is WAR the best MT now?

[BattleGrace]

I bring this question up now that we live in a post-3.2 world. Tank damage has been lowered significantly. Holding aggro is no longer as easy as it used to be, where one could perform an opener loaded with burst and enmity, then turn it off and cruise in DPS stance for the remainder of the fight. Now holding aggro is something to actually worry about.

This holds mostly true, but WAR is the exception. Thanks to our enmity combo being the same as our damage combo, this is always used. This in turn allows WAR to stay in DPS stance longer than the other tanks. Other tanks do not have this luxury, so if they are to stance dance, their time out of tank is much shorter than WAR for fear of another DPS/Healer ripping aggro. This is also coupled with the fact that the other two tanks' aggro combo being their least optimal combo for DPS, leading to a wider gap between them and WAR in terms of DPS.

Since the tanks are mostly equal in their ability to mitigate damage by looking at their CDs, it seems that WAR has the upper hand in holding aggro, along with their spot at #1 damage. So, then, does this make WAR the new best main tank? I will add the qualifiers that I do not have as much experience with the other tanks as I do with WAR, or much experience due to my short time here, so this is not so a MUH CLASS IS DA BES thread as much as it is inviting the opinions of the other tanks to weigh in on the matter .

this might sound like a MUH CLASS IS DA BES but there was never not a time after 2.1 that WAR wasn't a good MT, ive ran MT since 2.1 myself as WAR (it started out to prove that pally wasn't the best but turned into so much more) and sure there was a time that i rolled pally but do you think i MT'd, hell no, i made my WAR MT since if i couldn't live the dream i was going to be there watching with the best seat in the house. things realy only changed with 3.0 with deliverance since now that superior dmg translated into more OT dmg. did that stop me?, hell no, stuck to that defiance and tanked that shit with a DRK as my OT.

point of the story, WAR is a great MT, it has all the tools and more, there is also a nice satisfaction of being the "OT" that main tanks. don't let the forums or anyone tell you that you have to OT if you want to MT.

[Hierro]

point of the story, WAR is a great MT, it has all the tools and more, there is also a nice satisfaction of being the "OT" that main tanks. don't let the forums or anyone tell you that you have to OT if you want to MT.

Oh no, there was never any doubt that WAR could MT, be a competent or viable choice even. No, my question is if the current changes might have shifted WAR into being DA BES main tank. Never change, you brave MT Warrior. Never change.

[BattleGrace]

Oh no, there was never any doubt that WAR could MT, be a competent or viable choice even. No, my question is if the current changes might have shifted WAR into being DA BES main tank. Never change, you brave MT Warrior. Never change.

Well like all content it comes down to weather or not one tank has an advantage over the others and atm i can't speak for savage but from what i have experianced there is no doubt that it is at the very least the best replacement for any main tank with its suit of cooldowns that arn't specific to magic or physical that have relatively low cooldowns, i have yet to find any content that IB and Venge can't take the hit or IB and thrill for that matter and thats just it,IB is such a strong ability that pairs very well with your already low cooldown high mitigation skills. sure other tanks have eather better more niche abilities or cooldowns as a whole but the amount of bases WAR can cover make it a damn good choice as the second best when specific mitigation fails.

As to threat since i do not have a DRK i can't speak for them but i can for pally and im sorry but WAR>PLD on that front.

does all this make them the best main tank period? No, no tank is the absolute best. it does make them a damn good consideration for best replacement tank when all else fails.
does that make them OP? a tad, i won't name any skills i think are OP or anything like that but as a whole a WARs toolkit complements every other tank including another WAR very well.
Dare i say some would even call that true balance.

[Aaliyahrose]

I OT Sephirot EX as PLD currently. But when I need to MT, I feel like it's easier for the party to stay alive if you use Hallowed Ground for when people mess up stacking DPS left, Healers/OT right (or however groups do it) to save the party from wiping; including yourself as the MT if used at the right time.

If the PLD OT can use the Divine Veil > Clemency before hard hitting magic hits, it can really make a difference between a DPS member hitting 37 HP and dying from double stacking circles.

PLD can be a great OT in terms of damage, but must provide support for increased survivability.