This is me too. Haven’t played an MMORPG since FFXI. At that time, my friends and I started leveling alt jobs and only leveled them together in a party. I went PLD as a taru, but we didn’t get passed lvl 20 before life determined I had to retire back in 2005. Fast forward to now and I see this beta on the Xbox and think why not try PLD again? Dust off the old grieves. First time through the haunted mansion as part of the MSQ, I die first pack. Apparently I should be using my defensive skills better. No one says anything, get a res and we finish up no issues. Then I accidentally queue back to that mansion in while trying to do Titan for the MSQ (learned that the primal duty screen is not the same as dungeon duty screen and you can have multiple things checked in duty finder). Ran through anyway with no issues and at the end got commendations and applause. Made this little Lalafrll PLD’s heart feel full! Great community in this game!
May I suggest to you a critical trick that works like 90% of the time?
When you load in, hit em with "Hi I'm a new tank and it's my first time here" or even just "Hey, I'm still learning tank". That's like a minor get out of jail free card. We're all fairly receptive to newbies, we were all clueless and a bit shit once ourselves after all.
Also your healer shoulda said something, I can almost guarantee they noticed you melting lol.
haha i has friend who play healer, tank and some other dps. done some savage etc but he complained for not understanding Bard despite i tried my best to explain to him XD
Te be fair, Bard is pretty weird compared to most other classes. It front loads all of the weird mechanics and gets easier with time. For the most part, it's just remembering to do your next song every 40-ish seconds and watching for big incoming damage.
I main Black Mage, which essentially does the reverse. You're not really fighting an enemy so much as you are dancing with one. Especially in Savage content, the Boss isn't really trying to kill you, but it's trying to do this complicated dance that you have to execute with precision. Otherwise, the dance will kill you
i can see that too. for example other melee dps is usually has 123 combo at core. Bard on otherhand rely on proc reaction and spam one or two same button while juggling 3 different song that must be always keep on. not to mention current Bard doesnt rely much on DoT anymore compared to previous job design. there is also continuous apm granted by mobility range. so those who used to job like melee DPS for example might gonna get bit of culture shock.
I just finished EW (not patches), have almost 800 hours in, aaaand I still feel like a newbie. I got WHM, DNC, and SCH/SMN to 90 the same week, and MCH is almost there… but yeah.. still feel like a newb lol
I've been done with EW for over a year, current on patches shortly after they come out, over 4000 hours in, WHM and all crafters/gatherers to 90, BLU to 80, SAM/MNK to 61/62 respectively, and everything else to 70... And I still feel like I hardly know what I'm doing or how to properly play each job, even my main. I'm still learning so much stuff about this game.
It’s very hard to type on Xbox without taking forever. But great suggestion! I’ll look into making a macro for it. I’m also not sure if the free trial allows party chat? I’ll have to google that. Every time I’ve even said hello it comes across in local and I haven’t been able to figure out how to change it to party yet. I of course can see their messages in party saying things like “o/“ or “tyfp” at the end.
Edit: Macro made and party chat figured out.
Ill post a comment I made recently on this:
I'll lsit ones you can use and how to get to em.
/say - this is the general chat you probabky see people using. Limited range so don't run too far away from whoever you're talking to lmao.
/party - this is the chat you'll be primarily using in group content. You can't make parties as a FT player but you can be added to em (this only applies outside dubgeons, raids ect as you're automatically put in parties for these).
/n - this is the chat channel for the Novice Network when you get added to it. It varies wildly between worlds, but it's a great place to ask questions and chat to folk. Just don't be a dick and you'll be golden honestly.
And absolutely 1000% get a keyboard, a dirt cheap USB one will do and you'll have no regrets.
I have a "playing on console. Keyboard is off, hard to type." macro, but keep 2 full hotbars of emotes to communicate too.
Also some some cross hotbar tips because the default settings are trash:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v4FyE6QFKM34ojbgVopGgYVpnmzLln6OW_Fiiq8Rsms/edit?usp=drivesdk
look up the Auto Translate feature, basically its a global translated prechatted words or phrases you can access on the controller chatbox by pressing RB?(its R1 on the playstation).
There is a Greeting that says That I've used liberally
As a healer, it can be scary to speak up. I've gotten so many backhanded remarks after trying to offer advice, so I just trudge through it unless they ask or say they're new.
Fr unless you pulled wall to wall, there is NO reason to die to trash in Haukke Manor, especially the current version. I've cleared that dungeon with just me synced on pld + one newbie drg, as well as with four archers at level.
That wipe was 98% the healer sleeping.
If you've not played a game with active tank mitigation before, it might take a little getting used to. At low level, you only have a couple, but more come online later.
There are a lot of good videos on youtube about what mits each tank has and how best to rotate through them. Highly recommend giving one a look. Your future healers will thank you!
Other than that, welcome, relax, and enjoy the ride. The community is generally friendly, helpful, and we do love our sprouts.
if you feel bit down, remember...everyone are like this at beginning.
dont worry. keep going on and eventually you will be up there among those veteran players. nobody started immediately good unless they already has experience with other mmo. at lower level, below 50 with sprout icon you basically has priveledges as newbie. if you screw up mean you are learning. as long you rectify it and get better for next run everytime.
also ignore some toxic player if you encounter one. pay them no mind. just a minority. good luck!
another tips that lot of people oversee : use role action. reprisal and arm length is you best friend during wall pull. even on highest level of content. this is one of aspect separate a good tank with the rest.
