Wanna try tanking, but have tank anxiety? Don't worry...

[Gemina]

... Nothing to be worried about at all. You gots this!



Just a light-hearted post to help ease my nerves for tanking 101 with my FC today. Felt like I was in college again with all the research I've done. Wish me luck!

[koroko220]

I still get bouts of this off and on despite the compliments I get occasionally, so you're not alone! Remember, we gots this! ^^

[SpookyGhost]

XIV is actually (imo) the most comfortable MMO to tank in. All the dungeons are just long corridors so everything you need to pull is basically laid out in order. From there it's just about holding hate (30+~40+ this becomes a cakewalk) and popping defensive CDs. A common mistake for a lot of new tanks is that they sit on their defensive CDs waiting for just the right moment to pop them - while this is great in raids, in dungeons it's much better to try and keep CDs rolling. I tend to plan my CDs out so that I only use 1 or 2 per pack, and then ones I used early on will be back up for the boss. This same logic applies to big pulls, though you have to be a bit more thoughtful of your CD usage on those.

Anyway, good luck! Let us know how things go for you. If you have any questions I'm sure the tanks here (incl me) will be happy to answer them.

[Brannigan]

Just don't forget to turn on a stance after job changing like SOMEONE I AM

[Alisa180]

As someone who suffered from tanking anxiety herself (often quite literally, I have severe generalized anxiety disorder), I'd like to offer a few of my own tips.

1. Knowledge is power. These visual guides to tanking are the single most helpful resources I ever found. They essentially demystify how to tank well: https://i.imgur.com/smNx1ZX.jpg. https://i.imgur.com/PEnLMF9.jpg. Reading up on your class in general will help you confidence when you finally delve into your first dungeons.
2. Don't be afraid to tell people that you are new to tanking! Far more people then not are happy to cut you slack if you mess up.
3. Leveling GLD/PLD to 40 is a very special kind of hell. You are going to lose aggro. Period. So long as you hold it most of the time, many players won't give a pre-40 GLD/PLD grief over not holding a mob.
4. A good chunk of tanking anxiety comes from the fact many people believe the tank = leader. This isn't really true. You may be pulling mobs, holding them, and usually setting the pace for the dungeon, but that doesn't make you the 'leader'. That's just you doing your job. It's hard to put this into words, but trust me. I am very much a follower, and have learned to disassociate performing my job from a leadership role.
5. Practice, practice, practice! Being the one to pull and initiate encounters can be nerve-wracking, but the more you tank, the more used to it you'll get.
6. Also, observe! A good chunk of my tanking knowledge came from observing tanks, or being the off-tank. Truly bad tanks are rare, so observing and mimicking will get you a long way!

Other notes:

I can't speak for the other tanking jobs, but once you cap PLD, MTing as it is probably the easiest, least-stressful job in the game. No, that's not an oxymoron. As the MT, you don't have to worry about 90% of mechanics, including most AoEs. And thanks to your high HP, you can east most AoEs that do target you. As one who royally sucks at dodging, it's wonderful!

Along with our simplified rotation, it's really an easy job compared to other roles. DPS have to hit several buttons, most have timers they have to keep up. Healers have to juggle between keeping everyone alive, and DPSing when they can. All while handling mechanics. As someone who's done both DPS and healing, let me tell you, MTing is downright relaxing in comparison.

Also, embrace the instant queues! They're great!

[Gemina]

As someone who suffered from tanking anxiety herself (often quite literally, I have severe generalized anxiety disorder), I'd like to offer a few of my own tips.

1. Knowledge is power. These visual guides to tanking are the single most helpful resources I ever found. They essentially demystify how to tank well: https://i.imgur.com/smNx1ZX.jpg. https://i.imgur.com/PEnLMF9.jpg. Reading up on your class in general will help you confidence when you finally delve into your first dungeons.

2. Don't be afraid to tell people that you are new to tanking! Far more people then not are happy to cut you slack if you mess up.
3. Leveling GLD/PLD to 40 is a very special kind of hell. You are going to lose aggro. Period. So long as you hold it most of the time, many players won't give a pre-40 GLD/PLD grief over not holding a mob.
4. A good chunk of tanking anxiety comes from the fact many people believe the tank = leader. This isn't really true. You may be pulling mobs, holding them, and usually setting the pace for the dungeon, but that doesn't make you the 'leader'. That's just you doing your job. It's hard to put this into words, but trust me. I am very much a follower, and have learned to disassociate performing my job from a leadership role.
5. Practice, practice, practice! Being the one to pull and initiate encounters can be nerve-wracking, but the more you tank, the more used to it you'll get.
6. Also, observe! A good chunk of my tanking knowledge came from observing tanks, or being the off-tank. Truly bad tanks are rare, so observing and mimicking will get you a long way!

