Quote Originally Posted by Kitru View Post

The main reasons that people play DPS aren't that they kill faster or that they get rewards faster (which they don't; the best rewards are gained via group content and, all things being equal, DPS progress at the exact same rate as tanks). The main reasons that people play DPS are that it's a low responsibility job and that it's a straightforward job with immediately visible returns (you see big numbers fly up).

Tanking is the least popular because it has an indirect effect upon success (you contribute to success by keeping the enemies from attacking anyone else), has abstract demonstration of effectiveness (your comparative effectiveness as a tank isgoverned by the reduction in damage taken, which varies massively based upon the situation itself), and has a high degree of responsibility that is made more difficult when you have potent allies (stronger heals and DPS means that you have a harder time keeping aggro, which is the most obvious way for a tank to fail).
I think you're underestimating the importance of DD. A tank and healer don't have an infinite resource pool. Most fights in this game can't be done with just a tank and a healer because both would run out of steam long before the boss was dead due to their inability to deal meaningful damage e.g. Haukke Manor HM, Copperbell HM, Coil, CT etc. Heck, even Wanderer's Palace, an easy + fast dungeon, needs DD to kill adds so you can stay ahead of the tonberry stalker.

As for why people dislike playing tanks, I think it's more than just "Tanks have so much responsibility ermagah!!!" I leveled my PLD to 50 and got a relic weapon, doing duty roulette every day to get more practice, and got 1000% more flack than I ever got as a DPS on my worst days. Like hell I would want to continue tanking after that. Only good thing is that people will mindlessly give you commendations.

As a healer I get a decent amount of commendations and love all day long, even if I spent 90% of the time just standing there doing nothing.