DRK being compared to past FF games.

[Fayto]

snip

Then you realize regular attacks deal more damage. In old FF games the AI targets the front row more or in FFI's case, the top. Also I have checked since I looked into the actual source code. You put mages in the back because their defenses are weak but their ranged attacks don't suffer any penalty.

The high enmity was there to create a risk factor in using cooldowns. Heavy armor in FFXI did not necessarily mean "tank", either. XI's DRK had no defensive traits, mediocre proficiencies in sword and shield (which prompted me to keep asking why the devs even bothered to put DRK on shields it had little use for) and little in the way of tools to hold aggro. It also lacked mechanics to make it versatile enough to gear for tanking or gear for DPS. Granted, XI's defense stat is near useless and gear swaps cause enough trouble as is.

Dread Spikes did however allow DRK to tank for a bit in XI.

[MomomiMomi]

Also I have checked since I looked into the actual source code.

They you should know this does not apply to FF4, which is what I was replying to.

[Fayto]

They you should know this does not apply to FF4, which is what I was replying to.

It does. In every version, too.

[MomomiMomi]

Lying through your teeth, then, because it doesn't. Not on SNES, and not on DS. I don't know about the other versions. Have a good day.

[Fayto]

Lying through your teeth, then, because it doesn't. Not on SNES, and not on DS. I don't know about the other versions. Have a good day.

No, you don't no probabilities do you? Just because something is more likely to happen doesn't mean it will. The AI focuses the top a majority of the time in all version. Check the code.

[Duelle]

Dread Spikes did however allow DRK to tank for a bit in XI.

Dread Spikes was added WAY after the fact. It was also an attempt to mitigate the amount of hate a DRK generated through stuff like Souleater and Last Resort, since using that at least kept the DRK from getting two-shotted by the mob in question.

[MomomiMomi]

No, you don't no probabilities do you? Just because something is more likely to happen doesn't mean it will. The AI focuses the top a majority of the time in all version. Check the code.

And no, you put the tanky members in the front row to protect the squishier mages, hence tanking.

So which is it?

[BlaiseArath]

Dread Spikes did however allow DRK to tank for a bit in XI.

Only to be fair, this was added in the Abyssea era, years, almost a decade after the job was introduced, and it never turned the job into tanking class, it only allowed them to take a few hits before being murdered. It was added due to the fact the job was incredibly squishy and had no means to mitigate damage, where as most if not all other DD jobs did. Also almost everything could tank in Abyssea lol. I don't believe they ever became an actual desired tank for any content... MNKs, THF, and NIN were the main ones in Abyssea, PLD before hand, and WAR/MNK/etc for most things there-after, only recently has PLD begone to shine again though.

Dread Spikes

Er, Okay, someone else mentioned it.

[Kuwagami]

The question is, how good of a tank will it be? PLD is more favorable of a MT over WAR.

haha.. no.

And actually, in the WAR's storyline, you're trying to protect people from a man gone berserk and commanding to beasts.

and yeah it occurred that the berserker was Curious Gorge, but well, whatever

If the DRK is really inspired by Gatts, I can see how it will justify the tank storyline. "Others are just hindering my fight, this is MY enemy"

[Fayto]

So which is it?

Both. In the older FF games, being in the back row reduced damage taken, damage dealt and likely hood of being attacked. Before Rows were added, it was top to bottom. In FFIV, they combined the two. Melees and tanky guys were meant to be in front while the squishy guys were meant to be in back. Dark Knight Cecil is still the most physical defensive tanks in the game with Paladin Cecil being the most magical defensive tank. Only thing that beaten Dark Knight Cecil was Yang in HP.