Stop telling Tanks not to use provoke there is a place to use it when pulling mobs.

[Awful]

Knowing when to use provoke as a tank in certain situations is how you get the best use of it whether it be speed pulling, pulling more mobs that are farther away from your long range attacks etc. Timid tanks will save it for when the DPS pull threat but at 60 you shouldn't need provoke in dungeons unless the DPS vastly out gear you and you are under geared as a tank. A 209 black mage and a 206 summoner against a tank who's ilvl 189 for example using a ilvl 170-180 weapon who's not used to tanking will use it compared to a geared tank who does it as their main.

[stanrir]

provoke has longer range than shield lob so in certain situations you cna provoke to pull when you couldnt reach the mobs another way

[Malzian]

That is certainly an option for those timid tanks out there, however I personally don't bother. It's easy enough to pick everything up and I figure I might as well just let the regen tick since I will be taking damage right away anyway

Well, once more it depends on the pull I should think. Typically I check it against the number of mobs I'm pulling, since the AoE emnity generation skills have both a range and target limit. On most pulls, not a problem, but it can still be a case-by-case basis. This is especially true it you're a lower-level, less geared tank running a dungeon with a fully kitted out 60 healer since their Regens can tick some damned strong emnity generation if it's on all the party and even more so with a Medica II. I'm not saying one shouldn't do it, I'm just saying one should be aware of when they can get away with it and when they can't.

[Kotemon]

I use provoke "occasionally" to long-pull a mob that's out of range from everything else. Keeps everything from being dragged all over the place. Usually its to pull the two Tonberrys to the top of the stairs in, the roaming mamo-ja in hard, Halatali to pull the roaming snake or the group at the bottom of the ramp/overpass on to it. Roaming dragons out of some rooms in stone vigil, etc. Normally if there is no sight agro and they are near enough. I'll use it when we are down to 1 mob left in the current group, and such. Just like chain farming in FFXI where someone would range pull and drag the mob back just before the current mob dies. For the most it also gives some time to recover CD's over a distance for those who need it and is a bit easier than trying to tank/cure 6 or 8 mobs that are not trash at once. Either way its not hard to grab full hate on them when they get to you or are on the way. Flash, overpower, unleash or toss a range like lob, tomahawk, unmend if there's distance.

The only way it can go wrong is if everyone is on a different mob than you, to many aoe spams, the tank forgets to keep track of their Mp/Tp or healers Mp, or just doesn't know what they are doing. If they do know and there's a Bard or Mch (sometimes nin) who knows how to fish mobs like its FFXI. Then provoke almost wont matter as long as they can grab and hold hate off a group of 3 or 4. But I will say its a little easier to pull group agro with War and Dark. Paladin takes a little more skill and party cooperation.

[Rocond]

Well, once more it depends on the pull I should think. Typically I check it against the number of mobs I'm pulling, since the AoE emnity generation skills have both a range and target limit. On most pulls, not a problem, but it can still be a case-by-case basis. This is especially true it you're a lower-level, less geared tank running a dungeon with a fully kitted out 60 healer since their Regens can tick some damned strong emnity generation if it's on all the party and even more so with a Medica II. I'm not saying one shouldn't do it, I'm just saying one should be aware of when they can get away with it and when they can't.

I mean, I agree. I have no problem with tanks that aren't comfortable using it in any of these case by case situations. I'm not really making a case that they should be. Just because i'm completely comfortable pulling even with a full Medica II ticking, I don't expect everyone to have that level of comfortability in loldungeon content. However, going back to the point of the thread, the problem I do have is people just throwing out the blanket statement that you should never pull with provoke. That is still wrong to me regardless of how many scenarios someone tries to come up with of how it's a bad idea.

[Zazriel]

I like the range of provoke a lot.

[SpookyGhost]

I've never had to explain Provoke to anyone, but it's better to just tell them how the skill itself works. If they don't understand that +1 point of enmity over the top aggro generator isn't worth using when pulling a boss that nobody else has attacked then that's on them.

[Malicewolf]

You're a tank. If you need an extra 10 yalms because you fear the mobs punching you in the face, then you're playing the wrong class.

[karateorangutang]

You're a tank. If you need an extra 10 yalms because you fear the mobs punching you in the face, then you're playing the wrong class.

wait... what?

Using provoke has nothing to do with getting or not getting hit, it's about positioning and giving your DPS a faster start on their DPS. Maybe even allowing then to keep up a timed buff or a set of stacks.

I'm baffled by your comment.

[Malicewolf]

Yea, you're giving up your +1 enmity generator (regardless of how much more enmity the other target pulled on the enemy) with a good long range to start a pull, that almost no enemy is too far away for you to pull safely with shield lob/tomahawk. A stray enemy will not necessarily be regained by a shield lob. A provoke + shield lob, will no doubt get you enmity back so you don't have to move your position and drag an entire mob with you to do so.

I'm referring to the OP saying that people shouldn't pull initial mobs with provoke. The only reason to do so is because you're too scared to move a bit closer to shield lob (i'm a paladin, so i'm just using my ranged attack as example). It's not like you can't move after your shield lob. Just grab and pull backwards if you really need to position, it's not that hard. Shield lob is on your GcD, Provoke is not. If you can't wait the 2.5 seconds it takes for a GcD for the start of a pull, then you did something wrong along the way (and I honestly wouldn't know what in the world could even prevent you from using your ranged attack on an initial pull).

All other situations can be done case by case. But I see zero reason to START a pull with provoke. Grabbing another mob that's farther away while continuing to hold a current mob is an ok scenario. That is NOT an initial pull though. That is a continued pull.
And even with that being the case, it's really not THAT hard to simply move a few feet in said direction (and drag the dang mob with you) and use shield lob. If DPS have an AoE and it won't reach, then sure. Use provoke. But not to start a pull when there's absolutely nothing on you to begin with.