In Final Fantasy XIV, there are three main types of battle roles that a player can pick from: DPS, Healers, and Tanks. DPS is the most damaging of the three battle roles. One of a Tank's primary responsibilities is to clearly adopt their specific Tank Stance in order to collect aggro from all adversaries on the battlefield while simultaneously preventing their team members from being injured by the foes. Tanks must also make advantage of the numerous mitigations available to them in order to reduce the amount of damage they take from their opponents' fire.

As of right now, there are four different tanks that a player can pick from to play with. Warrior, Paladin, Gunbreaker, and Dark Knight are the four classes. In raids, there will often be a party of 8, which means that there will be two tanks in each group of 8. As a result, these two tanks are typically divided into two separate tanks: the Main Tank and the Off-Tank. A Main Tank's job is to gather aggro and face the monster away from the party, but an Off-job Tank's is to deal damage and steal back aggro during numerous mechanisms that necessitate their presence, such as Tank Busters, which cause a severe debuff to be applied to the player who is hit.

This article will cover the top off-tanks in Final Fantasy XIV at the time of writing, as well as the rationale behind their selection.

3. Gunbreaker

A gunbreaker with their cool style and gun-sword.

A Gunbreaker is a fantastic Main Tank, but they can also function as an excellent off-tank. They are the most recent Tank to be introduced in the Shadowbringers expansion. Their strong points are as follows:

• Even when compared to the other tanks, they can deliver a significant amount of damage.
• Also bears noting that Gunbreakers typically have a more difficult rotation when compared to other tanks, and their rotation might differ from one battle to the next.
• Gunbreaker is an excellent pick for off-tanking for the simple reason that it allows them to concentrate on finishing their rotation without having to worry about mitigating themselves for an extended period of time.
• They have a large number of personal mitigations, allowing them to take control of the Main Tank at any time and fight off the approaching Tank Busters.
• Their abilities also include a Regen skill and a tiny shield that they can give to the Main Tank to assist them in reducing damage taken while also providing a small amount of healing to the Main Tank.
• The talents can also be used on oneself during Tank Switches or on dying party members, in a similar fashion.

Tank Usefulness Score: 90/100

2. Dark Knight

A Dark Knight with their dark armor and large sword.

Dark Knight is well recognized for his role as the edgy tank in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. This is because they implement the power of darkness into their attack, and even utilize it for their mitigations.

The following are the reasons why Dark Knight is a good off-tank:

• They can cause significant damage, particularly if used appropriately.
• They have one of the best mitigations in the form of The Blackest Night, which is available.
• The Blackest Night has the ability to absorb damage equal to 25 percent of the player's total health.
• Because the Dark Knight can use The Blackest Night on themselves or other party members, it is an excellent skill to have while the Dark Knight is in the Off-Tank role to assist the Main Tank.
• In addition to granting Dark Arts, The Blackest Night will grant Dark Arts after all of the shield's energy has been absorbed, indicating that the party member who has been granted The Blackest Night has received a significant amount of damage.
• Due to the Dark Arts, Dark Knights will be able to use Flood of Darkness or Edge of Darkness without using any MP, allowing them to deliver far more damage.
• Because Dark Knights have a limited invulnerability that must be restored to 100% in order for them to survive, they are not the best choice for Main Tanking when there are no White Mages available.

Tank Usefulness Score: 93/100

1. Paladin

Paladin utilizing their flashy light skills.

The Paladin is a traditional Tank who fights with a sword and a shield when engaging in combat with their adversaries. Their abilities are likewise diametrically opposed to those of the Dark Knight, in that they make use of the power of Light to deliver damage to their opponents while also providing support and healing to themselves and other party members.

Why the Paladin is the finest off-tank character currently available in Final Fantasy XIV:

• In comparison to other tanks, they do not have as many personal mitigations, making them unsuitable for use as Main Tanks.
• They are able to mitigate big damages, though, because they possess a wide range of support skills.
• The first of these is called Passage of Arms, and it summons a giant pair of wings behind their back to help them escape. All party members that support this skill will only take 85 percent of the damage that is dealt to them.
• As a result, it is much more advantageous for them to serve as an off-tank and remain with the party in order to make the most of this skill, as the Main Tank typically stands alone in front of the boss while the rest of the party collects towards the boss's rear.
• Divine Veil is another ability available to the Paladin, which grants a 10% shield to all party members except the Paladin when a healer performs either GCD raidwide healing or personal healing for the Paladin.
• They also have the skill Cover, which allows them to take the damage that would have been dealt to another party member if they weren't there themselves. A great skillto use on a dying party member or an oncoming Tankbuster, as it allows them to take it without having to Tank Switch, which is extremely convenient.
• They also have the best invulnerability skill available at the moment, Hallowed Ground, which allows them to remain invulnerable and suffer no damage for a total of 10 seconds. When combined with a cover, this is extremely advantageous.
• They also have Intervention, which will grant a 10 percent shield to a single member of the opposition party. This is an excellent choice for usage on a tank that is about to be hit by a large Tankbuster or a party member who is about to die.
• The final skill is Clemency, which is a life-saving skill that can offer a large amount of healing, much more than a healer's personal healing skills. In situations where the group's healers are both dead and they wish to keep the party members alive, this is quite important.
• A large number of support skills have earned them the distinction of best off-tank currently available, as they are able to provide support for both the Main Tank and other party members with their arsenal of support skills.

Tank Usefulness Score: 95/100

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