Quote Originally Posted by _Koneko_ View Post
not until they introduced the lvl cap beyond 75 :P before then it couldn't tank anything :P
As a FFXI player who mained WAR from 2005 long before the level cap was raised, I disagree - with a MNK sub it could hold hate extremely well and dish out a hell of a lot of damage with a great axe (especially if you had merits into DEX and STR), but of course it was entirelly dependent on a healer, but once DNC was added, they could pretty much solo themselves with self heals, a second Provoke and had access to their own Sneak/Invisible. A MNK sub also gave a temporary DEX boost, essential for improving great axe's accuracy (as they were so slow you needed each hit to really count).

But of course, the meta subjob for WAR and all tanks was to just exploit NIN for Utsusemi, which hamstrung their defense considerably (and thus led to the "WAR can't tank!" mentality), and as SE consistantly added enemies that just ate through shadows quickly rendering such strategies moot, I found MNK was far more effective with it, only to get resistance from stuck in the mud players who refused to accept anything other than a NIN sub was useful (the same ones who would constantly die due to running afoul of an attack that ate through shadows instantly and yet refused to accept it).

Time and time again I was taunted and jeered at for tanking as WAR/MNK, only for me to have the last laugh as I made them eat their words (figuratively). And of course, it should go without saying that a dependable and competent healer in the party was essential to that.

It's ironic then, that I mained GLA/PLD here in FFXIV instead of MRD/WAR (I actually only started levelling WAR in FFXI because I wanted to go as PLD but needed WAR for it's sub for Provoke, only to stick with WAR as I was enjoying it too much), but I much prefer GLA/PLD's playstyle here in FFXIV to MRD/WAR. Either way, in FFXI WAR most certainly was meant to tank over DPS, it just was not readily identified as such.