The definitive WAR answer STR vs VIT... and stat caps

[Gamemako]

The flawed Logic of Vit stacking is the idea that your HP points make you a better WAR. It adds a lot to your surviving, but in the end a Vit-stacked WAR is just a Terrible PLD.

To be an effective tank, WAR must at a bare minimum do three things:

1. Hold aggro
2. Reduce healer load sufficiently that healers can manage
3. Not die

WAR can do 1 no sweat. WAR is inferior to PLD at 2, and STR (marginally) helps this. However, STR-built WAR is unable to complete 3, which makes that WAR unable to function as a tank at endgame. That is why people are migrating to pure VIT. I've said it many times: STR will make you a better tank than VIT for all pre-endgame content. However, once you reach a certain damage threshold, all the STR in the world won't prevent the inevitable and unavoidable wipes. That threshold is reached in BC, and adding VIT is mandatory until gear is sufficient to reduce damage threshold such that your tank can withstand the big hits without keeling over.

It's not really that complicated. Because the job has no direct mitigation abilities, WAR has to be able to absorb hits innately before it drains the health back, and WAR has no more eHP than PLD. This is the gaping hole which forces WAR to dump everything into VIT to be viable. Once you have reached an HP number which give you enough of a buffer to survive, you can dump points into STR at your leisure.

Nonsense

*headdesk*

Because eHP is identical, there is actually no reason to dump all PLD points into VIT if the game can be tanked at all with WAR. WAR does not out-damage PLD when you compare Sword Oath to non-Defiance WAR. It only outdamages PLD in tank stance, and one tank isn't using a tank stance much of the time. WAR self-healing is less than Wrath's healing bonus, and PLD is stomping Wrath's healing bonus in terms of eHP as well (15% for 5 stacks of Wrath, effective 25% for Shield Oath). They are not remotely balanced. But please, regale us with the mathematical proofs that you don't have because you haven't bothered to consider the issue at all.

You're one of those people who just believes that everything is magically innately balanced because developers are, like, totally infallible and stuff. News flash: developers are people too, and they make mistakes. WAR is gimped. Get over it. If you like playing a gimped class, then more power to you, but don't come here spouting bullshit.

You strike me as the kind of guy who fulltimes Defiance. Am I correct?

He has a level 2 Marauder. He's a PLD who is main-tanking everything and probably never turns off Shield Oath. He's going by his FC, not by his own experience, which is probably why he doesn't consider the use of turning off Defiance.

[HiirNoivl]

To be an effective tank, WAR must at a bare minimum do three things:

1. Hold aggro
2. Reduce healer load sufficiently that healers can manage
3. Not die

WAR can do 1 no sweat. WAR is inferior to PLD at 2, and STR (marginally) helps this. However, STR-built WAR is unable to complete 3, which makes that WAR unable to function as a tank at endgame. That is why people are migrating to pure VIT. I've said it many times: STR will make you a better tank than VIT for all pre-endgame content. However, once you reach a certain damage threshold, all the STR in the world won't prevent the inevitable and unavoidable wipes. That threshold is reached in BC, and adding VIT is mandatory until gear is sufficient to reduce damage threshold such that your tank can withstand the big hits without keeling over

I know that's what I said!

[Gamemako]

I know that's what I said!

Oh? I apologize if I misunderstood you, then. I thought you were saying that going with a balanced approach was the goal, rather than building to the reserve threshold.

Welp, if we're in agreement, then nothing to see here. Moving on!

[Ysarel]

I've said it many times: STR will make you a better tank than VIT for all pre-endgame content. However, once you reach a certain damage threshold, all the STR in the world won't prevent the inevitable and unavoidable wipes. That threshold is reached in BC, and adding VIT is mandatory until gear is sufficient to reduce damage threshold such that your tank can withstand the big hits without keeling over.

Well said.

He has a level 2 Marauder

Ha, I didn't even catch that. Shield vs Sword Oath is a reasonably similar question then since PLD is his only 50.

It's not a hard concept to grasp, but I see tanks fulltiming their defensive stances in some fairly ridiculous situations and slowing the group down for nothing. Substantially higher cost of switching stat allocations aside, it's not all that different from allocating STR vs VIT.