Though the Vanguard feels a bit squishier with fewer DCD's to rely on, I feel like they're also a much more fluid and responsive class to play just because of the added range on their attacks, not to mention the 15% movement speed utility in combat. I'm strongly considering rolling a Vanguard Tank specifically for PvP and making my Guardian a PvE/Ops Tank instead.

No. Sure they have more burst with tactics, but in shield, Translocate is a joke and the superior tank right now is the shadow. You could go for skank tanking, but that's about to get hammered come 5.9.

 

So no. Vanguards pound for pound are actually the worst tank. And you nailed it in it's problem. No DCD and the abilities for defenses are crap. Without a good healer, in PVP any DPS character who have better defenses mind you will rip you to pieces.

I wouldn't say one is necessarily better than the other. Guardian tanks are definitely sturdier than vanguard tanks, but Vanguards get some nice tools that make them very solid in PvP. Most notably Hold the Line is one of the best mobility cooldowns in the game, in addition to that Riot Gas and Neural Surge are great for helping mitigate some damage for your healers, especially versus melee dps.

Vanguards also bring probably the best AoE dps of any tank spec, but Bioware did announce that tank damage will get nerfed with 5.9, so that may not be very relevant soon.

Edited April 2, 2018 by AdjeYo