Is Tanking Boring?

[Sunspawn]

I started as a pld yrs ago then dropped it quick for dps when I hit high lvl dungeons, I was the opposite and tanking was tough as heck for me, I still keep my pally geared for friends that wanna run trials and such but it'll never see dungeons again.

I probably have tank anxiety, i'm always amazed by those who can pull wall to wall and never show a hint of dropping hate cause I cant do it.

if anything I would kill for a super simple tank job, just an overpowered combo & aoe monster that as long as you dont leave its super strict rotation you'll keep hate, alot of players would say that's what the tank trio is already but they're not, they should take a page from the rdm book and build a tank for dummies, that'll open up the jobtype

Warrior is already super simple - you literally just go in and spam overpower and never lose hate.

[Khalithar]

When you overgear content and can pull everything up to whatever arbitrary barrier without any danger whatsoever? Yes, it gets boring. When you tank things that are actually somewhat of a threat then it's not fun.

[SargentToughie]

The tanking life cycle:

Step 1- Initiation: Oh my god, this is terrifying. I'm going in first, this is content I don't know, am I doing this right? Why am I losing threat? I'm just spamming flash and flailing my way through life, this is hell, I'm going to die. Everybody keeps reassuring me that as long as I'm alive, and I have hate, that I'm doing okay... So I guess that's fine.

Step 2- Comfort: Alright, alright, I'm getting it now. Gotta spam Flash/Overpower/Unleash, using those cooldowns. I hit level cap, and this really ballsy WHM is telling me to pull big. Stressful, but exciting! I'm really contributing to a fast, efficient run of this content!

Step 3- Confidence: I am an absolute machine, the apex of human capability. Watch as I take this dungeon from wall to wall, slap them CDs, and still manage to out-damage that lazy DRG in the back that's just single-targeting. I am a one-player-wrecking-crew capable of lifting my party onto my mighty, steel plated shoulders no matter how incapable they are. No matter where I go, who I get paired with, I'm gonna make things happen.

Step 4- Complacency: Urgh... This EXR dungeon again? I almost miss the old set. All these hallways are the same, any attacks the bosses do that deal any real damage have massive cast bars, and aren't even that threatening anyway. I'm now in DPS stance through about 95% of the content, just because nothing is really dangerous anymore. My issuance of commendations in normal raids and trials is based solely on whether or not my other tank actually uses shirk. Of course I don't trust the other tank to actually pull correctly. I know positionings, I know cast times, I actually deal damage. When's the next patch?

Step 5- Acceptance: I've been doing this for so long now that I don't even remember a time where the content felt fresh. Every new patch is 2 hallways for me to mass pull, every other patch is 4 new bosses, trials are a joke, even the EX versions are so hilariously predictable with their damage spikes that I can basically do them in my sleep. The content is easy, my rotation is easy, and it all just feels so unrewarding at this point.

(optional) Step 6 - Renewal: I'm a DPS/Healer main now.

[tinythinker]

The tanking life cycle:

Step 1- Initiation: Oh my god, this is terrifying. I'm going in first, this is content I don't know, am I doing this right? Why am I losing threat? I'm just spamming flash and flailing my way through life, this is hell, I'm going to die. Everybody keeps reassuring me that as long as I'm alive, and I have hate, that I'm doing okay... So I guess that's fine.

Step 2- Comfort: Alright, alright, I'm getting it now. Gotta spam Flash/Overpower/Unleash, using those cooldowns. I hit level cap, and this really ballsy WHM is telling me to pull big. Stressful, but exciting! I'm really contributing to a fast, efficient run of this content!

Step 3- Confidence: I am an absolute machine, the apex of human capability. Watch as I take this dungeon from wall to wall, slap them CDs, and still manage to out-damage that lazy DRG in the back that's just single-targeting. I am a one-player-wrecking-crew capable of lifting my party onto my mighty, steel plated shoulders no matter how incapable they are. No matter where I go, who I get paired with, I'm gonna make things happen.