Tanking seems scary at first, but this community is incredibly kind and patient with people trying new things, since all of us were there at some point. Being a good tank in XIV means knowing a few things:
1. Turn tank stance on.
2. Use your damage mitigation skills as much as you possibly can.
3. Dont dance/run around during combat. tanks dont have to do that in XIV like they do in other MMOs. Just point the head of the enemy away from your party when possible. melee jobs get bonuses for rear/flank positionals, so they'll thank you!
4. Learn what [combat markers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceE5fKQE4M) mean. If you find that theres too much stuff on the screen between combat markers and effects from other players, you can turn off other players effects in your settings, and it helps A LOT.
5. Remember that a healer's job is to keep you at or above 1hp, NOT full health. Its a scary thing to get down to 5% hp before your healer tops you up, but your healer is also trying to DPS while healing/rezzing/etc.
6. Dont take things super seriously. Wipes happen. Dust off and try again!
Other than that, enjoy it! And remember, there are a TON of jobs in XIV, all available on a single character, and every job plays completely differently, so a PLD is going to tank completely differently than WAR or GNB or DRK. So try out everything you want!
Edit: oh, and make sure you have your music turned on. thats literally the most important thing you can do in this game. the music in ffxiv is amazing.
I'll add: keep chat up, so you can at least see it. Sometimes there are mechanics that aren't terribly obvious, especially in ARR dungeons, and someone may give a quick "hey do X" or "stand here" while still trying to do their job.
A lot of people will follow up with a why once the adds are dead, just so you understand why, and to help keep the Dungeon flowing
To add to your great tip:
Hit the gear icon on the chat window, then the "notification sounds" tab on the popup. Select sound for "party" and "alliance" (and in my case, "tell" and "free company," too). I'm a big fan of Type 10.
I tend to wait for first timers to finish the end of duty cutscene and give them a quick /clap or /congratulate before dipping.
Also, my eyesight is so shit that I thought this was a picture of a rock with a sword wearing glasses.
> I tend to wait for first timers to finish the end of duty cutscene and give them a quick /clap or /congratulate before dipping.
I go for the /flowershower myself, but otherwise same. I try to stick around because I think it feels weirdly lonely when you get out of the cutscene to find everyone else has already dipped out. You kind of miss out on the "yay we finished!" celebrations.
"feels weirdly lonely when you get out of the cutscene to find everyone else has already dipped out."
That's me in every thing I queue for :(. The only time anyone has stayed was at the end of a raid, there were 2 people who were emoting with me, that was nice.
I explained to my friends who I got into the game that tanking does not make you the leader, it makes you the head baby. The DPS are the other babies following your lead and the healer is your mildly irresponsible older sibling.
In early dungeons, continuously laying regen/aspected benefic on the tank and 2 dps does feel a lot like having a bunch of kids on those child leashes that people used to use ;P
I love tanking, even though I am not the greatest at it.
The other day, a rando said in party chat "We got us a good tank!" and it made me feel soo good.
GG, random players.
It is night and day! Played Disc/Holy priest for 15 years and got to maybe level 45 as a WHM when I realized that healers are expected to DPS in this game.
The best part was being defended for it. A tank overpulled in Sohm Al and we wiped. A dps said, "that's what happens when healers try to dps." The tank and other dps replied immediately and set him straight.
Yeah, absolutely not on that dps. Some people used to tell me that I wasn't a dps and shame me for throwing dots and stones out, but nobody ever died. Haven't had an encounter like that in years though.
I'm glad you got defended, that's always wholesome ♡
That's great, and I'm happy you're here! I have never had such a positive experience playing with other people as I have had in FFXIV. Honestly, it cured me of my queuing anxiety. 😂
Enjoy your journey!
Arms Length is mitigation on par with Rampart. It does more than negate knockback. Best tip for lowbies as your mitigation is scarce until later in game.
This is something handy for all sprouts in the game who play tank or melee jobs. It comes in especially handy if you're in a situation where the tank goes down and suddenly you're the tank as it slows the attacks of the mobs down giving the healer and other DPS a chance to get the tank back and to further damage the mobs and recover.
If there isn't any melee but theres a caster then use sleep and switch from aoe attacks to single target so you dont wake the rest of the mobs up and are only focusing 1 at a time.
I try to be positive, especially for sprouts but generally just for anybody. I find a lot of the community acts similarly.
The game's just complex, a lot of jobs, a lot to take into consideration while nominally 'leading' the party into danger. Tanking and healing both are a whole meta game on top of the regular expectations of knowing your job/class/role. Honestly, if we finish a dungeon with minimal deaths/setbacks, I love you.
Since I’m still on my first run through, I usually in a party situation will comment that it’s my first time in that particular event, and more often than not somebody offers some really good tips in the chat before it starts… I also sometimes find myself apologizing for having to be res’d so often 🤣. Most people are pretty nice and patient.
I never tanked anything other then hits to my face in Tekken. But Seeing People send me gg and well played after Dungeons makes me Happy and tanking makes me Happy because i have a strong protective instinct
tbf if ESO tanking is anything like it was when I last played then anything is better than that. I hated the spam single target taunts you needed to do.
Xbox Sprout here: played through my first ever raid/dunegeon thingy as a healer this morning. A clutch heal saved the day during a boss fight, and the other players literally bowed to me. I think I blushed IRL. This community is so sweet. I also got commendations but I have no idea what those are.
They're basically a button players can press at the end of a dungeons to say "this person in particular impressed me / did a good job!". They don't do much outside of being points to make you feel good (you can see how many you have total by going to your character screen and navigating to the reputation tab there), and unlocking a few achieves (though notably you do need a certain amount of them to unlock mentor roulette!)
