A Tank is a player in a party that is intended to soak damage from mobs and prevent more vulnerable party members from being attacked. In theory, the tank should be the only one taking damage, and therefore be the only one who needs healing. A tank needs to be healed in order to ultimately survive a fight.
The tank usually takes the role of the party leader and plans Targets. They must know the limit of their party so they do not pull too many mobs and get overwhelmed.
Main Tank[]
Most instance parties seek a Templar for this role as they posses the most skills at their disposal which help them stay alive, control the situation and generate Enmity. They also have the protection of a Shield and large amounts of health and high armor due to wearing Plate Armor.
Gladiator are most likely DPS, but in many cases they can perform as tanks due to having the protection of Plate Armor and being able to generate more Enmity because of their higher damage-dealing potential. They also have strong AoE abilities to control several mobs.
Off Tank[]
- Spiritmaster summons are often used for tanking in small groups, and will usually protect a Spiritmaster during solo questing.
- A Cleric is also be capable of tanking for a limited period, as their shield provides some protection, and can generate some additional Enmity from healing.
- An Assassin generates a lot of enmity, and due to this they can tank providing they get a lot of healing.