First time tanking fears

[Draveil]

I've had experience tanking from TERA & I've personally been interested in tanking in FFXIV. And if there's one thing I can say from my experience tanking in FFXIV, it would be the following:

-Really KNOW your skills & what you can do with them in a given situation.

-Get comfortable with marking targets. It'll make the run a whole lot smoother.

-Don't be afraid to put your foot down & let people know that their healing or DPS output is pulling too much enmity away from you, the tank.

-You're a TANK. You have to stare danger in the face on a daily basis. You have to commit to your role & do what you need to do to make sure the run goes as smoothly as possible with minimal deaths (hopefully none) within your party.

But, of course, all of this is for naught if you don't remember the most important thing of all:

Just have fun.

If tanking isn't your thing, don't keep doing it.

I wish you luck in your future endeavors!

[Maero]

I can say i was in your position as well, difference actually being this was my first true MMO.
First dungeon from Duty finder was so, so (Satasha) but Tam Tara i had way too many enemies on me, healer could not keep up healing me and in turn would get agro because of healing. I died a few times and at the end someone (probably a dps) said i should find a different class . Now fast forward now, i have redone Satasha and did other dungeons and also went against Ifrit all with members from a Free Company i joined and you know what we cleared the dungeons fairly quickly and healer said it was nice for once having a Tank that did not let enemies get near them.
I have heard that doing dungeons with random people, well let's just say some people need to grow up
Also like i said still new but from what i have learned other then proper rotation of abilities is to always keep an eye on your allies health bar. If there health bar remains up or above half i think you are doing a good job

[MithrasInvictus]

If you do all of the guildhests with your gladiator, it will be excellent training in a much more forgiving environment than that of a dungeon.

[Avalon_Albrook]

All the advice given here is great, and to add to it, I just want to emphasize one thing very explicitly.

Be nice to your healer. Extra super nice to your healer. You live because of them. So treat them lovingly.

[LiquidOuroboros]

Unfortunately the community seems extremely unforgiving when it comes to tanking. Alot of people will be cool and understanding and help you out, but overall my experience has been negative.
I played WoW for 7 years and I was in one of the most hardcore guilds you can imagine. And even *I* am surprised at the extreme elitist douch3bag attitude most of the tanks + other PUG groups display. Its like... if you dont already know 100% what to do and execute it with perfection you will get scolded hard.

Example: Entering Ifrit HM for the 2nd time, after having main tanked him just fine once allready - another warrior asks me to stun. First time was with a paladin so he did all stuns. When I asked "Only me or do we rotate?" he answered with "..." and then proceeding to tell me what to do in the most condecending way possible as if I were a child. When I failed one stun that caused a wipe (One single stun missed) he proceeded to flame me. We made it in the second try though. Luckily the Ifrit axe dropped and I won, KARMA!

[Amilherix]

I've had years of experience tanking in MMOs, and I have to say it is different than other MMOs tanking in FFXIV.
Just like others said, be open with your party that you are new to it. Be open to suggestions and trying new ways of doing it. It's like my FC motto: "Skill can be taught, attitude cannot".
If you have the attitude to excel and try your best, and be willing to research and learn new things, you already are a great player in my book. It really just comes down to stick time and learning abilities. I will share this from my low level experiences with Gladiator:
Until you get Rage of Halone, your best opener is going to be Flash > Flash > Fast Blade > Savage Blade. Sometimes opening with a Savage Blade without the Fast Blade to combo it is better. Just remember to mark before pulling, and tab through the enemies to make sure no one is too high vs you. Obviously you want the enemies on you, but definitely NOT the healer.