The tanking shortage reasons

[randomrope]

Another reason for the tank shortage for new players might be the fact that no one will actually pay attention to their threat meter or even attempt to control it. Sure a tank can provoke things away but the d-bag player will just continue to troll up their meter and take back hate before provoke is ready to be of use. I see so many healers and dps that just go balls to the wall and don't even stop when they are building up threat. These days its easy to battle, but for new tanks there is no way. Frustration will make ppl quit playing. Dps and healers will always be able to take hate. There is a meter for a reason if people take time to think about it...It is there because enmity can easily be taken away.

[Citizen_Thom]

It's simple really:
-If you know how to tank a fight, then you know how to DPS/Heal it.
-If you know how to DPS/Heal a fight, you do NOT know how to tank it.

*Note: Healers can transition to tanks better then DPS.
**Note: This does not apply to everyone! Simply the general public.

Since people prefer the path of least resistance, most will swap to a new DPS class when they are bored of the primary job.

My SCH is level 50, My PLD is level 47. As a healer I've learned kill orders from tanks I've healed. But I imagine melee dps learn a lot about how to position mobs from the PLD's they are next to. Hate cycling and positioning mobs are what always took me a little getting used to when I took time off SCH to level PLD.

[Sunah]

Another reason for the tank shortage for new players might be the fact that no one will actually pay attention to their threat meter or even attempt to control it. Sure a tank can provoke things away but the d-bag player will just continue to troll up their meter and take back hate before provoke is ready to be of use. I see so many healers and dps that just go balls to the wall and don't even stop when they are building up threat. These days its easy to battle, but for new tanks there is no way. Frustration will make ppl quit playing. Dps and healers will always be able to take hate. There is a meter for a reason if people take time to think about it...It is there because enmity can easily be taken away.

They should probably move or add the enmity meter on the mobs health bar over its head. As i was dpsing on my MNK i noticed that even though i pay attention its still a little awkward to look at the party list to see it.

[Roxas_VonSable]

]I have so much love for this thread. Tank is such a thankless job. Tanking along with healing is not an easy job, but someone has to do it. I recall every new dungeon I came to having to sit and watch an hour or so of youtube videos just to make sure I knew what i was doing. I'm on a japanese server and let me tell u, they are NOT forgiving player. Over all thought i love being a Tank and wouldnt give it up for another class. I have a Fully developed healer and I am also working on a DPS but Tanking will always be my thing. This is my very first MMORPG, I had no idea what Tank, Healer or DPS was. I chose my characters class having no idea what i was getting into. I learned the hard way the role of tank and couldn't be happier.

[Codek]

My SCH is level 50, My PLD is level 47. As a healer I've learned kill orders from tanks I've healed. But I imagine melee dps learn a lot about how to position mobs from the PLD's they are next to. Hate cycling and positioning mobs are what always took me a little getting used to when I took time off SCH to level PLD.

Honestly, the only reason I say healing is easier is because the biggest learning curve for tanking (at very late game) is knowing the timing of the big hits. You have to anticipate them once you get to the extreme fights and as a healer, the timing is subconsciously implanted into your head already. Everyone who hasn't tanked will go through the growing pains of learning the positioning aspects. Only healers will be in tune with this dangerous moments where cool-downs should be popped to make the fight much easier for everyone in general.

Threat management is something that DPS will be more in tune with and will most likely grasp faster. It's also something that becomes trivial once you grasp it and reach end game content so I tend to overlook it a lot myself. It's still a valid point none the less.

[Kazuhira]

People take Tanks for granted sometimes as stated before in the thread we have a lot of responsibilities that DPS and healers don't we have to study and remember all the mechanics for each phase of a fight sure some people learn fights better by observing as other classes but its not really easy remembering all of Titans HM and EX Attack Rotations for example. My only issue as a tank is when people try to tell me how to do my job when they are being idiots stealing all the threat and not giving me enough time to build at the start of a fight then if we wipe I get blamed for the hate drop because they don't watch their threat meter. I love tanking a lot but people need to cut us some slack.

[givemeraptors]

People take Tanks for granted sometimes as stated before in the thread we have a lot of responsibilities that DPS and healers don't we have to study and remember all the mechanics for each phase of a fight

Erm, I feel like this is a common misconception. I find that I'm much more aware of the mechanics of each phase of the fight as a DPS then I am as either a tank or a healer.

[SpookyGhost]

Erm, I feel like this is a common misconception. I find that I'm much more aware of the mechanics of each phase of the fight as a DPS then I am as either a tank or a healer.

As an example, I still have no idea what Titan HM's rotation is - I just know Mountain Buster comes after the left hook. lol

[Citizen_Thom]

I just made it lvl 50 PLD today. I know what to do with the Villefor's in CT. But the primal fights? I've done Ifrit and Garuda NM just to see if I was tanking right. Ultima NM will be my next test on duty finder roulette I imagine. I haven't memorised the attack sequences, I've only learned which attacks shield bash stops and which attacks it doesn't haha.

[jamesrandal]

Not very far into this game just yet. level 40. But from my past mmo experience, tanks have more to do and watch out for. need to get out of AoE/red zones, You gotta know when to blow your cooldowns, You gotta know which enemy hits the hardest and take out fast, You gotta remember to turn the mob away from the party, You need to mark fast or dps will pull for you(so far at low level I had two do it) you gotta know when to shield bash/interrupt. and it always good to know the dungeon, and you're the one expected to explain everything.

Now add on to this all the hate you get from players.. No wonder there is a shortage.