Tanking looks Intimidating.

That's excellent! Keep it up and you'll find yourself as a MT in a coil group in no time!

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Originally Posted by lujate

I started GLA/PLD in this game, with no prior trinity experience. I haven't hit 50 yet, and I've only tanked as far as Garuda, but I haven't gotten any grief from other players.

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Your toon looks too cute to get made at.

Having played Tank, DPS, and Healer and having cleared all ingame content on all 3, I believe that anyone who says one class is so easy or one role is so easy simply wants to make their own class so much more glorified. I've played every class and none are particularly difficult or easy. They are all pretty balanced with their own responsibilities. As long as you know the ingame mechanics, and your own rotation, the game is essentially just a broken record. It's not a particularly hard game and thus no class is that challenging. Tanking for one, is definitely the one with highest risk and lowest reward. Your mistakes are exaggerated b/c it often gets everyone killed. On the flipside, you rarely get complimented on good play b/c you are expected to hold aggro and keep your party safe. There are however, small things people have mentioned that separate good tanks, from great tanks. Overall, it's a very rewarding class (warrior is very fun).

I find it a lot more fun tanking in FF14, compared to WoW because the community is just bad and you just get insulted for the slightest mistake. as in FF14 people will actually help you and give you tips.

A lot of good tips have already been mentioned, so I'll just add different ones.

1. If you have a different role, (DPS/Healer) run with that one first if you're heading to a dungeon for the first time. Familiarize with the terrain and enemy tactics, so you won't have to be surprised once you're the tank.
2. In Duty Roulette that I'm tanking in, I always ask if they want Loot+XP or Rush. This attunes the mindset of the entire party. If you see that there's someone who's doing the dungeon for the first time, take the long way and help him/her out.
3. Try this in FATEs, especially huge ones (ie. Svara and Steropes in Coerthas): Focus on stunning. This will train you time your stunning skills as well as get gold for their respective FATEs.

A lot of users before me already mentioned this, but be open to criticism, and at the same time be resistant enough against those who just want to put you down. Their remarks may be blunt, but they have a basis for doing so.

So, Ogrumz, what are your thoughts at this point on tanking?

I feel I should of started tanking even if it is intimidating. If anything, to experience the game in a non-stagnating way. I am level 32 now as a black mage, almost out of quests, dungeon ques are long, and no one is doing fates on my server. I'm still trying to decide which tank though, and I know everyone is saying paladin but I am not partial to either.

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Originally Posted by Ogrumz

I'm still trying to decide which tank though, and I know everyone is saying paladin but I am not partial to either.

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Well, I only have PLD, so I can say from that standpoint that the mechanics of tanking are very simple as a GLD - early on you have two combos and flash. One combo regens mana; the other generates more hate. Your 3rd which really boosts hate comes noticeably later.

To run as a GLD tank, you just have to do more flash, or cycle thru the mobs with your hate gen combo. Or regen mana and more flash. That's really it early on. You will also get shield lob to start a pull or get a mob to come back to you.

The real trick will be to learn the pulls in the dungeons and how much beating you can take. I would say stick with the simple tank at first then go into MRD later as there are more mechanics to it for hate gen versus a more DPS tank. Others will surely follow with their thoughts as well

Welcome to the tank-hood!

If U are uncertain of urself, paladin is a good way to go. But if U like challenges, go war.

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Originally Posted by AlrikRouge

I would say stick with the simple tank at first then go into MRD later as there are more mechanics to it for hate gen versus a more DPS tank. Others will surely follow with their thoughts as well

Welcome to the tank-hood!

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You're going to want Flash and Bloodbath as cross/class skills anyway, so leveling them both helps.

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Originally Posted by Sagittarian

You're going to want Flash and Bloodbath as cross/class skills anyway, so leveling them both helps.

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If you're going the path of the Warrior, you can't neglect the path of the Paladin either. You need Provoke!

So far Tank seems pretty easy to me.
Then again I main Monk and know the encounters already which drasticly reduces the learning curve and being a melee main helps with the knowledge of placing the mobs just right for the DPS to do their jobs properly.
Holding aggro became very easy since they buffed Defiance and Shield Oath too.
I'd say the trickiest part is learning the encounter and knowing when to use which Cooldown, but than again every class has to go through that.
Other than that tanking is really fun and relaxing.

Basic tanking as a Warrior is not much more difficult than basic tanking as a Paladin. Grab all the enemies, face them away from the rest of the team, and get hit.

At low levels, you have a 1-2 combo to generate hate, Overpower which is a cone AOE to generate hate, and a ranged pull. You can actually do passable as a WAR tank up to level 50 by purely pulling with the ranged pull, hitting overpower twice to generate initial hate, and then doing nothing but your hate combo, maybe an extra overpower if fights drag on long. If you lose hate on a mob, more overpower! At level 30, it becomes a 1-2-3 combo.

