I can't decide which tank to play! Help :)

[Macleod]

And I guess they do more dps with it off?

NO........

[Yorumi]

I'm with those who say Pld and Gnb are the only correct choices. It's not about the performance of any given tank, it's just those two feel like they have actual gameplay and aren't entirely designed for someone with a severe disability.

[Maeka]

I have all the tank classes on Level 73+ (PLD is 80).

I'd have to say that PLD is probably the "best" as far as playing a class that actually feels like a tank. You have several buttons that directly mitigate damage to fellow group members:

Cover
Passage of Arms
Divine Veil
Clemency

With all of these tools, PLD just feels more like an actual tank, the guy that keeps the damage on himself rather than group members. No other tank has this many buttons to mitigate damage done to the rest of the group, and the other tanks just feel like DPS who take less damage than the actual DPS jobs.

I have saved way more lives as PLD than I have with any other tank class. Throwing a Cover on someone with 3 stacks of Vuln before an unavoidable AoE... throwing up Passage of Arms during Innocence after people completely screwed up the add phase (and we barely survived!), tossing that Clemency on a healer who's about to die. It just feels good when you save someone's life with these buttons, because that's what a tank is really meant to do.

[BarretOblivion]

As someone with all tanks lvl 80 and played them in end game here is the list:

1) PLD simply due to it has a straight forward rotation and gameplay loop and is generally the best tank in the game right now.
2) GNB simply due to the fast paced nature and fairly close to a DPS rotation that is somewhat engaging gameplay. Lacks some survivability.

The worst two are:
3) DRK there is a bit more work required to manage mana so you can have your personal cooldown ready with a good chunk of OGCDs but the reward for doing it all isn't worth the investment with the lowest damage of all the tanks for no reason. Plus, Living dead is the worst tank invuln in the game.
4) WAR- Dear god WAR sucks. With raid buffs WAR drops behind DRK but honestly you can understand why when you play it. It feels like you are playing a class with wheelchairs suck to its bum with training wheels as legs. Good lord is it bland. You are solely reliant on IR to have fun with playing WAR. Once IR is on cooldown it feels like you are pulling teeth at how boring it plays. There is one button you hit way too much right now and it kills the job.

[Derio]

I have the most fun with DRK due to the TBN cheese I can do in dungeons and PLD due to the Hallowed ground cheese and not having to worry about if I get a bad healer for normal dungeons and trials.

Really just pick the tank that best matches your playstyle.

[Stormfur]

I have all the tank classes on Level 73+ (PLD is 80).

I'd have to say that PLD is probably the "best" as far as playing a class that actually feels like a tank. You have several buttons that directly mitigate damage to fellow group members:

Cover
Passage of Arms
Divine Veil
Clemency

With all of these tools, PLD just feels more like an actual tank, the guy that keeps the damage on himself rather than group members. No other tank has this many buttons to mitigate damage done to the rest of the group, and the other tanks just feel like DPS who take less damage than the actual DPS jobs.

I have saved way more lives as PLD than I have with any other tank class. Throwing a Cover on someone with 3 stacks of Vuln before an unavoidable AoE... throwing up Passage of Arms during Innocence after people completely screwed up the add phase (and we barely survived!), tossing that Clemency on a healer who's about to die. It just feels good when you save someone's life with these buttons, because that's what a tank is really meant to do.

See, I love doing ALL of this stuff. When I can get it done in time >_< . You're right, it just FEELS tanky, Why do I have the feeling I'm gonna end up leveling pally and warrior >_> lol

[Anienai]

Warrior, I love

I agree.

[VenKitsune]

They are no longer the meat shields they used to be.
I'm actually a little bit sad I don't have 20% HP more than the others anymore. But instead they are inline defensively with the other tanks.

Looking at them in context of most content, WAR is actually the most defensive of all the tanks. Keeping RI on cooldown will give you far greater mitigation than keeping sheltron or HOS on cooldown all the time. TBN is the exeption to this, but that kinda has to be used when you know it'll break and even one of the current savage bosses autos dont break it.

WAR is the most heavily defensible tank right now.

[VenKitsune]

We see this kind of post on the forums all the time. Just play all of them to max level and pick the one you like the most, to be honest. Learn them all, look up guides for each and practice the best rotation for them and play them for a few days each before making your decision, nobody is rushing you in to a decision apart from yourself.

[Nedkel]

Hey OP do you want to be lame shortblade gunbreaker? A trash bin cover holder or a edgy nightlord of darknesss?
There is only one way and it is to join manly unga bunga squad, we have axes bigger than ourselves and we unga bunga enemies into the ground.
Unga bunga may friend.