I'm a confused tank

[Fernosaur]

As eeeveryone has said, it's entirely up to you. With most tanks, your DPS rotation will still be enough DPS contribution even in tank stance, so as long as you're doing that, you're fine. As for going into DPS stance, you should most definitely talk it with your healers.

I love tanking in Sword Oath, but my WHM feels really insecure while we're doing progression, so I just indulge them and stick to my shield for 90% of the time. Nothing wrong with that ever since big DPS aren't needed anymore!

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

Feel free to pop into dps stance when you need to.

Myself, I hang pretty much exclusively in dps stance unless I see the party struggling for whatever reason. Admittedly on pld I tend to use ShO on pull so I can build a bigger threat lead to sit on in SwO, but that's personal preference.

[Judge_Xero]

Feel free to pop into dps stance when you need to.

Myself, I hang pretty much exclusively in dps stance unless I see the party struggling for whatever reason. Admittedly on pld I tend to use ShO on pull so I can build a bigger threat lead to sit on in SwO, but that's personal preference.

This is a really good point. I see those saying that for progression it is best to use Tank Stance. I feel that starting out in DPS stance is best and then adjust from there if you have to.

[SpookyGhost]

This is a really good point. I see those saying that for progression it is best to use Tank Stance. I feel that starting out in DPS stance is best and then adjust from there if you have to.

It's not, you're hampering group progression by being extra squishy when nobody knows heal timings/DPS don't know mechanics/etc. You become a liability by primarily going DPS stance w/ no knowledge of the fight. Always tank stance first, then find the places where you can afford to go DPS stance.

[Crizhalid]

To add to this, whenever I am on Paladin, I will pop my damage buff and Bloodbath before I pull because healing (regardless of where you health pool is) will build aggro. I will establish a very large aggro lead with my opening combo and stay in Shield Oath for at least 6 or more GCDs depending on my party composition (Ninja's Shadewalker or if I expect my DRG to hit his Life Surge combo, but that is not as big of a problem as it is now.) I will either drop my stance (since it consumes no GCD) or switch to Sword Oath depending on how long I expect to stay in my stance. Note that I normally do this with my dedicated groups or groups that I'm confident in their ability to perform. During fights that I do not know or groups that I do not have any previous experience with, I tend to play it safe and repeat the fight multiple times to learn when and where I can drop my stance and help push damage in the fight.

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

To add to this, whenever I am on Paladin, I will pop my damage buff and Bloodbath before I pull because healing (regardless of where you health pool is) will build aggro.

Unless it was recently changed, Bloodbath life leeching doesn't build aggro. Clemency does but not Bloodbath.

[ChameleonMS]

In the none raid content, I frequently stance dance. ShO to establish aggro (1 RoH rotation), then SwO for the rest of the fight or until another player forces me back to ShO for aggro purposes.
I cycle the CDs for the bigger hits while in SwO.

[Renius]

My co tank, our PLD MT, tanks in shield oath almost 100% of the time. His view, as with a lot of tanks, is that he is a tank, not a dps. Is more dps helpful? Sure, but it's not his responsibility.

This should only really be a concern if you're raiding the front edge of savage and extreme raiding content and your group wants you to dps more.

Absolutely correct!

[Judge_Xero]

It's not, you're hampering group progression by being extra squishy when nobody knows heal timings/DPS don't know mechanics/etc. You become a liability by primarily going DPS stance w/ no knowledge of the fight. Always tank stance first, then find the places where you can afford to go DPS stance.

As a healer and most healers I talk to find it more difficult to adjust healing after having progressed a fight than to just have the tank go DPS mode right off the start.

Obviously if a tank needs tank stance + a CD to survive something they should use it. Which is the case regardless of stance as far as leaning fight timings goes.

[Jim_Berry]

Screw that... I stay in tank stance 98% of the time if I'm doing anything where I must keep aggro. In other fights, such as Stone Vigil Hard where there is no aggro table, then I go DPS stance. Otherwise, my sheer enjoyment is in my tank stance and let the DPS do their job; if I want to focus on doing dps, then I'll just play on my NIN.