There is a secondary combo that is 1-2-3a or 1-2-3b. Step 2 makes you do more damage, 3a will decrease monster damage by 10% and give a small heal, 3b gives the monster a slashing debuff. You can use those in between your hate combos once you feel confident that you can skip a hate combo here and there.

I find tanking on WAR far easier than healing.

How far should I level gladiator? It is already 22 so I got provoke. Should I go any further if I want to play Marauder?

22forever.

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Originally Posted by Atreides

So far Tank seems pretty easy to me.
Then again I main Monk and know the encounters already which drasticly reduces the learning curve and being a melee main helps with the knowledge of placing the mobs just right for the DPS to do their jobs properly.
Holding aggro became very easy since they buffed Defiance and Shield Oath too.
I'd say the trickiest part is learning the encounter and knowing when to use which Cooldown, but than again every class has to go through that.
Other than that tanking is really fun and relaxing.

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Holding hate on single target is simple, cuz' you can do it with your eyes close.
It's multiple hate control that's hard. ie: T4.
And not mentioning tanks swap while dodging and hate control. ie: Titan EM during adds.
(unless you clear EM on your first try, please don't tell me EM is not that hard.)

If you know the exact position where the mobs you need to control spawn it's just as simple, you obviously don't wanna overdo it with Flash while tanking the blue guys in Turn 4 other than that it's just communication, if you know which of them gets focused you can easily hold aggro. (Especially with the recent buffs to the tank stances.)

Tank swapping (ie: Titan/Ifrit EM.) isn't new to MMOs either, alot games work with that kind of mechanic.

While I agree it might be a lil overwhelming for new players it's actually a nice change from the simple just standing there watching vids on youtube while pressing 1,2,3 with an occasional tank CD aka Titan HM.
I'm not saying that the content, is easy. I'd say the difficulty of the extreme modes for example feels just right.

What I'm trying to say is that there should be no reason to be afraid of tanking, it's not all that difficult how some people make it out to be.
At first there might be a little more pressure on you since people will notice if you screw big time because that usually leads to a wipe but once you get used to the encounters you'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by Ogrumz

How far should I level gladiator? It is already 22 so I got provoke. Should I go any further if I want to play Marauder?

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If you don't plan on playing Gladiator/Paladin in the foreseeable future, 22 is enough. Unless you want to be a completionist and go for Awareness, which is not a good cross-class skill for Marauder/Warrior unless you got nothing else you intend to use.

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Originally Posted by Ed_N_Ants

You honestly need to learn the role... I personally as a dps and healer pull mobs in lower dungeons to see how the tank handles agro... If they can get it back from me I know they know what there doing and say nothing... If they don't get it back from me I educate them on what needs to be done...

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I no longer try to overexert myself to win back aggro when a dps decides that they are the puller. If a dps wants to go ahead and pull the next pack, I just target them and /dance. Mobs can be picked up after they die.

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Originally Posted by Yyrkoon

I find it a lot more fun tanking in FF14, compared to WoW because the community is just bad and you just get insulted for the slightest mistake. as in FF14 people will actually help you and give you tips.

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What game are you playing? 8)

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Originally Posted by TemariVtwo

What game are you playing? 8)

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I've never had people get upset or angry with my tanking as a skill thing.

I have had people get super mad when I tank bone dragon in the center in CT for whatever reason.

Here are my two cents:

My secondary is a paladin, and I think I do a decent job at it. However, I refuse to tank in raids unless I know the entire process and dungeon as my dragoon. It's either that, or go with a group of friends first. They will more than likely give you a break because guess what? You don't know the dungeon/don't know it as a tank.

But in terms of with random strangers, I usually play it cautious and don't tank until I know the full layout and the tank's job. So quick tip here: watch the tanks as you go through a dungeon and learn from them. I know it's not the same as first hand experience, but it still helps.

If I were to play paladin, do I -have- to level White mage to 34 for stoneskin? While I don't mind (I almost always play a healer in MMOs, but since I am playing this one alone I wanted to try something different), I rather not have to dedicate more time leveling other jobs if I don't need to.

I've got both Gladiator and Marauder to 22 and can't decide yet.

I would recommend it. Sometimes when someone dies, it would be nice to put a stoneskin on him. It's really optional!

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Originally Posted by Ogrumz

If I were to play paladin, do I -have- to level White mage to 34 for stoneskin?

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No. But I would highly advise it. It has a lot of helpful use to you and the other tank in two-tank primal fights and coil, as well as one-tank primal and coil fights. Helps when things are in a bind, and I use it often as the off-tank on healers and melee as well as MT just to help make things slightly easier for the healers. And others mentioned as well to help out on those who were just risen.

Every role gets harder end game, and ever role is intensified end game. One is no more harder then the other though some fights require more of one role then another.

The problem with tanking is that the camera is pretty shitty and you can't do a darn thing unlike other roles. Being a tank mean dealing with the worse situations and expect to do it well.

Tanks = expected to know where to go, and how to fight
DPS = expected output 100%
Healers = expected to never die

As you can see there are unrealistic expectations no matter which is which.

Hey here's some advice coming from a Healer's perspective!

