First, to the whole "Healer DPS" thing, I'm going to advocate more of the other side. I'm a full-time tank, and I have died because the healer chose to DPS then couldn't get me back up. (This is due to big pulls, I don't have crappy gear or anything) The most common I see is "Oh, I'll Holy until they're low then use Benediction." Dead.
On a lot of pulls, yes, tanks take little damage and throwing in DPS is fine and hey makes it go a little quicker. But at the end of the day, DPS is not the healer's job. If I have PUG healers that don't DPS, its usually because they're still learning. This game has become needlessly hostile to people actually learning their roles who have the audacity to run without a full pre-made party.
Not that I'm against healers ever throwing in DPS, I just don't really care how much they do it or not.
But, back to the question of the original post, I can't really decide since the fights are so varied. Like people have said, some early dungeons you can get away with not having a tank. But you can do the same without a healer. Our healer d/c'd and I BLM Physick'd us through the dungeon. A lot of content can be out geared and out skilled without having to fit into the trinity.
I think I would have to go with tank, though. The sole purpose being that I find it easier to invest in healers and teach them how to heal more efficiently. Healing isn't easier than tanking, or vice versa. In my experience it just seems harder to teach someone this game's aggro mechanics. I am constantly explaining to newer tanks that Provoke isn't an enmity boost that can be used alone, but most healers get the basic concept of their abilities even if they're bad.
So tank, but barely.
On a lot of pulls, yes, tanks take little damage and throwing in DPS is fine and hey makes it go a little quicker. But at the end of the day, DPS is not the healer's job. If I have PUG healers that don't DPS, its usually because they're still learning. This game has become needlessly hostile to people actually learning their roles who have the audacity to run without a full pre-made party.
Not that I'm against healers ever throwing in DPS, I just don't really care how much they do it or not.
But, back to the question of the original post, I can't really decide since the fights are so varied. Like people have said, some early dungeons you can get away with not having a tank. But you can do the same without a healer. Our healer d/c'd and I BLM Physick'd us through the dungeon. A lot of content can be out geared and out skilled without having to fit into the trinity.
I think I would have to go with tank, though. The sole purpose being that I find it easier to invest in healers and teach them how to heal more efficiently. Healing isn't easier than tanking, or vice versa. In my experience it just seems harder to teach someone this game's aggro mechanics. I am constantly explaining to newer tanks that Provoke isn't an enmity boost that can be used alone, but most healers get the basic concept of their abilities even if they're bad.
So tank, but barely.
![[Image: HvjYXi5.png]](http://i.imgur.com/HvjYXi5.png)