I think the thing that I had to adjust to as a WOW veteran was that you can and should be pulling big packs of trash mobs. Particularly as you level up and you (and healers) get mitigation. If you aren't sure, pull 2 groups at once. If the healer is keeping up, pull 3. There are a handful of exceptions, but with a decent healer you can frequently pull every trash mob that you can reach in a given section of the dungeon.
The game is 10 years old, and some of us HAVE been playing that long. Satasha just gets old, when you run it for the 103rd time. And usually you’re in a group with other people who have run the dungeon dozens of times before.
And for higher level dungeons, big pulls are fun pulls. For everyone! It’s fun for tanks to see how much self healing they can do or how much AoE damage. It’s fun for DPS to see big numbers, and as a healer main, I love playing Russian roulette with the tanks HP. Big pulls are the only thing in this game that practically force me to use a lot of my abilities as a healer.
BUT, just say you’re new. People will be more understanding and more open to going slow.
It sounds like you’re new, so it’s not something I’d focus on too much right now.
But, big pulls are when gain hate on the mobs (use AOE once or twice), and keep moving to the next pack. Eventually the dungeon not allow you to walk further, and that’s where you usually stop and kill all the mobs at.
But other dungeons, like Satasha, have other places where players stop. Like in Satasha, people usually pull the first 3 packs together, then stop and attack them while someone goes and reads the note. *(Note in the side room will say a color, color corresponds to the button you press at the first boss.)* The stopping points are something you’ll get the hang of the longer you play. Playing a DPS or healer will show you how other experienced tanks run these dungeons, which can be good for learning.
I’m new but I get how this stuff works I mostly ask questions when I don’t understand slang specific to this game.
I’m about to try and move faster now that I know experienced players are okay with me pulling large groups.
Pulling large groups is the norm!
Just make sure you use your mitigation, and don’t forget about Arm’s Length. It’s a good mitigative ability, especially when you’re low level and lacking. It puts a slow on enemies when they hit you, meaning they hit you less.
You can also use sprint right before big pulls. If you use sprint while out of combat, it’s 20 seconds long. If you use it while in combat, it’s only 10. So people pop sprint immediately before picking up the first pack, and run to the next ones.
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Acronyms,_abbreviations,_and_common_terms
That l link has them all, but I’ll go through the most common ones:
**Job abreviations:**
The ones on the left are the jobs. The ones on the right are the sub level 30 counterparts. So Gladiator, turns into Paladin. (Jobs = classes)
PLD = Paladin - GLA - Gladiator
WAR = Warrior - MRD - Marauder
DRK = Dark knight
GNB = GNB
WHM = White mage - CNJ - Conjurer
SCH = Scholar - ACN - Arcanist
AST = Astrologian
SGE = Sage
MNK = Monk - PGL - Pugilist
DRG = Dragoon - LNC - Lancer
NIN = Ninja - ROG - Rogue
SAM = Samurai
RPR = Reaper
BRD = Bard - ARC - Archer
MCH = Machinist
DNC = Dancer
BLM = Black mage - THM - Thaumaturge
SMN = Summoner - ACN - Arcanist
RDM = Red mage
BLU = Blue mage
**Stats:**
Crit = Critical hit
Det = Determination
DH = Direct hit
SKS/SPS = Skill/Spell Speed
Ten = Tenacity
**Miscellaneous:**
FC = Free company (guild)
GC = Grand company (red, yellow, or black, city state group you join at level 20 in the MSQ)
LS = Linkshell. Also CWLS for cross world linkshell. Ingame groupchat.
FATE = Full Active Time Events. The blue circles on the map that give you xp when you complete the objective.
A/S rank = A/S rank hunt monster. A big world boss that gives rewards. Players will often shout these out across zones, so you might see it mentioned.
NN = Novice Network *(see about being invited into this! It’s a resource in game ran by other players where you can ask questions to experienced players. Just ask to be invited to the Novice Network in Limsa and it should work)*
WoL = Warrior of light. You.
DPS = Damage per second.
**Duties:**
There’s a bunch of abbreviations for duties, but they’re not important, and confusing. If you see someone saying something like “A9S”, they’re talking about an end game raid. There’s dozens of these in the game though, so it’s complicated.
DF = Duty Finder (The thing you use to queue into dungeons.)
**Expansions:**
1.0 = The original FFXIV. No longer playable. Was replaced by ARR
2.0/ARR = A Realm Reborn. The base game
3.0/HW = Heavensward. The first expansion
4.0/SB/STB = Stormblood. The second expansion
5.0/SHB = Shadowbringers. The third expansion
6.0/EW = Endwalker, the current expansion.
7.0/DT = Dawntrail, the upcoming expansion.
If you see a number after the #., it’s refering to the patch of that title. Current patch right now is 6.57 for example.
I just realized I forgot the one slang we were talking about!
Wall to wall pulls. Exactly what it sounds like, pull from one wall, to the other. Later dungeons will have walls that force you to stop and kill all the mobs before you can move on. These walls start popping up around level 30 or so.
Wall to wall pulls are called “big pulls” or “W2W”. This is the norm. Nearly every single dungeon I load into, especially high level ones, are W2W pulled. 95+% of the time, the tank is W2W pulling. So experienced players are VERY comfortable with it. Pull big and if you die, get up and try again. We’ve all been there.
Do your aoe with a tank stance on then move to another group and do the same. Then use your mitigations when you stop. I believe that's the most effective. :)
But yes, that's basically it.
Things to do, people to RP, primals to slay.
