Post Your Tanking Horror Stories!

During a rather large pull in a dungeon, I hear the healer say this in voice chat:

"Crap, I just hit Cleric Stance. Use Hallowed if you have it!"

...This is what I get for queuing with a drunk healer XD

Posted this one in Tales from the Duty Finder a while back, but it's a kind-of horror story, so I'll post it again:
Was leveling up DRK. Fire up DF Leveling Roulette and get Halatali. The run was going pretty good until midway, when the thaumaturge decided to start pulling everything left and right. I politely ask him to let me deal with pulling the mobs, with no response and continued mob pulling from said THM. The others ask the same thing: no response other than the THM continuing to pull mobs. Finally, someone initiated a vote kick against the THM (I can't remember what the reason was, though). The vote went through, THM got kicked, and a BRD joined us for the rest of the dungeon. I wished I could have given commendations to both the healer and the Rogue for their patience in dealing with the THM.

This one run had very low dps! Extremely low!
Me: WAR
Healer: AST
DD: Monk, Bard
I then noticed Bard was not using WM, and he was level 60 Bard.. (I main Bard myself) I thought maybe he just did levelling and forgot to turn it back on, it happens so I remind him but he ignores me completely -___-
That run was hell.. burned healers MP and my MP & TP.

Just had a Warrior OT in Trials Roulette spam Butcher's Block combo without ever putting Storm's Eye and/or Path up. Still not sure if she was trying to fight for enmity or just didn't know those skills are what makes Warrior a good OT in comparison to Dark Knight...

I queued for my Expert Roullette and the queue took almost 2 and a half minutes to pop. I didn't even know what to do with myself during that eternity.

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Originally Posted by Dement

I queued for my Expert Roullette and the queue took almost 2 and a half minutes to pop. I didn't even know what to do with myself during that eternity.

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Hahahahahahahaha we totally are the spoiled brats of queue times aren't we. The other day I threw a tantrum and cancelled a queue because it took FIVE MINUTES.

Not really a horror story so much as an annoyance, but the new Nidhogg trial tested my patience with my party members.

At this point, I'm used to Dps who have achieved the Grand Master rank at standing in stupid, but my first run was just ridiculous. Some of these mechanics have been in the game since the original three primals, for crying out loud! How is it possible for someone to not know how to dodge a Titan Plume this far into the game? Kiting ground AoE's out of the party? It's not like we haven't done that one in 5 or 6 Trials and raids. Even the "newer" mechanics couldn't have been easier to spot. We've done, what? Two or three fights now that have the giant, blinking, yellow arrows which practically scream "STACK UP RIGHT HERE!" Yet people don't recognize the marker? How did these people even get to Nidhogg without seeing this at least once?

The worst part, though ... the absolute worst part, is when you get some cheeky dps d***head who has the balls to ask why the tanks aren't picking up the middle add and fails to dodge ANY of its easily avoidable attacks. Are you serious?? Did you never once run Stone Vigil HM? Even if, by some miracle, you didn't know that this add has no enmity table, how is it possible for you to not recognize it's attacks!? That add has been in 2 dungeons, is a treasure chest monster, and is an open world monster outside of Zenith, and NEVER ONCE has he shown up in a form in which he can not be dodged. In all seriousness, it wasn't that bad. It's just that it's a little flabbergasting to see people this far in the game who are so devoid of the basics that it's a wonder they ever made it past 2.5.

There was one good thing that came out of that run, though. When that idiot dps made a comment about add aggro, both the healers came to the tank's defense with a vengeance. That was nice to see. I couldn't help but laugh at the poor guy, because that little lalafel astro ripped his way so far up that bard's ass that he could have made himself a nest in there...

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Originally Posted by Dement

I queued for my Expert Roullette and the queue took almost 2 and a half minutes to pop. I didn't even know what to do with myself during that eternity.

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People can't relate to our 1st world problems.

/FEMROE TANK HUG

I have a new one to add that just happened to me the other day. In sohr kai with a level 60 drg who only used their jumps, Blood for Blood, Heavy Thrust, True Thrust, and Impulse Drive. That's it, at level 60. Nothing else. After I asked them what they were doing and pointed out they're playing completely wrong, they told me no one ever said anything about them playing wrong and they never had issues doing that. We get to the horse boss and after two attempts where the boss was 80%+ with no gravestones left I quit the party and stopped playing for the rest of the night cause I was way too irritated.