Other notes:

I can't speak for the other tanking jobs, but once you cap PLD, MTing as it is probably the easiest, least-stressful job in the game. No, that's not an oxymoron. As the MT, you don't have to worry about 90% of mechanics, including most AoEs. And thanks to your high HP, you can east most AoEs that do target you. As one who royally sucks at dodging, it's wonderful!

Along with our simplified rotation, it's really an easy job compared to other roles. DPS have to hit several buttons, most have timers they have to keep up. Healers have to juggle between keeping everyone alive, and DPSing when they can. All while handling mechanics. As someone who's done both DPS and healing, let me tell you, MTing is downright relaxing in comparison.

Also, embrace the instant queues! They're great!

Thank you so much for putting together all those helpful tips. I suffer from GAD as well, along with panic disorder so I can relate. It's a big reason why I put so much research into something before getting my feet wet as it really helps alleviate some of that anxiety. Not all of it though

Right now I am feeling confident. It's because of the instance I just posted. I have felt this way as healer as well, only for it to all disappear when it's queue time. So right now I want to say that tanking does seem less stressful overall compared to healer and DPS because they have to concentrate on so much more. Something I did not realize the extent of for DD classes until actually playing them, and taking them VERY seriously when doing so. But ultimately, I can't say anything about tanking until I actually do some tanking. However, I do feel more confident about this confidence, if that makes sense!

Um... actually afraid of the insta-queues. This is is a benefit how? I need time for my nerves to settle for even placing myself in the queue lol.

[Alisa180]

Thank you so much for putting together all those helpful tips. I suffer from GAD as well, along with panic disorder so I can relate. It's a big reason why I put so much research into something before getting my feet wet as it really helps alleviate some of that anxiety. Not all of it though

Glad I could be of some help!

Um... actually afraid of the insta-queues. This is is a benefit how? I need time for my nerves to settle for even placing myself in the queue lol.

Huh, I actually think this is a difference in how anxiety manifests for us. I get anxious if a queue takes too long, and have dropped out while waiting who knows how many times.

[Gemina]

Huh, I actually think this is a difference in how anxiety manifests for us. I get anxious if a queue takes too long, and have dropped out while waiting who knows how many times.

It sure sounds like it does. I don't even know what happens if you decide to withdraw after registering But yeah, as soon as I register, my heart rate skyrockets to exercise levels (I know, I checked), and then it gradually slows down. Then when the prompt to commence with the duty pops up, it rises again. This time though, it doesn't start to slow down until after a couple trash pulls.

It's important to acknowledge the source of your anxiety to understand how it manifests. For me, the actual popping of the duty I queued for gives me anxiety. Not knowing when it will actually pop, the sound effect it makes when it does, and the ticking of the countdown clock... my brain just doesn't like it. It's a trigger, and I just have to push through it, or I would never group.

[Lisotte]

I think it really comes down to just spending time as a tank and getting used to it. To anyone new to tanking, leveling 1-60: don't worry if you make mistakes, reasonable people can understand what it's like for a new tank, and try and not care what bad people think. Tanking gets easier the higher level you get, you're more survivable, you hold hate easier, and all the mechanics in dungeons start to feel similar to each other so you don't get surprised anymore.

I do think it's easier on a WAR than a PLD. As a WAR you often just feel like the main star of the show, practically soloing but with some additional DPS and healing thrown in there by your party. On the other hand, PLD you feel like you're exclusively there just to gather everything and get hit. DRK feels much like WAR but also trying to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time while doing trigonometry.

[Kibby]

I started tanking not too long ago and I still get nervous tanking dungeons that I've already done before, even if I don't think I've made too many mistakes. It doesn't help that I have anxiety in real life, too. :P I currently have drk at 46 and the highest dungeon I have in Dzemael, so I'm trying to avoid going there because I've seen too many wipes. <_< >_>

It's weird, though, but I have no problem being a healer even though lives are literally in your hands as a healer, but tanking seems so much more intimidating to me.

6. Also, observe! A good chunk of my tanking knowledge came from observing tanks, or being the off-tank. Truly bad tanks are rare, so observing and mimicking will get you a long way!

Other than looking at guides, this has been one of the biggest helps. A lot of the stuff I've learned about tanking has been from watching others (and if there are bad tanks, I know what not do :P).