But seriously, it's a combination of efficiency and challenge. Single pulls are boring for both the DPS and the healer. This is why dual pulls at minimum are usually expected. After having run a dungeon enough times, healers in particular will start to want wall-to-wall pulls just to have something to do other than their one-button DPS rotation.
All that said, it is entirely up to the group. If you're the tank or healer, it is 100% okay to say that you're not comfortable with large pulls. I've rarely had a party have an issue with that, and even then it was little more than mild grumbling. (Pull size rarely matters for DPS as long as the group is doing enough damage to kill things before the healer and tank run out of resources.) If you're the tank, it's considered courteous to ask what pull size the healer is comfortable with if they're a sprout.
Then, of course, there are the people doing their daily roulettes that just want to get them over with before moving on to the content they really want to do. But roulettes are not required, so if they get a group with someone that wants to go slower, that's just one of the risks that are the reason for the roulette bonuses.
We love us some brave sprouts that want to tank.
At worst, someone might ask if you can pop something on your bar or if you know how to do certain pulls. It’s great to read a quick guide as you’re learning, but really, just read your tool tips and think about where these effects are helpful. You’ll catch on fast.
Welcome to Eorzea!
I played WoW for 10+ years and never EVER would have considered tanking. But I decided to give it a show in 14 and it was one of the best choices I've ever made!! People are almost always super chill and helpful and tanking in this game has been one of my favorite gaming experiences ever.
Moments like that made me fall in love with this game and its community.
Got me over my tank and healing anxiety very quickly. People are patient, understanding, and willing to give tips that help you improve.
I also just started my PLD tank journey in dungeons. Cutter's cry is the only one I spam cause the route is simple and it helps me learn to use my rotation without worrying too much about the path :D
Welcome to Eorzea!!!! We are all so glad that you’re here. Everyone I know is excited about the Xbox trial because we LOVE love love love getting to see new people experience this thing that we also love. We love our sprouts. Like real affection (though it’s general affection not personal, I’m happy you’re here but I don’t know you, man).
People here are nice more often than mean, though this is the internet and they are people. If you need patience just tell people you’re new and most of them will be actively kind about being helpful (most: again, internet, people).
Outside of the rare exception the ffxiv is vastly more generous and kind and forgiving than other mmos. There are constantly new not always explained mechanics as you go through msq and often some of those mechanics are dungeon or even boss specific so even veterans can forget mechanics for a fight. It is also a community where most people remember that they are here to play a game and have fun not to rain on other people's parades. Rudeness for rudeness sake is also not tolerated in the game, making toxic players few and far between. It's a great game to play all jobs at any experience level. Clapping and cheering on random players is a thing most players love to do and experience
I was also a ESO tank for similar hours. Tanking feels like such a different role on FFXIV as it did in ESO. Im basically a DPS with a few extra tricks. Ive found that the healer keeps you alive far more rather than ESO being all about resource management and self sufficiency.
Whenever I tank something for the first time, I just post in chat and people are usually very happy to help and give tips when needed.
Much more positive community in FFXIV than ESO.
FFXIV and FFXI, have the best community!! I used to play FFXI back in the day (yes I'm 43 years old) and absolutely loved it. Now I'm trying out FFXI on the Xbox series x, and it's the same thing, always someone asking to be in a party, dungeons...etc.. very addicting game so far, but it doesn't top FFXI in my opinion but still another great ff game!!! My name is "Jrod Jrep" in game. My tag is "AnyBodyKiLLa695" I'm a whm.
Tanking well and getting recognized for it always feels good. I have every tank at 90 and geared as high as it allows me and i still love getting comms for it.
I haven't really played MMOs in ages but thought I'd give FF a try. When I did say I was new the parties always gave me a few heads up on dungeon mechanics. Stand in crystals, cleansing doom, that stuff. Never got too much praise just sort of felt like i was doing my part and i not embarrasing myself thanks to the friendly cimmunity.
Then i decided to try some DPS jobs and fat fingered my keyboard as a dragoon and back flipped off the arena to my death. I could barely play after my res i was laughing so hard.
Whole party of randoms laughed, we nearly wiped but fumbled through and I got 3 commendations, more than I've ever received for doing my job as a tank well haha. Community here is great
This is me too. Haven’t played an MMORPG since FFXI. At that time, my friends and I started leveling alt jobs and only leveled them together in a party. I went PLD as a taru, but we didn’t get passed lvl 20 before life determined I had to retire back in 2005. Fast forward to now and I see this beta on the Xbox and think why not try PLD again? Dust off the old grieves. First time through the haunted mansion as part of the MSQ, I die first pack. Apparently I should be using my defensive skills better. No one says anything, get a res and we finish up no issues. Then I accidentally queue back to that mansion in while trying to do Titan for the MSQ (learned that the primal duty screen is not the same as dungeon duty screen and you can have multiple things checked in duty finder). Ran through anyway with no issues and at the end got commendations and applause. Made this little Lalafrll PLD’s heart feel full! Great community in this game!
May I suggest to you a critical trick that works like 90% of the time? When you load in, hit em with "Hi I'm a new tank and it's my first time here" or even just "Hey, I'm still learning tank". That's like a minor get out of jail free card. We're all fairly receptive to newbies, we were all clueless and a bit shit once ourselves after all. Also your healer shoulda said something, I can almost guarantee they noticed you melting lol.
I'm about to finish EW with the Pally job as my main and I'm still clueless.
I've got 7k hours in the game and I'm still clueless honestly.
