Paladin
The Paladin (パラディン, Paradin) is a defensively-oriented vocation in the Dragon Quest series. Originally, the vocation was depicted as more of a "Holy Karate-ka" rather than the more common, heavily armored knight seen in other media. Starting with IX, the vocation has shifted to better reflect the popular perception.
Description[edit]
The Paladin increases Strength, Agility and Wisdom in VI and VII, and possess a low chance of killing the enemy instantly by striking a soft spot. This chance rises when the higher rank the paladin is, and varies between two titles. In IX, the Paladin loses its Agility and ability to instantly slay monsters in exchange for a much more durable body, focusing the vocation's skills and spells entirely on defending the party.
Regardless of the game being played, the Paladin is dedicated to taking hits for weakened party members and bearing the brunt of enemy assault. Though this puts them at great risk of being killed in a single turn, doing so keeps the pressure off the rest of the party and allows the healer to focus on maintaining only one ally instead of three for a time.
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation[edit]
A character needs to master both the Martial Artist and Priest vocations to become a Paladin.
| Rank | Slay Rate |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1/256 |
| 2 | 1/64 |
| 3 | 1/48 |
| 4 | 1/32 |
| 5 | 1/32 |
| 6 | 1/16 |
| 7 | 1/16 |
| 8 | 1/8 |
Stat Changes[edit]
| Statistics | Change |
| Battles to Master | 260 |
| Strength | +15% |
| Agility | +15% |
| Resilience | Null |
| Wisdom | +15% |
| Style | Null |
| Max HP | Null |
| Max MP | Null |
| Trait | Chance to instantly kill enemies with melee attacks |
| Mastery Bonus | +20 Max HP |
Abilities[edit]
| Level | Title | Learns | Battles Needed | Target | Info | MP |
| 1 | Bronze Knight | Selflessness | 1 | One Ally | Step in to take a blow for a party member in peril. | 0 |
| 2 | Iron Knight | Thin Air | 25 | All enemies | Conjures a vacuum-vortex that tears enemies to shreds. | 0 |
| 3 | Steel Knight | Double Up | 50 | One enemy | Ditches defence to increase attack an impressive amount. | 0 |
| 4 | Silver Knight | Kaswoosh | 80 | One group | Slices through a group of enemies with a ferocious whirlwind. | 8 |
| 5 | Gold Knight | Magic Barrier | 115 | Party | Forms a protective barrier that reduces the efficacy of enemy spells. | 3 |
| 6 | Crystal Knight | Forbearance | 155 | Party | Stand steadfast in order to protect allies from attack. | 0 |
| 7 | Royal Knight | Kerplunk | 200 | Party | Sacrifice caster's life to resurrect all other party members. | All |
| 8 | Holy Knight | Pearly Gates | 260 | All enemies | Opens heaven's door to unleash divine judgement on a group of enemies. | 20 |
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past[edit]
As before, characters become Paladins by mastering the Priest and Martial Artist vocations, and can go on to become Champions when combined with Gladiators.
| Rank | Slay Rate |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0/256 |
| 2 | 0/256 |
| 3 | 1/32 |
| 4 | 1/32 |
| 5 | 1/32 |
| 6 | 1/32 |
| 7 | 1/32 |
| 8 | 1/16 |
Stat Changes[edit]
| Statistics | Change |
| Battles to Master | 240 (PS1) |
| 201 (3DS) | |
| Strength | +10% |
| Agility | +15% |
| Resilience | Null |
| Wisdom | +15% |
| Style | Null |
| Max HP | Null |
| Max MP | Null |
| Mastery Bonus | +20 Bonus to HP |
PS1 Abilities[edit]
| Level | Title | Learns | Battles Needed | Target | Info | MP |
| 1 | Page | ScapeGoat | 1 | Self | User will intercept all attacks directed to one ally for one turn | 0 |
| 2 | Squire | Vacuum | 20 | All Enemies | Causes wind damage to all enemies. Its power grows as the user gains levels | 0 |
| 3 | Knight | Berserker | 40 | One Enemy | Instantly does a critical hit but lowers the user's defense to zero for the remainder of the turn | 0 |
| 4 | Zealot | Infermost | 80 | One Group | Causes ~150HP in wind damage to one group of enemies | 8 |
| 5 | Crusader | MagicWall | 120 | All Allies | Reduces magic damage to all allies | 3 |
| 6 | Templar | Guardian | 150 | Self | Intercepts all attacks to all allies for one turn | 0 |
| 7 | Holy Knight | Farewell | 180 | Self | All allies are healed but the caster is killed | All |
| 8 | Martyr | MultiCut | 240 | One Group | Causes ~200HP in wind damage to one group of enemies, does 30% extra damage to undead monsters | 20 |
3DS Abilities[edit]
| Level | Title | Learns | Battles Needed | Target | Info | MP |
| 1 | Bronze Knight | Selflessness | 1 | One ally | Shields a chosen ally for one turn. | 0 |
| Stomp | All enemies | Damage all enemies with Woosh damage, has a 1⁄3 chance to fail. | 0 | |||
| 2 | Iron Knight | Thin Air | 19 | All enemies | Damage all enemies with Woosh damage for ((Lvl*2)+30), capping at 165. | 0 |
