How to Tank in FFXIV 101 (GLA, MRD, WAR, PLD)
OK folks I have been playing MMOs for the past 10 years and I have accomplished quite a lot in my time. A couple of World First kills in WoW, RIFT, and I was in a top in guild in SWTOR. In FFXI I was in a top end guild on the CaitSith Server. So now that you know about me, I feel that this game is great, but quite a few of the players are new to MMORPGs. That's great in my opinion, but as the game is lacking in Tanks, and I believe this may be because some tanks do not know how to actually tank. This guide is here to help you. I will have a section for Gladiator/Paladins and Marauders/Warriors.
Gladiator/Paladin
In the first portion of this guide I will focus on what abilities the Gladiator/Paladin brings to a group.
Gladiator/Paladin is your typical tank in most MMOs. They do not get as much HP as the Warrior, but for good reasons. They have the most damage reduction abilities in the game, and can mitigate large amounts of damage. Some people do not know this, and there is a few things that players aren't doing in dungeons that can really help. I will list all of their abilities and where they come in handy.
(Lv. 1) Fast Blade (FB) > (Lv. 4) Savage Blade (SB) > (Lv. 26) Rage of Halone (RH)
This combo is your bread in butter for grabbing threat. you don't want to start off with this combo however, because Fast Blade does not have any threat gain on it,
Savage Blade and Rage of Halone give threat to you, but Fast Blade is needed to start the combo. This combo also has the benefit of giving the monster your attacking a 5% strength reduction at Lv. 26, and a 10% strength reduction at Lv. 40, making the monsters you attack hit for less.
A lot of times I seen in dungeons the tank will start with Fast Blade but a impatient Thaumaturge or Archer will start pelting the mob and they will grab aggro before anything happens. Only use this combo once you have established aggro on the mob. How do you do this? Well lets see what else the Gladiator/Paladin have at their disposal.
Something to note: Rage of Halone by itself is a threat gain, even without using the entire combo, it will still give threat to an enemy. If you are desperate to establish threat on a monster, you can spam this ability, but I would not recommend using on this ability to tank with.
(Lv. 22) Provoke
Provoke has a long range (25 yards) and places you at the top of the threat lists of a monster by 1 point higher than highest person on the threat list for a few seconds. Provoke is not on the same Global Cooldown as the rest of your abilities meaning you can use this ability almost at anytime. It does have a 60 second cooldown, which is why it should be used in moments where a mob is running towards a squishy party member. Since the threat gained is temporary, high amounts of threat is needed to re-establish the tank at the top of the threat list for the monster. If this is not done, the monster will peel away when the provoke is done. A Rage of Halone or a shield Lob can help followed by a FB > SB > RH combo to get back on top.
Some people have used this ability to establish threat at the beginning of a pull, but it will only be a +1 threat to the boss meaning that almost anything that someone does after the provoke threat gain has ended will put it off. There are times where this may be necessary in certain dungeons such as the Sucubuses in AK, but typically this isn't effective. (Thanks for pointing this out to me James Carver (Exodus))
(Lv. 15) Shield Lob
This ability is really, really good. A lot of tanks I've played with do not use this at all and it's sad because Shield Lob is a great move. It does cost a lot of (TP 120), however its a 15 yard range attack that gives you instant threat to the mob you use. If a mob is running towards your healer, you can combo this by using Shield Lob and Provoke at the same time. I haven't seen a time where this combo does not get you threat back. Its almost guaranteed. I would highly recommend using this ability at the start of any pull. Again, this is a great ability to use when a monster pulls away from you. If one shield lob doesn't get the monster back, do it again, its instant threat, you can't go wrong with using it. A typical pull from a Gladiator/Paladin will go like this: Shield Lob a group of Monsters while they are running towards you, cast Flash 1-2 times to establish aggro on the entire enemy group, then start the FB > SB > RH combo.
