How to make tanks more fun to play (devs please read)

[eagledorf]

Can easy outperform as DPS or Healer, but there is like no option to outperform as a Tank job which make them "AVERAGE" at best.

Eh, basically if you squeeze the best performance possible out of your job you're good. If a WAR pops IB and/or another cooldown for every Death Sentence, has Storm's Path up constantly, manages Wrath well, and uses/combines his other cooldowns and skills wisely, I would say that's "good". If a WAR pops IB for DS, but once in a blue moon is stuck in GCD or something or pops IB for every one, but loses Storms Path because he didn't watch its duration and was waiting for DS that's probably still fairly good to average.

Similarly for PLD, if he's managing and timing his cooldowns well, using Convalesce early for his Scholar, uses Hallowed Ground or cover at just the right moment, uses Stoneskin and Flash to mitigate things (especially Stoneskin requires like perfect timing) as both MT and OT, and always has Halone up, I would call that a good Paladin. If all he's doing is managing his cooldowns well, that's probably already a fairly good to average PLD.

The same is true for every class. If a DPS is putting out reasonable DPS and doesn't screw up their class mechanics (MP management, DoT uptime, GL, Rotation), that's pretty average. If a DPS is really working to maximize their DPS (timing their cooldowns, being intelligent with their buffs/stances/procs/Aetherflow), that's a good DPS. If a SCH keeps the tank alive that's an average SCH. If they apply a shield, Virus, Sacred Soil, or Eye4Eye just when the party or tank needs it and manage their pet well that's a good SCH. WHM, I don't know the class, but hate management, Regen, Stoneskin, cooldowns, and procs seem to set a good WHM apart.

I do agree with you that both tank classes have a simpler/more scripted set of skills than the DPS or healers, but that doesn't mean that there's not plenty a tank can do to set themselves apart from others.

PLD, despite being simple compared to WAR, can be damn fun. Oop, the MT died...healers don't have swiftcast...Provoke->Hallowed Ground! You may feel free to hard-cast Raise or dick around as you like, healers. Hell, you can actually cycle cooldowns while they heal the off tank and all the way until the other tank recovers from weakness. Of course you're probably screwed at this point, but maybe not.