Originally Posted by
Lyth
The problem with stances on tanks is that they're really just there for the sake of being there. If you want a job to be based around "stance dancing," then there are a few requirements. First, it should be easy to switch stances. This means that stances should be oGCD and ideally should have no cost attached. MNK and WAR are examples of jobs which are setup appropriately for this. Second, no stance should be a clear cut winner. The instant that one stance offers more dps than the rest, you just pick that stance and sit in it. Instead, it needs to represent a more situational choice, either in terms of rotation or fight-specific conditions.
The problem with all of this is that stances are effectively just buffs with a permanent duration. So nothing has to be done using stances. If you need a stance for "enmity generation", why not just make it a 20 second buff? If you want the player to choose between a stance which makes you move faster but increases knockback distance vs. a stance that prevents knockback, just make them both temporary buffs, with recasts, that are mutually exclusive and/or share a cooldown.
The concept of a 100% uptime anything is baffling. Something that is up all the time does not represent a decision. It just takes up hotbar space.