Why are you not a tank?

[Uriahnool]

I did WAR as my main class up to level 50, then switched to BLM because I really didn't like being the tank. It isn't that I couldn't do it, but rather I didn't have any fun. My biggest problem with tank is that everyone expects me to be the leader and know where to go and what to do as tank. I also need to constantly keep hate on mobs, which is difficult.

Back in 1.0 we had gear that improved enmity on mobs and ways for tanks to gain more hate. Now I feel I have to constantly flash and provoke or it is very easy for a mob to get away, start attacking healer, then I have to focus on getting hate form that mob, only to have the original mob lose hate and go for healer. It's a juggling act I just hate having to always deal with.

Meanwhile party is getting mad because I don't keep hate. Would be nice if there were better ways to use abilities to gain hate, such as provoke being off a cooldown or have it provide more than just temporary hate.

[Arriverderci]

Too much pressure.
Small TV. Can't see shit lol.

[IndraDeus]

Did you try PLD?

[Marael]

I find it stressful to tank. After being an Aegis PLD in FFXI for years and being the go to guy for tanking just about anything and everything, I've realized that I kind of hate tanking. There's too much pressure, not enough margin for error, if you fall, everything else falls apart. I've since discovered how much more fun I have when I do something far more easy and relaxing. I play games to relieve stress, not pile more on top of the stress I already have. Some people enjoy it, and good for them if they do. But me, I have more fun doing other things these days. My tanking days are long behind me, and I rarely look back fondly upon them.

[KiriA500]

I am though...

[xXHalloweenTrixXx]

I've been experimenting a bit with Paladin with my FC. From what I've been told I've been doing pretty good. The issue I 'm having is since I've played Black Mage since beta, launch and now end game, a lot of the rotations through boss attacks and what needs to be stunned is something I do not know about. Since as a BLM rarely did I have any real party duties than just obliterating things. So I'll have to do research on that XD.

But yes being a tank there is a lot of pressure and people can easily tell when you mess up. But the pro is you get into groups instantly so really there is no wait time and you can gather your myth tomes in no time.

[Sephirah]

I couldn't tell you. Despite all the frustration and grief that we catch sometimes, I love it.

I will say this though, after learning how to tank in this game and being pretty good at it, I find it extremely frustrating to be anything but a tank. When I'm DPS I don't feel like what I do is nearly as important, I'm not saying DPS isn't important, I'm just saying I personally feel like what I'm doing as DPS is less important than what I'm doing while a tank. Additionally, when you know you can tank something, it is extremely frustrating when you're paired with a tank that can't.

[Delorean]

I couldn't tell you. Despite all the frustration and grief that we catch sometimes, I love it.

Personally I have only gotten grief about tanking once in the 2 months I have been playing the game.

BRD got mad because I was not used to playing WAR after playing PLD for 2 weeks, did my combos wrong, started with the wrong combo, having a bad day and decided to wipe last boss on AK since the positioning was altered. In retrospect positioning is something that could have easily been fixed. We also had a not so pleasant conversation being from the same server and all, but the way I acted after we finished and talked to each other was worse than anyone played.

Always regret it, wish I could take it back, they probably think that I was not being sincere when I apologized for my behavior.

Sometimes I wonder if players really do treat tanks poorly though, because I just never get it. People always say tanking is a thankless job as well, and I mean while I am not praised for what I do in every group, I have received some praise every now and then.

I Tank because on top of the dps in this game being fragile, I really do not enjoy playing Dragoon because of it's positional requirements and have heard Monks are worse about them.

But there are MMOs where I have chosen not to play a tank and am strongly opposed to playing one. The reasons are as follows.

It's too easy.
I don't really feel like I am contributing as a tank.

The reasons why I think other players do not play a tank are as follows.

Because they don't want to play a tank.

Because while what a tank does is critical to success, at a basic level it is nothing spectacular. Tanks are expected to be able to fulfill basic expectations like holding aggro.

Tanks are expected to be experienced players that can lead a group to success.

[User201406060804]

Got a tank to 28 because of instant Queues for dungeons. Found it extremely easy and boring. It's like DPSing except you just stand there and see small numbers. Most "new" tanks don't flash or overpower enough. They think its fine to do it once or twice at the beginning of the fight and forget about it until a mob runs off. That's why they have so much trouble tanking more than one mob.

[xXHalloweenTrixXx]

Got a tank to 28 because of instant Queues for dungeons. Found it extremely easy and boring. It's like DPSing except you just stand there and see small numbers. Most "new" tanks don't flash or overpower enough. They think its fine to do it once or twice at the beginning of the fight and forget about it until a mob runs off. That's why they have so much trouble tanking more than one mob.

Well tanking in the beginning is completely different in difficulty from end game when DPS are all geared to the teeth xD.