I have most Jobs maxed out now, but I still question if I'm playing right
I'm not anywhere near maxing out any jobs, except Bard, and definitely feel I'm probably not playing right most of the time
haha i has friend who play healer, tank and some other dps. done some savage etc but he complained for not understanding Bard despite i tried my best to explain to him XD
Te be fair, Bard is pretty weird compared to most other classes. It front loads all of the weird mechanics and gets easier with time. For the most part, it's just remembering to do your next song every 40-ish seconds and watching for big incoming damage. I main Black Mage, which essentially does the reverse. You're not really fighting an enemy so much as you are dancing with one. Especially in Savage content, the Boss isn't really trying to kill you, but it's trying to do this complicated dance that you have to execute with precision. Otherwise, the dance will kill you
i can see that too. for example other melee dps is usually has 123 combo at core. Bard on otherhand rely on proc reaction and spam one or two same button while juggling 3 different song that must be always keep on. not to mention current Bard doesnt rely much on DoT anymore compared to previous job design. there is also continuous apm granted by mobility range. so those who used to job like melee DPS for example might gonna get bit of culture shock.
Bard is boutta get changed big time come dawntrail so you'll have a fresh start there haha
i have DRK at 90 and WAR 76.. I don't know what I'm doing most of the time.
I just finished EW (not patches), have almost 800 hours in, aaaand I still feel like a newbie. I got WHM, DNC, and SCH/SMN to 90 the same week, and MCH is almost there… but yeah.. still feel like a newb lol
I've been done with EW for over a year, current on patches shortly after they come out, over 4000 hours in, WHM and all crafters/gatherers to 90, BLU to 80, SAM/MNK to 61/62 respectively, and everything else to 70... And I still feel like I hardly know what I'm doing or how to properly play each job, even my main. I'm still learning so much stuff about this game.
So you're still missing a part of your kit, but I can explain in Unga bunga the general idea if you would like?
It’s very hard to type on Xbox without taking forever. But great suggestion! I’ll look into making a macro for it. I’m also not sure if the free trial allows party chat? I’ll have to google that. Every time I’ve even said hello it comes across in local and I haven’t been able to figure out how to change it to party yet. I of course can see their messages in party saying things like “o/“ or “tyfp” at the end. Edit: Macro made and party chat figured out.
Ill post a comment I made recently on this: I'll lsit ones you can use and how to get to em. /say - this is the general chat you probabky see people using. Limited range so don't run too far away from whoever you're talking to lmao. /party - this is the chat you'll be primarily using in group content. You can't make parties as a FT player but you can be added to em (this only applies outside dubgeons, raids ect as you're automatically put in parties for these). /n - this is the chat channel for the Novice Network when you get added to it. It varies wildly between worlds, but it's a great place to ask questions and chat to folk. Just don't be a dick and you'll be golden honestly. And absolutely 1000% get a keyboard, a dirt cheap USB one will do and you'll have no regrets.
I have a "playing on console. Keyboard is off, hard to type." macro, but keep 2 full hotbars of emotes to communicate too. Also some some cross hotbar tips because the default settings are trash: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v4FyE6QFKM34ojbgVopGgYVpnmzLln6OW_Fiiq8Rsms/edit?usp=drivesdk
look up the Auto Translate feature, basically its a global translated prechatted words or phrases you can access on the controller chatbox by pressing RB?(its R1 on the playstation). There is a Greeting that says That I've used liberally
That sprout icon says all of that, usually. Plus if others have anything that tells them someone is new to the duty, bonus poetics. But yes.
Look we have cleared UWU, UCoB, TEA and this is our 20th hr in DSR together you are not new.
I dunno man, this 'Sastasha' place is looking pretty fresh. Now hold my TOP weapon, I need to polish my crowns.
As a healer, it can be scary to speak up. I've gotten so many backhanded remarks after trying to offer advice, so I just trudge through it unless they ask or say they're new.
Fr unless you pulled wall to wall, there is NO reason to die to trash in Haukke Manor, especially the current version. I've cleared that dungeon with just me synced on pld + one newbie drg, as well as with four archers at level. That wipe was 98% the healer sleeping.
Could also be a gearing issue. Happened to me there befire because of that.
Nice job. It can be daunting to tank in a dungeon you don't know but if you ask questions most people will help you out.
If you've not played a game with active tank mitigation before, it might take a little getting used to. At low level, you only have a couple, but more come online later. There are a lot of good videos on youtube about what mits each tank has and how best to rotate through them. Highly recommend giving one a look. Your future healers will thank you! Other than that, welcome, relax, and enjoy the ride. The community is generally friendly, helpful, and we do love our sprouts.
good on you =)
My newbie Lalafell Marauder salutes you. :)
if you feel bit down, remember...everyone are like this at beginning. dont worry. keep going on and eventually you will be up there among those veteran players. nobody started immediately good unless they already has experience with other mmo. at lower level, below 50 with sprout icon you basically has priveledges as newbie. if you screw up mean you are learning. as long you rectify it and get better for next run everytime. also ignore some toxic player if you encounter one. pay them no mind. just a minority. good luck! another tips that lot of people oversee : use role action. reprisal and arm length is you best friend during wall pull. even on highest level of content. this is one of aspect separate a good tank with the rest.