1/2

A healer who felt "generous" enough to run around and pull MORE mobs, while there's already 7 on me, with no BLM in party. Healer dies, while on her way back to party. I manage to self-sustain myself til 2 mobs are left, then I die. DPS manage to kill the last 2. The healer starts complaining at how shit I am at tank.

Then I got votekicked. Why? I don't know.

Same day, I get qued with that same healer again, she suddenly starts apologizing. I guess they didn't find another Tank for the dungeon and were stranded. "At least she realizes her mistakes" I think to myself and forgive her.
5 mins into the dungeon, she does the same crap, this time we have 2 BLM tho.

And funny enough, both BLM call her "garbage" and "idiotic" for pulling and dying.
Then she starts blaming me for not tanking all.

2/2

If you're reading this, I'm really sorry, but it's not your fucking job to pull mobs, and I cba to run after every single extra mob you pull. I'll grab an amount of mobs I deem worth and safe to clear without any risks, so my DPS and healer have a good time.

I much rather prefer dungeons being chill, so I can watch series at the side, I absolutely hate rushed stuff.

So for anyone who meets a player like that, don't do what I did, don't be patient. Just ******* kick these idiots.

<Nidhogg EX>

During add phase, the blm got the aggro on that 4 legged add before I got to it (Was mting so i had some distance to cover before I reach the add) and he proceed to pop sprint and kiting the add away from me, making me go on a wild goose chase even after 90% of the party got wiped by the cleaves. Seriously, can't people wait like a split second to let me at least run to the add to get in attack range first before attacking? Or at least stand still if you got the aggro.

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Originally Posted by Ampheni

<Nidhogg EX>

During add phase, the blm got the aggro on that 4 legged add before I got to it (Was mting so i had some distance to cover before I reach the add) and he proceed to pop sprint and kiting the add away from me, making me go on a wild goose chase even after 90% of the party got wiped by the cleaves. Seriously, can't people wait like a split second to let me at least run to the add to get in attack range first before attacking? Or at least stand still if you got the aggro.

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This. So much. And not only during Nidhogg, the hall of novice should mention that if you get aggro you have either to stand still or sprint toward the MT <_<

And, in general, how long before people realize that big yellow arrows and people yelling "STACK!" in party chat may actually mean *gasps* that you have to stay together and share the damage? That mechanic has been around for a while now...

I am so happy that at least SOMEONE understands. >_>
I was so upset I was even blamed for losing aggro on something that I dont even get the chance to hit x.x

Levelling roulette and got into 50+ dungeon.
First pull I died, with 3 mobs.
LOL moment, lets try again.
Second pull, I die again.
I say nothing.
I try to split mobs as much as I can. I die.
Healer is not healing expect once per pull and then keeps walking around like a headless chicken.
Bosses, he heals me after rise to full HP and let me die over and over.
I was surprise no one vote kick him and what's even crazier I got blamed for being a bad tank.
You want to troll me? I am not leaving this duty. Never gonna happen.

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Originally Posted by Februs

The worst part, though ... the absolute worst part, is when you get some cheeky dps d***head who has the balls to ask why the tanks aren't picking up the middle add and fails to dodge ANY of its easily avoidable attacks. Are you serious?? Did you never once run Stone Vigil HM? Even if, by some miracle, you didn't know that this add has no enmity table, how is it possible for you to not recognize it's attacks!? That add has been in 2 dungeons, is a treasure chest monster, and is an open world monster outside of Zenith, and NEVER ONCE has he shown up in a form in which he can not be dodged.

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Assuming I am thinking the right two dungeons (SVHM and Aery), it's entirely possible that he just didn't know. SVHM is easily avoidable now, and the Aery fight is so fast he may have never noticed. The open world ones are all optional as well, so unless I missed a dungeon (Sleepy right now, it's possible), it is entirely possible to not know.

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Originally Posted by Ilenya

Assuming I am thinking the right two dungeons (SVHM and Aery), it's entirely possible that he just didn't know. SVHM is easily avoidable now, and the Aery fight is so fast he may have never noticed. The open world ones are all optional as well, so unless I missed a dungeon (Sleepy right now, it's possible), it is entirely possible to not know.

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I would assume as much as well; however, ignorance is not an excuse to be a dick. It also doesn't excuse his inability to dodge.

