What is the point of playing a tank?

So usual pros of tanks in MMOs is High survivability which makes you able to pull big while in solo and Instant dungeon queues. Currently I can do neither. Queues are as bad as DPS and can't take on more then 2 things solo and damage is way lower then dps. So what is my motivation to play other then if the class fantasy appeals to me? Which is just limiting myself in solo.

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Originally Posted by Velaethia

So usual pros of tanks in MMOs is High survivability which makes you able to pull big while in solo and Instant dungeon queues. Currently I can do neither. Queues are as bad as DPS and can't take on more then 2 things solo and damage is way lower then dps. So what is my motivation to play other then if the class fantasy appeals to me? Which is just limiting myself in solo.

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I've been solo aoeing FATEs down on my Paladin with no issues. Maybe the problem is between the chair and the keyboard.

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Originally Posted by CorbinDallas

I've been solo aoeing FATEs down on my Paladin with no issues. Maybe the problem is between the chair and the keyboard.

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There is literally nothing else I can do to survive. I am min/maxing my usage of cooldown and abilities and even using pots. But partly cause dps is so slow they grind me down before I can take them. I was level 49 with level ~45 gear doing level 45ish fates. Barely solo the boss ones but take forever. I mean I can do them all they just take forever cause I can't pull biggeer then 2.

Scaling changes a bit through the expansions, and between them (usually through gear, but iirc HW monsters shocked a few people at early levels lol). But you will absolutely be able to take huge hoards of monsters. Was doing some level 70 fates recently and tanking the entire fate pack and their respawns (~8 monsters non stop) and relying on just my chocobo to keep me alive lol.



Keep going, tanks can tank :).


Make sure you gear up though, your ability to tank can be wrecked by bad gear and strong monsters. Like some dungeons will make a tank look like paper if they dont have the higher defense newer armor for their level.

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Originally Posted by Velaethia

So usual pros of tanks in MMOs is High survivability which makes you able to pull big while in solo and Instant dungeon queues. Currently I can do neither. Queues are as bad as DPS and can't take on more then 2 things solo and damage is way lower then dps. So what is my motivation to play other then if the class fantasy appeals to me? Which is just limiting myself in solo.

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This is something MMORPGs that use the tank-healer-dps system have struggled with for decades. For questing, nothing beats high damage.

Ones the gunbreaker hype dies down, queue times will become shorter for tanks.

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Originally Posted by Velaethia

There is literally nothing else I can do to survive. I am min/maxing my usage of cooldown and abilities and even using pots. But partly cause dps is so slow they grind me down before I can take them. I was level 49 with level ~45 gear doing level 45ish fates. Barely solo the boss ones but take forever. I mean I can do them all they just take forever cause I can't pull biggeer then 2.

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When levelling always make sure that you keep at least your chest and weapon at the highest item level you can, legs too I guess. They have the bulk of your stats attached to them, and being even slightly undergeared can be the difference between struggling and easy peasy. Also when it comes to multiple monsters, generally if there are only 2 you should single target them one at a time and only aoe at 3+.

If you haven't been already then having your chocobo companion out can be a huge help. Their DPS is nothing to scoff at, along with their healing abilities. Once your kit rounds out a bit more in the 50s it'll get better, I promise. The early levelling for every job is a bit pants, has been since Stormblood.

Sorry for my snark earlier, I'm a bit tired of seeing nothing but complaints since 5.0 dropped.

If you were doing low level FATEs, then, ya, probably going to get crushed. The pruning for low levels hit hard, again. I ran Titan Normal in a leveling roulette as WAR, and I had like one and a half defensive cds. I was getting tore up by him.

Must keep in mind, though, this is just another "on-rails" MMO, and a majority of the focus is current-end game content.

So you can lead your fellows in duties.


Also so you don't have to fear of slow tanks who only pull 1 pack at a time.


I'm glad that I main PLD since I started this game.

I mean, what's the point of any jobs? What's the point of playing at all?

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Originally Posted by Velaethia

Queues are as bad as DPS[...]

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Usually I am behaving much more mature, but: QQ

Look, since I play, tanks have been given bonusses and had an instant queue. For years straight!

Now it shifted a bit and the first tank comes and complains?
I mean, I have a hard time getting used to the new Scholar (which feels weird, but I like Scholar too much to ditch it for such minor stuff), but I love it to be the final piece in the PuG puzzle that is needed so much.

Okay, you can go back to topic now...

The point is that you like how the abilities work and the tasks you have in duties. Just like all jobs.

That the queue time for tank increased more than before ShB is because more players play tanks, not because tank got nerfed in a way.
Just wait some week until the casual tanks switch back from gunbreaker to a DPS job.

