Should I continue being a Marauder?

Ran through my first 3 dungeons last night as part of the MSQ. It's my first time ever playing a tank, or any MMO somewhat seriously. In the other MMO I played I just rolled a DPS and went around to see all the content. Nothing serious and it was the easiest role to do that with. Queue times don't bother me.

Running dungeons last night has kind of drained my will to continue. I only log in about once or twice a week on my days off, and last night was a trial I'd rather not deal with on my free time. Don't really care for what I hear about endgame tanking anyway. First game I've seen a tank get judged on his DPS as well.

I am clearly new, make in known, but nobody seems to care. Better run ahead and do everything as fast as possible. I'm really close to just ditching the class and finding something else. I may just slap a bow on my back and Go Bard, or maybe level something magic. Find a class that is easy and can get carried, since everyone seems to want to carry me anyway.

Hey mate look. All you can offer is your best. If they aren't satisfied with your best they can shove a certain something a certain somewhere. But if its stressing you out while you're playing a game of all things, then i say yeah, choose another role or something til you get your confidence back. Or hell just start maining that role. Im also going to go ahead and break it to you that most people dont see this as just a game, it's literally all they have in life. So yeah, some of them, theyre going to get pissy with you. Thats when you have to pull out the "talk to the hand method". Which in my means is not respond to the negativity at all.

If people are being judgmental towards you when you're new and doing the very first dungeons in the game, especially if they didn't offer any advice, those are some very silly people and you shouldn't let them discourage yourself.

Tanking is not very difficult in this game, but in can be a bit stressful since you are expected to lead the dungeons and manage big pulls. Also, both tanks and healers are expected to do decent DPS in addition to their base tasks in this game, but when you're just starting out and learning your class, your primary task is of course in keeping hate and staying alive.

There is some really good advice for newbie tanking in this game in this thread: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...Help-Please%21

Make sure to get Provoke from Gladiator asap and remember to keep your gear up to date for the group content you're doing. :)

Dabble around in other classes to see what one suits you best. You can always go back to Marauder later on if you choose to.
Do what makes you happy :)

The issue with Satasha, Tam-Tara and Copperbell is 1) you don't actually need a tank to get through them 2) the party is probably synced down and will outgear a new tank to the point that they won't be able to hold hate anyways 3) These dungeons are among the most boring in the game and frequently pop up in the roulette. There are only a few instances in FFXIV where you will frequently get parties that will not slow down for a new tank (or player in general) and unfortunately the first three dungeons are among them. If you continue with tanking, by the time you get to the early thirties the party will definitely not be going anywhere without you.

That said tanking (particularly in the Duty Finder) can be very stressful in this game if it is something you don't normally enjoy. There are trade offs of course, like instant queues and player in need bonus in the roulettes (which are almost always for tanks). If you really want to tank I recommend at least sticking through until you get to the dungeon Brayflox's Longstop at 32. That's the first dungeon where a tank is absolutely essential and will probably give you a better idea of how parties normally function. The earlier dungeons are designed for people like you who do not have very much experience in MMOs and so are very forgiving (which can sometimes backfire when paired with more experienced players).

keep going, Marauder turns into Warrior which is basically a dps job under guise of a tank, high skill to master but worth the efforts :p

Ill agree with the people saying that the people you were playing with suck. If im in a group with a legit new player, i offer all the help i can with no judgement. Of course a new tank wont know the ins and outs of the dungeon their first time, wont be comfortable with the bigger pulls, and wont do as much DPS as someone with 2 years experience in the class. Who would expect them to?

So my advice? Ignore those idiots and dont stress. Keep playing marauder if it interests you. If you want a change, then do that. If you want to try DPS, you could always level pugilist for a little while to pick up some cross-class skills your marauder will eventually want. If you want a full break from the melee style, then archer/bard or thaumaturge/black mage are both pretty easy to pick up(they get harder after level 50, but most classes do). The beauty of the level-every-class system is that you can take one of these breaks, and always go back if you feel the urge. Best of luck!