It doesn't take a lot of past experience to figure out what that add is doing, especially since it's attacks were watered down from three to one (or two, in the EX fight). It slowly walks between random targets, and openly televises its claw swipe by raising it's arm menacingly over it's head. It doesn't take a lot of observational prowess to figure out that maybe it would be a good idea to sidestep that, especially for a ranged player who can freely move while attacking. This guy didn't. He just assumed that the tanks were failing and that the healers would cover for him, which is why that Astro got so pissed. I can't really blame him either, because even a dog has more common sense than to repeatedly take a beating without at least trying to avoid it.

Any dungeon that involves a dps seemingly attacking the exact opposite thing you are, specifically low level dungeons as a paladin as threat is a little nightmareish right now. And god help you if you point it out, every dps seems hell bent on making your life hell after that.

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Originally Posted by Februs

I would assume as much as well; however, ignorance is not an excuse to be a dick. It also doesn't excuse his inability to dodge.

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No reason for him being a dick, but did you explain to him how the add works? I mean, I know how it works (I still tend to be hit by it since I am focused on healing the tanks for Nidhogg, not the adds), but the idea of an attack targeting someone not the tank and not being able to dodge isn't new.

I'm not saying the guy in question wasn't being silly, but you have to think of what others could be thinking.

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Originally Posted by Ilenya

No reason for him being a dick, but did you explain to him how the add works? I mean, I know how it works (I still tend to be hit by it since I am focused on healing the tanks for Nidhogg, not the adds), but the idea of an attack targeting someone not the tank and not being able to dodge isn't new.

I'm not saying the guy in question wasn't being silly, but you have to think of what others could be thinking.

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A DPS should always strive to be at an enemy's flank or rear anyways. Seems he just has a lot to learn in general.

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Originally Posted by Ilenya

No reason for him being a dick, but did you explain to him how the add works?

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We did. Though, I don't know if he managed to read it. The chat box practically erupted with comments. The Drk said, quite simply, "the dragon has no enmity table." I said, "you have to dodge the claw," but both of those comments were quickly replaced with a series of healer complaints.The Astro, in particular, was up in arms. I got the impression that he had been through quite a few fail groups at this point, so he was probably frustrated with dps who can't seem to dodge anything. I understand that this bard had his own perspective on things, but, to be honest, I side with the Astro.

I've seen LOT of fail groups in that trial myself (not including Extreme nightmares), and I'm still amazed at just how many players, dps in particular, can't do the basics of mechanics we've seen in dozens of other fights. @Drkdays is right on that. A good Dps should always strive for the flank or rear, and that's enforced in both toolkits and job quests. Ranged players have more flexibility than any others; so, there's really no excuse for not being able to do simple things that are taught in the earliest levels of each job.

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Originally Posted by Februs

We did. Though, I don't know if he managed to read it. The chat box practically erupted with comments. The Drk said, quite simply, "the dragon has no enmity table." I said, "you have to dodge the claw," but both of those comments were quickly replaced with a series of healer complaints.The Astro, in particular, was up in arms. I got the impression that he had been through quite a few fail groups at this point, so he was probably frustrated with dps who can't seem to dodge anything. I understand that this bard had his own perspective on things, but, to be honest, I side with the Astro.

I've seen LOT of fail groups in that trial myself (not including Extreme nightmares), and I'm still amazed at just how many players, dps in particular, can't do the basics of mechanics we've seen in dozens of other fights. @Drkdays is right on that. A good Dps should always strive for the flank or rear, and that's enforced in both toolkits and job quests. Ranged players have more flexibility than any others; so, there's really no excuse for not being able to do simple things that are taught in the earliest levels of each job.

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Fair enough. As someone who doesn't really have the full range of DPS 'rules' drilled into my head (I know some, since I SCH, but I base my positioning on healing, not DPS), I'm not fully used to dealing with it, but if things were explained and nothing seemed to come of it, I've really nothing else to add.

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Originally Posted by Iracy

*snip*

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I often find groups that have the 1 rogue player who likes to pull extras or while everyone else is fighting mob 1, they fight mob 2. It happened to me this morning when the Blm kept going ahead and pulling extras. It made my job a little more challenging but the dungeon ended with me getting 3 commendations. I really wasn't expecting that at all.

Leveling paladin. lvl 40 running roulette cause why not.. get the manor for like 3rd time in row a..first pull I notice machinist has pulled entire hallway back,kill everything off..Healer immediately goes use flash to keep aggro...said I was but not gonna fight him for the mobs. Mech goes I was doing it for my tp.I just look at him is disbelief..... next pull he does the same....I multiflash and finally take aggro..he runs off down the hall and kills a maid...runs back with rest following him....kill mobs...healer..use ROH after every flash you are losing aggro on mobs when you don't....(had aggro entire mob even taking from mech)..... before I can respond he aggros the next mob....I said..have a nice run...and took my 30 min break
The funny thing is on my main I have many things to 60...more to 50...and all classes ranked....but they look at the fact I have only paladin necessities on this character and assume I know nothing..

