Can a tank main get through SB without actually tanking a duty for live players?

[Omedon]

Edit: To be clear, this whole post refers to SHADOWBRINGERS. I didn't realize until after I posted that there are potentially two "SB" expansions.

In other MMOs I'm a fervent tank almost purely for open world play, but I've been leveling as a ranged DPS from level 1 since returning to FFXIV purely because eventually dungeons and trials come up and... let's just say that I am not new to tanking, but I'm retired from tanking dungeons for live players that I don't know. Especially in a game I'm "newish" to.


That all said, I've been feeling the "overworld inferiority" of being a squishy caster while questing in the open world, and especially when I rarely leave that beaten MSQ path. The MSQ is a relatively curated experience, but some day I'm going to turn around and do side quests, and I will be a tank class when I do that... meanwhile, as I approach level 60 and the chance to change relatively seamlessly to gunbreaker as I changed from summoner to red mage at 50, I'm left wondering if, at 70 when my Road to 70 runs out and I inevitably have to do stuff other than the MSQ to advance... I'm wondering how feasible a switch to a tank class in SB might be given the existence of the trust system.

Please, please don't turn this thread into a discussion of how I should try tanking dungeons. I've been a tank for over a decade in other games, I know how the responsibility game works in dungeons and I'm on vacation from all that in FFXIV. That said, I do still like the tank's ability to handle adds in the open world (and also please don't tell me that DPS can too, I know that, but tanks are inherently superior in this as a result of their core design), and the trust system, if I understand it correctly is my opportunity to be a tank outside dungeons, and be beholden to no live players in the dungeons that will be necessary to complete the SB MSQ.

So, in short, here's what I'm asking:

If I go from being a ranged DPS to a tank spec on the dot at the onset of Shadowbringers, will the trust system be in play for most if not all of the dungeons and trials that will pop up as part of that MSQ completion? Can I "be a tank" for the SB phase of the game without being "another player's tank," because of the trust system?

Bonus question: And... if I can... what does that do to the queues should I remain a DPS? I LOVE the idea of "not needing" other players, but wouldn't that make the queues for other players (especially DPS) a wasteland?

Thanks in advance for any and all helpful replies!

[Enla]

For SB? No. You need to actually tank the dungeons in SB if that's the only role you're working through the MSQ with as there are no Trusts available for that expansion, or even Squadrons. SB is in the middle of both systems with no recourse for players who don't want to interact with others - and to be honest even in ShB you're going to NEED to do trials with other players. The game does not have Trusts for any of the trials in ShB. My best advice if you have tank anxiety? Level a DPS or Healer through the main story for SB and then go into Heaven on High to level your Tank (It requires other players for the fastest experience but you don't need to actually 'tank' in that content, unless you're doing the Savage floors) or do Beast Tribes to get them to ShB. Or save Quests, there's a lot of ways you can do it. You just need to get through public content with any class to beat the MSQ requirement.

Once you hit ShB's content you're pretty much in the clear with the exception, again, of the trials. Though at least in those you can off-tank if you mention you're new and want to off-tank in chat. Most groups will be understanding.

[Omedon]

For SB? No. You need to actually tank the dungeons in SB if that's the only role you're working through the MSQ with as there are no Trusts available for that expansion, or even Squadrons. SB is in the middle of both systems with no recourse for players who don't want to interact with others - and to be honest even in ShB you're going to NEED to do trials with other players. The game does not have Trusts for any of the trials in ShB. My best advice if you have tank anxiety? Level a DPS or Healer through the main story for SB and then go into Heaven on High to level your Tank (It requires other players for the fastest experience but you don't need to actually 'tank' in that content, unless you're doing the Savage floors) or do Beast Tribes to get them to ShB.

Once you hit ShB's content you're pretty much in the clear with the exception, again, of the trials. Though at least in those you can off-tank if you mention you're new and want to off-tank in chat. Most groups will be understanding.

Oh yeah, there are two expansions whose initials could be "SB."

I am referring entirely to shadowbringers in my post.

[Rasikko]

You said don't try to make this in telling you to try tanking in FFXIV, yet the vibe I'm getting from your post is that tanking is calling you and you're conflicted by it. I don't know about all this "don't need others", this is an MMO..

