My completely unbiased opinion is DA is best (lol!).
You've gotten the answer I already agree with. Those who play pally's love them generall--those who play DA feel the same about their toons.
Both people playing TK's seem to think they are uber, as well (jk!).
I went DA cause one clan member told me too. After I finished quest another clan member immediately told me "aw, you should have gone pally".
they are both legitimate tanks. I will say as much as I was griefed and ganked before 40, no one has ever attacked me while I was hunting with the panther. It's not like the kitty is unbeatable--actually its defense is almost non-existent. But it is a patk powerhouse and combined with the DA's abilities to shackle and shield stun, folks generally give us a little space (the panther's patk is higher than the DA's). Between the two it's a lot of cp and hps to erase to kill the DA--and the kitty with beast shots will be hitting all the time the DA is being attacked.
Not invincible but not a whimpy combination either. As I solo a lot I like having kitty around (I call him poooky). He's a good companion! He takes less exp than a duo with another toon would, he never does the wrong thing, and he doesn't bother me with lots of questions! (lol).
Depends on situation alot. Paladin can sacrifice himself down to 30% fast, buff angelic icon, get balance of life and have hp up before pvp fight is about to start. Also 2 hit necro summons, mass shackle, sacrifice party members, block hits from behind, better resistance to dark magic, interlude 79 PK can rez aswell etc. Paladin's are not that bad compared to DA's anymore, I'd say they are different. For overall olympiad fights 78+ HK is better than PK due touch of death being overpowered skill against most classes imho. Then again hardest fights for HK are summoners where PK can do much better.
As for PVE if DA is willing to spend c crystals, beast shoulshots and soulshots for himself gonna get xp faster than paladin. Holy blade toggle is how ever nice for hunting in 7 signs dungeons on competetion weeks. Paladin can just toggle it on/off depending on if he is fighting angelic or demonic mobs, but DA needs to either get holy weapon for 20 mins or not, either way loses 20% damage on some mobs.
I would say they don't compare well. Like comparing a hammer and a wrench (sort of--lol).
Tanks absorb damage from mobs so others can kill. They 'hold' the mob's attention....and take a beating while they're doing it.
warlords and glads and bd's (and other dd's for the most part) attack and wear down mobs.
Tanks aren't so good at patk (compared to dd's) and dd's aren't quite as good as tanks with pdef.
So, the answer to your question is that they involve (imho) two different play styles and two different mindsets.
Like asking if a nuke class is 'better' than a healer. Better, how?
It's all well and good to discuss uberness in PvP but the FACT is that you have to actually PLAY a toon in PvE in order to get high enough to do other things. That sort of means you're going to spend many, many, hours with the toon you choose as a main. Generally you're going to want to like that playstyle and appreciate some things about the char type you choose.
Glads and DA's are just really, really different. Very hard to compare straight up.
Do you want to protect others with your pdef (while trusting healers a lot?--lol), or do you like the action of a DD more?
Read up on all the classes if you're still wondering. It wont answer all your questions but should give you more things to think about while choosing.
As a glad i've always hated fighting anything w/any sort of pdef, But i didn't do too bad against DAs in c4, In c5 I have yet to fight a tank, I know pallys are a b*tch to kill as a glad, and the DA panther folds like oregami against me. But even w/the c5 improvements to glads, i would still hesitate to target a tank, it's just a waste of mp if there are any soft targets around.
As for pve, you'll hear a lot of tanks b*tching about a glads tanking ability. A properly rigged gladiator, with the correct buffs, SE/BD will be able to tank most places as well as be a DD. But at the same time, there is no substitute for a True tank. And i personally like Pallys, or SKs for tanking purposes.
Depends on situation alot. Paladin can sacrifice himself down to 30% fast, buff angelic icon, get balance of life and have hp up before pvp fight is about to start. Also 2 hit necro summons, mass shackle, sacrifice party members, block hits from behind, better resistance to dark magic, interlude 79 PK can rez aswell etc. Paladin's are not that bad compared to DA's anymore, I'd say they are different. For overall olympiad fights 78+ HK is better than PK due touch of death being overpowered skill against most classes imho. Then again hardest fights for HK are summoners where PK can do much better.
As for PVE if DA is willing to spend c crystals, beast shoulshots and soulshots for himself gonna get xp faster than paladin. Holy blade toggle is how ever nice for hunting in 7 signs dungeons on competetion weeks. Paladin can just toggle it on/off depending on if he is fighting angelic or demonic mobs, but DA needs to either get holy weapon for 20 mins or not, either way loses 20% damage on some mobs.
pretty much sums it up....the DA is ok...but if you want a little more punch...go with the PALLY.
As for pve, you'll hear a lot of tanks b*tching about a glads tanking ability. A properly rigged gladiator, with the correct buffs, SE/BD will be able to tank most places as well as be a DD. But at the same time, there is no substitute for a True tank. And i personally like Pallys, or SKs for tanking purposes.
you see....there is a difference between a "TANK" and "DAMAGE DEALER" that you will come across from time to time. IMO since C5 "tanks" if used properly can be very effective in combat.(PVP) Archers and nukers no longer rule the land.