Please Do NOT Introduce Another Melee Tank

[SpookyGhost]

That's a pet tank, and it indeed could be interesting.
I haven't played SMN on endgame, but I doubt that Titan can hold aggro over strong DPS and on multiple targets.

Multiple targets, not sure (can't recall if Titan has strong AOE aggro moves) but single target:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5MdZW1Ennw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEAdur1izsQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_oLCPHqKR8

[Giantbane]

That's a pet tank, and it indeed could be interesting.
I haven't played SMN on endgame, but I doubt that Titan can hold aggro over strong DPS and on multiple targets.

A real pet tank would need to have a more involved interaction with the pet as it tanks, with a stronger set of moves that allow for more critical aspects of the PLD/WAR toolsets (multiple survivability cooldowns, provoke, etc). It would probably involve actions by the master that would need to be executed to give threat to the pet. The pet could not just be set to sic and handle itself..

Pet death would also likely mean death to the master so as to limit the natural advantages of this style of tank over player tanks like the WAR or PLD.

For this reason I don't think it will exist in FFXIV. It's too complicated. But if you wanted a realistic model of a tank that would work using FFXIV's systems and where the player does not need to stand in melee range most of the time, this would be the way to do it.

[Shurrikhan]

To "tank" melee enemies at a range, you must either have a way to near-permanently bind or heavy their movement enough for melee to comfortably use positionals against them (in which case you're still more a "kiter" than "tank"), or else have something that is acting in a 'melee' relation to the enemy, even if the player in tank role is distant. Theoretically I can see Puppetmaster, Beastmaster, Ninja, or some manner of Necromancer 'being able' to pull that off, but whether one would actually call them a ranged tank is left up to trifle debate.

There's all still plenty to be done with alternate tanking styles within melee itself, and I don't really see how pet-master swaps (swap in a spirit-beast, who was debuffing something else, to take a large magic hit for you while you melee-heavy its previous target), extended high-threat kiting, etc., is necessarily going to be a more varied or interesting change from current Warrior-Paladin tank styles than those, though I would be happy with any of those (though less so with the kiting as a 'niche' of tank alone, without internal mechanics).

[Mattlex]

They could make a magic tank that works well – Perhaps Geomancer/Elementalist which uses elemental spells as magical armour and perhaps elemental weapon enhancements like en-spells.

Some of the abilities could work similar to Ninja shadows in XI so you would have several spells with varying cool downs that put up a number of magical shadows that absorb physical damage. This could be combined with Stoneskin type elemental spells which would absorb damage in different ways (Water Wall, Lightning Shield, Wind Guard – Just ideas) which could be weaved in between the shadow spells.

[Luvbunny]

It's time for Rune Fencer and Dancer to make an appearance as tank and healer in this game

[TouchandFeel]

It's time for Rune Fencer and Dancer to make an appearance as tank and healer in this game

Omg yes!

However tbh they would need to do some pretty heavy redesign to rune fencer since there is no elemental damage in the game, but the overall concept is good. That and they really should change the name to Rune Knight because it sounds cooler IMO. I would also love to have Celes iconic Runic Blade ability added to them in some form.

Dancer or chemist as a healer, yes please.

[Dyne_Fellpool]

Considering there will be a limited number of jobs added to this game, I think they should start with more iconic jobs. Jobs that have been in 3+ FF games at least.
This is why I dont want to see "Rune Fencer". Jobs that have only been seen in FF11 should NOT be put into this game. (IMO, of course)

[TouchandFeel]

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Mystic_Knight

Rune Fencer really was just a reworking of Mystic Knight and Rune Knight (mainly Mystic) which has existed in multiple FF titles.
They took the enspell concept that was the main schtick of Mystic Knights and expanded it to have more defensive capabilities so that it could be a tank.

Personally I would prefer they did a brand new tank design for Mystic/Runic Knight and introduced that instead of trying to bring over Rune Fencer, but ultimately the high level concept for them is the same.

Also I want Celes' Runic Blade ability, or some incarnation of it as an ability for the class.

Asides from Mystic/Runic Knight, other classes from the series that could potentially be tanks are.
- Samurai (from new class)
- Templar (from LNC)
- Dark Knight (from GLD, would rather it be dps though)

[Ragology]

I'm betting on the next tank having its own kind of provoke skill, unless they intend for every tank job in the game to have paladin as one of its sub classes.

[Zej]

I'm betting on the next tank having its own kind of provoke skill, unless they intend for every tank job in the game to have paladin as one of its sub classes.

I'd believe it if they said it that the new tank class would sub-gladiator. I'd like to see a revamp of Cross Class skills though.

I think the next tank class depends on how much either Doma or Ishgard is involved in the expansion plot. If Doma is more prominent, then Samurai is probable for the tank class because we already have that cultural theme from them. Templars could be it if Ishgard is more involved. If both are, then it might just come down to which the Devs prefer for tanking or can make a more interesting gameplay experience.