How was tanking in 1.0 compared to 2.x ?

Hello all,

I've been playing 2.0 since launch as a Tank (WAR/PLD 50) and I really like the role (WAR being my preferred class).
I just wanted to ask feedback from Legacy players on how tanks were different back in 1.0.

1.0 Steel cyclone is often mentioned (and I would have loved to have it in FFXIV:ARR along with 2.0 IB) but I wanted to know if there was other key difference for both WAR and PLD (rotation? CD? weaponskills? synergy with healers?).
Would love to hear more since it's hard to find information on 1.0.
Legacy players, please share your experience :-)

Thank you !

You'll have to keep in mind that the game changed drastically after the 1.19 patch. Before that, every class could use every ability in the game. There were a certain combination of skills that were desirable for tanks but you essentially had to level everything to 50 almost.

After the 1.19 changes and going into ARR, Paladin probably changed the most. They used to have the innate ability to cure (Succor, Divine Veil) but that was more or less taken away and replaced with other threat moves. They also had a cross class ability from Conjurer that let them cast AoE Cure/Stoneskin if needed.

The abilities in 1.0 were much more cooldown oriented than they are now. Steel Cyclone was part of a 3 ability combo and then there were two other combos you could use while that three step combo was coming off cooldown.

The biggest change? Just the reworking of the game code and UI. Fighting in that game was so sluggish. Everything is so much more responsive now. Before I felt like the UI was holding me back, but that's no longer the case.

If you go on Youtube and look up Nael van Darnus or The Raven Nevermore you might be able to find some videos from a tanking perspective of the hardest fight in the game.

In 1.0, pre 1.18ish, as Orophin said, any player could virtually learn any ability and even use traits from other classes.

The Marauder may have had an Intimidation trait that increases enmity.
The Pugilist may have had an increased healing received trait (that may have been broken).

A Gladiator may learn a handful of abilities such as Obsess, that helped him generate enmity and mitigate damage toward one target such as a strong foe, but lowered his defense against other enemies.

A Marauder who was stationary gained a buff called Steadfast, which if I'm not mistaken, increased his parry rate and caused several of his single target attacks to become cone attacks (Skull Sunder and Brutal Swing) and thus secure multiple mobs, but positioning was key since moving would remove this Steadfast buff.

Anyone who was supra-serious about tanking would grab as many enmity and mitigation abilities from each class and couple up the traits where they could. They might also allocate their attributes toward Vitality, as back then, it appeared to affect max HP and physical defense. A lot of folks would just eat magic attacks instead.

Even casters who developed their shield arm could generate lots of enmity and keep themselves sustained. A conjurer or thaumaturge might blast enemies with an initial AoE attack or debuff, use Sentinel/shield abilities to defend themself, then heal themselves while relying on Shock Spikes and other counter damage to take down enemies. Most mages that I came across did not invest in Vitality with the intent to tank. They usually wanted their spells to kill enemies before needing to take a beating.

There was no enmity bar and it was uncertain how much enmity some moves performed or how far ahead the tank was. Many players were encouraged to have some self sustaining abilities such as Second Wind, Cure or Sacrifice, in addition to some enmity management like Decoy and Quelling Strikes. Self-healing and mitigation abilities were pretty potent and it reduced the need for a dedicated party healer. Oh yeah, and casters could run and cast without canceling their spell, which probably was pretty overpowered.

Couldn't advise you on 1.18+ tanking. I do recall an enmity blinker by then letting you know if you were getting close to taking enmity.

Animation lock. Animation lock for every single WS and CD in the game. Dodging AoE required that you predict it and not get caught doing anything when it goes off. Enmity generation was not nearly as strong as it is in 2.0. Well-geared DDs would actually pull hate if you messed up or whiffed your enmity combo. Balancing dodging, enmity generation, damage reduction, and max damage output required a fair amount of foresight and planning.

THM was the best tank in the game pre 1.18 thanks to Emulate, Shield Skills, Punishing Barbs, and self heals. Basically anyone with all 50s could tank better than everyone else because of all the cross-class abilities (could equip 15-20 actions with very few limitations). After 1.20, all classes basically had 3-4 different combo routes tied to long cooldowns that forced you to use all of them.

PLD had Riot Blade which was a potent Def down debuff that had to be executed from behind. It also had Phalanx instead of Shield Swipe, but instead of inflicting Pacification it increased enmity and combo'd into Spirits Within. PLD could heal itself and others with Holy Succor, which was basically Cure 1.5. Aegis Boon could nullify any single-target weaponskill or auto-attack and healed you when activated on reaction. Cover was actually useful since it worked at long range and restored MP based on damage received.

WAR steel cyclone was probably just as OP as you've heard. It was the second strongest AoE next to Flare. It healed you for damage dealt on crit so doing it in a pack of 5-6 mobs would heal you for 2-3k. It had a 30 second cooldown. WAR's defensive stance was called Rampage and was used 90% of the time because it buffed Parry and Steel Cyclone. The Berserk stance required buildup to see a slight increase in single target damage. Since WAR always tanked or had to AoE something, most people never used it.

Until jobs were introduced, GLA > MRD because GLA had access to shield skills. When jobs came out in 1.20, WAR >>> PLD until 1.23 when PLD eventually gained the ability to block weapon skills, avoid casting interruption, and nullify additional effects on shield block among other things. Still, the only time PLD was clearly superior to WAR was the Nael Van Darnus fight. WAR generally did everything else faster and more efficiently due to higher damage output.

HP > Acc > Enm+ > STR > VIT(WAR)/MND(PLD)

Enjoy old times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNVm7rxrxoc

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Orophin

They also had a cross class ability from Conjurer that let them cast AoE Cure/Stoneskin if needed.

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Would love to have this kind of utility now :(

I hope we will see some kind of PLD patch in future, lacking holy side of PLD makes it pretty dull class specially when off-tanking.

PS: Charge like skill for both tanks should also be added in-game.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Auron_Wolf

Enjoy old times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNVm7rxrxoc

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boy am i glad the game is the way it is now and not like that anymore... so boring.

Around original launch time frame (at least up through the first batch or two of NMs), buffing was significantly more aggro than anything else you could do in the game. I remember tanking Uraeus without ever attacking him, just by standing there spamming buffs on my PGL. Oh, also, PGL was an evade-tank.

Thank you all, it's really appreciated!
It actually sounds appealing, especially the among of flexibility/customization possible.
But then, I saw the video and it feel sooo static (I love how fight stance look so casual for WAR/DRG)....
They really changed the game and animation by quite a bit...

As someone who never played 1.0 I gotta say the UI looks really beautiful. Those accented edges and gold lining really make it feel like a "Fantasy" game. That being said holy %$#@ is that ever slow. I kind of wish that in future patches they would release these bosses in a secret dungeon similar to KH2:FM (where you can fight a remastered version of the Organization XIII). It would help give insight into what happened during 1.0 in small flashbacks (Echo) upon beating a said boss.

2.0 is def a better game, but there were a lot of things in 1.0 that could have been carried over and were better

1. The Graphics
2. A lot of the music and sounds effects
3. WAR mechanics
4. Closer combat - I hate how in 2.0 you need to be zoomed all the way out to be able to play and dodge stuff. I never liked not being able to see the detail of combat. looks more like a slash and click now. I wish they went in the direction of Monster Hunter online - now that games graphics are much more befitting of a Final Fantasy game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6XPH6V2qWA