My main was a 50 assassin tank. Not ops geared, but decent. Basics are some 26% def, 50% shield (with Ward) and 40% absorb. I also have a PT and jugg in their 30s. Tanking is my calling, so foremost I want to be as effective as possible. I don't care about jugg damage getting nerfed or assassins getting nerfed. What I want is the most unbiased recommendations. Should I gear up and aug my assassin and stick with him? Should I switch to my PT or jugg? I don't want to be discriminated against in groups for choosing an "inferior" class, even if it only appears that way to the unknowing. I like the 'feel' of all 3 so far, but the experience as an immortal jugg so far has been nice. Forget 'feel' though. I want to be effective and loved by healers and groups.

Sorry, but there is no objective answer for that. It depends of what you are fightning.

There is no tank kind that is not currently "the best tank" on something.

There is no tank kind that is not currently "the worst tank" on something.

 

You could base yourself on the current end content and choose the "best tank" to deal with the last boss of the last operation in the last difficulty level... but by the time you reach it, Bioware would have released a new content that make this "best tank" the "worst tank" on the new last boss of the new last operation in its last difficulty level.

 

Seriously it is just pointless to think like this currently, you should stick with what you feel the best with, and I don't say that because I don't want answer your question, but because it is the really before our eyes. There are FOTM tanks, but there is no real and definitive "best" tank.

 

... especially since Bioware said they are done yet reviewing our defensives mechanics.

Powertech/Vanguard tanks are the easiest to play IMHO. Just about all mitigation is passive, so you don't have to worry about juggling cooldowns. That said, they don't make the best boss encounter tanks because they lack those CD to deal with high burst boss mechanics. It can still be done, but not as easily with the other classes.

 

Far and away, you'll find that the general consensus is:

 

PT/VG - AoE and trash mob tanking

JG/GU - Boss tanking

SH/AS - Somewhere in between

Bounty Hunter.

i have all 3 tanks and i say the easiest to play is the assassin but the funnest imo is my PT

 

the juggy imo is not that fun makes life stressfull.. push instead of pull doesnt make sense imo for a tank much harder to round up mobs and aoe them down(also havnt played my juggy in about 3/4 months so dunno how the aoe thing is after the latest patch)

Shadows require the least healing and put up the highest threat numbers, but their damage profile is much spikier (so they are somewhat *harder* to heal, despite requiring lower HPS). Guardians and Vanguards take slightly more damage (requiring about 50-100 HPS more on harder nightmare/hard mode fights), but the profile is extremely even (especially for Vanguards). Guardians have the hardest time holding threat, since their DPS is the lowest of the three tanks. They get a nice armor debuff though, which helps with overall raid damage.

 

(note: I have hard numbers on all of the above; see my tank mitigation balance thread)

 

Guardians have *by far* the best panic button cooldowns of the three tanks. In an enrage situation, there's no one else I would want to have agro. However, those CDs are on very long timers, so they can't be used as situationally. Shadows have the best situational cooldowns, making them very good in situations where there's a frequent (but not too frequent) spike in boss DPS, causing the healers to get a bit behind. (Foreman Crusher's frenzy, Jarg and Sorno jumping to the center of the room, Toth's frenzy, Incinerate Armor, etc) Vanguards have absolutely dreadful cooldowns, both for enrage and situational use.

 

Shadows and Vanguards have a lot of really nice utility abilities that make them very strong group members, particularly in PvP. Vanguards in particular have both a pull *and* a charge, which makes them very strong Huttball tanks. Guardians have 3 different leaps (depending on spec), which makes them probably the best ball carriers in the game. Shadows have a pull, force sprint and really good PvP cooldowns, and so they are also excellent ball carriers, as well as a general annoyance (stealth is an excellent tactic, both for mid control and pass chaining).

