which tank class to play?

uptil now i have played either a smurai to lvl 54 or a summoner to lvl 54 .
i really want to try a tank class .
should i play a tank class like paladin which starts from lvl 1 or can i go with gunbreaker which will unlock for me at lvl 60? i am liking gunbreaker but i dont know if it will make it difficult for me to adjust to tank role?

If you're concerned with getting used to a tank role, keep in mind that whichever you pick you can just queue for lower leveled duties until you get your feet under you.
At the end of the day though, if you already have GNB and are enjoying it, that's all you need~

That said, if you still wanna hear about the othere:

WAR is probably the best one to start with.
It's got the lowest actions per minute so you can spend more time focusing on what you're doing and less on your rotation, and is pretty "Oops proof" with its survivability.
It's also the most flexible as it's buttons aren't necessarily all about pushing them when they come off cooldown.

DRK is pretty streamlined because at its core it is a 1-2-3 combo and a bunch of oGCDs that build around that. Sometimes it can get a bit hectic, and occasionally you might have trouble fitting a tank skill in during oGCD packed burst windows, but it a very flexible tank and that will only be a part of the learning curve I wanted you to be aware of. It's a solid option for a first time tanker. I started tanking with DRK in Stormblood.

Paladin can be a solid option coming from Samurai, as it has a pretty defined rotation that you may take to quickly. And like SAM it has a butt load of buttons. Most of them are options for this situation or that, so it's kit is pretty well rounded and once you get the hang of it, it is very good at supporting a team.

At early levels, all of the tanks are really simple and mostly involve 3 buttons and occasionally a resource attack, so you can use whichever tank you want and you will probably get used to it.

Gunbreaker and Paladin are the most distracting tanks at level 80 (in my opinion), so you might find Warrior or Dark Knight easier. Dark Knight involves pressing a lot of abilities between your GCD so it can be distracting until you get used to them, while Warrior mostly uses the GCD so you have a lot of time to think between each button press.

You can try Gunbreaker in easy contents like Guildhests, Palace of the Dead 1-10 or Cape Westwind to get a feel for the job. If you have squadron unlock, you can try it there and see how it plays in a group content.

I dont know why people say gnb is difficult or distracting. It's real problem is lackluster mitigation which is why I never liked it. If you want to learn the tanking role I'd recommend WAR. You start at level 1, will ease into the role and the job basically keeps getting better the more you level whereas paladin becomes a lot more strict in its rotation and bloats your action bars with garbage like cover. DRK Is ok but doesn't get good until 72 so that's a deal breaker for a lot of people.

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Originally Posted by RinaB

I dont know why people say gnb is difficult or distracting.

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None of the tanks are distracting the way a DPS class is, because they have to focus on picking up enemies, positioning, mitigating, interrupting, protecting the party. But that doesn't mean there aren't tanks that are more distracting than others.

GNB has to be careful not to interrupt the Wicked Talon combo or miss a continuation press between it while doing mechanics, time everything into No Mercy, avoid overcapping cartridges and all of that can get a bit distracting compared to DRK where you just press 1-2-3, it takes a lot more than 3 combos to overcap anything and nothing has to be timed to fit into a buff like No Mercy. Most dungeon bosses are not distracting but occasionally there is one that is.

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DRK Is ok but doesn't get good until 72 so that's a deal breaker for a lot of people.

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To make up for the lack of an aoe combo earlier on there is Quietus and a lot of aoe abilities like Flood of Shadow, Salted Earth and Abyssal Drain, but the aoe does feel really good after Stalwart Soul I agree.

As for me, now I have only DRK but it's my first tank ever XD
If you played tank in another MMOs, you can try GNB as first tank, but you anyway should finish The Smith lessons and train with dummies.
All tanks are different with own pluses and minuses, so it's better to analyze your gaming expirience. But remember that GNB job let you go to 60+ duties in roulettes so be prepared.