I hadn't played the game myself but some of the fans feel that the dark knight Cecil is better than the Paladin despite eveidnce to the contrary. He gets better after you level him up but is Cecil that much better a s a Dark Knight than a paladin?
Dark Knight vs. Paladin
- Thread starter Guernsey
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I don't know wether you refer to his stats, fighting abilities or character.
As for fighting it is really no matter for me. Paladin fights as well as a Dark Knight in my opinion. Off course he loses the Dark wave, but has now a small amount of magic, which you wil probaby never use.
Even with that, he can be the best or one f the best heroes in the team.
Now go play the game
As for fighting it is really no matter for me. Paladin fights as well as a Dark Knight in my opinion. Off course he loses the Dark wave, but has now a small amount of magic, which you wil probaby never use.
Even with that, he can be the best or one f the best heroes in the team.
Now go play the game
DeusExLumina
Dragoon
I thought Dark Knight was more useful, but I excused the transformation for the sake of story. Also he looked cooler as a Dark Knight.
Well if your basing it on fighting style, I liked the dark knight way more. He had the Dark wave which was always useful, and he had awsome swords (which I know you get better ones as a Paladin, but thats cause your a paladin later in the game.)
But if your looking at stats, Paladin gets higher stats faster, cause thats again cause you become a paladin later in the game.
So in the end paladin will refelct being better.
But if your looking at stats, Paladin gets higher stats faster, cause thats again cause you become a paladin later in the game.
So in the end paladin will refelct being better.
I just recently got up to this stage (like a few days ago)....When he first turns Paladin he'll quickly level up,and as time goes on his EXP will stay low in comparision to other characters even when he has catched up.
However he isnt my standout attacker anymore,when you first use him as a dark knight his attacks inflict much stronger damage than othercharacters.....But when he turn Paladin I think his Strength starts to deteriorate,but he still is strong not just as strong as dark knight was.
There is a big change though and that would be the dark command goes,and is replaced by white magic.....I don't know which is better honestly as dark abilities did attack all enemies powerfully,but also took away some HP.
So I'd say Dark Knight is better.....But if your a defensive minded player I'd say Paladin.
However he isnt my standout attacker anymore,when you first use him as a dark knight his attacks inflict much stronger damage than othercharacters.....But when he turn Paladin I think his Strength starts to deteriorate,but he still is strong not just as strong as dark knight was.
There is a big change though and that would be the dark command goes,and is replaced by white magic.....I don't know which is better honestly as dark abilities did attack all enemies powerfully,but also took away some HP.
So I'd say Dark Knight is better.....But if your a defensive minded player I'd say Paladin.
Ahlchamest
Your Truth Is My False
Dark Knight Cecil is probably better in the newer versions on FFIV, but not in the original FFIV. Paladin Cecil to me was much stronger, but worse looking 
Quite the opposite, my friend.
In the DS Dark Wave is very different from the GBA/SNES version.
Basically you just hit Dark Wave option and Cecil starts to shine through the rest of the battle. Then you can only attack one enemy and of course with each attack you lose very much HP. You can't turn back so it will only end when the battle ends, or when Cecil is down
In the DS Dark Wave is very different from the GBA/SNES version.
Basically you just hit Dark Wave option and Cecil starts to shine through the rest of the battle. Then you can only attack one enemy and of course with each attack you lose very much HP. You can't turn back so it will only end when the battle ends, or when Cecil is down
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I'd say Paladin Cecil is more useful. That is not to say that Dark Knight Cecil is useless, far from it.
In the PS1 version, Dark Knight Cecil's ability wasn't really useful. Attacking all enemies for little damage didn't really help much in major boss fights. However he has a good attack power. Paladin Cecil on the other hand has a good defense and the Cover ability which is always useful when a mage gets attack physically. He also has the ability to automatically cover an ally when their HP is low when they get attacked physically. He also has White Magic although it is not very useful due to his low magic.
In the DS version, Dark Knight Cecil's ability is much more useful due to his already high attack power. On the other hand Paladin Cecil still has the same abilities as the PS1 version and he gains some new White Magic in this version. The white magic being Protect, Shell, and Raise which are not affected by his magic stat and is always useful in a boss battle. Especially when your White Mage(s) are busy trying to heal others.
tl;dr Dark Knight Cecil is better offensively while Paladin Cecil is more defensively and has White Magic. In my opinion Paladin Cecil is more useful.
