Showcased originally at Final Fantasy XIV‘s NA Fan Festival, Evercold‘s new Evolved mode is still shaking players even now. Additionally, as part of the combat rework, to clarify each tank job‘s identity more clearly, the developers are introducing Main Tank (MT) and Off Tank (OT) specialties.
However, what the FFXIV developers are cooking in the kitchen may not appease its player community… especially in this case.
What’s the Tanking Situation in FFXIV?
Currently, across all the tanks, there is no real distinction between MT and OT. We have:
- Tank busters which both players can take,
- Enemy aggro swaps using Provoke and Shirk, and
- Sometimes, even DPS players can share the tank busters as well!
Needless to say, if one tank can do the job, the other tanks can do it too. Or so we thought.
Starting in Evercold, the difference we’ll see is that MT jobs will be better at taking auto attacks from bosses. Meanwhile, OT jobs will be more effective at mitigating damage taken by the party and other tank. Additionally, MT jobs in Evercold can also counter, allowing them to deal additional damage when conditions are met.
During the NA Fan Fest in April, the Paladin demo showcased an ability similar to Dark Knight‘s The Blackest Knight. Notably, using Paladin’s ability is more forgiving than TBN. The ability appears to activate a powerful counter after the user protects themselves or an ally from an incoming attack.
Which Tanks will be Main Tank or Off Tank?
According to the FFXIV developers, they’re planning to divide the available jobs into the following specialties:
| Main Tank (MT) Better Auto-Attack Mitigation, New Counter Mechanic | Off Tank (OT) Better Player DMG Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Paladin | Warrior |
| ??? (New Tank Job in Evercold Patch 8.0) | Dark Knight |
| Gunbreaker |
This is a departure from having the community decide how they would like to utilise the tanks. There are jobs that are better designed for MT, and others that are better designed to do the OT role. A very clear example of this is seen in the combat logs for Dancing Mad. As of this writing, 206 combat logs use Dark Knight primarily as OT, while 229 use Paladin primarily as MT.
Regardless of the player meta, the community’s always had the freedom to perform either tank role with ease. With these upcoming Evercold changes, hopefully everyone alike can understand the Evolved jobs easily — both veterans and new players.
What if You’re an Evolved Mode Hater? 😠
Evercold seems to be an expansion focusing on player accessibility and flexibility. By putting each tank job into a subcategory, this removes the flexibility that was present. The community already enforces a meta of its own, but its room for adaptation will possibly no longer exist. This especially may be the case, as future fights and content will likely be developed with Evolved Mode in mind.
After all, the developers already announced future jobs following Evercold will only have Evolved Mode for combat.
An ideal solution is to let each player choose to play as MT or OT, regardless of the developers’ suggestion. This allows both Square Enix and the community to meet the perceived goal of flexibility.
If any new players join FFXIV following Evercold’s release, they may assume all tanks are suitable as Main Tanks. Not to mention there’s already a tank shortage, and players may find their favourite job isn’t what they expect. As a result, the tank shortage may be exacerbated even further.
Though the Reborn mode, currently available in Dawntrail, won’t have the specialties, adopting Evolved mode will likely do more damage. According to the developers, those who want to play as the “unintended” specialty may end up at a disadvantage.
Are You Looking Forward to Evolved Mode? 👀
Because the community already enforces its own meta, it probably won’t end up being much different than it already is. If you want to do something different, you can always make your own static and enforce your own playstyle. 🫡
Additionally, we have not seen all of the jobs yet. We’re uncertain if the community will adopt Square Enix’s tank specialty idea so easily as they did at Anaheim. Developers often implement systems with a specific intention, but it doesn’t always end up that way.
But perhaps there’s a dialogue to open here, as the developers and community both make up Final Fantasy XIV today. You shouldn’t have one without the other, after all!
In conclusion, this decision to split up tanking responsibilities has put the community into a bit of a divide. Despite this, there is a common sentiment that we have much left to see. Much of Evercold has not yet been revealed, and we are going to see much more in the coming weeks. Square Enix will likely adjust the system based on feedback, so hopefully we’ll end up with a happy compromise.
Hope to see you soon in Berlin this July, Warriors of Light. The EU Fan Festival is just around the corner, so stay tuned for more FFXIV coverage on Icy Veins.
