Friday, March 20, 2020

Paladin Guide Essays

Paladin Guide Essays Paladin Guide Essays So you want to be a Paladin? You want to play the tried and true Sword and Board? The foundation and rock of the party? Well look no farther. Paladin is one of the staple jobs of any game, with the play style being in every game. FFXIV Paladin is, unfortunately, unlike any Paladin out there. Paladins do have access to Cure, but it is piss poor, even with all the buffs you can find (Convalescence, Internal Release, Eos' buff, Mantra, just to name a few) you'd be lucky to get a crit on yourself for 500 hp. With over 8k hp this is laughable. Instead, FFXIV Paladin is built just like any other Sword and Board tank, they are the mitigation rocks. Instead of Cure, Paladins will use Stoneskin, and pull everything they can from War to help mitigate. Paladin hasn't seen much change since the launch of 2.0, instead monsters have been changed with Paladin in mind. Things you could not debuff or drain mp from were alter to favor Paladin. Paladin excels at everything but is best for nothing. While Paladin can mitigate quite a bit, their cooldowns favor physical damage slightly, so Warrior has pulled ahead as the better tank. That being said, Paladin is user friendly, and much easier to learn, making it the best tank to have around and best beginner tank. Because Paladins have more tank cooldowns than War, they are at the forefront of any progression, be it newest content, or tackling older content for the first time. Rotation; This will be the smallest portion of the guide, because lets face it, what tank has a rotation? Paladin does! Opener: Hide i personally prefer this as my opener, Fight or FlightShield LobSpirits Within as I run throughFast BladeCircle of ScornSavage BladeStr PotRage of Halone If the boss is a slow heavy hitter I'll stall Fast Blade and throw in Awareness. Jonny prefers a different rotation, Fight or Flight Shield Lob Circle of Scorn Flash Spirits Within Flash A decent opener, and one worth noting however, personally I feel it is a bit slow since it waits 3 GCD's to start the enmity combo. Good for snap agro as mobs run around, but for initial pulls I find that you have enough layer of bonus enmity to start your Fast Blade much sooner. Also I tend to Spirits as I run through so I am still at full hp for max damage, and use Circle later since it is not hp dependent. I would also like to point out that both Savage Blade and Rage of Halone do the same potency outside of combo, so for snap agro purposes I favor Savage Blade since the Animation is shorter, give you the damage much sooner. Basic Rotations: Hide Fast BladeSavage BladeRage of Halone Just spam these three in combo over and over and over.....and over again and profit! Paladin's utility lies in their threat combo, as Rage of Halone applies a str debuff on the target when done in combo. For MP Fast BladeRiot Blade Pretty easy to figure out if you read the tool tip, Riot Blade refunds MP when done in combo. While Paladin doesn't cure, they are heavily based on MP. Flash is very strong for threat, aoe or single target, and requires MP. Stoneskin can be used in a fight which also requires a substantial amount of MP. Cure is there, and until your HP surpasses the 6k mark is a better choice compared to Stoneskin. Instead of a basic Weapon Skill rotation, Paladin has a Buff rotation. A good rule of thumb, use the shortest CD first (not the shortest duration the shortest CD), strongest later, weakest last. Buff Rotation: Hide Rampart - 90sec cd, reduces damage taken by 20% Bloodbath - 90sec cd, converts 25% physical damage in to HP Foresight - 120sec cd, increases Defense by 20% Convalescence - 120sec cd, increases HP received via healing magic by 30% Awareness - 120sec cd, Nullifies chance to suffer critical damage Sentinel - 180sec cd, decreases damage received by 40% Bulwark - 180sec cd, increases block rate by 60% Hallowed Ground - 420sec cd, renders you impervious to most attacks *All of these buffs reflect lvl 50 traits

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Biography of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

