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Tanking inFinal Fantasy 14is one of the most important roles, but not necessarily its most difficult. When it comes down to it, all you’re really accountable for is making sure the enemies are hitting you instead of anyone else. However, a skilled Tank knows when to use all the tools at their disposal to protect allies in danger.
There are four different Tanks to choose from, each with its own themes, aesthetic, and playstyle. All Tanks perform at roughly the same level, so ultimatelythe “best” Tank comes down to your personal preference. Below, we’ll take a look at what makes each Tank Job unique to help you decide which one to play.
Paladin
Final Fantasy 14’sPaladinJob is a lot like Paladins you’re able to find in other games. With asword and shield, they protect their allies usingpowerful magic, weaving spell casts throughout their melee rotation. Of all the Tanks, Paladins have some of thebest long-range damagethanks toHoly Spiritand theConfiteorcombo, the latter being unlocked byRequiescat.
Paladin also has some of thestrongest party-wide mitigationin the forms ofDivine VeilandPassage of Arms, whereas other Tanks only have one (not counting Reprisal). Plus, with Clemency, a skillful Paladin can greatlylessen the burden on their Healer, or help burst heal when it’s necessary.
Overall, Paladin exemplifies the quintessential Tank, with tools for any situation that mostly revolve around protection and some spellcasting. If you’re a fan of the magical sword and shield class, the Paladin perfectly fits that aesthetic.
Warrior
The blood-thirsty, axe-wieldingWarriorhas themost self-healing of all four Tanks. Raw Intuition, which later is upgraded intoBloodwhetting, restores the Warrior’s healtheach time they hit the enemy.
In large dungeon pulls with several enemies grouped up, a single use of your AoE attacks willinstantly restore you to full health. And, the best part about Bloodwhetting is its short 25-second cooldown, ensuring a full heal is always just around the corner.
you may alsocast Bloodwhetting on a party memberto heal them up instead.
Warrior also has somevery high personal damageand a satisfying rotation, which generally revolves around building up your Beast Gauge to unleashFell Cleaves, while every minute you can useInner Releaseto completely unload your heavy-hitting attacks likePrimal RendandPrimal Ruination. If you like staying alive forever and hitting things with an axe, you will love playing Warrior.
Dark Knight
Paladins andDark Knightsare two sides of the same Tank-shaped coin. Where a Paladin protects the innocent with their shield, a Dark Knight uses their greatsword to cut a path forward. Both of these Tanks fulfill theheavy-armor magic knightaesthetic, Dark Knights being the morally grey version.
The Dark Knight’s toolkit is centered around their 15-second skill,The Blackest Night. This skill grants themself or a party member ashield that absorbs damage equal to 25 percent of their HP, allowing them to survive big attacks like Tankbusters. Plus, when the shield is fully absorbed, you’ll be able tocast Edge of Shadow or Flood of Shadow for free, adding some extra damage.
Oblationis a very nice mitigation tool that can also be cast on allies, reducing a bit of the damage they take for a short duration.
Dark Knight also hasstrong magical mitigationthroughDark MindandDark Missionary, as well asdecent personal damagethrough its various attacks likeBloodspillerandCarve and Spit. Alternatively,Abyssal Draincan be used during trash pulls to quickly bring you to full health.
Gunbreaker
Gunbreakeris a gunblade-wielding Tank thatplays most similarly to a DPS class, making it one of the best for DPS players looking to dip their toes into Tanking. The key here isContinuation, which allows you toexecute additional actions after certain attacks, creating long combos with great damage.
Gunbreaker also has some greatdefensive and restorativetools likeHeart of CorundumandAurora, which are both targetable abilities thathealorgrant Regento the target, respectively. Since these areOff Global Cooldownabilities, you’re able to use themwithout interfering with your damage rotation, providing some great flexibility in sticky situations.
While Gunbreaker is pretty straightforward to play, its rotation is endlessly satisfying to pull off, and itssurprising amount of flexibilityis fun to experiment with. Whether you’re a new Tank player or a veteran of the role, Gunbreaker is a great choice.
