Thinking of starting tanking, need advice.

[Mantra]

Hello
I am looking for advice on starting tanking in SB now the skills etc have changed. I have only ever tanked at level 30 with a warrior and moved to a DPS but the tanking role seems more interesting now that the queue times are bigger and now that there is a exp boost for leveling im looking for a new lease of life on ffxiv.

Could someone please help me regarding which tank is the best and what for? How easy are each of the tanks for someone near enough completely new to tanking and which would you recommend for a new tanker?

Thanks

[Claire_Pendragon]

Easiest: DRK
Mild: PLD
Hardest: WAR

As for "Fun"
PLD and DRK.
PLD is a bit more of a challenge, but still plenty easy.
DRK is straightforward. (I actually find DRK boring as heck, but there's quite a few people who find the simplicity of DRK fun.)

PLD is the best in pretty much any situation, be it MT, OT, ease, fun, etc.

The only exception is lower levels, where maybe WAR is more fun, since it has berserk, and PLD lacks the fun abilities till closer to 50+

[Mantra]

Easiest: DRK
Mild: PLD
Hardest: WAR

As for "Fun"
PLD and DRK.
PLD is a bit more of a challenge, but still plenty easy.
DRK is straightforward. (I actually find DRK boring as heck, but there's quite a few people who find the simplicity of DRK fun.)

PLD is the best in pretty much any situation, be it MT, OT, ease, fun, etc.

The only exception is lower levels, where maybe WAR is more fun, since it has berserk, and PLD lacks the fun abilities till closer to 50+

Has DRK always been considered the easiest or have the changes with SB pushed it here?

[Chronons]

Has DRK always been considered the easiest or have the changes with SB pushed it here?

No, DRK was definitely more complex than PLD pre-SB and arguably still is. It is simpler than it was before the expansion, however I haven't a clue as to why they would deem PLD as more complex that DRK.

[BluexBird]

All tanks are pretty much "good" at everything. Though some are able to do things that others can't.

Lemme start off by saying why I play Warrior. They're rather simple reasons, actually kinda silly now that I think of it. The first is that I like having the most HP. And the second is that their animations look and sound a lot cooler.

Paladins have a shield and are able to block attacks. It's very strong now that they can block magic. The other two tanks aren't able to do that.

And Dark Knight... I mean, I guess people like the fact that they wield a big-ass sword, and have an interesting arsenal of skills.

Don't worry about which one is the easiest or hardest, because none of them will be too hard that you won't be able to learn how to play with them properly. Just study their abilities, what each one can do, and pick the one you think you'll have the most fun with. In my case, I ended up with Warrior.

Lemme know watcha end up picking!

[Chronons]

snip

In regards to your original question, this expansion did a lot to even the viability of all tank. PLD being the strongest and WAR the weakest (note that the margin here is small). Once the balancing patches come out, we will see how that changes. For a new tank I would recommend PLD or WAR as they have the most straightforward kits.

[Venjenz]

Wrote this in another thread on same topic - for 99% of the game, all 3 tanks are roughly equal in capability and functional use. So it comes down to what do you think looks coolest: giant axe, giant sword or sword/board.

End of the day, there is a tiny amount of the game where meta obsessed FCs and premade groups might resign WAR-DRK to OT, if invite them at all. IMHO, if that happens to me, you or anyone...make better friends, join a better FC.

So pick - giant axe, giant sword, or sword/shield. Everything else will be roughly equivalent.

[Ogulbuk]

I would say: PLD.

War have many issues right now, most will only be visible in end game content, but one will bug you through your entire career: The AoE agro tool for Warriors is a cone that needs repositioning to hit as many foes as possible, plus a target in the right direction.

PLD or DRK both will have an easier time holding agro throughout the leveling content, and PLD will simply be easier overall.

[Venjenz]

The thing that "bugs" me about Overpower is that it uses TP, and our only TP generator (other than time) regens a whopping 200 TP every minute, in DPS stance. PLD and DRK both have their AoE threat tool as a spell, and both have MP regen tied to one or more combo attacks, giving them essentially unlimited AoE aggro generating capability in either stance, where a WAR must manage resources and stances much closer.

[Ogulbuk]

Would be awesome of BB combo became a TP generator.