Should bosses get something along the lines of a mini enrage, or super TB?

[Jeeqbit]

I mean some bosses already do, like the last two bosses of Amaurot(might be wrong about one of them).

Nothing a tank can't handle. I solo'd the last boss on DRK a bunch of times. All you have to do is know the mechanics, exactly when to mitigate and TBN, especially for the beam that you have no platform to hide from.

[Amenara]

I discovered O1 has a 14 minute enrage. On the other hand, when I solo'd E12 I was able to go over 20 minutes without seeing an enrage. Shows how design changed at some point.

Yeah I remember I was messing around in E12N on my warrior solo, was able to clear the DPS check and was like there is nothing stopping me from just beating this. I stopped because I didn't want to spend 45 minutes in that place.

[Gemina]

I didn't read the "ex" part but I have found it useful being able to solo large parts of extreme trials, because it allows me to show my party the mechanics without them being distracted by a rotation and other things.

I did this in this expansion in Barb ex and Endsinger ex, showing them mechanics several phases beyond where they were dying and how I executed the mechanics. It was useful for them to see in my opinion.

Players will still need to learn how to do the mechanics amidst distractions. It is a hands-on learning process, and trial and error is needed for that. They will learn faster by getting more attempts at the mechanics they are failing. You as a tank have the privilege of being able to fail mechanics without dying to them, and are not punished for failure like healers and DPS players are. There are also very likely players who are down who do know the mechanics, but at no fault of their own have died to unavoidable AoE damage due to lack of heals. You really should take that into consideration.

As for dungeons, I don't really care. However, if it is faster for you to kill yourself and let the whole party give it another go, that is likely the best choice. It's understandable and actually prudent if the boss has <5% to just go ahead and finish it off.

[VeyaAkemi]

I mean some bosses already do, like the last two bosses of Amaurot(might be wrong about one of them).

I speak from experience that Amaurot's last boss does not have an enrage, the safe spots will slowly crumble, but it is actually easy to mitigate through the blast anyway and recover from it, it just turns the big attack into unavoidable damage, because the way it's designed it's not meant to just kill you, but rather you continuously take damage the longer you stand in it.

[Jeeqbit]

Players will still need to learn how to do the mechanics amidst distractions. It is a hands-on learning process, and trial and error is needed for that. They will learn faster by getting more attempts at the mechanics they are failing.

Not necessarily. Seeing someone else do the mechanics first without distractions can help you to do them better yourself sooner than you otherwise would. That is why "Point of View" videos on youtube or streams are useful.

You as a tank have the privilege of being able to fail mechanics without dying to them, and are not punished for failure like healers and DPS players are.

Yes, well you are not helping anything if you don't do the mechanics as correctly as is possible while solo because then nobody is really learning how they are supposed to be done.

There are also very likely players who are down who do know the mechanics, but at no fault of their own have died to unavoidable AoE damage due to lack of heals. You really should take that into consideration.

It really depends on the context. If you are in a practice party and they don't seem to know the mechanics then it's useful. If they do know the mechanics or you have already demonstrated them once, then maybe you should just reset.

[Absimiliard]

Hard disagree on this one. Tanks should be free to solo what they can. As boring as the role is, they need to be allowed to have something.

[Kaurhz]

I think this should be a thing in EX or above. But equally, it would need to be based on the overall % of players alive relative to how many are in the party. E.g., so it doesn't necessarily shaft people who do solo runs of content.

In normal content, I would disagree.

[Gemina]

Not necessarily. Seeing someone else do the mechanics first without distractions can help you to do them better yourself sooner than you otherwise would. That is why "Point of View" videos on youtube or streams are useful.

They are useful to make you aware of the mechanics, and help very little with performing them. If this is the case, people could watch a video guide and then come into a practice party and perform the mechanics flawlessly. This isn't the case at all. Often when I see tanks do this, they still fail mechanics. They just don't die to them. Some mechanics such as limit cut, bait AoEs, and partner stacks require players to be up for them to even be seen properly.

Yes, well you are not helping anything if you don't do the mechanics as correctly as is possible while solo because then nobody is really learning how they are supposed to be done.

You're not making strong arguments why this should not be a thing, and spouting your opinion as if it is a fact. Practice party clear rates for EX and above would be exceptionally higher if this were true. I suggest perhaps playing a solo game if you want to play by yourself.

It really depends on the context. If you are in a practice party and they don't seem to know the mechanics then it's useful. If they do know the mechanics or you have already demonstrated them once, then maybe you should just reset.

No. If players want a visual representation they can go watch a video guide, or use the duty recorder. People log into the game to play the game dude. Not watch you flex your tank privileges.

[Jojoya]

No real pro (other than the tank not holding the party hostage) but a few cons.

I've got a few friends with disabilities that I help get through MSQ. My being able to solo bosses as tank has helped us continue thru a couple of EW dungeons that would have been walls to their progress otherwise. Having the enrage could mean having to wait an entire expansion before we can unsync the dungeon and they can progress again.

It's probably rare that a tank holds a group hostage. If I'm with a random group and the rest of the party dies, I'll go ahead and wipe it unless the boss is down to 5% or so. If the party has wiped a few times and we end up about to wipe again, I will ask the rest of the party if they want me to solo it as they watch to learn the mechanics. It becomes their choice about whether we progress or not.

I know others would argue that such parties should just be disbanded but that also takes away the opportunity for willing players to help the others learn.

[Jeeqbit]

They are useful to make you aware of the mechanics, and help very little with performing them. If this is the case, people could watch a video guide and then come into a practice party and perform the mechanics flawlessly.

That does happen sometimes, especially among people who watch streams, because watching someone wipe endlessly has a way of burning the mechanics into your own mind without having done them yourself. There are certain mechanics this doesn't help with if a component of the mechanic is not visually telegraphed well.

Often when I see tanks do this, they still fail mechanics. They just don't die to them.

Yes, well, that's because most tanks aren't like me. I'm in the minority that wouldn't. So maybe those tanks that aren't like me should just reset it unless it's the party's first time seeing these mechanics.

You're not making strong arguments why this should not be a thing

You're not making strong arguments for why it should be impossible to solo. There is a wall or an edge to jump off in most high-end content and the majority of the time they do reset it or get asked to. If there is a small minority that repeatedly keep going for 4 minutes after everyone wiped, then blacklist them maybe so you avoid their parties?

A better argument for making ex bosses not soloable for ages is that you couldn't do it so easily in Heavensward. Even in normal mode A11, a PLD could not clemency their way to survival for long against Cruise Chaser when it wiped everyone (and it did this regularly at the end, for anyone who wasn't there).

In order to achieve this, SE could increase the auto attacks and their damage output, but would this fit the game's current direction?

Practice party clear rates for EX and above would be exceptionally higher if this were true.

No they wouldn't. I didn't say seeing someone do the mechanics was the only component of learning, I just said it helps contribute to it and speed it up a bit. Of course they need to actually practice it as well.

If players want a visual representation they can go watch a video guide, or use the duty recorder.

There are parties where people didn't watch guides though. Watching a guide is not the same as watching someone actually do it in real time either. Guides do the slow-motion thing and spend 2 minutes explaining a mechanic that takes 5 seconds, which doesn't give you the sense of timing you require to learn it.