Why aren't there more tanks in FFXIV?

[Sessurea]

they need to ditch the 2 tank thing already for future content.

Really, can't they come up with something more interesting than the crappy old tank swap every time we "need" 2 tanks?

[Synestra]

I applaud those with the mental and tongue control to deal with the low IQ individuals that deem it necessary to be overly rude to others.

Imo this is the most easiest thing to handle, just ignore all the raging in chat and keep going. Its usually their performance that cant be ignored so easily as it affects whole group, but yeah only time i will do content with randoms is relic for example other than that i will rarely use DF/PF because it involves too much RNG by getting decent players in to your group.

[Ichimaru]

I try to be patient with tanks...i really do. however the last couple of roulettes i have done have gone terrible.

1.Tank marks targets in hala hm…I was blm and the other dps was smn. Why would you do that we are perfect job for aoe. He also refuses to tank more than 1 mob so its not like i can just flare away and be safe. he would rarely use flash too.

2.Tank has i110 burtgang and the i110 shield. Im using blm atma and still manage to pull hate off him (vigil hm)...me and the healer try to give him advice and are met with silence. me and the other dps end up having to pull mobs off the healer because the tank is in his own world ignoring us.

3.Tank blows all defensive cool downs at the start of each boss fight in haukke hm (yes, all of them before engaging the boss). i ask him why? he says "because i wanna start the fight strong"...pulls mobs with provoke too. He has novus sword and shield…

I think the question we should be asking is why aren’t there more good tanks?

[MirielleLavandre]

I think the question we should be asking is why aren’t there more good tanks?

As we kinda stated quite a few times, all the good tanks are running their roulettes and such with FC/LS/friends. When you end up with that one random tank that didn't queue w/ friends or FC, you might end up with the ones who have tons of i110 (given how easy it is to get if all you do is hunt -- which would also explain their lack of tanking knowledge and dungeon mechanics), but no idea about how to tank. What is sad is that this game has pretty much made it that, besides story dungeons and missions, someone can FATE their way to 50, echo their way to relic, and then Hunt their way to almost full i110 with almost zero knowledge of team play and aggro management... *sigh* I mean, do you really like taking your own PLD into PUG roulettes -- it is way to toxic there for my tastes :P

[CaladS]

When I first started this game I was yelled at and told to quit all the time. It's my first and only MMORPG and I had no idea what I was doing. But I've got thick skin and pushed through it to learn.

My point is there may be a lack of tanks because they were all bullied off their role while they were trying to learn.

[Isius]

^ Basically this, FFXIV as a lot of new people to mmos, I've seen how new tanks act, and emotional push down even when no one in the group commented how bad their tanking is, I still remember this one particular tank that was breaking down in just a normal Stone Vigil. A buddy and I were just lvling alts, the person wasn't that great at tanking, there was some wipes, but no one in the group was complaining either. My buddy was telling me in a LS to give them some tank advise but I refused too. Since well I had my fair share of tanks with superiority issuses in dungeons. After the 3rd wipe the tank started to say sorry to the group, and started to attack their own self esteem. I finally talked to the person to calm them down and gave them a basic rotation to hold aggro better. We finished the dungeon just fine...but this episode just makes me wonder what type of attacks that person went through before I meet them in my random df to just to lvl up. As far as I see it people should just stop labeling people as tank, healer, or dps. There is a person behind those roles if they are a decent person help them if they are just well unpleasant let them rot be it tank, healer, or dps. You really can't blame people for not knowing their roles when you think about it; FF fan, first mmo, console(slow text), and people picking classes with swords when they don't understand what they are getting themselves into when they start this game. I doubt that person I meet in that df still plays this game after the attacks they received from random people online, most likely they finished their story to lvl50 then quit.

[Lisotte]

I've really only played as a healer or a DD (just starting to level WAR), but my friend who plays both PLD and WHM has the following fairly constructive view:

People don't like additional responsibility, they want fun. You can be an expert DD but in the end that will just make things die faster. If the PLD or the WHM dies, it's usually a wipe (aside from crazy BRD kiting scenarios). He and I do disagree with Eliot on one point though: Tanking a dungeon is almost certainly the most stressful role on the first few runs, but after that you can generally tank it in your sleep You can be a great tank but you really need to know the instance. It's the healer that usually always has a stronger chance of a stressful time doing the dungeon for the 390238409th time because if it's a new tank you're in for a rough ride. Or if there's an idiot BRD. Or if the tank overpulls way too often. Or if the tank is only a WAR because of the instant queue times (a problem that has also plagued MMOs for years; I knew a guy in FFXI who had an Ochain and Aegis PLD, and organised groups, but he was a terrible player, a terrible leader and would always organise groups that never could beat anything because he had no expectations for peoples' skill or gear).

[DenariusJay]

Didn't read all of the above but I'll give my take on it as I'm levelling a tank (27 Gladiator) for the first time now through dungeons.
There is high pressure on the tank (perhaps self inflicted) as there is more responsibility on your shoulders than playing any other class.

I just started leveling my first tank class, gladiator as well. So far I been rockin' it (lvl 24 atm). I love leading the pack and just blowing through the low level dungeons like a boss. I aggro 6 mobs and rock it like its still 1999, giving that healer a damn fine workout Of course, I run full HQ materia slotted gear, and know the dungeons well enough to know what hurts and what doesn't hurt. Also they are all the pre-30 dungies, which are a snooze fest and be speed run no problem. When I get to the tougher dungeons I'll slow it down and be more methodical. I been having a blast playing tanker, my only BIG complaint is the lack of aggro tools, flash is crap. It barely holds attention and good luck re-grabbing attention with it. They should rework it to be better but oh well, w/e

[coldreactive]

I think speedrun culture has ruined this game for many people.

Indeed. I force expert roulettes not to speed run if I'm the tank.

[Artiste]

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

Tanking is one of the most difficult job, and like Kaethra said, a tank is often a leader, but not everyone enjoy to lead.
To tank, you need to enjoye leading, and play a class harder then the other, and if something goes wrong, you gonna be blame, or the healer, rarely the DPS (they have no responsability anyway)

Also, about speed-run, as healer, if the tank doesn't take enough monsters, I feel like I have nothing to do, and I begin the DPS also (even when I take all the monsters he can I try to put some risky holy), some players want, like me, not only go fast, but also get this interresting, and killing monsters 3 by 3, it make us sleep. (and till the only hard content is limited by 1per/week, you have only the expert donjons and extremes trials left)

Even at lvl 15-20 dj it's hard to tank and keep aggro of every monsters, a tank have pressure on packs of monsters, and a healer, on bosses mainly.