With FFXIV being on such a vast scale, there is an intense variety of jobs to play in each of its three prominent roles: Tank, Healer, and DPS. This is our take on the four available Tank jobs in FFXIV as of patch 6.4 – our FFXIV Best Tank tier list.
- Why Trust Us: The tier list above showcasing the best tanks in FF14 was written by me. With roughly 3000 hours spent in-game, and listening to the opinions of top-level raiders, such as Xenosys Vex, this tier list has been carefully crafted to be as accurate as possible.
- Gunbreaker is easily the best tank in FFXIV because of its META damage output, great defensive potential, and powerful passive healing.
- Thanks to the changes in patch 6.4, Warrior is now on par with Gunbreaker.
- With Warrior’s powerful self-healing and DPS, it is almost on par with Gunbreaker.
- Dark Knight is third, as it did not receive any changes at all in patch 6.4, resulting in it being power crept by Warrior and Gunbreaker.
- Lastly, Paladin is still the weakest of all the tanks due to its weaker DPS and lackluster invulnerability.
Tank Tier List Ranking Table
| Tiers | Tanks |
|---|---|
| S-Tier | Gunbreaker, Warrior |
| A-Tier | Dark Knight |
| B-Tier | Paladin |
FFXIV Tank Stats & Comparison
Here’s a quick rundown of all the Best Tanks we picked, along with their abilities and attributes in FFXIV:
| Character Name | Tier | Best For | Type | Role | Master(s) | Primary Attribute | Arms | Best Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunbreaker | S Tier | Best Tank Class For Dual Capabilities. | Disciple Of War | Tank | Radovan | Vitality | Gunblades | - Heart Of Corundum - Camouflage - Aurora - Superbolide |
| Warrior | S Tier | Best Tank Class For Enhanced Survivability. | Disciple Of War | Tank | - Curious Gorge - Wyrnzoen Saelsmyndsyn | Vitality | Axes | - Bloodwhetting - Equilibrium - Thrill Of Battle - Holmgang |
| Dark Knight | A Tier | Most Versatile Tank Class. | Disciple Of War | Tank | - Sidurgu Orl - Fray Myste | Vitality | Greatswords | - The Blackest Night - Oblation - Dark Mind - Living Dead |
| Paladin | B Tier | Best Tank Class For Parties. | Disciple Of War | Tank | - Jenlyns Aesc - Mylla Swordsong | Vitality | Swords And Shields | - Holy Sheltron - Bulwark - Clemency - Hallowed Ground |
S Tier: Gunbreaker
- Why I Chose This: The way this solo class provides both tanking and DPS capabilities.
Gunbreaker is the latest tank added to FFXIV with the Shadowbringers expansion. In Endwalker and its patches, it has been refined and buffed. It also boasts extremely high damage and that is why it is an S tier on our list.
Mitigation And Self Sustain
Gunbreaker boasts an incredibly versatile defensive kit, fit for any situation. It is second only to a warrior’s healing and defensives.
Heart Of Corundum
| Level | 82 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 25 secs |
| Description | -15% Decrease In Dmg Taken By Self and Allies |
Gunbreaker boasts Heart of Corundum, an upgrade to the Heart of Stone skill from Shadowbringers. This skill is touted as one of the best defensive skills in the entire game.
It is an incredibly powerful tool overall that allows Gunbreaker to negate anything from tank busters to auto attacks. In addition, this defensive skill can be given to an ally to help them in case they are dying.
Camouflage
| Level | 6 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 90 secs |
| Description |
|
Aurora
| Level | 45 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 60 secs |
| Description | Target is given regen ability |
With the release of Endwalker, Gunbreaker now has 2 stacks of Aurora. It is a simple heal-over-time effect. While it may sound lackluster on paper, it is incredibly useful when paired with Heart of Corundum.
Superbolide
| Level | 50 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 360 secs |
| Description |
|
Gunbreaker’s invulnerability skill is called Superbolide. This skill drops your HP and makes you invincible for a few seconds. It is considered one of the best invuls in the game due to its short cooldown.
DPS
- Pre-Patch 6.4, Gunbreaker was widely seen as the strongest tank.