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Originally Posted by Naria

The issue with Satasha, Tam-Tara and Copperbell is 1) you don't actually need a tank to get through them 2) the party is probably synced down and will outgear a new tank to the point that they won't be able to hold hate anyways 3) These dungeons are among the most boring in the game and frequently pop up in the roulette. There are only a few instances in FFXIV where you will frequently get parties that will not slow down for a new tank (or player in general) and unfortunately the first three dungeons are among them. If you continue with tanking, by the time you get to the early thirties the party will definitely not be going anywhere without you.

That said tanking (particularly in the Duty Finder) can be very stressful in this game if it is something you don't normally enjoy. There are trade offs of course, like instant queues and player in need bonus in the roulettes (which are almost always for tanks). If you really want to tank I recommend at least sticking through until you get to the dungeon Brayflox's Longstop at 32. That's the first dungeon where a tank is absolutely essential and will probably give you a better idea of how parties normally function. The earlier dungeons are designed for people like you who do not have very much experience in MMOs and so are very forgiving (which can sometimes backfire when paired with more experienced players).

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I felt the need to emphasize what Naria stated. ^

I remember when I did my first dungeons the pace felt overly fast and rushed. Now everything feels normal. Before you know it this pace will become your norm and you will downright expect it or find it real slow. It's just the difference in perception between a newbye and a veteran. The game will feel different for you soon, after doing a dungeon 3-4 times.
The low lvl dungeons are meant as a place for you to practice, this is why your team doesn't depend on a tank on low lvls, or on anyone being that skilled, it's so newbyes don't have a lot of responsibility until they get use to things. This is a different story in later dungeons, where no one will be able to go ahead without you.

As someone else mentioned, tanking through the duty finder can be a headache. I know multiple people who will only tank for people they know.
If you enjoy it, keep doing it. If it is too much of a headache, try other classes. You'll want to level other classes for cross-class skills anyway (like gladiator).
If you want to keep tanking, I recommend sticking with marauder over gladiator though. Gladiator/paladin has issues until level 40.
If you feel the main stress is learning the dungeons/fights while also tanking, a lot of people (like me) will learn stuff as dps then do it again as tank or healer.

Its weird cuz you gonna run into ppl that are queing for the daily roulette and just want it done, so they are going to bum rush the areas since they have what is the best possible gear stats for said dungeons off the sync. Most will just continue to run and will really not say nothing if your new (neutral stance) and to be honest the best you can do imo is just try your best to keep hate and enjoy the carry. (you will still get tanking "experience" anyways since imo its the ppl that make it harder to hold hate that teach you cow to hold it for later on when it does matter) This is what i call the middle ground and what you will prolly run into alot.

Now the issue is when you run into the "leets" and thankfully imo i think this happens very rarely in FF 14 compared to other MMOs, but will still happen. These are those fortunate individuals lucky enough to have been born all knowing and will shun and berate you for not being all knowing yourself. Best i can say is, be glad your actual life isn't so bad you need as much validation from a game as they do and just carry on XD

Now there is also the group of people that will try to help but this can be tricky to "navigate" As an example I tend to offer what i call boxing like tips to new players, ie one piece of advise per "round". For example the run starts and i see a marauder trying to emnity combo every mob hile switching from one to another in sastasha so ill recommend not being shy about overpower spam. Now this is were it gets tricky to navigate, ill give my suggestion a couple times at most and if the new player seems receptive then for round two ill suggest more details such as "pick up with overpower then use single target once you feel confident on the aoe hate to conserve tp" etc. But if the tank continues to go on like they were and continue to have hate issues ill prolly just leave it alone.

In FF 14 I usually see the first scenario happen when I offer to help (god I love this games community) and quite frankly it even makes the dungeon run more rewarding to me cuz i get to see someone pick up the basics of tanking at incredible pace and makes m feel like this is a person i hope i run into again later on to see them tackling the later content. But sometimes ppl will take advice as an attack and that is where it gets tricky, my personal way is to just leave it be but some others will find it offensive/rude themselves and get irritated and that is where it gets iffy. XD

I agree with most of the people here, the groups you were with were in a rush and because of the 1st set of dungeon's ease ran with it. I've tanked in a few different MMOs, but I didn't even try to do so here until I'd gotten a healer and a dps though every dungeon. At the very least, you could run one of them and a tank at the same time, learning the dungeon on one then tanking it; this would slow down the leveling of both (despite the extra xp the lower leveled class/job would get for being below the other) but gives you the knowledge you need to tank it.

