I would like to create a Warrior. Should I pick a Paladin, Fighter, Barbarian or Monk?

Melee classes are among the easier ones to play in DDO, but the player's knowledge of utilizing the special abilities of a class will ultimately make the difference between, say a player's Half-Orc with a big sword that swings a lot and gets a few kills before his hit points are too low, and a small halfling Paladin with a shortsword that lays waste to most everything she sees with little damage sustained.

Let's summarize each class as well as what you may not know about it that can help you make a decision as to which one is best for you.

Paladin
The Paladin is a fierce fighter with holy powers that augment his attacks or protect himself and others. Depending on the Prestige Enhancements chosen, the Paladin can ward off attacks from the undead or extraplanar creatures with ease and use their Smite Evil ability to destroy an enemy.

Why Choose a Paladin?

 * Paladins are less powerful in melee than Fighters but are much more protected against common magical attacks, such as Fear (in fact, they are immune). They make great front-line fighters in dungeons with mages and undead.
 * Paladins are more deadly against undead or unholy targets than ordinary Fighters, thanks to their feats.
 * Paladins can aid the party's health in a crisis, using Lay on Hands to restore hit points to any class, particularly for injured Warforged without penalty (unless other classes)
 * Paladins with the Hunter of the Dead prestige enhancements become highly resistant against negative energy attacks and become immune to negative level drain, making them effective against Beholders and other dangerous mages. Other prestige enhancements offer greater offensive power against demons and devils.
 * Paladins have the best overall saving throws in the game, reducing their chance of severe damage or death against many attacks or traps.

What's the Catch?
Paladins are specialists against unholy or evil enemies, but might be less effective against living enemies because their skills are tailored against smiting evil.

In comparison to other melee classes, Paladins must ensure that their Charisma stat is as strong as their Strength and Constitution abilities to stay in the front lines. The tending of stats like these only make Paladins a little less effective overall in general fighting.

Fighter
Fighters are the best overall melee class. They are often placed in front of a party to intentionally attract enemies and fight them, while others in the party join him to flank and destroy the enemy. A specialist in many weapons, a fighter's defense is typically as strong as their offense, with shield in hand, tough armor, and weapons that can pound enemies into oblivion.

Why Choose a Fighter?

 * Fighters gain many feats throughout the game to bolster their attacks and protection.
 * A primary skill, Intimidate, aids the Fighter in attracting enemies to him, rather than having to run to the fight. This keeps the attacks centered in one place, leaving other party members safer to fight.
 * Fighters can learn any weapon and make the most of its damage better than most classes.
 * Fighters can build up immense hit points, leaving them able to absorb more damage over time than any other class.
 * Fighters make for a great multiclassing option to improve another class's fighting prowess.

What's the Catch?
Fighters are dependent on using many healing potions or spells from others to stay alive. Players that choose a Fighter must learn to use the class skills, particularly Intimidate, as well as stances, to gain an edge--you cannot just swing your sword as a Fighter after a time, and must use your skills tactically in higher-level quests.

Fighters are also more vulnerable against magic attacks and other damage from traps, having poor saving throws.

Barbarian
While Fighters are balanced melee fighters, the Barbarian is more a "scream and leap" attacker. With skills and feats, the Barbarian is often right behind other melee classes, able to attack and destroy mobs of enemies faster than any other class, hand-to-hand.

Why Choose a Barbarian?

 * Barbarians are faster than most melee classes.
 * Rage is a powerful Barbarian feat that greatly increases their overall attack power, although at a cost.
 * Barbarians are the best two-handed fighters in the game, able to strike harder and most powerfully.
 * Barbarians gain impressive damage reduction feats against all enemies as they level.
 * While they inherently cannot disarm traps, a Barbarian senses traps almost as well as a Rogue.
 * Barbarians gain Uncanny Dodge to help their protective abilities.

What's the Catch?
Barbarians can wear only light or medium armor, limiting their protection against more dangerous foes that can bypass these protections.

Rage can be a serious detriment after it wears off, leaving a Barbarian vulnerable. The class may be more suited to two-handed fighting, leaving the option for shields less viable if the class wants to deal the maximum amount of damage.

Monk
The Monk specializes in unarmed attacks, using handwraps to augment their attacks. Through the use of the mystical energy, ki, as well as impressive feats, Monks can survive and fight in many situations where many melee classes would be challenged.

Why Choose a Monk?

 * Next to Paladins, Monks have the greatest saving throws in game. Combined with the automatically granted Evasion, Improved Evasion and feats, the Monk can survive more against any form of attack than any class except, sometimes, the Rogue.
 * Monks receive elemental strikes that they can use at anytime, adapting themselves to any enemy.
 * Monks are the fastest class in terms of running as they level.
 * Monks can survive long falls without Feather falling items, eventually foregoing the need for them at maximum level.
 * Monks naturally gain immunity to poison and disease.
 * A Monk's finishing moves can buff and heal a party, even raise from the dead. Other finishing moves can debuff enemies or even kill them with a single strike.
 * The Monk can make impressively long jumps to reach locations that other classes cannot.
 * The Monk's ki energy, unlike spell points, is recharged when attacking or being attacked, allowing Monks to be far more self-sufficient than any other class.
 * Monks are specialists at stunning enemies better than most classes.

What's the Catch?
The Monk is arguably the most complex melee class to play in DDO. They cannot wear armor or use most weapons, or they will become uncentered, losing all of the special abilities. The combination and timing necessary to complete and execute finishing moves (especially on a typical keyboard) challenges and defeats the interest of most players who had rolled up a character out of curiosity. The Monk requires close attention to ability scores, keeping Strength, Dexterity and Constitution balanced, with Wisdom in control of whether many talents will succeed or not. The ki energy drains from a Monk over time, requiring them to be opportunistic before their ki is depleted. Their key skill, Concentration, determines how much ki is held or used, and Monks get fewer skill points to use than some melee classes.

Because of the many automatic feats they receive, Monks should not be the dominant score in a multiclassed character, but one or two levels of Monk in other classes can make for a nice blend in classes that are less fortified in attacks. Of all the melee classes, a Monk's hand-to-hand attacks do less damage than those from conventional weapons and do less damage on critical hits in general--although unarmed attacks do strike more often than many classes except Barbarians. Of all the melee classes, Monks gain the fewest hit points per level, requiring more attention to the number of hit points in higher levels to survive.