Gladiators, if you do not have this ability, it is because you haven't did your Class Quest. DO YOUR CLASS QUEST PEOPLE! I have seen too many Conjurers, Gladiators, etc. not have their important abilities due to not doing their Class Quest. Don't be these people.
(Lv. 18) Shield Bash
If someone asked me what makes a Gladiator/Paladin better than a Marauder/Warrior, I would say its this ability. Shield Bash has no cooldown besides the Global Cooldown. You can stun almost anything. This is also useful ability when a monster is casting an ability.
A perfect reason to use this skill is in Haukke Manor. The evil house maidens cast an ability called "Dark Mist" that is a huge AoE that fears everyone caught in it. Most groups wipe due to not being able to handle the Dark Mist coupled with adds, but a Gladiator/Paladin can easily use Shield Bash and it makes these threatening monsters a piece of cake. I urge all Gladiators/Paladins to consider using Shield Bash anytime you see a monster casting something. You will find out that a lot of enemy spells can be interrupted with Shield Bash.
A word of caution: Shield Bash is linked with your Global Cooldown. Why can this be a problem? Well lets use the House Maidens in Haukke Manor for an example. Say you go in there with a fast blade and she starts casting "Dark Mist", well your spamming Shield Bash, but its on the Global Cooldown for 2.5 seconds, not enough time to interrupt the "Dark Mist" spell. You can however use Shield Lob due to its range and the Shield Bash should be back up.
(Lv. 8) Flash
I had to speak about this ability because I think it is the most underused spell for any new Tank. Flash is the Gladiator/Paladin's AoE threat move. It gives threat to everything around you. Now, this is an ability that should be used right after you Shield Lob 1 monster in a 3 monster pull. Don't just use it once, use it 2-3 times. It costs MP, ok.... but it is a huge threat gain! Also, at Lv. 20, it blinds the enemies making it easier for your healer to heal you.
Also to note: Most dungeons a Conjurer/White Mage's Repose or a Thaumaturge/Black Mage's Sleep will come in handy when dealing with groups of Monsters. Casting Flash gives you threat on the entire group, but it doesn't do any damage. When a monster is sleeping, you can see what party member the monster is targeting to attack when it eventually wakes up. If its not you, casting a flash or two will push you to the top of the threat list, so when the monster is woken up it isn't b-lining for a party member.
What happens if you run Out of MP? Well Gladiators/Paladins have an ability for those problem, actually a combo.
(Lv. 1) Fast Blade > (LV. 12) Riot Blade
This combo gives you MP back, quite a bit actually. So if your tanking 4 monsters and your spamming your Flash (which you should be), use Fast Blade > Riot Blade to gain some more MP. If you memorized the dungeon, and know a big pull is coming and are running out of MP, do it before you get there. With this combo and Flash, Gladiators/Paladins have no excuse for not being able to handle big monster pulls.
(Lv. 10) Convalescence
This ability increases how much healing you gain by spells or actions. Really good for those big monster pulls. It helps the healer keep you topped up. It has a short 2 minute cooldown, so this is a great spell to go to when things are getting a bit hairy.
Some good advice is to check how fast your HP bar is going down, and think about the healer. If its draining faster than you think, use Convalescence. This can also be coupled with:
(Lv. 2) Rampart
A straight 20% damage reduction in the damage you are taking. A great ability to make it easier on your healer with those big pulls. Healers and Thaumaturges/Black Mages should be using Sleep and Repose to make it easier on you, but sometimes that isn't the case. This is when defensive cooldowns will help you survive.
(Lv. 30) Shield Swipe
Being a Gladiator/Paladin will give you many times you block an attack. During these times you block an attack, Shield Swipe will be available for use. Shield Swipe is a great action to cause a monster to not use any weapon skill combos that could hurt you even more. This is also an ability you get from your Class Quest.
For the new tank, this isn't a must skill to master in earlier dungeons, but later dungeons, this ability will pay off! Try to get used to seeing when its available and popping it. This ability is on the Global Cooldown, meaning you may get caught in a situation where you use it and needed to do something else. It has a potency of 210, so it hits for a lot! It doesn't innately give you threat, but the damage you do with it will make sure a monster isn't turning to another party member so easily.