Biography of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia Catherine the Great (May 2, 1729–Nov. 17, 1796) was empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796, the longest reign of any female Russian leader. She expanded Russias borders to the Black Sea and into central Europe during her reign. She also promoted westernization and modernization for her country, though it was within the context of maintaining her autocratic control over Russia and increasing the power of the landed gentry over the serfs. Fast Facts: Catherine the Great Known For: Empress of RussiaAlso Known As: Catherine IIBorn: May 2, 1729 in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland)Parents: Prince Christian  August  von Anhalt-Zerbst, Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-GottorpDied: Nov. 17, 1796 in St. Petersburg, RussiaSpouse: Grand Duke Peter (Peter III) of RussiaChildren: Paul, Anna, AlexeiNotable Quote: I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster. Early Life Catherine the Great was born Sophia Frederike Auguste in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland), on May 2, 1729 (April 21 in the Old Style calendar). She was known as Frederike or Fredericka. Her father was Prussian Prince Christian  August  von Anhalt-Zerbst and her mother was Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. As was common for royal and noblewomen, she was educated at home by tutors. She learned French and German and also studied history, music, and the religion of her homeland, Lutheranism. Marriage She met her future husband, the Grand Duke Peter (later known as Peter III), on a trip to Russia at the invitation of Empress Elizabeth, Peters aunt, who ruled Russia after taking power in a coup.  Elizabeth, unmarried and childless, had named Peter as her heir to the Russian throne. Peter, though the Romanov heir, was a German prince. His mother was Anna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia, and his father was the Duke of Hostein-Gottorp.  Peter the Great had 14 children by his two wives, only three of whom survived to adulthood.  His son Alexei died in prison, convicted of plotting to overthrow his father. His elder daughter Anna was the mother of the Grand Duke Peter, whom Catherine married.  Anna had died in 1728 following the birth of her only son, a few years after her father died and while her mother Catherine I of Russia ruled. Catherine the Great (or Catherine II) converted to Orthodoxy, changed her name, and married the Grand Duke Peter in 1745. Though Catherine had the support of Peters mother, the Empress Elizabeth, she disliked her husband- Catherine later wrote she had been more interested in the crown than the person- and first Peter and then Catherine were unfaithful. Her first son Paul later emperor (or czar) of Russia as Paul I, was born nine years into the marriage, and some question whether his father was Catherines husband.  Her second child, daughter Anna, was likely fathered by Stanislaw Poniatowski.  Her youngest child Alexei was most likely the son of Grigory Orlov.  All three were officially recorded, however, as Peters children. Empress Catherine When Czarina Elizabeth died at the end of 1761, Peter became ruler as Peter III and Catherine became the empress consort.  She considered fleeing, as many thought that Peter would divorce her, but Peters actions as emperor soon led to a coup against him. Military, church, and government leaders removed Peter from the throne, planning to install Paul, then 7 years old, as his replacement.  Catherine, however, with the help of her lover Orlov won over the military in St. Petersburg and gained the throne for herself in 1762, later naming Paul as her heir.  Soon after, she may have been behind Peters death. Her early years as empress were devoted to gaining the support of the military and nobility to strengthen her claim as empress. She had her ministers carry out domestic and foreign policies designed to establish stability and peace; instituted reforms inspired by the Enlightenment, a philosophical, intellectual, and cultural movement of the 17th and 18th centuries; and updated Russias legal system to provide equality of people under the law.   Foreign and Domestic Strife Stanislas, the king of Poland, was Catherines former lover, and in 1768 Catherine sent troops to Poland to help him suppress a revolt. The rebels brought in Turkey as an ally, and the Turks declared war on Russia.  When Russia beat the Turkish troops, the Austrians threatened Russia with war. Russia and Austria partitioned Poland in 1772.  By 1774, Russia and Turkey had signed a peace treaty, with Russia winning the right to use the Black Sea for shipping. While Russia was  still technically at war with the Turks, Cossack Yemelyan Pugachev led a revolt at home.  He claimed that Peter III was still alive and that oppression of serfs and others would be ended by deposing Catherine and reinstituting Peter IIIs rule.  It took several battles to defeat the rebellion, and after this uprising that included many of the lower classes, Catherine backed off many of her reforms to benefit that stratum of society. Government Reorganization Catherine then began reorganizing government in the provinces, strengthening the role of the nobility and making operations more efficient.  She also tried to reform municipal government and expand education. She wanted Russia to be seen as a model of civilization, so she paid considerable attention to the arts and sciences to establish the capital of St. Petersburg as a major center for culture. Russo-Turkish War Catherine sought the support of Austria in moving against Turkey and planned to seize Turkeys European lands.  In 1787, Turkeys ruler declared war on Russia.  The Russo-Turkish War took four years, but Russia gained a large amount of land from Turkey and annexed Crimea.  By that time, Austria and other European powers had withdrawn from their alliances with Russia, so Catherine wasnt able to realize her plan to take over lands as far as Constantinople. Polish nationalists again rebelled against Russian influence, and in 1793 Russia and Prussia annexed more Polish territory. In 1794 Russia, Prussia, and Austria annexed the rest of Poland. Succession and Death Catherine became concerned that her son Paul was not emotionally fit to rule. She planned to remove him from the succession and name Pauls son Alexander as heir.  But before she could make the change, she died of a stroke on Nov. 17, 1796. Her son Paul ascended to the throne. Legacy Russians continue to admire Catherine for increasing the boundaries of the country and streamlining its governance. At the end of her reign, Russia had broadened to the west and south over more than 200,000 square miles; provinces had been reorganized and towns renovated, expanded, or built from scratch; trade had expanded; military battles had been won; and the royal court had transformed into an attraction for the greatest minds of Europe. Catherine was a patron of literature who promoted Russian culture and one of the few women, including British Queens Elizabeth I  and Victoria, to have been influential enough to have epochs named after them. Though outside observers acknowledged her energy and administrative ability, they saw her more as a harsh, unscrupulous ruler, egotistical, pretentious, and domineering, a woman of action who could be ruthless when it served her or the state. She was also widely known for being lusty, having taken young lovers up to her death at age 67. Sources Catherine the Great: Empress of Russia. Encyclopedia Brittanica.Catherine the Great: Biography, Accomplishments Death. Live Science.8 Things You Didnt Know About Catherine the Great. History.com.