(PLD question) I need to understand THE raiding tank

[Lambdafish]

I watch a video initially, and then we learn the fight phase by phase (I don't even watch the whole video at first, only the first phase). Then I learn the bosses rotation from my own perspective, I learn when cooldowns should be used, and how to time them effectively (like if you can pop a longer cooldown to cover two tank busters etc.) The best thing to do is also talk with your offtank (and rest of the team) if you are struggling with a particular mechanic, then discuss with them and they may be able to offer advice.

The best advice I can give is that watching a video is all well and good, but everyone is different and finding what works best for you and forming your own plan of action to clear a fight is what makes you a good raid tank (if I moved to this place instead, or if I mitigate here, the DPS can get more hits in etc.).

As for gear, it doesn't matter so much while learning the fight (unless you are going world first, then naturally you need enough gear to clear the fight as fast as possible), lack of deaths, high DPS/mitigation and raid awareness are far more important than ilvl, so long as you have the minimum required ilvl to finish the fight.