That's good. I'm not an expert at ffxi and I won't pretend to be. I am quite new to actually playing the game actually. However there is one thing I can tell you that you should listen to. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. THIS IS A GAME AND IS MADE TO HAVE FUN. . It might be a good idea to get thief up or some good way of income for this idea but... remember that you can always switch jobs/gear. So you might want to be a defensive paladin for xp parties and whatever you want to be and solo every now and then. The reason I sugested thief or a good solid source of income is that to have the gear to switch from defensive to offensive and vice versa in any situation takes alot of cash. Buying two sets of equipment like that and all... . Well anyways that's my opinion on the matter.