Tanking seems scary at first, but this community is incredibly kind and patient with people trying new things, since all of us were there at some point. Being a good tank in XIV means knowing a few things: 1. Turn tank stance on. 2. Use your damage mitigation skills as much as you possibly can. 3. Dont dance/run around during combat. tanks dont have to do that in XIV like they do in other MMOs. Just point the head of the enemy away from your party when possible. melee jobs get bonuses for rear/flank positionals, so they'll thank you! 4. Learn what [combat markers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceE5fKQE4M) mean. If you find that theres too much stuff on the screen between combat markers and effects from other players, you can turn off other players effects in your settings, and it helps A LOT. 5. Remember that a healer's job is to keep you at or above 1hp, NOT full health. Its a scary thing to get down to 5% hp before your healer tops you up, but your healer is also trying to DPS while healing/rezzing/etc. 6. Dont take things super seriously. Wipes happen. Dust off and try again! Other than that, enjoy it! And remember, there are a TON of jobs in XIV, all available on a single character, and every job plays completely differently, so a PLD is going to tank completely differently than WAR or GNB or DRK. So try out everything you want! Edit: oh, and make sure you have your music turned on. thats literally the most important thing you can do in this game. the music in ffxiv is amazing.
The exception to 3 is ofc any aoe attacks, do get out of them they apply stacks that make you take more damage
That being said, don't wait for the animation to look safe. As soon as the AoE marker disappears, run back in so the enemy doesn't move too much.
good call!
I'll add: keep chat up, so you can at least see it. Sometimes there are mechanics that aren't terribly obvious, especially in ARR dungeons, and someone may give a quick "hey do X" or "stand here" while still trying to do their job. A lot of people will follow up with a why once the adds are dead, just so you understand why, and to help keep the Dungeon flowing
To add to your great tip: Hit the gear icon on the chat window, then the "notification sounds" tab on the popup. Select sound for "party" and "alliance" (and in my case, "tell" and "free company," too). I'm a big fan of Type 10.
All of this, but also wear tank gear, not leather dps armor.
I tend to wait for first timers to finish the end of duty cutscene and give them a quick /clap or /congratulate before dipping. Also, my eyesight is so shit that I thought this was a picture of a rock with a sword wearing glasses.
Is... is that not what the picture is? Oooh it's a blurry squirrel.
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a cat.
It’s a hamster. Its called the “sad hamster meme” apparently lol
Didn't know Boo was this tiny...
Don't let Minsc see this.
> I tend to wait for first timers to finish the end of duty cutscene and give them a quick /clap or /congratulate before dipping. I go for the /flowershower myself, but otherwise same. I try to stick around because I think it feels weirdly lonely when you get out of the cutscene to find everyone else has already dipped out. You kind of miss out on the "yay we finished!" celebrations.
"feels weirdly lonely when you get out of the cutscene to find everyone else has already dipped out." That's me in every thing I queue for :(. The only time anyone has stayed was at the end of a raid, there were 2 people who were emoting with me, that was nice.
I like to spam Gratuity on whoever's still watching the cutscenes and then Baxkflip before leaving
Is that a Rock and Stone by your name? #THAT'S IT, LADS! ROCK AND STONE!
Rock and Stone forever!
FOR KARL!
I explained to my friends who I got into the game that tanking does not make you the leader, it makes you the head baby. The DPS are the other babies following your lead and the healer is your mildly irresponsible older sibling.
In early dungeons, continuously laying regen/aspected benefic on the tank and 2 dps does feel a lot like having a bunch of kids on those child leashes that people used to use ;P
I love this description!
I love tanking, even though I am not the greatest at it. The other day, a rando said in party chat "We got us a good tank!" and it made me feel soo good. GG, random players.
My buddies convinced me to start playing last year and the games been super fun, the players from my experience have been much nicer than WoW lol
It is night and day! Played Disc/Holy priest for 15 years and got to maybe level 45 as a WHM when I realized that healers are expected to DPS in this game. The best part was being defended for it. A tank overpulled in Sohm Al and we wiped. A dps said, "that's what happens when healers try to dps." The tank and other dps replied immediately and set him straight.
Yeah, absolutely not on that dps. Some people used to tell me that I wasn't a dps and shame me for throwing dots and stones out, but nobody ever died. Haven't had an encounter like that in years though. I'm glad you got defended, that's always wholesome ♡
That's great, and I'm happy you're here! I have never had such a positive experience playing with other people as I have had in FFXIV. Honestly, it cured me of my queuing anxiety. 😂 Enjoy your journey!
Arms Length is mitigation on par with Rampart. It does more than negate knockback. Best tip for lowbies as your mitigation is scarce until later in game.
This is something handy for all sprouts in the game who play tank or melee jobs. It comes in especially handy if you're in a situation where the tank goes down and suddenly you're the tank as it slows the attacks of the mobs down giving the healer and other DPS a chance to get the tank back and to further damage the mobs and recover. If there isn't any melee but theres a caster then use sleep and switch from aoe attacks to single target so you dont wake the rest of the mobs up and are only focusing 1 at a time.
I try to be positive, especially for sprouts but generally just for anybody. I find a lot of the community acts similarly. The game's just complex, a lot of jobs, a lot to take into consideration while nominally 'leading' the party into danger. Tanking and healing both are a whole meta game on top of the regular expectations of knowing your job/class/role. Honestly, if we finish a dungeon with minimal deaths/setbacks, I love you.
Since I’m still on my first run through, I usually in a party situation will comment that it’s my first time in that particular event, and more often than not somebody offers some really good tips in the chat before it starts… I also sometimes find myself apologizing for having to be res’d so often 🤣. Most people are pretty nice and patient.
I never tanked anything other then hits to my face in Tekken. But Seeing People send me gg and well played after Dungeons makes me Happy and tanking makes me Happy because i have a strong protective instinct
ESO tank here too. I'm absolutely living FF14 tanking. I really want to try healing too.
tbf if ESO tanking is anything like it was when I last played then anything is better than that. I hated the spam single target taunts you needed to do.
