The tank's role in Final Fantasy XIV has traditionally been the team's protective shield. However, tanks are not entirely in a defensive role. While keeping the enemy's aggro against you and taking less damage will be your top priority, getting good DPS is just as important. Especially in raids, tanks are also checked to make sure they provide good damage numbers. So if you plan to check out FFXIV endgames, be prepared to expect high damage from tanks. Pick a job based on personal preference, playstyle, or job fantasy. Warrior is slow-paced and simple to pick up; Paladin has two buff phases and requires a bit more planning; Dark Knight is simple with only one combo; Gunbreaker has a high APM burst window every minute.

 

• Paladin - Tier B
• Warrior - Tier A
• Dark Knight - Tier S
• Gunbreaker - Tier S

 

Paladin - Tier B

FFXIV Paladin is a tank job that uses a sword and shield and has strong burst damage as well as many ranged attacks. It also offers powerful defensive tools to mitigate damage taken by raid members or single targets, as well as a unique run-saving tool in Clemency. Its rotation revolves around its buff, Fight or Flight, which boosts big attacks such as Goring Blade and Confiteor.

 

Weapons: Sword and Shield

Where do paladins unlock?

Location: Ul'dah, Thal Crosswalk (X: 9,2 / Y: 11, 7)

NPC: Lulusu

Class Quest: Freedom Paladin

Requirements: Base Gladiator class level 30 and complete all class quests

 

Pros:

• Strong burst damage with great ranged attacks.
• Powerful set of targeted and raid-wide mitigation tools.
• Unique run-saving tool in Clemency.
• Can significantly lighten the load on healers in raids and trials.
• Can fill the gaps in your co-tank's defenses.

 

Cons:

• Requires careful management of its powerful buff, Fight or Flight.
• Can be difficult to learn for newer players.

 

Warrior - Tier A

Warriors are one of four tanks in FFXIV, wielding great axes and healing spells to stay healthy. They build up their Beast Gauge with actions to unleash powerful moves that deal high damage to enemies and can chain together windows of heavy damage output with Inner Release and keep themselves healed up with Bloodwhetting.

Weapon: Ax

Where can I unlock Warriors?

Location: Limsa Lominsa, Upper Decks (X: 11.2 / Y: 6.1)

NPC: Wenzoa

Class Quest: Warrior from the Mountains

Requirements: Base class Marauder at level 30 and complete all class quests

 

Pros:

• Have the highest damage output of any tank job in the game, allowing them to quickly clear content.
• Have access to powerful defensive and healing abilities, allowing them to remain healthy and topped off during fights.
• Can chain together windows of large amounts of damage output, making them incredibly effective in boss fights.

 

Cons:

• Require a lot of micromanagement to be effective in combat, as they must constantly monitor their Beast Gauge and adjust their actions accordingly.
• Have limited defensive options and must rely heavily on their healing spells in order to remain alive.
• Can be very resource intensive, requiring them to frequently spend resources in order to maintain their damage output.

 

Dark Knight - Tier S

Dark Knight is a greatsword-swinging tank job with a focus on resource management, burst damage, and proper application of frequent, short-duration defensive cooldowns. It excels at mitigating magic damage and has one of the more powerful of the tank short cooldowns, The Blackest Night Icon The Blackest Night. Dark Knight's flexibility and stylish aesthetic make it popular for both casual play and hardcore progression.

 

Weapon: Greatsword

Where is the dark knight unlocked?

Location: Ishgard, Buttress (X: 13.2 / Y: 8.8)

NPC: Citizen of Ishgard

Job Search: You Should Make Way For Corpses

Requirements: Own the Heavensward expansion and complete the main scenario of A Realm Reborn

 

Pros:

• Greatsword-swinging tank job with a focus on resource management and burst damage
• Flexible defensive capabilities with The Blackest Night Icon The Blackest Night and Oblation Icon Oblation
• High value against magic damage with Dark Mind Icon Dark Mind
• Stylish aesthetic

 

Cons:

• Off-global abilities can make for very busy burst windows
• Lackluster defensive capabilities at the highest level
• Resource management can be difficult to manage properly

 

Gunbreaker - Tier S

FFXIV Gunbreaker is a high-tempo tank class that builds and spends cartridges on its weapons skills and abilities to maximize damage. It boasts a great defensive suite, allowing it to adapt to any situation and execute powerful combos with the Continuation combo under the effect of No Mercy Icon No Mercy.

 

Weapon: Gunblade

Where to unlock Revolver Blades?

Location: New Gridania (X:11.5 / Y:11.9)

NPC: Sincere Soldier of Nofika Squad

Class Quest: The Lost Gunblade

Requirements: Own the Shadowbringers expansion pack and have at least one fighter or mage class at level 60.

 

Pros:

• High-tempo tanking that allows for fast, efficient rotation
• Good selection of personal mitigation abilities
• Maximizing buff window with No Mercy Icon No Mercy and use of cartridges
• Powerful abilities like Double Down Icon Double Down and Gnashing Fang Icon Gnashing Fang combo
• Off-global abilities to mix up rotation
• Jack of all trades defensive capabilities
•  

Cons:

• Rotation can require some pre-planning
• Maximizing strong abilities can be challenging
• Requires use of cartridges to execute effective rotation

 

Tank optimization for FFXIV involves sticking to the boss like glue, maximizing melee uptime, and using mitigation tools such as 30% damage reduction and invulnerability during Trials and Raids. Use one of Rampart or your 30% cooldown plus your short cooldown for tankbusters, Reprisal primarily on raid damage, and self-healing and other mitigation on auto-attacks or as needed.