The Most Fun Tanks to Play in Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV has a plethora of different jobs that each fit a specific niche and fantasy. The tank role in particular can be extremely intimidating for newer players, but it is actually quite fun and not as difficult as it seems. Final Fantasy XIV currently had four tanking jobs — Warrior, Paladin, Dark Knight, and Gunbreaker. Each of these jobs has a similar playstyle but caters to different strengths while in a group.

Warrior

The Warrior job is perfect for players who want to carry a giant axe and smash things. Warriors excel at self-sustain healing while ripping through groups of enemies in a berserker rage. A good Warrior may even require little to no healing in higher-level dungeons thanks to the ability Bloodwhetting. This is a short defensive cooldown that reduces damage taken, places a barrier to absorb damage, and also heals the Warrior every time a weaponskill connects with a target. Rounding out their kit is a large instant self-heal and auto-critical hits via the Inner Release buff. Warriors can even save themselves from death every so often with Holmgang, an ability that will prevent most attacks from reducing your HP to less than 1. Players who wish to go down this path will start their journey as a Marauder class and turn into a Warrior through their job quest at level 30.

Paladin

The Paladin job is made for players who want to play the iconic sword and shield protector. It is a master of group utility, with strong on-demand defensive cooldowns and self-healing. Paladins can provide HP recovery to party members in addition to themselves and also save others from damage. They also rotate between a physical damage phase and a holy damage phase, ending with a flashy combo of swords. Paladins arguably have the best defensive cooldown in Hallowed Ground, an ability that will render you impervious to most attacks for 10 seconds. Players who wish to go down this path will start their journey as a Gladiator class and turn into a Paladin through their job quest at level 30.

Dark Knight

The Dark Knight job is for the player that wants to look edgy while commanding a giant sword and dark magic. It excels at dealing great DPS for a tank while also being able to shield itself from a massive amount of damage on a short cooldown. Dark Knights have easy ways to lessen magical damage taken, and can even summon a shadowy copy of themselves to destroy enemies. They recently even got a huge change to their Living Dead ability, allowing them a cheat death mechanic that heals them based on the attacks they dish out while it’s active. Players who wish to be a Dark Knight can unlock it through a quest that can only be reached by playing through all Realm Reborn main story missions and gaining access to the city of Ishgard. Dark Knights start at level 30.

Gunbreaker

The Gunbreaker is the newest tanking job added to the game, and it is perfect for players who want to feel like they’re playing a DPS job and swing a sword that doubles as a gun. Gunbreakers have a very active rotation, shielding themselves when they strike and gaining instant healing when their health drops low. They build up cartridge charges to allow them to execute a flourish of combos for massive damage and can heal themselves or other party members over time. Gunbreakers have a defensive cooldown that brings their HP down to one but prevents all damage taken for 10 seconds to allow healers some breathing room when things get rough. Players who wish to be a Gunbreaker can unlock it through a quest at level 60 in New Gridania. Gunbreakers start at level 60.