Mostly my fault, but I ended up doing Saint M instance and I was incredibly under geared. Though, the party, or at least the healer, was very understanding and noted that she'd try her best not to let me die. I just kept laughing as the ninja who had more hp than I and kept stealing aggro from things 'cause at that point, there wasn't much I could do except cover him. Though I did manage to keep things under control, for the most part, I was sweating by the end of the dungeon and ready to hightail it out of there. Won't do that again.

Got a Saint M in 60 roulette the other day, said hello to everyone (Whm, Mch and Brd and they all said hey back was feeling good about this run even asked "hey do you mind if I go long?", healers and DPS said sure go for it. Pulled everything realized nothing is dying i'm thinking to myself huh nothing is dying while i'm cycling all my CDs with Living Dead being the last for my "OH SHI-" moment. Popped it no Benediction aaannd dead. Looked at the Bard no WM's, no Foe's for the Whm to Holy...Look at the Mch no GB or turret....Asked them both nicely to put them on and they just ignored me, needless to say I pulled short and sweet and even then we had 11 minutes left in DF. 11 minutes. I had to take a break I told them multiple times for GB/WM/Turret/DPS CDs/No DPS from the WHM it was stressful.

Found out the hard way that Yolo plunging toward a singularity reactor in Ozma fight is a bad idea.

I....uh....death plunged off the platform.

More of a success story than horror..... But was OT in A8 and MT dc'd just as brawler and other add came out. Long story short I tanked BOTH adds and the next set of BOTH adds before he came back then said 'thanks for not kicking me.....I'll MT from here' . One of the healers said 'no damn way..... You OT and for the rest of the fight'. We did it, I got 7 comms an. FYI this was at ilvl 225

The Aurum Vale, I was DRK, had a MNK, BRD, and a freaking CNJ. Yes, a CNJ. The guy didn't know how to get his job crystal and thought he would just roll with it. (Guy was 54)

The BRD kept running off and pulling mobs on his own and then telling me that's what he was taught to do.

CNJ kept prioritizing healing the BRD and then himself. I was last on the list I guess.

Everyone was synced except for the BRD, who was horribly under-geared (lvl 20 jewelry and some lvl 30 items)

Wiped repeatedly, but made it to the last boss somehow before someone voted dismiss.

The MNK did great.

Loaded into Shiva for trial roulette. I examine the other tank as the new player views the cutscene.

Me: a 233 DRK with melded Horde Guillotine, current melded progression gear.

Him: a PLD in ~145 leveling gear.

I'm already in grit when we load in. I turn darkside on as the healers buff the party. He turns on Shield Oath.

As I'm headed for the boss and hitting it with my opener, he fires off a provoke which is utterly wasted as I move into the dark arts+power slash combo.

He proceeds to provoke. Every. Single. Time. It comes off cool down. Which is kind of hilarious because the provoke animation is more obvious now, and again pointless because I have Shiva back in two global cooldowns.

Ice soldiers spawn. He doesn't pick them up so I shrugged and grab them, too.

He keeps doing Rage of Halone and provoke when he's got it. We finish killing Shiva and I finally say in chat, "spamming provoke doesn't make you a main tank, [name]." Bow, goodbye, exit.

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Originally Posted by bounddreamer

He keeps doing Rage of Halone and provoke when he's got it. We finish killing Shiva and I finally say in chat, "spamming provoke doesn't make you a main tank, [name]." Bow, goodbye, exit.

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Did you tell him anything other than the snark at the end or did you just expect him to realize that he wasn't tanking since you have Grit on?

I queued for Lvl 50 roulette as Scholar, got Qarn hard.

The tank was a Roe PLD, he waited until I put all buffs on him, then literally walked to the dungeon's entrance and left.

I meant wt actual f

For the record I'm not a new player. I just haven't played since before the expansion. I was a white mage so I decided to start over as a tank this time. I just tanked Haukke Manor. It was a PUG so I played cautious at first to decide how much I can pull. They failed the stupid check. DPS wasn't letting me gather up and get hate on mobs before going balls out mid-pull. They kept aggroing adds. Etcetera. So I was pulling 1 group at a time. One DPS complained about small pulls and then seconds later "accidentally" aggroed another group and gave me a very fake apology. I made some rude comment and this apparently flipped the DPS's psycho switch and she kept yelling at me in party chat the rest of the run. Like literally nonstop for probably 70% of the dungeon.