In the PS1 version, Dark Knight Cecil's ability wasn't really useful. Attacking all enemies for little damage didn't really help much in major boss fights. However he has a good attack power. Paladin Cecil on the other hand has a good defense and the Cover ability which is always useful when a mage gets attack physically. He also has the ability to automatically cover an ally when their HP is low when they get attacked physically. He also has White Magic although it is not very useful due to his low magic.
In the DS version, Dark Knight Cecil's ability is much more useful due to his already high attack power. On the other hand Paladin Cecil still has the same abilities as the PS1 version and he gains some new White Magic in this version. The white magic being Protect, Shell, and Raise which are not affected by his magic stat and is always useful in a boss battle. Especially when your White Mage(s) are busy trying to heal others.
tl;dr Dark Knight Cecil is better offensively while Paladin Cecil is more defensively and has White Magic. In my opinion Paladin Cecil is more useful.
My friend had gotten FFIV not too long ago, and she's reached a point after he becomes a paladin. She's always told me that she prefers the Dark Knight better than the Paladin, mainly for his looks from what she's told me - but I wonder now if she was also referring to his performances in battle. 
(Referring to experience on the DS, since I don't have the original. . .yet.) As a Dark Knight, his offense attacks were very much useful. I could usually count on him to make a finishing blow, especially when several party members are weak so I won't have to worry about them getting attacked again and KO'd the next turn.
When he became a Paladin though, it was like a newborn baby. I remember how low is attack strength was the very first battle I fought with him in that form, but I noticed that his stats increase a lot faster than they used to, and he eventually became evened out in strength and defense like he was back as a Dark Knight. That and the shield/white magic comes in handy too. These are my two cents .
(Referring to experience on the DS, since I don't have the original. . .yet.) As a Dark Knight, his offense attacks were very much useful. I could usually count on him to make a finishing blow, especially when several party members are weak so I won't have to worry about them getting attacked again and KO'd the next turn.
When he became a Paladin though, it was like a newborn baby. I remember how low is attack strength was the very first battle I fought with him in that form, but I noticed that his stats increase a lot faster than they used to, and he eventually became evened out in strength and defense like he was back as a Dark Knight. That and the shield/white magic comes in handy too. These are my two cents .
Zantetsuken7
Dragoon
I'd say Dark knight. The darkness ability was useful and when you get deathbringer it's just epic giving one hit KO randomly.
squaredgirl
Ex-Soldier
As I'm an obsessive healer in RPGs I found Paladin Cecil much more useful than Dark Knight Cecil... Again, I also don't like attacks that drain your character's health!
I also like Cecil's pretty, flowing blond (white?) hair when he's a Paladin, I'd like to braid it!
I also like Cecil's pretty, flowing blond (white?) hair when he's a Paladin, I'd like to braid it!
xX Katie-San Xx
Active member
I prefer Paladin because Dark Knight is just too creepy. Paladin Cecil I like more cause of the outfit, carries a Holy sword and the appearance. Also they are very helpful cause of casting cure magic and uses Cover (if I'm correct).
This just reminds me of my old main character from Final Fantasy XI who was Paladin back in 2005.
This just reminds me of my old main character from Final Fantasy XI who was Paladin back in 2005.
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I preferred the Paladin, as it was way more helpful in battle. The extra healer in Cecil was needed in my opinion as the enemies in the game grew more tough and I needed someone to aid in healing.
Ruhku
Blue Mage
If this was dissidea wise then Paladin with the air combos but in 4 then yeah paladin because of the white magic
Mad Gab
Gates of Funeral
Dark Knight wins due to the badass factor, but I prefer having some healing abilities that can come in quite handy when Rosa's all out of MP, or while trying to conserve hers, especially in the Sylph or Summon cave where she always needs to cast Float haha. But nah, I can't decide.
I apologize to all the fans in advance, but Dark Wave I found to be completely worthless, (although it shore looks purty) as I'm easily able to get through anything without having to use it, even as a last resort. It might have been cool if it did anything significant against bosses, but I could always manage against regular enemies without that.