- The development team believed other tanks were slightly weaker than Dark Knight, so they buffed all tanks except Dark Knight.
- These changes boosted Gunbreaker’s damage by around 1%, solidifying its position as the premier tank.
- Versatile.
- Enhanced survivability.
- Self-healing capabilities.
- Complexity in gameplay.
S Tier: Warrior
- Why I Chose This: The solid defensive cooldowns, great self-healing capabilities, and the versatility it provides in combat.
In Endwalker’s patch 6.4, Warrior deals incredibly high damage and has the best healing out of all the tanks. It is because of its incredible healing and damage that we have put Warrior in the S Tier.
Mitigation And Self Sustain
Of all the tanks on this list, Warrior is the king of self-sustainability and mitigation.
Bloodwhetting
| Level | 82 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 25 secs |
| Description | 10% reduction in dmg taken |
It is one the best defensive cooldowns in the entire game. It possesses all the qualities required in a defensive cooldown.
In addition, the effect can also be given to allies through Nascent Flash.
Equilibrium
| Level | 58 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 60 secs |
| Description | Restores your own HP |
It grants a heal equivalent to a potency of 1,200 and a heal over time effect. This skill alone can heal the warrior for up to 60 percent of their HP.
Thrill Of Battle
| Level | 30 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 90 secs |
| Description |
|
It increases the warrior’s effective HP for some seconds. It also boosts the potency of healing actions such as Equilibrium. All of these skills make Warrior the best defensive tank.
Holmgang
| Level | 42 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 240 secs |
| Description | Prevents most enemy attacks to not let your HP be reduced to less than 1 |
It is the best invulnerability skill in the entire game, simply because it has a cooldown of only 240 seconds.
DPS
- While Warrior’sself-sustain makes it nigh immortal, it suffered from mediocre DPS.
- This was alleviated in Patch 6.4, giving Warrior a whopping 3% increase in its damage output.
- Combining Warrior’s broken self-healing, incredible ease of use, and high damage output, it is a safe S Tier in this tier list.
- Enhanced self-sustainability.
- Improved survivability along with great defensive capabilities.
- Excellent self-healing capabilities.
- Lacks party support utilities.
- Low damage output.
A Tier: Dark Knight
- Why I Chose This: The strong mitigation and sustainability it provides on top of the versatility.
In Endwalker’s patch 6.4, it has been power crept as it did not receive any buffs during this patch. Even then, it is still incredibly powerful and a solid A Tier.
Mitigation And Self Sustain
Dark Knight enjoyed the single best mitigation tool called The Blackest Night in Shadowbringers. However, in Endwalker, it has fallen off slightly, thanks to the other tank cooldowns being buffed to high heavens.
The Blackest Night
| Level | 70 |
| Type | Ability |
| MP | 3,000 |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 15 secs |
| Description | A barrier that tanks 25% of the Max HP of the target |
The Blackest Night is a powerful shield. Although it excels at mitigating powerful single hits, it struggles against consecutive strikes because TBN is not a percentile mitigation.
While this CD is good, it falls short compared to tools like Heart of Corundum or Bloodwhetting.
Oblation
| Level | 82 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 60 secs |
| Description | 10% reduction in dmg taken |
Oblation is a defensive tool that mitigates damage by 10 percent. While the defensive effect is very average, Oblation has 2 stacks and can be given to allies, making it very versatile.
Dark Mind
| Level | 45 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 60 secs |
| Description | 20% reduction in magic vulnerability |
Dark Mind reduces magic damage. This CD is either useless or broken, depending on what Square Enix feels like while designing fights.
Living Dead
| Level | 50 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 300 secs |
| Description | While under this effect, if HP is reduced to 0, then you transform into the Walking Dead |
Living Dead was the worst invulnerability skill at the start of Endwalker. However, after buffs, it is pretty viable now. Players can effectively heal themselves back to full in 4 GCDs under the effect of the Walking Dead.
DPS
- Dark Knight has always dominated in terms of DPS throughout the Asphodelos and Abyssos raids.
