Concept: Heavy Machinist Tank

As much as a "gun" based tank would be for this game anytime I think about it I just fuse PLD with MCH in my mind, Bacily (shield & handgum) with no turret's or Gauss stance (thou it could be its "DPS" stance respecivly) & that its "tank stance" added an "energy blade" to the gun (would be the same skill in eather stance just diff animation per stance with diff abilities)

Idea of 2 classes fused came from the fact that I saw a clearly CNJ Y'stola use the dome move of AST... just like o.O wait you used what, I mean sure you're trained in magic by ppl of the country who made AST but you're using a CNJ weapon... damn it why can't I do that with 2 classes (hence PLD/MCH fusion was born in my mind, this help little in giving sujestion on you're idea OP srry)

AS for sujestions on OP's class idea maybe Magitek Barrior bit's when in "Tank stance" to block arrgo'd mobs? like mini-protect's that float around avi but snap to attack side if hit (min 4, 1 per side) would allow use of semi-flashy gun animation without it being smacked about like a ragdoll

Ultimately the game will have us enter Garlean homeland right? Would it be so crazy for a gun based tank, perhaps something so simple as a gunblade (as corny and stupid in my opinion I've never liked the idea) job to be taught to the WoL?

When thinking about it. The gunblade is not anecessarily effective at long range but excels in close ranged bursts.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

I just don't understand how the minigun, in the hands of a tank of all roles, isn't going to be knocked aside from even the most mild attacks or weight put against it. It's clearly too large to be handled manageably in CQB. It makes about as much sense as a parry-tank running on a toothpick (or even a rapier, given the size of boss weapons).

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Aside from ignoring the fact this is a fantasy game, you seem to be oblivious to the existence of Dark Knight in this game. Large unwieldly weapons? There are DRK swords in the game that would weigh over 600lbs (272kg). Those swords wouldn't even be able to be carried around by normal people, let alone swung at the speeds they are. A minigun of that size would be comparitively lighter, with other examples in media/games, such as the Heavy's "Sasha" stated to weigh 231 lbs (105kg). On top of the Heavy in the role of a tank as well in it's respective game gives it a prime example of a tanky archetype in that style (i.e. using a big gatling gun).
Countless video games have a Heavy Gunner type enemy/archetype that almost always takes the form of a very heavy armored juggernaut. There are even MMO's that have the same archetype, such as SWTOR's Trooper class, who did just fine fighting in close quarters with their big guns against people with lightsabers.

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I also have to ask, why a tank at all, especially given that XIV's latency prevents most melee from reliably attacking moving targets? Why put this kind of armor or role on a ranged heavy weaponry class?

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How is that statement in any way any kind of reason to prevent such a job in that role? BRD/MCH have no problems hitting targets while moving when their casting stance isn't on, this job would be no different albeit likely have a reduce ranged in comparison (10-15y range perhaps).

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leading to yet more unrealistic animations and weapon usage.

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Welcome to pretty much every animation in the entire game then. BRD jumping in the air, doing a backflip while raining down arrows? So realistic! How about MNK's shoulder tackle, where they cover 20yards in half a second, accelerating to speeds upwards of 80 mph instantly.

I think your drawing and idea is awesome. I love thinking outside of the box. I feel that a new tank should be wildly different because you've got two with swords and one with an axe; any more slashing type tanks would be so boring and redundant.

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Originally Posted by Rufalus

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that was a major part in my mindset when creating this concept.

the thing about creating tanks now a days in FFXIV is that its hard to be original, especially if the gameplay is limited to close range melee and large two-handed weapons (and i do count paladins and gladiators for their shields).

sure, it would be easy to make a "club/warhammer wielding tank" but how can the devs create mechanics that would be completely different from Warrior or Darkknight and make it stand out? why not just give the WAR blunt based weapons of the same stats?

the only two concepts that i feel would be original is this one and a duel-wielding "barbarian".

basically, the devs options are limited in terms of originality. that is one major reason why i believe Stormblood does not feature tanks and the SAM was not a tank class due to the mechanics and animation being too similar to Darkknight (why not just give the Darkknight samurai-themed gear instead of spending long development time creating an entirely different class?).

