I spend a lot of time both here and on reddit talking about tanking. One thing I see over and over is that although there is a Paladin Tanking Compendium, there is no matching tanking guide for Warriors. I mean to remedy that here.
I have been tanking MMOs for many years now. I first picked up the sword and board in Everquest with my Shadowknight, then continued in Everquest II with Guardian, Berserker and Shadowknight tanks. From there I played a Riftstalker and a Justicar in Rift before taking time off to play Eve Online for a few years. This is my first Final Fantasy game, but the basics of tanking are transferable and I've tanked everything this game has to offer at this point.
This guide will cover some basics for new tanks, but it will not go into how to tank particular fights or dungeons and will not cover PvP. This guide is more about polishing than it is about building basic tanking knowledge. If you want to learn how to tank, the best way to do it is to run through all (or at least some) of the dungeons and/or Guildhests available, as they will all teach you something new about tanking. Watching videos will help, but it can only take you so far. The way you're going to become master of a dungeon, is by doing it and learning where the mobs are, where the pull spots are, which mobs do AoEs that you have to dodge and the ones you have to ignore.
With that said, tanking is loads of fun and I hope you can all gain something from this guide. If you notice any mistakes, or wish to add anything, please post it below. This guide is based on my experiences. You mileage will most likely vary. While I ask that comments be kept respectful, the idea is to generate discussion and I am happy to change things that are factually incorrect as well as add submissions from the community. Let the arguments begin!
*note: Throughout this guide I will use the terms enmity, threat and agro interchangeably.
Change Log
13/01 - Added section on Infuriate usage
13/01 - Added BiS lists
14/01 - Added section on STR tiers for Parry
15/01 - Added section on Rotations and Pulling
17/01 - Changed Cross-class skills descriptions
17/01 - Added BiS list images