Why aren't there more tanks in FFXIV?

[Tiraelina]

I plainly dislike several mechanical differences that make it more bothersome than it needs to be. Like there being no aggro threshold to pull and barely having any time to catch an add spawning before it runs off to club someone. Anything with a spell queued up as its next attack will also refuse to break off a target until it reaches them and casts it. There's also that delay before mobs react to threat changes.

I also enjoyed tanking in general way more when there was still a strategic aspect to pulls and dealing with groups. The whole "AoE all day erry day YOLO" just mashes everything in to feeling like the same thing.

[Kaethra]

Telegraphed aoes can be dodged without moving the mob at all. Since you only have to stay out of the telegraph, once that's gone the mob will do the animation. You can move back during that time and not have the mob move at all.

No, even circular you can dodge and not have the mob move. Unless the circle is huge and animation is very short.

ispano is actually right about this. As soon as the telegraphs disappear, it is safe to move back into the affected area. Most times the boss will sit there during the animation. And you have time to move back into the previous position, move in front of the arrow on the target ring circle and the boss never moves.

Really need to get a video up showing this.

Another tip, especially with gladiators/paladins in the lower levels. Marking targets works, and many will follow the order. But heals generate alot of threat too initially. To prevent this, there is a few things you can do:

1. Level a Conjurer to 34 and then use Stoneskin before 3+ pulls. This means you don't need to be healed for the first couple of hits and allows you to get some enmity hits in there before the heals do come in.

2. Flash bombs are a waste of time. This is assuming where you go flash flash flash. Instead to get AOE threat. Use Flash, Fast Blade, Flash, Savage Blade, Flash, Rage of Halone. Basically intertwine the flashes and you'll build a solid AOE threat base. Its even enough for stray DPS not to pull for a few rounds. Also it ensures you hold enough threat on your main target.

3. Switch targets before the one you're focusing on is dead. You don't need to kill the mob yourself, thats why you have damage dealers. Feel free to switch at 20% and focus on the next target. That helps immensely when you have heavy dps. In addition you can see how much threat everyone has, if everyone is below half, feel free to switch targets there too and focus on something that needs more attention.

As for warriors and marauders. I don't have enough experience with these. I've been told about 1-3 overpowers and everything is good lol. Someone else can comment on those.

[timwind]

I have all classes leveled to 50 and am working on 4th Animus weapon as PLD (BLM/BRD/SCH for last 3). I will not say tanking is easy or hard. But tanking is boring especially in lower level. I can literally flashing thought the whole dungeon without losing any hate.

[Riardon]

Because like in almost every MMORPGs people are afraid to play as tank. They feel tank has all the responsibility of the group and they don't want to feel this extra pressure on them. In this game tanks are easy to play most of the times but playing as DPS sitting back and mindlessly hitting random things infront of you seems easier than tanking. Also many times people are harsh towrds tank's mistakes. This is another reason. Countless times I set marks on mobs and people never follow them resulting on some messy aggros. So when something bites someone else they use to cry and blame the tank. Or the other problem is when you have a new players as tank who is really bad at tanking then you try to explain to him what to do and he seems his eaither dooes not speak English or does not care at all. So you have a raged group who again blame the tank and this time they were right but the tank receives this aggresion only and does not realised the why.

[TouchandFeel]

I main PLD and sub WHM. I enjoy tanking the most, then healing, then dps.
Why? Because that is the way I am. I like responsibility and having to step up to the challenge. I also like the fact that as a tank (and healer somewhat) you really have to pay attention to all the details. What is the mob pack makeup? What is the area that I'm fighting them in? Could patrols run into us while fighting and add to the pack? How much MP do the casters have? How fast can the dps down things? How much aoe capability does the party as a whole have? What are the other players doing when I do a pull? Etc. Etc.
These are all things that I look for and take into account when tanking and that is not even taking into account trying to pace out and maximize my ability useage to get the most out of a run or fight. To me and many other tanks these things become so second nature that we don't even think about doing them, they just happen. To someone new to it, it can be very overwhelming.

DPS is much more focused on a single thing, kill mobs quickly. They can focus on that one thing and not have to pay attention to much else and most of the time they will be fine. They can focus on the mob and not have to really worry about what everyone else is doing, unlike a tank.

In a fight the challenge for a dps comes from the monster they are fighting, where the challenge for a tank comes from the other players they are fighting with.

Some people will like having to focus on many things and adjusting to all those variables, many others will not and prefer to be more singularly focused in what they do.

Oh and people can also be really nasty to tanks, especially those that have no clue how to tank themselves.

P.s. This thread probably belongs more in the Tank role section of the forum.

[LTEvil]

Lack of tanks because community comes down hard on failure sometimes.
Lack of tanks because the tank roles take bland to new levels.
Basically combat in this game is already boring, and tanking is generally boring.
1+1=???? No profit.

P.S lack of tanks because some DPS likes to backseat tank.

[KingOfAbyss]

I see mostly "tanking is easy" responses. I suppose that is why tanking is not seen much in Duty Finder?

Heya Mags ^^

The reason Tanks are rare and 'seem' that there is a lack of them: Random players.

As others stated, I can cope easily when a DPS cannot check his own Enmity colour bars, or that we even wipe because of anyone's action, or lack thereof.

What we don't like is when people start bashing on Tanks, or Healers, or Healers on tanks etc..

The best way to circumvent this: FC and friends.

We wipe, no biggie, we'll get him next time.

No harsh words like: man, do you know how to play your role?

Well, comments like that are what's pushing those on the border to help others.. to change idea.

Side note: so far, I must be blessed, I never got any bad complaint whatsoever. Hopefully it will stay the same.

But yeah, with my limited time, I prefer to play with those that make me enjoy the game and feel like I'm having a fun time for my sub, versus feeling empty after a hard day at work.

If I'm not alone sticking to FC, Ls and friends, you have now a better idea why it's rarer on DF.

Side note: I decided to give more love to my bard, no fuss, no trouble as long as you play songs and dps, move and dont die etc.. It's wayyyy more fun, and easy.

[duvvvv]

for the past 5 years this is the only MMO I've played where the triad roles are strictly followed, yet tanks being the least favorite class seem to be the "norm" across the genre. as I see it, DPS is the most popular role because it seems more fun to pewpewpew than be the meat shield. I don't think people being overwhelmed as the "real" party lead during dungeons is the main reason why we lack tanks, instead it's about play style preference, then the mechanics of the game, and people being mean to one another just adds to the disinterest of the community.

personally, I'm always DPS or support. you can check all my toons in all my games since 2003 and I only have a tank or two, which I never capped because I dislike melee. would I consider tanking here? maybe.

[Jynx]

I was maining warrior for a while and a mix of the pressure and just how boring it was to tank at the end of the day made me switch to Monk.

[Mags]

More interesting feedback on the tank shortage. So I am seeing a "tanking is boring" response a bit more. What makes it boring to tank versus DPS or healing? Is the positioning requirements of DPS that much more exciting? Is watching and managing health and status bars more interesting?

I added before I felt overwhelmed as a tank but also once an encounters mechanics are known after a while of doing it, they become trivial. I think, for me, it is the almost needed requirement to study an encounter before playing with others outside friends and FC mates. I like to learn as I do, and it somewhat spoils the moment for me when I need to learn before hand what to do. I understand the need to do so.. as others may be well acquainted with the encounter and want a smooth run. A reason you see people leave a party if a wipe occurs once.