Meanwhile I was silent nearly the entire time. The only thing I said after the initial confrontation was after the DPS complained that my utter silence apparently counted as arguing with her so I pointed out that I had said a grand total of like 3 sentences the whole run and none of them were recent. She's the only one arguing. Then she yelled at me for calling this an argument despite it being her words in the first place. The DPS proceeds to intermittently refuse to do damage while bragging about how many level 60 classes she has for the last third or so of the dungeon. I tried to kick her, but she was friends with at least one other person in the group so it didn't work. I got one class to 34 and another to 32 without trouble and I was just mentioning to someone that I had gone an oddly long time without running into one of these people. I shouldn't have jinxed it. :rolleyes:

^ thou I have personally never seen a person at that level of Ego-raging (I rate them by u'r story at 7/10, highest I've seen is a 5/10 mine eather leave after 2-3 insults, are "made" to leave or shut up after their put in their place) I am glad I haven't met one like that thou I have herd of this 1 player who refuses to run with anyone wearing anything under ilv220 from a friend who met them once (which btw sounds stupid if he does this in Aetherchemical as it syncs u anyway, even worse if they try this in a leveling dungeon or any place lv50 & under)

- Tank announce that it's his first time in A6 Normal.

- I attempt to inform him of tank swaps since I was there as tank as well.

- Healer pulls, after telling new tank that he "...shouldnt join if u dont know your role". Really!?

- BLM added something like "If dps and heal is good, we won't worry about swap."

- I die from 7 stacks, OT struggles to grab enemy.

- Group tells the OT that he suck and should quit.

Not exactly a horror tank story for me, but the new tank was mistreated.

The worst story I had was running with a DPS that I SWEAR was a robot. They would just continually run forward without any concern for where I or the healer was, then use an ability/spell on the first thing that came into range. When I tried to ask them to stop I got no response and things just kept going.

Thank god for the healer we had, they kept up the whole group with no wipes.

today, in weeping city i queue'd in on my war (only 60 tank) to try and get some gear for him, i waited 40 mins to get in, after 5-8 instant withdrawals, and finally i get in, 3 warriors, 1 in defiance (26k hp), one in no stance, and me, in deliverence(35k hp), so i switched into defiance, main tanked it, and the dps was abyssmal, wiped 3 times on forgalli due to too many dps tunnel visioning at under 10%, then wiping on ozma 4 times because 2 dps dc'd midfight and generally ignoring mechanics. i was weeping by the end at seeing so many people ignoring mechanics q-q

I forgot the DNG. I was with a friend I recently met through the game. He's new. He was the tank and I was the healer. Had a SMN and BLM. BLM proceeded to stand there probably waiting for more pulls. When it didn't happen, he pulled it himself, I told my buddy to just ignore him and focus on the standard 3-mob he has pulled. I saw the BLM's HP go down and proceeded to ignore him. He then said to "learn how to speed run." On a new person. I think it was copperbell mines.

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Originally Posted by Zanb

I forgot the DNG. I was with a friend I recently met through the game. He's new. He was the tank and I was the healer. Had a SMN and BLM. BLM proceeded to stand there probably waiting for more pulls. When it didn't happen, he pulled it himself, I told my buddy to just ignore him and focus on the standard 3-mob he has pulled. I saw the BLM's HP go down and proceeded to ignore him. He then said to "learn how to speed run." On a new person. I think it was copperbell mines.

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:rolleyes: hahahahahaha this could be me and my friend! we always go as BLM and SMN in dungeon and BURN all mobs down at once, but copperbell isnt a dungeon where we use to run :o

regards small hobbit

The above never fails to annoy me. Half the time, it's quicker to blitz through small groups (Healer more likely to have DPS freedom), rather than mass-pull, have Healer on pure-healbot duty, and just sit watching a huge pack wailing on a tank for 5mins straight while everyone falls asleep. As for me, the only tank experience that annoyed me is walking into a low-lev dungeon on my Glad - I have typical marking macro's and all sorts of things setup, but DPS intentionally deviate away from them. I comment that life would be easier for everyone if they hit marks, to which I'm told not to mark anything and I'm not even needed anyway.

So, with that in mind, I abandoned duty for the first time in my FFXIV career, mentally wishing them well if they decide to tell that to raid-tanks in their future content.