Rules of thumbs!

1. Learn how to dance because you're going to be dodging red cones/circles of death alot....like forever. Oh! and don't eat them cause that spike damage gives Healer's heart attacks. I swear half of us are on Prozac because of this.

2. Talking about red cones of death! Try to position the frontal cones opposite the group/your babies! So like Tank<-A hole boss<-DPS/Healer. Of course this is not always true as some Bosses have junk in the trunk and can twerk us to death, but most cases this is solid.

3. Hey! remember me!? I'm a healer! I'm squishy and heal good! If you don't see me...that's bad. Healer/Tanks have a symbiotic relationship so don't run off, and keep me close damn it! I can't heal through walls!(Pops more Prozac).

4. You're basically our baby sitter/leader. Yep, because of your Unicorn rarity (Unicorns are rare I should know I have one...yep only White mage that does....(Pops Prozac)) and ability of control where the angry thing wants to kill we will subconsciously mark you leader. That's honestly why most DPS and even healers get mad when wipes occur because A. They are immature and can't see their flaws if it was their fault and B. Have the mentality that "Hey, ain't you leading us?! WHY WE FAIL FEARLESS LEADER HERP A DERP! SO try to communicate (I know easier said then done.) and be positive!

5. Oh yes and GEAR! The best you can get please. Don't get me wrong I rather have a patient/ knows the Dungeon/ AVOIDS CONES/ with mediocre gear Tank then an Idiot in shining armor but hey, this helps too!

6. Finally, (Optional but highly recommended) Know thy enemy! Yes look up guides...I put this as "optional" because I understand that some of us want to experience it fresh and all Farmer's Market like! But, I warn you! Be prepared for those who want the damn job done and don't give a poop about "the experience".

Talking about poop I'm hungry and the dollar menu at some sleazy fast food joint is calling my name. SO yay good luck and If you see me in the Da fuck!? Finder say hi!

I main a i77 Warrior and just finished getting my monk to 50, and let me tell you...

...what a difference!

I know I missed a positional attack, did anyone else? No. I know I wasn't attacking #1 that time? Did anyone care? No.

With that said, tanking will make you better at any class. A good tank has a reason for almost anything they do. Whether it's positioning for optimal dps from a monk or dragoon, to inflicting dots and debuffs because they watch the agro meters. Once you understand the minor details from a tanks point of view, you understand every role a little better.

I not saying you need to tank to be good at your role, I'm just saying looking at the field from the other side of the fence can offer some insight. Being a GOOD tank is not as easy as it looks.

Okay, I just want to nominate Sophia's post up there to the Post Hall of Fame with Mad Macallan's prose.

- Former Idiot in Shining Armor, working on being promoted to Lord of the Dance.

Gear is actually the part I am having problem with. Nothing is dropping for me in dungeons, and everything is mega expensive on the server!

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Originally Posted by Imapooonu

I main a i77 Warrior and just finished getting my monk to 50, and let me tell you...

...what a difference!

I know I missed a positional attack, did anyone else? No. I know I wasn't attacking #1 that time? Did anyone care? No.

With that said, tanking will make you better at any class. A good tank has a reason for almost anything they do. Whether it's positioning for optimal dps from a monk or dragoon, to inflicting dots and debuffs because they watch the agro meters. Once you understand the minor details from a tanks point of view, you understand every role a little better.

I not saying you need to tank to be good at your role, I'm just saying looking at the field from the other side of the fence can offer some insight. Being a GOOD tank is not as easy as it looks.

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I was actually thinking it's the exact opposite.
Being a Monk main gives me the advantage that I know exactly how to position a boss for the melees to be able to go all out without taking too much risk/damage because I know where I would want the mob placed with minimal movement involved because that would be a DPS loss too.
Many tanks seem to fail doing so.

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Originally Posted by Ogrumz

If I were to play paladin, do I -have- to level White mage to 34 for stoneskin? While I don't mind (I almost always play a healer in MMOs, but since I am playing this one alone I wanted to try something different), I rather not have to dedicate more time leveling other jobs if I don't need to.

I've got both Gladiator and Marauder to 22 and can't decide yet.

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Yes, it is the most useful cross class skill.

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Originally Posted by Ogrumz

Gear is actually the part I am having problem with. Nothing is dropping for me in dungeons, and everything is mega expensive on the server!

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Don't forget to check out GC gear. It is very good, with nice set bonuses. And you are only spending GC seals, not gil.

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Originally Posted by Imapooonu

snip
I not saying you need to tank to be good at your role, I'm just saying looking at the field from the other side of the fence can offer some insight. Being a GOOD tank is not as easy as it looks.

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I completely agree, but I think this is also pretty true of all roles. I main tanking roles in all MMOs I play and thinking about the battlefield from other's perspectives helps me tank better and understand the battlefield more on all fronts. Switching to DPS, I understand what the healer is watching and how the tank is handling the battle, so I make sure I do my job while minimizing stress on their ends, same as healer or tank.