If you can completely nullify 10 hits every minute or so on gladiator, then who the hell cares if they have less HP than a marauder? If you get low on hp, use a mitigation ability, throw up shield block and buy your healers more than enough time to top you off.

Quote Originally Posted by I_have_no_idea
If you put 174 VIT on MRD your offensive abilities will be under mediocre.
Actually, not only will your offensive abilities be horrible, but your defensive abilities will be as well. Strength ups the effectiveness of guard, so if you don't have high strength, you are minimalizing what is perhaps your greatest tanking utility.

Assume that a mob will hit both an unguarding gladiator and a marauder about the same, at 250, and doesn't use weapon skills. Assume also that both of them will not cast a single heal (but abilities that heal are fine) in the course of attacking the mob. Assume the mob has unlimited HP and will kill them both in the end. Assume both of them have both jobs to 50 (and have the cross class's mastery ability on). Finally, assume the mob hits every 2 seconds exactly.

How many hits can each of them take? (trying to factor in affinity, here). Things requiring steadfast will be much more effective for marauders. Note that, with guard, I am being very generous to the marauder - on all but the biggest enemies it is more than 50% effective

Marauder :
Bloodbath II ( +250 hp/60s )
Defender II (+300 hp/30s)
Foresight II (+250 hp/30s)
Rampart (+125hp/300s)

Starting HP: 2500
Over first 20 seconds, the marauder is hit 10x for 2500 hp and uses all 4 abilities when the last has worn off (so as to get full benefit from each). Current HP = 2500 – 2500 + 250 + 300 +250 + 125 = 925
Marauder dies at 28 seconds after taking +1000 more damage.

Gladiator (First # unguarded, second guarded):
Bloodbath II ( +150 hp/60s )
Defender II (+125 hp/30s )
Foresight II (+250 hp : +125 hp/30s)
Guard (+1250 hp/20s → 22s after first use, based on Decorated Iron Scutum)
Deflection (+100 hp : +60 hp/60s)
Obsess II (+60 hp : +35 hp/45s)
Aegis Boon II (+1200 : +700 hp/60s – 4 fully blocked hits, plus some healing from each)
Sentinel ( +100 hp : +50 hp/60s )
Outmaneuver (+60 hp : +30 hp/60s )
Rampart ( +150 hp : +100 hp/300s )

Starting HP : 2200
Gladiator uses guard and is hit 10x for 2500 * .5 damage = 1250.
In the first 18 seconds he uses Rampart (back up at 302s), Defender 2 (back up at 36s), Foresight 2 (back up at 38s), Obsess II (back up at 57s) and Aegis ( at 16s, back up at 76s )
Total HP = 2200 – 1250 + 100 + 125 + 125 + 35 + 575 (three negated hits and 200 healing) = 1910
One more negated hit from Aegis also allows him to spam guard to not take a full dmg hit.
Guard starts at 22s with HP=1910
Next 20 seconds, gladiator takes 1250 damage from hits again and uses Bloodbath 2 (back up at 82s), Sentinel (back up at 84s), Defender (back up at 66s), Foresight 2 (back up at 72s) Outmaneuver (at 40s, back up at 98s), Deflection (back up at 100s). He stacks Outmaneuver and Deflection at the end to mitigate the incoming un-guarded hit at 42s
At 42s Total HP = 1910 – 1250 – 250 + 150 + 50 + 125 + 60 + 80 = 975
Guard is used at 42s. Over the next 20s, gladiator takes 1250 damage from hits again and uses Obsess 2 (back up at 104s), Nothing else is up and he will die before guard finishes at:
( 975 hp + 35 = 1010 ) / 125 = ( 9 hits * 2 secs ) + 42s = 60 s

The gladiator will live a full minute, and this could probably be optimized quite a bit more. He will survive over twice as long as the marauder, even though the marauder has 20% more hp. If that gladiator could survive another 10 seconds or so, he would have foresight, a few other abilities and aegis popping and could probably limp along for another 30 seconds at least.

Gladiators are THE tanks, end of story.