DRK an easier tank?

[elemental10]

I feel like DRK has the easiest time when it comes to managing agro.

Unleash is like Flash but with magical damage attached to it. So it's better than Flash. Not to mention, when on Darkside in Grit, you are dealing 15% more damage than the other tanks and that adds to the enmity as well.

But DRK has more MP management and TP problems as well, not to mention you have less CD than a PLD and several oGCD abilities more than either, and I feel like I drop HP way too fast compared to PLD or WAR.

[Galgarion]

I feel like DRK has the easiest time when it comes to managing agro.

Unleash is like Flash but with magical damage attached to it. So it's better than Flash. Not to mention, when on Darkside in Grit, you are dealing 15% more damage than the other tanks and that adds to the enmity as well.

But DRK has more MP management and TP problems as well, not to mention you have less CD than a PLD and several oGCD abilities more than either, and I feel like I drop HP way too fast compared to PLD or WAR.

I noticed today that my mana issues pretty much vanished once I got a few decent upgrades and didn't have to AOE as much. Just using my delirium combo with the occasional C&S was enough to keep me at a healthy rate of mana regen. I also have to say that the changes to blood weapon were immediately noticeable during an A4 normal I pugged. Off tanking is a lot more fun when you don't have to keep begging for goads.

[kensatsu]

Ok i played the 3 tanks so.
For the pack War is the easier, then dark.pld (it's true in war you can even full domination in berserk and go AFK till mobs is dead...)
To Main Tanking Pld is the easier, and when you OT dps rotation is very simple, Dark play a lot like the pld, but he have a lot of offense CD, you still have to think to your def CD also.
If you want to output the best dps you can with your dark you have to manage your MP and let enough mp if you need them for your defense CD as well.
Realy i think it's harder than the pld.
Main Tanking with the war, it's not hard, just you have migitate sometimes with a GCD instead of only CD, it mean you have to be ready for tank buster pattern and not play only by reflex.
instead of that when you are used to your rotation, Stance swapping ect... it's easy.
Conclusion : Dark ask to player to play faster than with a War and a Pld

[Brian_]

AoE tanking on PLD is significantly harder than DRK and WAR if you are trying to play your class right. You need to be very aware of general enmity because you only want to spam flash as much as needed. The rest of your GCDs go into GB upkeep on multiple mobs which generates no bonus enmity. It's the same as in ST situations where you only RoH enough to hold hate and RA otherwise. As a result, while the PLD has no real mana management in AoE situations since they will naturally regen enough through GB upkeep and Sheltron, they're like a SMN without bane when it comes to damage output.

[Nadirah]

"Is this class easier because I play it suboptimally?"
To actually answer your question:
With every tank the initial pull on trash is about the same. Ranged aggro grab (DRK's is umend, PLD = shield lob, WAR = tomahawk), AOE aggro grabber (Unleashed/Flash/Overpower) 3 times (or more if your DPS significantly outgears you), then you move into combos on single enemies, using defensive CDs and OGCDs as necessary. The goal here is to use your AOE aggro grabber as little as possible because for all classes it either costs a lot of TP (WAR/PLD) or MP (DRK), resources you could be using more efficiently.

Flash uses MP.

[Misha_Tameshigiri]

My bad. I don't know what I was thinking. Post is edited now.

[Drtoxicmedica]

snip

With a decent weapon that's not even a problem unless you have 2 dps that are burning separate adds which is a pain in the ass regardless of class. If you weave flash in your combos on occasion your threat on everyother mob will be so great you won't even need to RoH at all after the first couple. And imo spreading goring blade all over the place seems kinda silly to me when you could instead help the melee focus down the add there killing and apply goring to the next target they focus. The smn/blm/healers will be doing all the aoe no need to waste all that time spreading a dot when you could just help kill mobs with the melee reducing total pack size. Just my opening tho. Pld isn't good at aoe play to its strengths as apposed to it's weakness. Just my opinion.

[Aeliott]

I don't think it gets any more simple than Paladin. That said, despite potentially seeming overwhelming at first, DRK has been much easier than I anticipated. I mean outside of establishing and holding hate, all 3 tanks boil down to using one of 2/3 combos while using a unique mechanic in between. PLD has support, DRK has MP management, and WAR has 5 stacks and 2 stances to think about.

I think maybe DRK has a higher learning curve than WAR, but has a lower skill ceiling.