In any case, stick with DPS. Trusts can't do <71 content yet, and there is squadrons (good for up to 70 I think)

[Enla]

Oh yeah, there are two expansions whose initials could be "SB."

I am referring entirely to shadowbringers in my post.

For future reference we call it ShB here. ^^ Trust me when I say it was super confusing when the name was dropped!

That said for ShB's you're fine save, again for the Trials, but again you just need to tell people about your lack of comfort and most co-tanks will take over the job of handling the boss. I will say however you /will/ be expected to help tank in the first Trial, but only during the adds phase. Other than that you should be good for a mostly solo experience.

[Enkidoh]

Firstly, by 'SB' do you mean Stormblood or Shadowbringers? (the former is usually abbreviated as 'SB', the later as 'SHB' to differentiate them). If you're meaning Shadowbringers content, then the answer is yes you can go through most of the MSQ without needing to party with other players... buuuut.... there is a catch. Dungeons can use the new Trust system to make up your party (and are reccomended for those who want to experience the story of the dungeon, as the NPCs have their own little story-specific dialogues during them). The three Trial battles that are also part of the MSQ however (

Titania, Innocence and Hades

), require a party of 8 players to complete, you cannot use Trusts with them I'm afraid, and you cannot avoid them either.

Of these three, only the first (

Titania

) gave me the most trouble, several parties I was in were useless and couldn't meet the DPS check, but I eventually found one party that knew what to do and did it without fuss.

Hades, the final battle for the MSQ

, I did have one wipe and I failed the QTE that was a part of it, but we otherwise pulled through with not to much drama; while

Innocence gave... no trouble whatsoever, I was most surprised it went by so easily.

So while most of SHB's story duties you can solo with Trusts, the three Trial battles required at different parts of the story will require you to party with others. There is no way around this I'm afraid.

[Omedon]

For future reference we call it ShB here. ^^ Trust me when I say it was super confusing when the name was dropped!

That said for ShB's you're fine save, again for the Trials, but again you just need to tell people about your lack of comfort and most co-tanks will take over the job of handling the boss. I will say however you /will/ be expected to help tank in the first Trial, but only during the adds phase. Other than that you should be good for a mostly solo experience.

Yeah unfortunately the trial stipulation keeps me in ranged DPS for the whole MSQ, but thank you for clearing that up.

[Omedon]

You said don't try to make this in telling you to try tanking in FFXIV, yet the vibe I'm getting from your post is that tanking is calling you and you're conflicted by it. I don't know about all this "don't need others", this is an MMO..

In any case, stick with DPS. Trusts can't do <71 content yet, and there is squadrons (good for up to 70 I think)

FFXIV has been, in my experience, incredible about being "a single player game that touches the community every now and then" when played purely for the story, and that community knows the dungeons and I do not. I would not burden them with my newness as a tank because "don't be new" is the first unwritten rule of MMO tanking.

I *love* tank classes for open world content. Tanks own the open world. That's why I retired from dungeon tanking, because I don't need to tank dungeons to be a tank in the games I play. Nothing about tanking for live players is calling me or conflicting me, I will not do it in FFXIV. I won't be around enough to learn it.

[KageTokage]

Tanking is really not a difficult thing to pick up.

The main things they need to be concerned with are positioning the boss so it doesn't endanger people (Simply keeping the boss turned away is sufficient in most cases) and mitigating heavy-hitting attacks so they don't die. The main tank is often not subjected to a lot of mechanics that the rest of the party has to handle either, so they actually have it easier in some ways. Dungeon trash is pretty much just spam AoEs + chain cooldowns to smooth incoming damage at the start of a pull + don't stand in the bad stuff.

[Tyssyn]

You could easily level a dps and a tank through msq and side quests in SHB, I leveled Dancer, Bard and RDM that way. Trusts are perfect for practicing tanking and healing as well. Perhaps doing trusts as a tank will give you the confidence to run with other players eventually. I do understand your reluctance, I have always been DPS because I don't feel I react fast enough to tank or heal. If you level a dps and a tank, you can do the dungeons with trusts as a tank, then do the trials as dps.