For most tanks I've seen: Please pay attention to the party

[ariaandkia]

As title states, please pay attention to the party.

I know that when I tank, there are a few things I do before we even really start. Personally, I think tanks really need to follow all of these up to #8. At a minimum. First 7 I do in order.

1) Check classes. No AoE DPS? No real point rushing (DoTs only last so long so rushing too much will only put unnecessary burden on the party)). No bard, make sure the healer has enough MP. Scholar in a low level dungeon? Prepare for debuffs that won't get removed. etc.

2) Check gear. Especially for the healer, but also for other classes. This lets me know what to expect (so I pull the right amount) and what NOT to roll for. (I do this for all classes, not just tank-since if I have level 90 gear and the other player has level 15 gear, I shouldn't be needing on the level 30 gear when the other player clearly needs it more than I do. Heck, I often will ask before I even greed if I know I already have gear just as good or better).

3) Check for new players (usually there is a message, but I also like to ask since it sometimes doesn't show up)

4) Wait for buffs.

5) Look for any requests (speed run, fast run, do multiple groups, keep it slow, full run, etc.)

6) /readycheck

7) Make sure the party is following me!

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Once we get into things, there are a few things I pay attention to. At least pay attention to 8!

8) Aggro. Make sure I'm holding aggro and watch any enemies I'm losing aggro to.

9) Targeting lines. Pretty simple, I watch what my party is targeting.
Seems like too much work for a tank? Healers have to do just as much or more. See #13.

10) Disconnections or sudden afk state. People disconnect or go afk and this can happen at any time for a good number of reasons.
For this reason, I generally stick with normal pulls rather than an excessive pull. And I never purposefully overpull. I define normal pulls as the party can handle comfortably. I define excessive pull as pulls the party can just barely handle if they push themselves. I define overpull as the party will wipe unless RNG decides to favor the party (aka. a miracle).
For this reason, I generally save an emergency card for "when things go wrong, I have a backup plan and can go all out for a few seconds to make up for whatever went wrong." Some people might not agree, but I like having it.

11) My own exhaustion level. Am I starting to get fatigued from playing the same mission over and over? Is my morale getting low? Am I starting to fall asleep? Depending on my answers, I'll change my tanking slightly to make up for that. Which is why I've tanked in my sleep before.

12) My party's exhaustion levels. Same as above except for my party. Are my party members showing signs of fatigue? If so, I will change my tanking to make up for that.

13) Pretty much everything I pay attention to as a healer. When I play a healer, I'm watching HP bars, enemy enmity meters, targeting lines, enmity on me, buffs and debuffs on party members, buffs and debuffs on enemies, current position of allies and enemies, my own MP, party member's MPs, to some extent, party members (tank specifically) tp (based on regen and skill usage), aoe zones, skill load times (specifically for enemies), allies within those aoe zones that won't make it out, debuffs caused by those aoe zones (though no point pre-casting esuna since it sometimes won't remove the debuff if you start the cast before the debuff even if the cast won't finish until after the debuff is placed-probably to prevent people from casting esuna as a counter to silence), damage caused by those aoe zones, incoming enemies, skill cooldowns, etc. And I'm not on the PC so I don't have this FFXIV-APP people keep talking about having. I am still struggling a bit with 8/24 player missions since I don't do them as often as 4 player missions.

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For anyone going: hahaha, your tank classes are too nub to give us your opinion. In addition to tanking with my tank classes, I've tanked as a THM, as an ARC/Summoner, as a SCH, and even my WHM. Obviously not for end game dungeons (even I kite instead of tanking)

[givemeraptors]

Good checklist, even as an exp tank most of those points are relevant and lately I don't know why but I've run into a lot of tanks who hone in on one target and pretend to be DPS while the rest of the pack runs wild. Holding aggro is the entire job, damage is really secondary. Who cares if you can't finish that combo for some extra DPS if there's a pack of wolves ripping your healer to shreds...

Party awareness is good. Especially if you see your DPS rocking serious gear, or conversely, are undergeared. That really changes your strategy and I've seen tanks try to speedrun with people in i55 an I'm like ummmm, this is not going to work out well.

P.S. I've noticed that with Esuna/Leeches. It's really annoying >_>

[Shuri]

Your 1. point is one of the main things that annoys me when I'm not on my PLD. Why people think rush pulling with no AoE is a good idea, i'll never know.

[Arlen]

Also for number 1.

If I have a melee dps, I try to keep the mobs where melee can get behind and to the side of the mob. (off walls and weird elevation changes)

[lxSch]

Use cooldowns when they are needed, not when they are up.
1. Rampant - don't use it before the fight, wait until there is a stable incoming damage, so it will actually become useful.
2. Fight or Flight - save it for boss if you have an overgeared dps in team.
3. Convalescence - don't use it when you do not need healing (like from start or during multi-pulls) or when healer is dead.
4. Don't use Hallowed Ground at start - let healer use Benediction/Lustrate first, save it for when it is really needed.
5. Use Flash - it is a good cooldown that lets your team and you to dodge special boss skills.
6. Get Foresight from the Marauder - it's just like rampant, but 30s longer cd.
7. Overpower more (for marauders) - no reason not to.

[Tzukuma]

6. Get Foresight from the Marauder - it's just like rampant, but 30s longer cd.

Both Foresight and Rampart have a 90s CD. it bothered me seeing that, had to correct you. =p

[Lord_Zlatan]

Both Foresight and Rampart have a 90s CD. it bothered me seeing that, had to correct you. =p

foresight has a 90 second CD as a marauder... 120 as a PLD.

[MythToken]

I do pay attention, I watch monsters beating on you and i say to myself "meh". And continue watching.

Also any tank that waits for his party is a loser, and any party that doesn't catch up to his tank is a loser.

[Spoekes]

XSkilled on PLD it (Foresight) has a longer Cooldown than on WAR because MRD gets a trait for it.

[RhazeCain]

1. Every DPS class is an AoE DPS class. I suppose Summoner might be limited to about 3-4 that they can really maximize on. But Monk, DRG, and Bard can all pump out fairly decent DPS on groups -- faster than singles for sure (unless low level). Sure, you should tailor how big your pulls are to what group you have. But don't be the timid tank adding 5 mins to DF brayflox HM by pulling max 3.

2. Similar to #1 in terms of gauging how big to make the pulls. Regarding what to roll for: if it's static/FC, then you've got special methods. But otherwise, I'd just roll if you want it. You put in same effort as these people, so you get same chance at reward. Can do the more altruistic method OP mentioned if you feel like it, but that's just your personal choice.

3. Yep, they'll tell you usually. Or message shows. Just means they will need explanation.

4. OK

5. OK, i guess.

6. Waste of time. Covered by #7 and #10.

7. OK

8. Yep, basic tank role. Requires some learning early on, and attention to maintain in different circumstances.

9. I guess. But mostly just build agro on everything. If your gear is much less than the members of your party, then this becomes more important.

10. OK

11. OK? Mostly I just log off if I'm tired.

12. OK, I guess.

13. Lot of things mentioned. Some make sense to watch, some don't. If you can't change it, then focus on what you can change instead (unless you're in a raid deconstructing why a fight is failing). For example: Ally HP matters for a PLD using Cover maybe - but a WAR can only change their own HP, so focus on that.