Tank Class for Non-End Game Content?

Hello forum~

I've been throwing around the idea of getting a tank to 50 just to be able to experience things from the other side of the coin (WHM main), but I'm not sure which class to pick.

Are either of them superior to the other in terms of tanking in lower levels? I've noticed WAR get Defiance a lot sooner than PLD gets Shield Oath, but that WAR stun has a laughably long windup in comparison. Are there any other major differences?

Also, are there significant cross class skills that one will need from the other? I suppose that might swing the scales more than anything.

Thanks for the help!

Well I've levelled both GLA/PLD and MRD/WAR (with GLA my original starting class in version 1.0), and personally I think they both have their good and bad points. GLA is definitely easier to get into tanking wise as a beginner as the abilities they have early on are relatively easy enough to rotate (Shield Lob to pull, Flashx2 or 3 to get initial hate, then alternate Flash with Fast Blade-Savage Blade-Rage of Halone weapon skill combo for hate generation, and Fast Blade-Riot Blade to restore MP if needed, and use Rampart, Fight and Flight and Convalescence as the need demands), which PLD just builds on.

MRD I really hated at the start as it was more slower than GLA, and right at the start Bloodbath is pretty weak for regenerating HP. However by the time you get WAR, it greatly improves and became a really fun Job to play as. It's definitely more for an experienced player though. So really, I'd recommend to play both, but if you're just starting out, GLA all the way. :)

As for cross class skills, because you've already levelled CNJ/WHM, that's already made things easier for you as GLA as CNJ is the second class needed to unlock PLD and thus you've already done half the work! The other class PLD can use cross class skills from is ironically MRD, and both PLD and WAR cross class each other's starting classes' abilities, so there is added benefit to levelling both. But for GLA/PLD, at the very least I'd recommend cross classing Stoneskin from CNJ and Foresight from MRD, with the CNJ's Protect and Cure as secondary abilities (they're less useful while cross classed, but still worthwhile), occasionally alternating between the MRD's Bloodbath with the CNJ's Raise if needed. But at the very least for parties Stoneskin and Foresight.

For MRD/WAR, I'd go with Flash and Provoke from GLA which both can be very useful to improve hate generation, especially at low levels, and Convalescence, also from GLA, can be helpful when someone is healing you in a party, making their job a little easier. Then just fill the remaining slots with whatever else you like (PGL is the other class WAR cross classes from which I only have at level 8 at the moment sadly, in which case Second Wind for an emergency, and Featherfoot, which is definitely useful).

Hopefully this has helped. :D

Thanks for the advice! I'm completely new to tanking aside from what I've seen other players do, so PLD sounds like the right way to go.

Welcome to the forum!

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I had a few tips here but in the moment of editing just got deleted and the copy paste replaced for a link... Gyazo things... Geez...
Oh, well, I'll just summarize it then...(Laaazy...)

Enkidoh-sensei already solved your doubts so I just wrote here before the delete some of my personal opinions about both tanks, I leveled up Warrior 47 and Paladin 38... In my opinion Warrior is funnier, a lot funnier, and easier to maintain aggro... flash is a boring AoE and you have to spam it a lot more than overpower from the marauder...

Originally I wanted to say more things but when a super comment gets deleted I lose all inspiration, try both, and play the one you enjoy most, both are really useful for the party in different ways, for example, in my opinion, warrior holds better the aggro and can do a good DPS task if you use well the combos, also can have emergency heals and good cross skills taken of the Paladin and Pugilist. While Paladin... Most of the cross skills that can obtain are not so good at all, or not needed in a party, especially because there's already a healer, and because the marauder's available cross skill are not so good. But, PLD can use Raise, and Raise can save the party of a wipe if the healer died, the WAR can't do that. (And believe me healer will die in some of the next dungeons, some bossess attack crazy random... There are many AoE that the tank can't protect them from... And they need to be healing, stressed while also attent to AoE and other mechanics of some bosses...)

As an addition, I have not experienced endgame and I'm just a noob, but... as the question is for non-end content... I'd rather prefer MRD-WAR than GLA-PLD. I think that, even if you don't like tanking at the start of the game, but you try marauder, you may find enjoying it, that somehow happened to me... Probably if I'd start with gladiator I'd get depressed.