It's GNB, then PLD. But considering PLD kit, yeah PLD #1. DPS is 200-300 between tanks at high level right now.
Havent played all of them but...
1) WAR
But im biased cause its my first 80 and its my main so..
2)PLD
Prolly the 3rd tank i level, but their kit was always fun in SB and now that its got actual aoe damage im lookin forward to leveling it
3)GNB
Only got them at 60, but the rotation is already evident and its plenty fun to manage. Gonna level em next
4) DRK
I only picked up drk in SB, but they were plenty fun despite me not knowing the optimal rotation. Now, I dont even see a rotation other than "use everything, wait 90 seconds and do it again." The only tank im not looking forward to level.
(I get that war is similar but i come to drk for a different playstyle than war)
Im gonna stop you all here and use my powers of divination, and past trends, to tell you the true order, coming around 5.1 when balance changes hit.
Ahem.
1. War
2. War
3. War
4. War
5. DRK
6. GBR
7. PLD
Just following what happened the last two expansions. :D
You are all welcome!
.........lulz
You do know that PLD was the dominant force on SB right? DRK and WAR were both horrible on release then they overhauled WAR with the simple Inner release.
Then it took them atleast 6 months to finally buff DRK even though it still fell behind WAR and PLD
HW had a Broken WAR a strong and best version of DRK and PLD was pretty much removed from the game at that point.
Purely from a gameplay perspective (i.e. IDGAF about minor DPS differences on a TANK) from what I have played so far:
#1 DRK has a good flow with plenty (but not too much) to do most of the time and TBN is hands down the best and most satisfying / impactful of the frequent mitigation abilities. Not every ability feels great though; Salted Earth is clunky and weak, Abyssal Drain cooldown is too long, and Living Dead can still be a pain for healers.
#2 PLD has a diverse toolkit with something for any situation. It's all kind of middle of the road though (except maybe Hallowed Ground), so while PLD has no weaknesses it rarely feels impactful either. Oh, and the Block nerf sucks.
#3 WAR is basically the same as it was in SB; I-Win every 90s and 80s of 1-2-3 zzzzz. Ok it's not that bad, but it still feels like everything revolves around Inner Release / Infuriate with nothing really earned; i.e. there is no preparation, or well managed resources, it's just press a button and Hulk, Smash.
#4 GNB has too many buttons that all do the same thing (i.e. GCD damage) and a (seemingly; haven’t fully tested it) weak mitigation kit; it feels the most like a DPS with extra HP and I'm not a fan of it at all.
I would probably rank GNB last cause its defensive CD is on a weaker side.
I would say.
PLD
WAR
GNB
DRK