Tank Balance

[Alahra]

WAR is the "DPS" tank, so the "serious tanks that like to DPS" will probably go WAR. Since PLD is the "Defensive" tank, let it be the "active defensive tank". This way, every serious tanks can be pleased (Well not every...but more of them).
As for "casual" tanks, they'll just play any tank they want without pushing them to their limit.

That's certainly true to a degree (though things like class flavor and the like factor into people's choices as well). I don't foresee them making PLD significantly more complex, though, either through DPS or more active mitigation as it's also the "gateway" tank. With the lowest skill barrier of the three, it's the easiest for someone new to tanking to pick up and use, and even perhaps to enjoy all the way to 60. Granted, they've shown willingness to change simple gameplay styles (BLM from ARR to HW changed significantly, for instance), so it's something that could happen in the future.

Got to agree with Reynhart.

A good testing ground for a player's mindset is their reaction to getting the various new skills. Most aggressive WARs I know were just jumping for joy when they got Fell Cleave... -snip- On the contrary, when I got Sheltron I was over the moon...

It's funny, actually. I prefer defensive tanking (well, I prefer avoidance tanking, but that's not a solid design avenue in games like these), and I've always preferred PLD to WAR, but I just can't get excited for PLD anymore. I think leveling DRK first killed it for me, as it's a bit more active, and that's made PLD feel really boring now. It's unfortunate because in terms of flavor, PLD is my preferred tank, but gameplay wise, I'm having a hard time enjoying it now. Fell Cleave excites me enough that I'm leveling WAR occasionally when I get bored, but it took me forever to push PLD from 52-54, as Shelltron left me really unexcited. I'm not looking forward to anything on it ability wise, sadly.