Tanking Class for a First Time Tank

[Claire_Pendragon]

For clarification, PLD is "easier" to "learn" not that it will function the way a new player wants, when they ask for the easy tank to learn.
For example, WAR and DRK generate more threat (less so now, but they still do) so you get a slightly less clear understanding of where the line is in threat. (Where PLD has to fight for it more and longer)

PLD uses a circle AoE, which is easier to aim than Overpower.
PLD can maintain MP easier than a WAR can maintain TP.
PLD can tank stance dungeons and not use CDs to survive leveling content easier than a WAR in defiance only. (Not that its really that hard to keep them alive if they are geared up)
PLD doesnt have as many pre-requisites to activaite mitigation. Such as WAR needing to have a target to hit, to pop inner beast, or its blood baths self healing. (Including building Wrath)
PLD has a very straight forward Rotation till 50, all effects are very direct.

This doesnt mean PLD is better as a class in any way.

Once you have the basics of a Lv50 PLD, the class gets a tad bit closer to the others, with minor intricacies by Lv60.
And with what you learned from PLD, you'll be able to apply it to WAR/DRK, and then do theirt extra mechanics on top of the basic PLD playstyle.
(WAR has Wrath, debuffs, and fell cleave outside of tank stance. DRK has Dark Arts to buff certain attacks, while using abilities to maintain MP for it.)

You have your AoE threat, your ranged threat, your single target threat combo, and your highest DPS combo.
Along with mitigation to help the healer heal less.
WAR and DRK just have stuff thrown on top of that.

That is all.

EDIT: to touch on something said prior, you're 1st goal as a new tank is to get "decent" gear. 1st is your weapon, then your armor.
Once inside a dungeon;
(1) Practice trying to hold hate, and see what all you can do to improve it. (Simplest solution is to always get to mobs 1st, and use your AoE often.)
(2) Once you can establish near perfect hate every fight, practice trying to conserve resources, such as MP, so you dont need to wait on it the start of the next fight. (Most of the time this wont be an issue that you even need to practice.)
(3) Practice trying to start every pull and boss fight with some sort of Cool Down, or mitigation. (If you really want to save your good ones, fine, just so long as you use SOMETHING!)
(4) Practice rotating your CDs, so you almost always have something up during a fight. (excluding situations where only 1 mob is left or similar.)
(5) Once all that is done, practice turning off your tank stance in boss fights when you over gear it, and you landed a few threat combos in tank stance. (This is to maximize your DPS, while keeping your CDs up for endgame.)

After all that, there's only a few small things left to do. Just take it one step at a time.