Considering Tanking

[Atoli]

MRD is the easiest tank to learn on,..

WAR has a way more complicated rotation than PLD. It is hard to keep that up while also making sure you keep aggro on all mobs and managing your defensive cooldowns if you are someone who is just starting out as a tank.

Good skills before your job crystal (Invgorate, Raging Strikes, Blood for blood)

It's kind of incredibly pointless to level dps classes for skills you can't use past lvl 30....

[Imoen]

snip.

I feel like all the tanks are similar especially early in the game, (Pick what sounds interesting.) then they get their own identity later in the game. I'm not sure of your general knowledge of the game so if you know any of these things, just ignore. I don't know why people say "so and so tank is easier" they are all relatively the same early on. Try them out, find the one that fits a playstyle you like.

-Flash/overpower/unleash, Use them often when you first get started but watch your resources.... going crazy with these can put you in a bad position. As you get more experience you will get a better idea of when and how often to use these. PLD(MP from flash is an issue early on) DRK (Unleash MP issues early as well) WAR (TP issues from overpower early.)

-Cycle through targets often, to check threat levels...be ready to get it back with Provoke if you lose something.

-Provoke (gladiator skill - no matter which tank you choose, pick this up) ... learn how it works, This is honestly the most miss-used skill out there from new tanks. It does NOT generate enmity, It only puts you at the top of the list, you HAVE to follow it up with an enmity generating combo or ability - if you do not, you will lose the target again fast. It does nothing for you at the start of the fight when you are grabbing mobs... with that said it does have a longer range than most the ranged tank attacks, if you use it to grab something far away... make sure you are ready for someone else to pass you in enmity on that target and any chained to it.

- watch your healers MP, most you run into will be able to keep moving, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it.

-Don't blow your Defensive Cooldowns before the fight starts (unless you are doing a very large pull where you will take many hits before you settle.)

-Test the STUN abilities, a lot of moves can be stunned, learn which ones you can and which you cant and which ones you should stun or just dodge/ignore. With that said, some dps like to use their stuns for extra damage, causing the mob to build up a resistance to stun BE READY to move just incase that stun gets resisted.

-A lot of casted abilities can be stopped by breaking line of sight with the target. Thunder spell as an example.... you can walk through the boss to it's backside to break line of sight and interrupt the cast (some bosses have an exception to this and you can not dodge it)

-then obviously, I think this goes without saying, but just in case... read the tool tips for your abilities.


Honestly, tanking isn't that difficult, the only thing that makes it difficult is the people, things like 2 melee dps attacking 2 different monsters at the start of the game when you are new can be a real handful (even some later) or that bard that shoots the next room full of mobs before you are ready... and you have no MP/TP to pull hate off them. don't let them discourage you.

Anyway that is my quick start guide. lol

[Seku]

WAR has a way more complicated rotation than PLD. It is hard to keep that up while also making sure you keep aggro on all mobs and managing your defensive cooldowns if you are someone who is just starting out as a tank.


It's kind of incredibly pointless to level dps classes for skills you can't use past lvl 30....

Raging strikes takes like...5 seconds to get. Since the person already said that their a DPS the chances of them having said skills is pretty high since quite a few classes take LNC as a sub job, if they were 100% new you'd be right. but in case they have one of 5 classes up those abilities will aid them greatly.

WAR's rotations don't get complicated until 50 and in dungeons you basically spam Over power until about 50% before going into single targeting...and WAR's rotation isn't really that complicated even at 50. The -10% damage isn't going to make that much of a difference on a boss nor would it prevent any good healer from DPSing, so really they can just spam Butcher's block combo and not care. T

Combo rotation 1 -> Combo rotation 2 -> Combo rotation 1.

Which @ 50, if they can't do said rotations, they should go back and level up another tank until they can, because all tanks from 50 on get more than one rotation. ;o

Before 50...

PLD is harder due to the sucktacular hate generation and doesn't get it's Tanking stance until 40 thus it's DEF is based on it's long cool downs and isn't up 100% of the time.. Have fun spamming flash and then going into playing wack-a-mob if you get any half way decent DPS. Can be done but hope you're good @ switching between mobs, checking individual hate on each mob, and dodging stuff all at once.

