PLD 4.0

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Pushing tank design into niches is a horrible, horrible idea that is both stupid and unhealthy for the game.

I don't think so.
Let's suppose DRK favors magic damage (100%) and is okay for physical (80%), WAR favors physical damage (100%) and is okay for magical (80%), and PLD treats all damage equally, (90%). All classes have their own seperate utility toolkits too. So bring 2 of the same tanks is always a disadvantage.

Now suppose you introduce a 70% magical and 30% physical fight.

If you truly want to min max performance, DRK/PLD is the way to go. 190% combined towards magic, 170% combined for physical.

However, if you decide to bring, DRK/WAR, you are just sacrificing 10% magical dmg mitigation for a 10% physical. The net difference would be very negligible and you don't lose much. 180% towards magic, 180% towards physical.

Third option would be PLD/WAR, this is the least viable comp for this fight. The fight is still doable, but you lose a combined total of 20% magical damage but you gain 20% physical damage. The difference is more noticeable, but the fight is still doable because the differences are so slight. 170% for magic, 190% for physical. Sure this is the least viable option, but you aren't forced to bring a DRK to clear the fight.

All in all, the difference between all 3 tank compositions have their differences, but they are so slight and negligible that in the end it really doesn't matter which tanks you bring. They just all have different niches that make them all unique. Feel free to number crunch the differences between the 3 comps in this hypothetical scenario to prove me wrong. I didn't do the math myself tbh, but eyeballing the numbers makes me feel like the differences are small.

On a fight where its 50/50 magic/phyiscal, it doesn't matter which tanks you bring.

They could just make all of the tanks do the same average damage in both tank stance and out of tank stance.

Oh no all tanks are the same the horror.

I agree with you, if there are niches, it should be focused on utility and dmg mitigation and not dps.