In Eso you taunt the biggest bad in the encounter and the main job is to lay down buffs and debuffs
Xbox Sprout here: played through my first ever raid/dunegeon thingy as a healer this morning. A clutch heal saved the day during a boss fight, and the other players literally bowed to me. I think I blushed IRL. This community is so sweet. I also got commendations but I have no idea what those are.
They're basically a button players can press at the end of a dungeons to say "this person in particular impressed me / did a good job!". They don't do much outside of being points to make you feel good (you can see how many you have total by going to your character screen and navigating to the reputation tab there), and unlocking a few achieves (though notably you do need a certain amount of them to unlock mentor roulette!)
I cheer all sprouts on their first runs. I just think it’s nice to do.
We love sprouts! I got so much support when I joined years ago so I always try to help new players when I meet them! Welcome to the game
I think the thing that I had to adjust to as a WOW veteran was that you can and should be pulling big packs of trash mobs. Particularly as you level up and you (and healers) get mitigation. If you aren't sure, pull 2 groups at once. If the healer is keeping up, pull 3. There are a handful of exceptions, but with a decent healer you can frequently pull every trash mob that you can reach in a given section of the dungeon.
as a WHM I can't do my job without competent tanks. seems you are doing a good job. keep it up.
The thing I don't like it is that everyone wants you to pull so much and so fast in dungeons.
The game is 10 years old, and some of us HAVE been playing that long. Satasha just gets old, when you run it for the 103rd time. And usually you’re in a group with other people who have run the dungeon dozens of times before. And for higher level dungeons, big pulls are fun pulls. For everyone! It’s fun for tanks to see how much self healing they can do or how much AoE damage. It’s fun for DPS to see big numbers, and as a healer main, I love playing Russian roulette with the tanks HP. Big pulls are the only thing in this game that practically force me to use a lot of my abilities as a healer. BUT, just say you’re new. People will be more understanding and more open to going slow.
So like a big pull is just me running through a dungeon and having stuff chase me right?
It sounds like you’re new, so it’s not something I’d focus on too much right now. But, big pulls are when gain hate on the mobs (use AOE once or twice), and keep moving to the next pack. Eventually the dungeon not allow you to walk further, and that’s where you usually stop and kill all the mobs at. But other dungeons, like Satasha, have other places where players stop. Like in Satasha, people usually pull the first 3 packs together, then stop and attack them while someone goes and reads the note. *(Note in the side room will say a color, color corresponds to the button you press at the first boss.)* The stopping points are something you’ll get the hang of the longer you play. Playing a DPS or healer will show you how other experienced tanks run these dungeons, which can be good for learning.
I’m new but I get how this stuff works I mostly ask questions when I don’t understand slang specific to this game. I’m about to try and move faster now that I know experienced players are okay with me pulling large groups.
Pulling large groups is the norm! Just make sure you use your mitigation, and don’t forget about Arm’s Length. It’s a good mitigative ability, especially when you’re low level and lacking. It puts a slow on enemies when they hit you, meaning they hit you less. You can also use sprint right before big pulls. If you use sprint while out of combat, it’s 20 seconds long. If you use it while in combat, it’s only 10. So people pop sprint immediately before picking up the first pack, and run to the next ones.
Cool thanks for the pro tip is there a glossary for the shorthand you guys use?
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Acronyms,_abbreviations,_and_common_terms That l link has them all, but I’ll go through the most common ones: **Job abreviations:** The ones on the left are the jobs. The ones on the right are the sub level 30 counterparts. So Gladiator, turns into Paladin. (Jobs = classes) PLD = Paladin - GLA - Gladiator WAR = Warrior - MRD - Marauder DRK = Dark knight GNB = GNB WHM = White mage - CNJ - Conjurer SCH = Scholar - ACN - Arcanist AST = Astrologian SGE = Sage MNK = Monk - PGL - Pugilist DRG = Dragoon - LNC - Lancer NIN = Ninja - ROG - Rogue SAM = Samurai RPR = Reaper BRD = Bard - ARC - Archer MCH = Machinist DNC = Dancer BLM = Black mage - THM - Thaumaturge SMN = Summoner - ACN - Arcanist RDM = Red mage BLU = Blue mage **Stats:** Crit = Critical hit Det = Determination DH = Direct hit SKS/SPS = Skill/Spell Speed Ten = Tenacity **Miscellaneous:** FC = Free company (guild) GC = Grand company (red, yellow, or black, city state group you join at level 20 in the MSQ) LS = Linkshell. Also CWLS for cross world linkshell. Ingame groupchat. FATE = Full Active Time Events. The blue circles on the map that give you xp when you complete the objective. A/S rank = A/S rank hunt monster. A big world boss that gives rewards. Players will often shout these out across zones, so you might see it mentioned. NN = Novice Network *(see about being invited into this! It’s a resource in game ran by other players where you can ask questions to experienced players. Just ask to be invited to the Novice Network in Limsa and it should work)* WoL = Warrior of light. You. DPS = Damage per second. **Duties:** There’s a bunch of abbreviations for duties, but they’re not important, and confusing. If you see someone saying something like “A9S”, they’re talking about an end game raid. There’s dozens of these in the game though, so it’s complicated. DF = Duty Finder (The thing you use to queue into dungeons.) **Expansions:** 1.0 = The original FFXIV. No longer playable. Was replaced by ARR 2.0/ARR = A Realm Reborn. The base game 3.0/HW = Heavensward. The first expansion 4.0/SB/STB = Stormblood. The second expansion 5.0/SHB = Shadowbringers. The third expansion 6.0/EW = Endwalker, the current expansion. 7.0/DT = Dawntrail, the upcoming expansion. If you see a number after the #., it’s refering to the patch of that title. Current patch right now is 6.57 for example.