(Lv. 34) Awareness
A very good skill! This skill makes you uncrittable, making the damage you take predictable for your healer. My Gladiator is currently on level 34, so I am uncertain of this, but I believe in FFXIV, no tank can become uncrittable (if I am wrong about this please reply). On an enrage phase of a boss, Awareness can help make the damage you take become predictable so the healer will have the proper time to keep your HP bar full. It is important to consider this spell, and when to use it. Although it lasts for 25 seconds at Lv. 44, it is on a 2 minute cooldown like the rest of your damage reduction abilities.
(Lv. 38) Sentinel
Just like Rampart but a 30% Reduction at Lv. 38, and 40% Reduction at Lv. 48. Gladiators/Paladins have so many spells at their disposal to keep them alive.
(Lv. 42) Tempered Will
Takes away Heavy and Bind debuffs. I'm assuming that there are some Bosses that will root or slow the tank and this will be the ability you will need to use to get rid of these debuffs.
(Lv. 46) Bulwark
Increases your Block Rate by 60%. Yet, another damage reduction ability that will keep you from taking massive amounts of damage. It is on a whopping 3 minute cooldown. I would advise using this ability on boss fights.
(Lv. 50) Circle of Storn
Wow, this ability is such a great AoE threat ability. Its on a 25 second cooldown, so it cannot be spammed, but Instantly 100 potency attack to all enemies in a 5 yard radius. This will make AoE tanking easier.
Paladin Specific Abilities
(Lv. 35) Cover
Sometimes you just can't get aggro back on a monster, or the boss does something quirky that is going to make a member in your party take damage that could kill them. Cover will help you save that party member from imminent death. Cover takes all the damage they would receive and sends it your way. The trick is, you must be 6 yards near the target for Cover to work. Cover is on a 2 minute cooldown, but the spell is instant. The right times to use this ability is situational, but do not be afraid to use it when you think it is the right time.
(Lv. 30) Sword Oath / (Lv. 40) Shield Oath
Sword Oath gives you more damage on each of your attacks, making it great for trying to clear dungeons quickly, or that extra umph to your attacks for keeping threat on monsters.
Shield Oath turns you from an already stalwart tank, into an immovable wall. This comes at the costs of a 25% reduction to your damage, but an overall increase in your threat gaining abilities. This should make tanking much easier.
Only one of these abilities can be active at one time. In my opinion, Sword Oath should be used for clearing trash in dungeons as quickly as possible, switch to Shield Oath when your at a boss fight.
(Lv. 45) Spririts Within
Big attack that really hits hard. At full health the attack will deal 300 potency! Thats quite a lot of damage. It is instant and on a 30 second cooldown. This ability also silences the target for one second. This is another great wait to interrupt casts from monsters as the silence will interrupt the same way a Shield Bash would. I am unsure if this ability is on the Global Cooldown or not, so you will have to see :)
(Lv. 50) Hallowed Ground
This ability makes you impervious to almost all damage. This is on a big 7 minute cooldown, so you want to use this on OH S#!T moments. This ability coupled with the long amount of actions at the Paladins disposal should make tanking pretty simple in normal dungeons. I fear though, that Square Enix will make end game content, and future content very difficult with these many abilities a tank can use. I'm extremely excited to see.
(Gladiator guide Coming Soon!)
So there you have it. Yes it was long-winded, but it needed to be. Tanks play a crucial role in MMORPGs, and this game isn't any different. FFXIV Community, do not be afraid to play the Tank role. If you follow this guide, and hone your skills, you will be loved in your realm. A good tank is loved by everyone. A bad tank is detested. I urge you to become great tanks, and get this Duty Finder moving!!!
Thanks to everyone who helped me make this guide! Leave any questions or comments on the thread. If you don't agree with something I've listed let me know.