| 3 | Steel Knight | Kasap | 39 | One group | Reduces defence of a group of enemies. | 4 |
| Double Up | One enemy | Ditches users defence to increase attack, lasts one turn. | 0 | |||
| 4 | Silver Knight | Kaswoosh | 63 | One group | Summon a twister that damages an enemy group. | 8 |
| Multiheal | Party | Restore at least 100HP to all party members. | 10 | |||
| 5 | Gold Knight | Magic Barrier | 91 | Party | Raises the magic resistance of the whole party. | 3 |
| Forbearance | Party | The user guards all allies from enemy attacks, even attacks that hit multiple party members. | 0 | |||
| 6 | Crystal Knight | Oomph | 115 | One ally | Temporarily double an ally's attack. | 6 |
| Kazing | One ally | Resurrect a chosen fallen ally to full health. | 15 | |||
| 7 | Royal Knight | Kerplunk | 151 | Party | Sacrifices user to resurrect party. | All MP |
| Disruptive Wave | All enemies | Remove all buffs and debuffs from the enemies. | 0 | |||
| 8 | Holy Knight | Pearly Gates | 201 | One group | Deals between 180~210 damage | 20 |
Usefulness[edit]
The Paladin's innate ability to instantly kill one enemy is low even at rank 8, and will not work on bosses. As for the skills, Kerplunk isn't a useful skill except as a last resort. Forbearance and Selflessness are extremely useful, but extra care must be used when facing enemies that utilize multi-target skills and spells, as the Paladin will take up to four times the damage. Thin Air is a very useful skill as, like Wind Sickles, it grows stronger with higher levels. Pearly Gates is also useful but due to the fact that it only hits one group and it cost 20 MP to cast, you are better off using Thin Air.
In regards to career advancement, the Paladin can combine the mastered Gladiator class to become a Godhand and have access to some of the best offensive skills in the game.
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies[edit]
The Paladin vocation is late in the game after completing Quest 106. Paladins have the unique skillset "Virtue", and can also use skill points to learn Hammer, Spear, Wand, and Shield skills. Their Coup de Grâce is "Knight's Watch," which prevents all damage and enrages all enemies.
Many players consider the vocation to be a Goddess-send when facing Legacy Bosses, as the beasts can very easily obliterate an unguarded party even at high levels. Due to elemental resisting equipment now working off of percentages rather than static numbers, it is slightly easier to keep a Paladin alive when he or she bears the brunt of a multi-striking ability.
Stats[edit]
| Attribute | Starting Stats | Maximum Stats |
| Level | 1 | 99 |
| HP | 36 | 600 |
| MP | 11 | 175 |
| Strength | 21 | 354 |
| Agility | 4 | 73 |
| Resilience | 22 | 360 |
| Magical Might | 0 | 0 |
| Magical Mending | 10 | 164 |
| Deftness | 1 | 9 |
| Charm | 7 | 116 |
Virtue[edit]
| Accolade | Required points | Name | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slight Knight | 4 | Pincushion | Defends and adds recoil damage to attacker |
| Alright Knight | 10 | Natural Resilience +10 | Permanently adds 10 to resilience |
| Polite Knight | 16 | H-Pathy | Transfers HP to party member |
| Light Knight | 22 | Natural Magical Mending +30 | Permanently adds 30 to magical mending |
| Bright Knight | 32 | M-Pathy | Transfers MP to party member |
| White Knight | 42 | Natural Resilience +30 | Permanently adds 30 to resilience |
| Right Knight | 55 | Selflessness | Shields any party member in critical condition |
| Upright Knight | 68 | Natural Resilience +60 | Permanently adds 60 to resilience |
| Outright Knight | 82 | Forbearance | Shields all party members |
| Out of Sight Knight | 100 | Natural Max HP +80 | Permanently adds 80 to max HP |
Spells[edit]
| Name | Level | MP | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buff | 2 | 3 | Raises the defence of a single party member. |
| Heal | 7 | 2 | Restores at least 30 HP to a single ally. |
| Spell Checker | 10 | 3 | Protects a single ally from attack spells |
| Midheal | 20 | 4 | Restores at least 75 HP to a single ally. |
| Kabuff | 26 | 6 | Raises the defence of all party members. |
| Magic Barrier | 28 | 6 | Protects the whole party from attack spells. |
| Kamikazee | 33 | 1 | |
| Kerplunk | 46 | All | Caster dies, but all other party members return to life or full health. |
Revocation Award[edit]
Dragon Quest Walk[edit]
Paladins were added to the game in a May 2020 update. It requires that a character reach level 50 with the warrior and priest vocations before they can walk the path of knighthood. Paladins are capable of equipping Swords, Axes, Staves, and Spears.
Notable Paladins[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Carver as a paladin in the official guide for VI...
...and in the V-Jump guide
The default human woman art of the vocation in X
Paladins as seen in Walk