If you state that your new, you should usually get an understanding group. often times, players will do what they can to help you through it; advice (I have a habit of saying FLASH alot to gladiators who can't keep things); minding their own argo/emnity by switching targets if it goes yellow/orange; Running To You instead of Away from you....And making sure you go the right way in a dungeon instead of to that dead end with trash I always end up running towards in some dungeons ;p
I know I've had Black Mages tone themselves down in lower content because my crappy geared tank couldn't keep things off them going full tilt!
Running towards You when they've got things however, only happens about 38% of the time in ANY dungeon run. It's a pet peeve of mine, makes a tank's job easier if its done but you'll have to learn how to pull it off the "Headless Chicken Emnity" Run...Or teach the players not to do so by letting them have it.

It comes down to, Do you Enjoy your Marauder?
If yes, don't give it up because some players are jerks.

This past couple weeks was my first time tanking in a MMO as well, as a Gladiator/Paladin. Surprisingly, everything went smooth most of the time. However, I did learn the dungeons before going in. That way, at least I know what should I expect inside, especially the bosses' mechanics.

Also, I'm not sure if it's any difference. Most of the time, I was pairing with the Japanese and they're very patient with me. Sometimes when I'm not sure where to go, someone will show the direction by jumping as the code that I should go that way. No one has ever started monsters aggro before me.

My advice is, just explain from the start that it's your first time in the dungeon. If people don't care about that and being jerks to you, maybe you should find a FC to help you run dungeons, or ask the people in the Novice Network.

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Originally Posted by Gumbercules

These are those fortunate individuals lucky enough to have been born all knowing and will shun and berate you for not being all knowing yourself. Best i can say is, be glad your actual life isn't so bad you need as much validation from a game as they do and just carry on XD

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ROFL. Too funny because it's true.

It's been a while since I can relate to being new to MMO games, but the little advice I can offer to you is: you're going to be fine! Don't let others bother you. You will definitely run into your share of bad apples, but they are not as pronounced as they are in other MMO games.

Think of it this way: if you get into a good group with friendly people, it makes a dungeon go much more smoothly, but on the flip-side, if you run into those bad apples, you'll only ever see them once, and that's it...you'll never have to deal with them again.

If you still feel stressed out, and you feel that tanking is a chore for you, then don't be afraid to explore a new job/class and find something that fits your playstyle. I found that with Monk, and now, after my long hiatus, I had a change of heart and became a Bard because I enjoy how it plays. Heed my advice: playing a video game should never feel like a chore -- it should be an enjoyable experience! :D

Tanking at low level is unfortunately pretty hard in his game, as you don't have access to your tank stance yet and have limited enmity skills. For most of the lower dungeons though the enemies don't hit very hard so it's not that big a disaster if you lose one, though it is certainly annoying and can be frustrating. If it really stresses you out that much, taking up a dps job might be just the right thing to do. There's less pressure, it's less obvious if you screw up, which is certainly a nice change of pace from tank (or healer). I'd say archer/bard is one of the easiest to learn, you have a lot of freedom of movement and not really a set rotation you need to follow. Plus it will allow you to explore the dungeons and get the lay of the land before possibly running back in to tank. Many people do this - run first as dps to get familiar with it and then later come back as tank.

I hope you can get stuff figured out and find your best way to enjoy the game. Good luck and have fun. :)

Low level tanking it is very hard to keep agro as you do not have much in terms of tools, later on though it is non issue (for most)
Maurader, at least for me really was not at all enjoyable until i got War up to level 50, then it got to be fun.
If people cannot offer any advice, then i would say they can choke on a pillow or something, lol
You are free to try the other classes, but i would stick with it, it does get better