DRK has a lot of oGCD's and DA makes quite a few moves "use version A in X situation and use Version B in Y situation but only when I have W MP so I don't run out of MP for dark side."

War you just...spam over power. Hate is set. Only hard part is learning when to save stacks, use unchain, and iron beast which isn't really required with the job (at that point) and you an quite literately run through (not sprint) while spamming OP -> AFK for 10-15 seconds come back to a angry healer for having to spam cure on you due to being afk (if you want). Oh and Over power requires you position right, which is why I've suggested flash until they've gotten the hang of keeping all foes in front of them in a cone.

End Result: MRD/WAR allows you to set hate easily while introducing minor resource management in the form of TP. This allows you to focus on learning how to position correctly and how to time dodging attacks so you can move back into place without moving the mob but can be taken further and easily be a strong AoE job early on and in fact is among the few classes that gets it's AoE ability at a early level allowing for it to burn through mobs quite easily while keeping hate.

I feel like all the tanks are similar especially early in the game lol

They are.

[Imoen]

They are.

lol Indeed, all 3 of my tanks hotbars are laid out pretty much the same, few exceptions for higher level abilities, but that's about it.

[xenowind]

Basics:
1. learn additional skills
2. Meet Equipment Lv for instance before engage
3. Understand your job, how to hold aggro on single target, and multiple target
4. Know how to pull groups with ranged enemy within
5. Don't forget Shield Oath/Grit/Defiance
6. Rotate defensive cd to mitigate damage
7. Control position, minimum movement to dodge aoe, return to original position usually
8. Don't waste dps ground aoe
9. Combo switch target to hold aggro
10. Check distance and height with healer, object like wall between can interrupt heal cast

Advance:
1. Level healer and dps class to learn their nature
2. Understand how many aggro will each of you skill generate, calculation method
3. start to pull multiple groups, rotate defensive cd and hold aggro
4. understand instances, use environment that can add debuff on enemy, and use line of sight track to control ranged enemy's position
5. learn enemy rotation, interrupt cast if possible
6. Wait for party mp/tp recovery
7. Offer simple guidance to new players
8. Ensure your action is clear, pull or not, message healer if you are going to bigpull and use hg, or you need aoe limit break to support big pull

Master:
1. Learn all jobs' single and aoe rotation, strength and weakness
2. Check party members' status, their ilv, their leveled jobs, and determine pace
3. Know how to speed-run all instance
4. Interrupt all enemy casting, work with dps to interrupt, inform dps if boss can resist stun after 3 times, who's going to in-charge, etc
5. No over aggro, maximize your dps, switch to sword oath to help dps for example

[Claire_Pendragon]

I'd also like to point out "Learning HOW to tank" and "learning to master your classes unique mechanics" are not in the same.

I always suggest DRK because its easier to learn to tank, if you're worried.
I always suggest PLD because its the easiest to master, when it comes to its "mechanics". (Which it pretty much has none.)
WAR is easier to access than DRK, and takes its place in "easier to learn TANKING". (Though ive had a LOT of ppl quit WAR, because they couldnt line mobs up for overpower, and just wanted a circle AoE instead.)

[SpookyGhost]

Pick tank you like -> Queue for dungeon -> Wing it.

[Arkenne]

Keep your gears updated, no matter what. Specially the weapon.

[Exodus_Kenpachi]

Man there is some horrible advice in this thread. Protip: Ignore anyone who tells you about "iron beast" or says things like "just spam *insert AoE emnity move here."

If you are going down the tank road just be aware our job is a thankless one and comes with more pressure than DPS roles, but we also have AWESOME que times and finding statics (granted Im on Gilgamesh) is easy as hell.

Also join team WAR. WAR is life.

[Iagainsti]

WAR has a way more complicated rotation than PLD. It is hard to keep that up while also making sure you keep aggro on all mobs and managing your defensive cooldowns if you are someone who is just starting out as a tank.

The OP asked which tank is easiest to begin on, which is MRD hands down. The rotation for Warrior does not get complicated(if you can even use that word to describe it) till lvl 50, when you now have to balance aggro/SP and SE properly. For starting out, MRD has highest single target enmity will skull sunder and Overpower is, well Overpowered.