Step 4- Complacency: Urgh... This EXR dungeon again? I almost miss the old set. All these hallways are the same, any attacks the bosses do that deal any real damage have massive cast bars, and aren't even that threatening anyway. I'm now in DPS stance through about 95% of the content, just because nothing is really dangerous anymore. My issuance of commendations in normal raids and trials is based solely on whether or not my other tank actually uses shirk. Of course I don't trust the other tank to actually pull correctly. I know positionings, I know cast times, I actually deal damage. When's the next patch?

Step 5- Acceptance: I've been doing this for so long now that I don't even remember a time where the content felt fresh. Every new patch is 2 hallways for me to mass pull, every other patch is 4 new bosses, trials are a joke, even the EX versions are so hilariously predictable with their damage spikes that I can basically do them in my sleep. The content is easy, my rotation is easy, and it all just feels so unrewarding at this point.

(optional) Step 6 - Renewal: I'm a DPS/Healer main now.

I think there might be something similar for healers, but I usually drift in and out, in and out of the game so never get too far in that progression. I come back somewhere in the space between #1 and #2 and either leave again while still in that space or get to #2. If I'm around long enough I might even get to the far side of #2, looking at the road leading off to #3 (I am currently around there).

Some other healers though who used to give me advice on the forums are now dps or tank mains, so I guess that was there renewal.

[MPNZ]

It just depends on how burnt out you are, but that isnt really what turns new players away. It's the responsibility, and everyone expects them to perform at ilvs they are not at, which in turn puts a lot of stress on healers. Or, you could end up in a pug with a hlr whose mindset is in "Old content = dps more", which could be a party with a hlr who refuses to heal.

Oh, and if dare to go slowly everyone will just start pulling for you, and "omg, what a fun party, and TY GUYS T...T."

You are also expected to carry everyone too. Especially, a few lazy or totally burnt out raiders that I just happen to be one of too. But, that just happens to be Duty finder in general...

[Jollyy5]

In casual content, yes. In high-end content, less so.

[Acelyn]

i feel bad for tanks, theres alot of good ones but right now it mostly comes to wall2wall pulls which makes a bad system for newbie or not the best type players.

i've ran plenty of dungeons where the tank tells us they either don't have the gear or don't wanna to big pulls, I dont mind but i've witnessed derpy dps run off and grab more enemies to keep pushing ahead, causing the death of us all.

one of my fc mates was a tank until he hit those types of players, then dropped it cause it was stresful and annoying.

we should all be playing to the best of our abilities but tanks are also the leaders/pace makers so even more weight is on them, I partly blame the devs because the starter dungeons are built with pacing and design in mind, its impossible to overburden a tank but then at some point they just became hallways that drop pacing, also, thats where most of my friends who tanked dropped the job.

[ShaolinMike]

It's pretty much to the point now where "endgame" dungeon tanking means pull to the barrier regardless of your own ilvl and YOLO aoe everything until it dies, rinse and repeat. Even on Day 1 of patches smh.

[Liam_Harper]

I guess one problem isn't just tank stance, but that we don't actually have a real mitigation rotation or any need for one.

I mean, you have cd's and things like the 3 button in your 1-2-3 heals a minor amount of health, but encounters are designed so that they can be face-tanked with Regen and a CD on tankbuster.

I've occasionally found on Drk when soloing HW stuff or the last one standing in a group that actually trying to stay alive is interesting. You have to really manage your mana and space out your cd's, you want TBN on cd, you can't afford to Bloodspiller as you like because it delays Souleater.
It's sort of a shame they don't build on this more, make the harder bosses really hit hard and give us a wider toolkit to survive it, that we're required to make good use of. Have an actual focus on staying alive, give the tank a part in this and make them more self-reliant. The dps aspect of tanking would be an even higher skill ceiling rather than a requirement, where you have to know when you can push damage over defence without getting yourself killed or burdening the healer.

[Maero]

Well tanking for sure used to be more engaging but now days especially on how stormblood turned out the content also is in part to blame for tanking not being as exciting i guess.
Just my opinion of course