Paladin Overview

In Lost Ark, supports deal a very small fraction of damage compared to DPS classes. Seeing as Supports aren't required to clear group content, they must justify the damage difference or else a party would be missing out on billions of damage if they picked a Support. A good support will ensure that the party's damage is greater than if a DPS was put in their place.

That being said, as a Paladin, your role is to ensure that your DPS are the best version of themselves. You can accomplish this by ensuring maximum uptime on your Atk. Power buffs and vestige proc, shields and damage reductions.

One misconception about the Support role in Lost Ark is that they exist to babysit DPS and make sure their health bar is topped-off. The real function of Supports in Lost Ark is to ensure that the DPS have maximum damage uptime. Healing should only be a priority if your party is inexperienced, is failing mechanics, or to get prepared for a phase in the fight/ certain mechanic. Generally, the Support should focus on making the DPS more comfortable whilst they are dealing damage - this may include using damage reduction skills when they are near the boss so that they can deal damage through some minor skills that might get thrown their way.

Overall, a Paladin should not only make the DPS experience more fluid one for your party, but should also make sure that the damage boost is significantly larger than if a DPS were in their place.

To learn more about the other Warrior classes, check out Destroyer, Berserker, or Gunlancer.

Like most classes, Paladins will build up their Identity (Piety) meter during combat but have two choices when it’s filled:

• Holy Aura

  • Provides a damage buff to your party
  • Extra buffs with
    • Gives your party members damage reduction
    • Heals your party every tick

• Sacred Executioner

  • Increases damage of Punish skills
  • Increases range of Punish skills

In encounters, Paladins have to focus more on a macro level and less so on a micro level - you will focus more on the over-arching strategy as opposed to mechanically complex combos.

As a Paladin, your job will generally be playing around your cooldowns and buff durations. This applies to both Support Paladin and DPS Paladin.

A Support Paladin will have to track their Vestige debuff on the boss, their Atk. Power buffs and make smart use of damage reductions and shields. For a more targeted example, Paladins can use their with the tripod in Valtan Gate 1 to remove bleed stacks from the party - a good Paladin will ensure that whenever a party member has x2 bleed stacks they will have their Purify ready.

(Note that it is not recommended to play DPS Paladin) A DPS Paladin will have to utilize more micro skill due to back attacks, but will still need to have the macro to cycle their Atk. Power buffs.

In PvP, Paladins are still a slow and tanky support class but they can output pretty big damage as well, especially if they are in Sacred Executioner form - the only identity skill they should use in PvP.

Paladins excel at using their skills to peel for their team. This is achieved with shields, damage reductions, and careful use of CC.

Sacred Executioner extends the range of Punish skills so you’ll often be able to catch enemies off guard with crowd control and set up kills, finish the enemies off with the extra damage, or peel more effectively.