutant, where you could customize his mutations and they impacted what abilities he had?
Warrior Priests.. I remember them being very strong in PvP. Never played one myself though.
World of Warcraft's Paladin has gone through quite the evolution over the years. From basically being a flacid heal/buffer at early release, to eventually becoming a "do everything" righteous god of warfare. I think WoW's Paladin perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with the homogenization of MMO's in modern times.
ArtCore said:Forever original's EQ's paladin for me.
Might be the main that i'll roll in Pantheon
Really?
I played a Paladin in EQ and have to say it's probably one of the worst done. I love it at the time, but so many other games have expanded on the concept... even DAoC which was a contemporary of classic EQ did so many different and interesting things with the Paladin.
But, to each their own though.
It wasn't called the Paladin, but it was LOTRO's version of the Paladin - The Wardens. Most fun I've ever had playing any class on any MMO, and it's what solidified my love of tanking.
In many ways, it couldn't honestly be called a Paladin in the traditional sense. They did not wear plate armor, and weren't considered "divine" or "favored of the gods". They did, however, work as a tank on the front lines and specialized in healing/buffing themselves and party members. Wardens were spear and shield wielding, medium armor wearing avoidance tanks that generated aggro through attack gambit aggro leeches and Heal Over Time skills. Given the lore of The Lord of the Rings, that's really the only semi-paladin class they could add into the mix of classes.
If we're only talking about Paladin's in the traditional sense, I'd actually agree with the original and classic EQ version - but that might just be because that's my current main on P99. There's just something majestic, and tragic, about that class in EQ. They try so hard but always fall JUST short - but a well played paladin making good, economic use of their utility options is a thing to behold.
While EQ Paladin was great fun playing it in high end content, especially the undead based stuff, I prefer the earlier iterations of EQ2s Paladin before it got nerfed into the ground for having the agro tools it needed to be both an OT and MT. It never had the healing power that the EQ1 Paladin had that I enjoyed about the class, but played right it was a damn good tank.
Even in PVP it was a formidable tank but not as broken as Shadow Knights who would crit heal on all their AEs and kill off half a PVP party solo in a 24 v 24.
I've played a paladin, be it main or alt, in almost every MMO where it was an option, just because the first toon I ever rolled as a teenager signing in to my first online game of any kind ever was a half elf pally that almost got lost in Felwithe day one, but could navigate Kelethin on horseback with no problem (once that was an option)
While EQ Pally is always going to be nostalgic for me (I did play it enough to have both the Fiery and Nature's Defender when they were among the best pally blades, after all), the complete and utter inability to do anything alone that wasn't crazily under my level when I didn't have guildies or friends online because of functionally nonexistent damage output was a huge detractor to the class.
EQ2 was more fun, but it was never more than an alt; spent most of my time there playing Taukhan, Kerran Archmage. He still accepts tribute in the form of delectable canned fishes left in his house in Lavastorm...
The most fun I've had playing a paladin was in World of Warcraft. Yes, yes, shock, horror, I mentioned That Which Should Not Be Named, etc, but still.
The retribution paladin spec was something I'd long looked for in the MMO interpretations of the paladin class. While you'd never catch me playing Holy (sorry, I just don't enjoy sitting back and healing, even my various doodads are all DPS/Fury-type specs) I'd bounce between Retribution and Protection at need as natural as breathing, be it for soloing or casual raiding with a guild. Thanks for the dragon mount, Arthas, ya chump!
asteldian said:Vanguard by far had the best Paladin I have played in any MMO. Probably the best in any game actually.
This. I played the original EQ Paladin, and was so disappointed that it wasn't really accepted as a main tank. But the Vanguard Paladin was a thing of beauty, a Paragon of Virtue indeed!
I always gravitate toward "Paladin" classes when I start a new game or MMORPG. The best one I've seen is probably FFXIV, with a few exceptions. I hate that they forced the classes to 1 weapon type only though, and that the only holy steed that I had was a darn chocobo bird.
For me, the requirement is that a Paladin must be able to tank, buff and heal. The EQ1 Paladin was ok, I played it as my main for many years, but they were certainly lacking. The only cool thing they ever got in their prime (For me thats up until POP) was Holy Steed and Cleanse Undead... And even slay undead was pretty weak and didnt proc much.
Eh, I can't really say any MMO has done them right because they all lack the appropriate drawbacks that define paladins... I understand why, after all who is going to pay $x/month to have to give away just about every last bit of stuff they get in the game and the whole lack of any "alignment" mechanics doesn't help either...
Not a video game but a book series I'm reading now called The Paladin Trilogy by Daniel M Ford does a good job of making a Paladin character. Has a bit of a Lay Hands ability, Mothers Rage that makes him super strong when innocents are in danger and the ability to force the truth out of people while not being able to lie himself.
Really good read so far, on book 3 right now.
asteldian said:Vanguard by far had the best Paladin I have played in any MMO. Probably the best in any game actually.
I have been a Pally since EQ1 and rolled one in pretty much every MMO/Game I could since. I would have to agree that the Pally in Vanguard was one of the funnest ones. The balance of the archetype was very well done. The only tweak I would have given it was the threat generated from damage was a little low. I would often have to have the glass cannon group roll the damage in slower to keep the hate off of them. The instant aggro and hate build was nice with the macro's.
I wonder if Pantheon will allow us to Macro the way vanguard did.
Red
For me a Paladin has never been defined by his tanking abilities , by some stat numbers or by his ability to solo . What makes the difference between a random fighter and a Paladin in a fantasy world is the personality .
A Paladin symbolises Honesty, Truth, Courage, Faith and Dedication . He defends the Good against Evil , the weak against the strong and doesn't hesitate to sacrify his life for his brothers . From this point of view the Diablo's Paladin was quite near to the Paladin's Archetype but the almost perfect Archetype lore and personality design was EQ . Mithaniel Marr was exactly everything a Paladin's God should be and when one entered a Paladin's Guild , there could be no mistake that one was in some random fighter Guild . I liked to play the EQ Paladin exactly for that reason .
I always found it annoying when people choose an Archetype Paladin but played it like if it was a some common thief and murderer . Some Paladins could have exceptionally become rotten apples , nobody is perfect , but when they are rotten all over the place then it destroys the Archetype definition . It is not necessary to RP but I find it more satisfying when the PCs show a minimum of consistence with the class/race combination they have chosen .