Please remove iLevel

[CianaIezuborn]

His anecdotal evidence is still more evidence then I ever hear from the other side of the argument. A valid counterpoint requires proof. He provides situational evidence, you provide a supposition that implies his evidence is in fact misinterpreted, yet provide no evidence of your own.

True I didn't repeat previous numbers for hits that are available on the tanking forums, at some point you get tired of repeating info available in Titan guides. The desire to have > 5200 hp unbuffed as a paladin tank is to have more hp base than the combination of a mountain buster + AA damage for the burst phases. It can be done with lower hp(up until the point where MB alone one shots you), which is obvious from his success, but this requires a higher level of gear and skill from your healers as well as 0 room for error during mountain busters. But by entering into Titan HM with that lower gearset he is knowingly shifting additional responsibility onto his healers in a fight that is already hugely taxing on the healers. Most healers would claim a tank that had 4900 hp unbuffed would be unhealable during 5th phase Titan, and it probably would be for the average healer. If you aren't geared enough that an average healer can keep you up, then you're being carried by an above average healer. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, especially if you're running with FC mates that are trying to get you geared up asap, I'm just saying recognize that your lesser gear is being covered by people in better gear.

The real gear requirement is alway going to be this: the minimum required for all party members to succeed at all within the time limits. Nothing else. If that is what you are implying here, then I agree, but otherwise.....

This is exactly what I mean, though I mean minimum average gear level. You can walk into a Titan HM with 7 over-geared players in your skivvies and drop dead in the first 5 seconds and still win, that doesn't mean naked is the minimum gear level. Titan requires a higher hp pool to survive phase transitions and tumults, higher dps for heart phase dps race, and both for the soft enrage during phase 5. During phase 5, Titan does more damage to the party each full rotation and you are capped at a certain kill time by the max hp of your party members.

There is a huge jump in minimum gear level needed from Garuda to Titan. Garuda doesn't hit the group with anything to hard, so there really isn't any real need for additional HP beyond what you get for dinging 50. There's a moderate soft dps check in being able to burn the adds down, but it's not bad. You could probably down Garuda in a group full of AF1 armor, level 30 accessories, and GC weapons pretty easily, and people do it all the time.

The problem is when those same people then move on to Titan in that gear, and then wonder why it's so hard to survive. I really blame this on the huge jump in gear requirements for Titan, but I don't have to much sympathy because of this:

Everything you need to gear up for Titan is purchasable with Philo tomes, except for maybe an Ifrit/Garuda weapon for dps. So there is little to no chance involved in drops to get geared for Titan, you just have to suck it up like everyone else did and get some darklight gear. You can minimize the amount of tomes you need by getting lucky with AK armor drops, but there's really no excuse for showing up for a Titan HM still wearing AF1 gear when upgraded gear is so readily available.

The issue I have is that every time someone says, "You don't need to be geared for Titan!" then someone else hears it and insists on wanting to go do Titan when they have 2900 HP and 5 slots that could be upgraded from AK runs. You don't need to be geared for Titan IF other people in the raid are carrying you, as evident by the amount of Titan clears are being sold.