DPS Paladin Possible?

[Nine Line]

Hi folks,

 

Just picked the game up.  Based on my research, it sounds like paladins are purely tanks, and mediocre (at best) DPS.  Is that true?  I'd really like to run a semi-tanky character that can dish out respectable damage, but I've always liked paladins, so if they can do it, great.  If not, I might have to go Fighter.

[dunehunter]

Hi folks,

 

Just picked the game up.  Based on my research, it sounds like paladins are purely tanks, and mediocre (at best) DPS.  Is that true?  I'd really like to run a semi-tanky character that can dish out respectable damage, but I've always liked paladins, so if they can do it, great.  If not, I might have to go Fighter.

 

Just pick fighter.

[Magrusaod]

Or monk. Throw armor on a monk and let him use both fists to punch things. As you take damage, you get more and more dangerous. 

[limaxophobiacq]

Bleak Walker/Goldpact Knight Paladin with Intense Flames + Remember Rakhan Field/Enduring Flames + Two-Handed Style can do pretty good damage damage with their Flames of Devotion. Only two hits per combat though.

[dunehunter]

Fighters can pick weapon specialization and mastery, which is +25% damage to every hit, which is much better for dps than Intense Flames or Remember rakhan field IMO, in the beta, paladins can one shoot kill an enemy with flame of devotion and arquebus, now they are nerfed sadly. So if you want to tank and do damage, better pick a fighter.

[mrmonocle]

josh said that one of the testers did 400 dmg in one hit with a bleak walker with a certain set of talents and equipment.

[Shadowstrider]

Bleak Walker with arq... OP.

[Nine Line]

So it sounds like melee paladins are exclusively good for tanking.  Pretty depressing, but I understand why they did it.  

 

Thanks for the responses, guys.  

[Jarlhen]

Having messed around with paladins a bit now I'm not entirely sure if they're that bad. Since most abilities/talents for the paladin are supportive you can freely grab a weapon style, weapon focus, bloodlust, savage attack (grap the +accuracy aura earlier and you'll be fine). It's not going to be very exciting but I find it hard to see how paladin DPS is that bad. It seems like it's largely lacking in AoE.

For instance:
Flames of whatever: 100% weapon damage (+25% corrosive/flame with talent, nto sure if they stack, 2/encounter)
Aura of accuracy: +6 accuracy
Weapon focus: +6 accuracy
Weapon style: 1.15x damage
Bloody slaughter: 20% hits to crits +0.5 crit damage

Savage attack: 1.2x damage, -5 accuracy
Sworn enemy: 1.2x damage +15 accuracy (3/rest)

This is just off the top of my head. Since paladins get great defenses by themselves you're free to take the general offensive talents without really sacrificing anything. I'm not sure if the same can be said of for instance barbarians. Paladins are lacking in options though, they really are. It's pretty clear that they're designed to tank and support. But I think it's possible to build them to do acceptable damage too though. Just, if you build a barbarian the same way he'll do it to 5 enemies at once. And a monk will do it three times over plus have good offensive AoE and CC abilities. Essentially paladins just seem a bit meh rather than outright blah.

[endruwiggin]

With paladin you can build a flame-damage build.

I have 9 might with my paladin and i could score 40-60 damage with arbalast using the Flame of Devotion (i think thats how its called).

Thing is you can build it in a way to deal +extra fire damage, and enhance your weapons for +fire damage.

[illathid]

Hmm... I'm thinking an estoc and vulnerable attack would maybe be better than savage attack.