paladin is a tank...gladiator is more of a DD then a tank in comparison with the paladin. If you are wanting to solo I think gladiator be easier of the two but you will be burning through a ton of shots....
Glads dont solo so well without pots or buffs, so Pala is the better for solo hunting over time. Paladin sucks at pvp and gladiators are great. Glad = pvp Paladin = pve
However paladin can have roles in mass pvp and have a easier time finding parties then glads.
Whats the best Solo direct dmg (melee) dealer in the game?
If you can afford to spam ss/pet ss/blessed sps a DA with his panther is one of the better melee pve's ingame atm, otherwise look to a batle prophet or pure summoner, they can fight melee and solo for hours.
Seriously do NOT ever roll a paladin you will be kicking yourself for it down the road. Paladins solo without buffers solo slower then watching paint dry. Paladins without bufers and SS should not even be played! Yes paladins take less damage but the simple fact that it takes you a millenium to kill white normal HP mobs means you take so many more hits overtime that the extra defense means nothing. A glad with higher damage and less p defense will kill a mob way faster then a paladin and thus take less damage in the long run. If you want a tank go DA they have nice skillsand with panther using SS they will be a top notch melee DD. However if you are looking for a tank/dd hybrid perhaps a WS is worth looking at. Besides having a paladin I have a WS and with SS his golem drops mobs and players fast. I do jack for damage myself but who cares I just stun things and let my golem tear them apart and with the nice unsummon skill I can wait til the last minute dismiss my golem and kill the mob for all the xp if its worth it. I made 2 million xp last night off antharas which is not bad for being in a party with only a couple archers and one nuker all i did was summon my golem and let it tear into the dragon while i walked behind using a bow.
I dont know why people think glads do this god like damage, we dont, not really. I can solo with self buffs and soul shots about 5-6 mobs then i have to rest. Having higher damage output doesnt mean i kill a whole load faster. Glads are only good with buffs and the right tat set up, then we become a serious class.
Fighting in a complety solo manor, no potions just self buffs which is detect weakness and battle roar and spamming SS i rest after every 5-6 mobs hunting liht blue/green and white name mobs.
...and nothing much changes as you go up - with buffs I can solo but without them, even if spamming GHP and SS, and with Haste2 pots, I have to sit and rest after 6-7 green mobs.
It's more a case of 'run out of mp again' than losing hp... so much of a glad's damage output relies on their specials and they take A LOT of mp.
Even avoiding using TSS apart from as an emergency measure, just doing one Triple Slash per mob, and alternating war cry/dualist spirit as they regen, will drain your mp fast.
End result is I very rarely solo - very expensive, even if soloing on inf ore or other quest item-generating mobs, as well as lots of boring downtime - usually better to spend up to an hour 'LFG' and then get into a TOI group :p
I laugh at you muahaha....
I can solo light red at 61 nonstop using mid range b grade duals and robes. :). Kill speed is slower, but I make it up by not sitting. Trick is to exploit your strengths on the mobs weak to your class. I like mage mobs because they're lower pdef and i've got +++antimagic. If I pick a fight with a bat in BS or a 2x hp melee, i sleep and run.
If the op wants a good melee with decent output and solo ability, i'd suggest orc. WC with soul cry, destroyer, or tyrant (money pit)... ok, maybe not tyrant.