As for the Paladin's ''cover'' ability, that's actually saved my ass a few times, (when it was randomized, as opposed to selecting this yourself, which I never do) but it's not the only way to get yourself out of tight jams, it's really just one missed opportunity to waste a raise spell or a phoenix down.
It's true that the Dark Knight seems to be a bit more rough when it comes to causing damage, and his swords are certainly awesome.
The Deathbringer is neat, although its instant death thing only seems to work against certain specific types of enemies. Zus, Gatlingers and those Domovoi imp types are the only ones that seem susceptible to instant death through the Deathbringer. (not sure what an enemy's disposition needs to be for it to be accountable for instant death, but something sure decrees it, as far as that sword goes)
Perhaps more are, but by the time you might encounter them, you can't use that sword anymore. So maybe the Dark Knight only seems better due to what he's allowed to equip. I wish I had a shield that was possessed by the spirit of a demon.
So this is how I see it. Both of them cause significant melee damage, although the Dark Knight does seem a bit more hardcore. But the Paladin can heal and protect. Either way, the skills which define their classes have them both loose their own HP in the process. So I guess it depends on if you're an offensive or defensive style player. Being a survival horror fan, I like to hoard and reserve, so the Paladin suits me, although the Dark Knight sure looks way cooler.
I apologize to all the fans in advance, but Dark Wave I found to be completely worthless, (although it shore looks purty) as I'm easily able to get through anything without having to use it, even as a last resort. It might have been cool if it did anything significant against bosses, but I could always manage against regular enemies without that.
As for the Paladin's ''cover'' ability, that's actually saved my ass a few times, (when it was randomized, as opposed to selecting this yourself, which I never do) but it's not the only way to get yourself out of tight jams, it's really just one missed opportunity to waste a raise spell or a phoenix down.
It's true that the Dark Knight seems to be a bit more rough when it comes to causing damage, and his swords are certainly awesome.
The Deathbringer is neat, although its instant death thing only seems to work against certain specific types of enemies. Zus, Gatlingers and those Domovoi imp types are the only ones that seem susceptible to instant death through the Deathbringer. (not sure what an enemy's disposition needs to be for it to be accountable for instant death, but something sure decrees it, as far as that sword goes)
Perhaps more are, but by the time you might encounter them, you can't use that sword anymore. So maybe the Dark Knight only seems better due to what he's allowed to equip. I wish I had a shield that was possessed by the spirit of a demon.
So this is how I see it. Both of them cause significant melee damage, although the Dark Knight does seem a bit more hardcore. But the Paladin can heal and protect. Either way, the skills which define their classes have them both loose their own HP in the process. So I guess it depends on if you're an offensive or defensive style player. Being a survival horror fan, I like to hoard and reserve, so the Paladin suits me, although the Dark Knight sure looks way cooler.
Definitely as a paladin, though I'm thinking in terms of the SNES version. Maybe it's just me, but it felt like he suddenly started doing more damage at that point But also, it was amazing to suddenly start seeing him do 4-digit damage to undead 
And using elemental swords side by side with Kain's elemental spears, also doing 4-digit damage, was like awesome.
But also, it was amazing to suddenly start seeing him do 4-digit damage to undead And using elemental swords side by side with Kain's elemental spears, also doing 4-digit damage, was like awesome.
JWick
FFIX fanatic
In terms of actual stats, Paladin Cecil is much stronger, especially in magic defence and MP, which were big weaknesses for Dark Knight. The only real thing you lose is Darkness/Dark Wave. This is a bit of a blow to his damage in the DS version, and his usefulness versus groups of enemies on other versions. All the same, I'd say that's a decent trade off considering how much tougher he becomes versus magic, and that he has a larger HP and MP pool. Most of the white magic becomes less useful later on in the game, but cover can be really useful defensively.
In terms of which I prefer irrespective of actual gameplay, I'd go for Paladin as well. I just had a hard time thinking of Dark Knight Cecil as a true protagonist considering what he does in the game's prologue, and so that when he becomes a Paladin who seeks redemption he becomes a lot more fitting for this role.
In terms of which I prefer irrespective of actual gameplay, I'd go for Paladin as well. I just had a hard time thinking of Dark Knight Cecil as a true protagonist considering what he does in the game's prologue, and so that when he becomes a Paladin who seeks redemption he becomes a lot more fitting for this role.