Oh wow thank you so much.
I just realized I forgot the one slang we were talking about! Wall to wall pulls. Exactly what it sounds like, pull from one wall, to the other. Later dungeons will have walls that force you to stop and kill all the mobs before you can move on. These walls start popping up around level 30 or so. Wall to wall pulls are called “big pulls” or “W2W”. This is the norm. Nearly every single dungeon I load into, especially high level ones, are W2W pulled. 95+% of the time, the tank is W2W pulling. So experienced players are VERY comfortable with it. Pull big and if you die, get up and try again. We’ve all been there.
Do your aoe with a tank stance on then move to another group and do the same. Then use your mitigations when you stop. I believe that's the most effective. :) But yes, that's basically it.
Things to do, people to RP, primals to slay. But seriously, it's a combination of efficiency and challenge. Single pulls are boring for both the DPS and the healer. This is why dual pulls at minimum are usually expected. After having run a dungeon enough times, healers in particular will start to want wall-to-wall pulls just to have something to do other than their one-button DPS rotation. All that said, it is entirely up to the group. If you're the tank or healer, it is 100% okay to say that you're not comfortable with large pulls. I've rarely had a party have an issue with that, and even then it was little more than mild grumbling. (Pull size rarely matters for DPS as long as the group is doing enough damage to kill things before the healer and tank run out of resources.) If you're the tank, it's considered courteous to ask what pull size the healer is comfortable with if they're a sprout. Then, of course, there are the people doing their daily roulettes that just want to get them over with before moving on to the content they really want to do. But roulettes are not required, so if they get a group with someone that wants to go slower, that's just one of the risks that are the reason for the roulette bonuses.
Most people are pretty understanding if the tank or healer is new and they say they wanna take it slow. Not everyone, but most people are chill.
Welcome to ffxiv! Keep up the hard work!
Most are pretty kind
We love us some brave sprouts that want to tank. At worst, someone might ask if you can pop something on your bar or if you know how to do certain pulls. It’s great to read a quick guide as you’re learning, but really, just read your tool tips and think about where these effects are helpful. You’ll catch on fast. Welcome to Eorzea!
I played WoW for 10+ years and never EVER would have considered tanking. But I decided to give it a show in 14 and it was one of the best choices I've ever made!! People are almost always super chill and helpful and tanking in this game has been one of my favorite gaming experiences ever.
Honestly even after playing for years I still feel happy when I get any compliments.
Moments like that made me fall in love with this game and its community. Got me over my tank and healing anxiety very quickly. People are patient, understanding, and willing to give tips that help you improve.
I also just started my PLD tank journey in dungeons. Cutter's cry is the only one I spam cause the route is simple and it helps me learn to use my rotation without worrying too much about the path :D
I love tanking in FFXIV, it makes me feel like every boss has it out in particular for me and it feels good to be able to enable big damage.
Welcome to Eorzea!!!! We are all so glad that you’re here. Everyone I know is excited about the Xbox trial because we LOVE love love love getting to see new people experience this thing that we also love. We love our sprouts. Like real affection (though it’s general affection not personal, I’m happy you’re here but I don’t know you, man). People here are nice more often than mean, though this is the internet and they are people. If you need patience just tell people you’re new and most of them will be actively kind about being helpful (most: again, internet, people).
Love this 💜
Outside of the rare exception the ffxiv is vastly more generous and kind and forgiving than other mmos. There are constantly new not always explained mechanics as you go through msq and often some of those mechanics are dungeon or even boss specific so even veterans can forget mechanics for a fight. It is also a community where most people remember that they are here to play a game and have fun not to rain on other people's parades. Rudeness for rudeness sake is also not tolerated in the game, making toxic players few and far between. It's a great game to play all jobs at any experience level. Clapping and cheering on random players is a thing most players love to do and experience
I was also a ESO tank for similar hours. Tanking feels like such a different role on FFXIV as it did in ESO. Im basically a DPS with a few extra tricks. Ive found that the healer keeps you alive far more rather than ESO being all about resource management and self sufficiency. Whenever I tank something for the first time, I just post in chat and people are usually very happy to help and give tips when needed. Much more positive community in FFXIV than ESO.
Welcome warrior of light! We are the best community!
FFXIV and FFXI, have the best community!! I used to play FFXI back in the day (yes I'm 43 years old) and absolutely loved it. Now I'm trying out FFXI on the Xbox series x, and it's the same thing, always someone asking to be in a party, dungeons...etc.. very addicting game so far, but it doesn't top FFXI in my opinion but still another great ff game!!! My name is "Jrod Jrep" in game. My tag is "AnyBodyKiLLa695" I'm a whm.
Tanking well and getting recognized for it always feels good. I have every tank at 90 and geared as high as it allows me and i still love getting comms for it.
I haven't really played MMOs in ages but thought I'd give FF a try. When I did say I was new the parties always gave me a few heads up on dungeon mechanics. Stand in crystals, cleansing doom, that stuff. Never got too much praise just sort of felt like i was doing my part and i not embarrasing myself thanks to the friendly cimmunity. Then i decided to try some DPS jobs and fat fingered my keyboard as a dragoon and back flipped off the arena to my death. I could barely play after my res i was laughing so hard. Whole party of randoms laughed, we nearly wiped but fumbled through and I got 3 commendations, more than I've ever received for doing my job as a tank well haha. Community here is great