 

In terms of requisite skill, Vanguards are probably the easiest to play, since almost all of their mitigation is passive. Their abilities and rotation are fairly straightforward as well. Really, the main thing you need to worry about is ammo regen, which is probably the most challenging aspect of the class. Guardians are a little more complex to play, requiring some situational and rotational ability usage to maintain maximum survivability. They have a much easier energy mechanic though, and again, most of their mitigation is still passive. Guardian's main liability is as an off-tank, since their energy regen is almost entirely dependent on holding agro. Shadows are very challenging to play well. They have two separate forms of active mitigation that make up almost 30% of their total survivability. Their rotation is also quite involved, requiring a long priority queue that shifts significantly depending on situation and positioning. They also have the largest number of purely-situational abilities of any class in the game (12) and and the largest number of situational buffs (7).

 

Personally, I love my shadow tank. It's always a challenge to play him ideally, and I'm constantly aware of the fact that less-than-ideal play on my part translates very directly into severe strain on my healers. I honestly believe that shadows are the best all-around tank when played correctly and paired with a good burst healer (ideally scoundrel) who understands shadow damage profiles. That's a rare combination though. The safer way to go is a Vanguard, which is an all-around great tank, regardless of healer.

Edited July 6, 2012 by KeyboardNinja

Shadows require the least healing and put up the highest threat numbers, but their damage profile is much spikier (so they are somewhat *harder* to heal, despite requiring lower HPS). Guardians and Vanguards take slightly more damage (requiring about 50-100 HPS more on harder nightmare/hard mode fights), but the profile is extremely even (especially for Vanguards). Guardians have the hardest time holding threat, since their DPS is the lowest of the three tanks. They get a nice armor debuff though, which helps with overall raid damage.

 

(note: I have hard numbers on all of the above; see my tank mitigation balance thread)

 

Guardians have *by far* the best panic button cooldowns of the three tanks. In an enrage situation, there's no one else I would want to have agro. However, those CDs are on very long timers, so they can't be used as situationally. Shadows have the best situational cooldowns, making them very good in situations where there's a frequent (but not too frequent) spike in boss DPS, causing the healers to get a bit behind. (Foreman Crusher's frenzy, Jarg and Sorno jumping to the center of the room, Toth's frenzy, Incinerate Armor, etc) Vanguards have absolutely dreadful cooldowns, both for enrage and situational use.

 

Shadows and Vanguards have a lot of really nice utility abilities that make them very strong group members, particularly in PvP. Vanguards in particular have both a pull *and* a charge, which makes them very strong Huttball tanks. Guardians have 3 different leaps (depending on spec), which makes them probably the best ball carriers in the game. Shadows have a pull, force sprint and really good PvP cooldowns, and so they are also excellent ball carriers, as well as a general annoyance (stealth is an excellent tactic, both for mid control and pass chaining).

 

In terms of requisite skill, Vanguards are probably the easiest to play, since almost all of their mitigation is passive. Their abilities and rotation are fairly straightforward as well. Really, the main thing you need to worry about is ammo regen, which is probably the most challenging aspect of the class. Guardians are a little more complex to play, requiring some situational and rotational ability usage to maintain maximum survivability. They have a much easier energy mechanic though, and again, most of their mitigation is still passive. Guardian's main liability is as an off-tank, since their energy regen is almost entirely dependent on holding agro. Shadows are very challenging to play well. They have two separate forms of active mitigation that make up almost 30% of their total survivability. Their rotation is also quite involved, requiring a long priority queue that shifts significantly depending on situation and positioning. They also have the largest number of purely-situational abilities of any class in the game (12) and and the largest number of situational buffs (7).

 

Personally, I love my shadow tank. It's always a challenge to play him ideally, and I'm constantly aware of the fact that less-than-ideal play on my part translates very directly into severe strain on my healers. I honestly believe that shadows are the best all-around tank when played correctly and paired with a good burst healer (ideally scoundrel) who understands shadow damage profiles. That's a rare combination though. The safer way to go is a Vanguard, which is an all-around great tank, regardless of healer.

 

Great post.