Its a shame Paladins have to be tanks. I understand.

[rewd]

This is the problem when we've had an influx of the WoW playerbase (which tends to be younger then the core FFXIV playerbase). Its why this game had such a wonderful community for so much longer as the game appealed to an older, more mature playerbase.

If the FFXIV community was actually mature it wouldn't blame everything on WoW and WoW players all the time.

[IdowhatIwant]

So I'm experiencing what it is like to be a tank and I have to say to all the tanks out there;

"I am sorry but you must have the patience of a saint"

Honestly, it is probably the role that gets the most abuse in the game. If you want to go slower because you are still learning how to tank and interrupt abilities, you get yelled at by DPS.

If you want to pull one group at a time, you get yelled at...

Its such a toxic experience, I am not surprised the Roulette wants tanks most of the time.

I wanted to level a Paladin because they have the coolest armour (In my opinion) but the toxic nature of tanking has REALLY put me off levelling one. The toxicity in this game has made a massive spike since we started getting a huge influx of WoW refugees here. Coincidence...?

No this game has plenty of toxic players you've just been lying to your self or ignoring them. You have been listening to people talk about how amazing this games community is to much on youtube. It has always had toxic players and it always will just like any online game. Ignore people and learn to be a better pally, or stop playing pally those are your choices.

[sharknado]

No this game has plenty of toxic players

But they can't be "openly" toxic And if they try to be - report them.

[Driavna]

"To be clear: I have played WOW. I know for a fact that there are a lot of lovely people in it. I also know that the wall-to-wall pull is not new to FF."

Please read.

Been playing since ARR (but only sticking around after HW) and FF14 has always been like you describe. Also been playing MMO's since UO/Everquest and certain behaviours were always there (the level of toxicity UO had before they finally did Felucca/Tremmel was something else), just happens that in older games you needed to socialise instead of having those very convenient DF/PF tools.

IMO MMO's are more social than ever, thanks to so many programs and platforms, but are not that apparent and usually isolated within their own communities.

Anyway, randoms are going to be random so if you are looking for certain type of experience is better to stick to players that share your ideas. Will be blunt: this is a "you" problem and no one else's (and by this I mean wanting a random to behave in a certain way). Online experiences are way more tamed and sanitized today's than before.

[ReynTime]

If the FFXIV community was actually mature it wouldn't blame everything on WoW and WoW players all the time.

Or be so thin-skinned.

[Evergrey]

Or be so thin-skinned.

This is a common thing when people start pointing out toxic behavior.
Someone can simply suggest a different approach to something and people will take it as a personal attack.

[Merrigan]

Been playing since ARR (but only sticking around after HW) and FF14 has always been like you describe. Also been playing MMO's since UO/Everquest and certain behaviours were always there (the level of toxicity UO had before they finally did Felucca/Tremmel was something else), just happens that in older games you needed to socialise instead of having those very convenient DF/PF tools.

IMO MMO's are more social than ever, thanks to so many programs and platforms, but are not that apparent and usually isolated within their own communities.

Anyway, randoms are going to be random so if you are looking for certain type of experience is better to stick to players that share your ideas. Will be blunt: this is a "you" problem and no one else's (and by this I mean wanting a random to behave in a certain way). Online experiences are way more tamed and sanitized today's than before.

Ok. That's... actually really weird, 'cause I'm not lying when saying I had a great community experience in Shadowbringer - whithout leavers, full of patient players, and so on. It was almost as good as LOTRO, which is without any doubt the best community I ever experienced in a MMORPG.

Luck of the beginner, I guess.

[Tlamila]

Huh. I play on Chaos dc and no one yells at tanks who pull only 1 group of mobs. Is this a NA server thing or am I just lucky with my PUGs? 99% of the time I only see greetings.

As someone who plays on Chaos, it is tolerated at low levels when tanks are still learning (but still someone may ask the tank to pull more or just "oooops" pull more themselves) and at low level. But I'm pretty sure that in high level dungeons that wouldn't fly quite well, since at that point your traning wheels should be off.

[Miiu]

After playing this game for around a decade I either was extremely lucky or it's an attitude thing but I never had any real toxicity in dungeons then maybe a handful of instances. But that usually was someone being just an idiot and directing their anger towards everyone.
It took a while for me to pick up tanking. I don't think I started doing so before the end of heavensward but because I mainly healed I was familiar with pull patterns in most dungeons. Nonetheless did I stick to smaller pulls when doing a dungeon for the first time as tank and every time I'd say so in chat beforehand.
"Hey I am new to tanking. Is it okay if I take it slow this run?" And I never got any shit for it. And that is still true today. A friend of mine recently started this game and I don't recall a single instance where telling the group that he is new and is still trying to get a hang of things has turned into critique. Either the rest of the group stays silent and just does their thing. Or you get people who are more familiar with tanking giving advice.

But obviously this is a big community so I am not dismissing that there is toxicity in the game. I am sure there are people who are being harassed for being new. But that is definitely not the norm.
So my advice would be to be open about your nervousness when tanking and that you need to go at a slower pace than people might be used to.

[IdowhatIwant]

But they can't be "openly" toxic And if they try to be - report them.

Reporting is childish