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Originally Posted by Mysticdraggon

(why not just give the Darkknight samurai-themed gear instead of spending long development time creating an entirely different class?).

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with that said, i do hope they make samurai-themed gear for the Darkknight in order to satisfy players that really wanted the Samurai to be a tank. i feel as if this is the best solution.

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Originally Posted by Mysticdraggon

with that said, i do hope they make samurai-themed gear for the Darkknight in order to satisfy players that really wanted the Samurai to be a tank. i feel as if this is the best solution.

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With the expansion so largely taking place in the East, hopefully we'll see some decent samurai-like outfits (in the armorered Samurai sense of the job) for most mail/plate jobs. Definitely looking forward to it.

Edit: Just need them not to give great katanas exclusively to Samurai after that...

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Originally Posted by Jpec07

It's a neat piece of artwork, but my brain is breaking while I try to figure out how it would work mechanically. The minigun suggests high damage output, but I don't see how easily that could be balanced with the need to mitigate incoming damage.

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The picture is basically the Engineer - a ranged tank class from Wildstar. Even has more or less that weapon. Only thing missing is the optional pets Engineers can summon to do side DPS or off-tanking (they can 'slot in' a skill that gives them a pet similar to the Titan-Egi of a summoner, only it is a 'gun turret on spider legs').

How it works is basically just a high aggro hand held cannon, with the engineer wearing heavy armor, able to put up various shields and field effects. You can either use your 'tank bot' to position mobs, or let them approach you. I actually used a build with no bot, letting me slot more mitigation skills instead (In Wildstar you can slot only a few skills on your action bar, 8 if I remember right, but as you level you end up with a few dozen of them - so everybody ended up basically playing very differently even on the same classes, except for the people who just followed guides). It was a particularly good tanking class against ranged mobs like casters and gunners because it had a lot less need to 'gap close' compared to the game's two melee tanks.

The concept isn't new, just not in FFXIV.

Just think of a tank that could go into the middle of a room that had mages standing around the edges in a semi-circle... and not have to panic about figuring out how to group them up - just keep them facing your general front.
(The other tanks they had were a warrior that played a lot like FFXIV's warrior, only with a sword instead of axe, and a stealth tank called the 'stalker' - basically imagine if the ninja class was a tank, able to pop in and out of stealth constantly (up to almost every other GCD), and used wolverine claws). It was actually the stealth tank that ended up feeling the most unique... tanking at range seemed 'weird' until you did it a few times then you just started feeling like a 'generic MMO tank' most of the time... just at range...

Of course... Wildstar is a Science Fiction / Fantasy blend game. You start out in a spaceship... but you have magic. 'Engineer', as other people have pointed out - doesn't fit the genre here.

That said... if you took the MCH Job, swapped the guns for a single two-hander gun, removed about half of it's DPS skills and replaced them with the damage reduction abilities of the PLD and the AoE field of the DRK, but kept the turrets as an option to use INSTEAD of some armor ability (like: Defiance stance, Gunner Stance, or Turret Stance) - then gave it the armor of the PLD, Warrior, DRK... you would have the Engineer... It kinda played like that... :)

added a new and more detailed image of the fan art.

hope you like it!

For the most part I like your concept, as for feedback, I have some points you could maybe think about? I realise that you are very attached to the mini-gun with suppression fire, so I'd suggest putting the mini-gun on a turret that walks away and burrow itself into the ground. Then you could maybe have a pile-driver (with a riot shield attached?) as a close- to mid-range weapon to attack with blunt/pierce damage and quakes (for aggro?). When looking at the amount of protection the concept have, I can't help but think of explosives (which the shield on the pile-driver could protect you from as well). For AOE I'd suggest mines with fire/ice/acid/slime/electricity to damage/dot/slow. Gob hand-grenades to stun and blind? Fly up and do short-duration aerial bombing with gob-Illuminati-engineer-like wings, then use pile-driver when landing for extra damage? In my opinion part of a tanks job is to keep aggro on themselves and keep the enemies in place so that healers and melee dps don't have to run around too much. One could not do that, but it wouldn't be very fun for them.

Sorry if none of these suggestion was any welcome or helpful.

PS, maybe tangentially on-topic for help on mini-gun design: http://monsterhunter.wikia.com/wiki/Rock_Eater