- Thanks to this, Dark Knight received no buffs during patch 6.4.
- Due to the lack of changes, it has been power crept by Warrior and Gunbreaker, as they do higher damage and offer a lot more defensive capabilities.
- Damage mitigation.
- Versatile.
- Magic damage reduction.
- Lacks in DPS.
B Tier: Paladin
- Why I Chose This: Its party utility and survivability make it a viable option to opt for.
In Patch 6.3 of Endwalker, Paladin has received a much-anticipated rework that adjusted it to align itself in the bursty 2-minute meta. Even after the rework, Paladin still suffers slightly from jank and lower DPS.
Mitigation And Self Sustain
Paladin has received numerous adjustments to its entire defensive kit, making it a lot more viable than before.
Holy Sheltron
| Level | 82 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 5 secs |
| Description | 15% Reduction in damage taken |
The problem with Holy Sheltron was that it blocked attacks instead of mitigating them, as blocking does not affect damage over time effects. Because of this reason, Square Enix adjusted it to make it viable against all types of damage.
Now, it is arguably better than Heart of Corundum as it has the same effect and 2 charges.
Bulwark
| Level | 52 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 90 secs |
| Description | Block incoming attacks by enemies |
Added in Patch 6.3, Bulwark is now the new Sheltron, blocking all incoming attacks.
Clemency
| Level | 58 |
| Type | Spell |
| MP | 2,000 |
| Casting | 1.5 secs |
| Recast | 2.5 secs |
| Description | Target HP is restored |
Clemency is a terrible version of Warrior’s Equilibrium skill. It forces Paladin to stop attacking to heal themselves.
Hallowed Ground
| Level | 50 |
| Type | Ability |
| Casting | Instant |
| Recast | 420 secs |
| Description | Most attacks do not have any effect on you |
Hallowed Ground is the worst invulnerability in the game, with a staggering cooldown value.
DPS
This is Paladin’s biggest drawback, even after the rework. While the DPS right now is viable enough to clear all content easily, it is still the lowest out of all tanks.
The only good thing about it is its party utility. Considering its lower DPS potential and mediocre invulnerability, we have put it as the worst tank on our list. However, it is still B Tier because regardless of its flaws, it can still clear fights and put up a good performance.
- Improved defensive capabilities.
- Damage mitigation and healing.
- Low DPS.
Changes Due To Updates
Updated Till: June 6, 2023, Patch 6.4 and 6.41
- The changes Gunbreaker’s Job Actions/ Abilities have seen in recent times include:
- The potency of “Keen Edge” and “Brutal Shell” has been boosted. Keen Edge is now 200 (formerly 170), while Brutal Shell made its way from 130 all the way up to 160.
- Brutal Shell’s combo Potency has also swelled to 300 from 270.
- “Heart of Light” welcomes a buff in its Effect Radius, which is now twice that before (15 yalms).
- Dark Knight didn’t remain behind either and registered a few buffs if not many. The Effect Radius of its “Dark Missionary” ability/ action has been increased to 30 yalms from 15, this too twice as before.
- Like Gunbreaker, Warrior has received quite many changes to its actions/abilities palette too. They are as follows:
- The potency and Combo Potency of “Storm’s Path” increased to 160 and 440, respectively.
- The status effect of Vulnerability Down now comes along with the “Vengeance” status effect.
- “Storm’s Eye,” “Fell Cleave,” “Inner Chaos,” and “Upheaval” register potency buffs of up to 10 degrees too.
- Lastly, the Effect Radius of ”Shake It Off” is scaled to 30 yalms from 15.
- All the latest changes that have been made to the Paladin discipline in FFXIV are:
- 20-degree Potency increase for “Riot Blade,” “Circle of Scorn,” “Royal Authority,” and “Atonement.”
- “Riot Blade” and “Royal Authority” get combo Potency boosts too.
- The Effect Radius of ”Divine Veil” is scaled to 30 yalms from 15.
For previous changes and their details, see the complete list of FFXIV Patch Notes.
This brings us to the end of our FFXIV Best Tank tier list. Do you agree with the points discussed in our tier list? Let us know in the comments below.
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