And here I thought this was going to be an interesting look on how tanking was so dumbed down that even even a 5-year old can do it. At this point, aggro is barely even an afterthought. Just throw out a single AoE and the mob is glued to you like flies to a dungheap. Honestly, tanking IS NOT FUN anymore. At least not on PLD. I think Gunbreaker has some interesting mechanics, but the actual tanking part is just not even a consideration.

Remember when skill used to be a factor? It seems like only the day before the day before yesterday.

to be fair it has been like this since ARR.



Tanking has technically always been the easiest job role to play in FFXIV. In tank stance you really only lost threat when you dced or died. I have never had to really try to hold threat when tanking in this game compared to literally any other mmo.


Only time that did not apply was when I was pushing dps too much outside tank stance and someone pulled it, or a rdm blew every GCD right at at the start of a pull. Then they might get threat for 2-3secs then I voke.

You are right pal.
There is no more a point to play a tank, their queue times are gone, no bonus in DF, more team pressure than DPS, being in charge of everything.

Play healer instead.

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Originally Posted by Lemuria

And here I thought this was going to be an interesting look on how tanking was so dumbed down that even even a 5-year old can do it. At this point, aggro is barely even an afterthought. Just throw out a single AoE and the mob is glued to you like flies to a dungheap. Honestly, tanking IS NOT FUN anymore. At least not on PLD. I think Gunbreaker has some interesting mechanics, but the actual tanking part is just not even a consideration.

Remember when skill used to be a factor? It seems like only the day before the day before yesterday.

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No i dont remember, in stormblood you could have just activate tank stance and just press the buttons randomly, your aggro was not the issue at all. Nothing really changed, tanks just deal more damage.

Your gear is outdated by several patches by ARR standards, let alone Heavensward fates (assuming you're doing that and leveling on Paladin). Upgrade your left side, especially weapon and legs to i120 as soon as possible. When your ilvl is at least i120, you'll be mopping the floor with mobs, especially fates.

Tanks are...kinda boring now.

Skill used to be a factor some time ago...now it's just eh. You can teach a toddler to do it. Which I guess is what most of the playerbase needed to be able to play tanks.

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Originally Posted by Crystal_Raven

Tanks are...kinda boring now.

Skill used to be a factor some time ago...now it's just eh. You can teach a toddler to do it. Which I guess is what most of the playerbase needed to be able to play tanks.

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It really is. I haven't leveled my tank yet, but it doesn't look dynamic or fun from what I have seen. I feel like dancer could have been better to, but it seems like it was actually made for lower end players. The amount of dancers I have been with that don't utilize their skills properly (or at all).. I can see why!

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Originally Posted by Enjuden

Your gear is outdated by several patches by ARR standards, let alone Heavensward fates (assuming you're doing that and leveling on Paladin). Upgrade your left side, especially weapon and legs to i120 as soon as possible. When your ilvl is at least i120, you'll be mopping the floor with mobs, especially fates.

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In fairness, they mentioned being level 49, when you can't equip gear that's greater than, like, i49. But otherwise, yeah. Soon as you hit 50 and upgrade to Ironworks, everything (in ARR) starts melting. You'd probably run into a similar problem as you approach 60, but even then, geared up, not nearly as bad.

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Originally Posted by Crystal_Raven

Tanks are...kinda boring now.

Skill used to be a factor some time ago...now it's just eh. You can teach a toddler to do it. Which I guess is what most of the playerbase needed to be able to play tanks.

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But what was hard in tanking before ShB, TP management aka dont spam aoe till end or stance dancing aka all hate this. Skill as factor - nice joke

Skill in holding enmity alone has never been a thing in XIV ever since 2.0. It became even -more- trivial with the addition of Shirk in 4.0.

Heck, it was proven with certain skill combinations that tank stances could be bypassed altogether! An example would be 4.0 DRK where all you had to do was 1-2->Dark Arts -> Power Slash and you established enmity for most if not all the fight. This was done without Grit on by the way. What is the point in stance dancing when you switch a total of 1 time in a fight? There is none. It makes the tank stance button a dead one (Hello, button bloat!). It also makes people believe there is skill in such a thing when there really wasn't. The only skill part about it was the burden of knowledge knowing such a thing was possible.

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Originally Posted by Hasrat

In fairness, they mentioned being level 49, when you can't equip gear that's greater than, like, i49. But otherwise, yeah. Soon as you hit 50 and upgrade to Ironworks, everything (in ARR) starts melting. You'd probably run into a similar problem as you approach 60, but even then, geared up, not nearly as bad.

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Aye. Didn't catch the level 49 bit, but ARR fates admittedly were not meant to be solo'd unless overleveled. This is mostly fixed in Heavensward, then entirely in Stormblood/Shadowbringers.