Ask any hardcore trial group and they'll tell you to go DK tank. Templar tanks are second class citizens, only allowed to offtank if at all. Why is that?
I was told it comes down to the DK being able to:
- supply the entire group with Major and Minor Brutality
- as well as the increase of the entire group's fire damage by 10%
- A magicka based pull that doesn't compromise their ability to keep block up
- potent missing health based heal
It makes sense. In ESO tanks are supports, only there to serve the needs of the group without questions asked. That's why they run Alkosh and Powerful Assault, even if the first three buffs they provide don't even interest the tank and makes them weaker.
Templars do provide minor sorcery to the group, however, they only do that upon casting a dawn's wrath ability. Due to templars being healers and sometimes DDs already, this buff is already being provided to the group thanks to Power of the Light. A templar
tank is not needed for this.
They don't have a damage buff for the group, nor do they have an emergency "oh s*** button". Their most unique features are their reduced ult cost, but even here DKs can outshine them as they gain 0.5 ultimate per second when in combat. That's a 25% weaker free minor heroism but stackable with actual minor heroism. In other words as long as DKs don't have less than 5% ult generation more than Templars, they will out perform them. The Prism passive would make up for that difference if it weren't tied to casting Dawn's Wrath abilities and literally a worse version of half of Mountain's Blessing. As established before, it doesn't need a tank to cast power of the light and if I remember correctly, multiple instances don't stack but simply reset each other, meaning that it is in the groups interest for a stamplar DD to use it.
That brings us to the next problem. Bar space.
DK tanks don't use their Spiked Armor, they use Balance, granting them sustain as well as protection in the form of major ward and resolve in one ability. Templars also gain sustain and protection on the same ability - Restoring/Channeled Focus without the downside of having to sacrifice health and with the upside of getting 10k resistance when standing in their safe space. While the resistances are great, it's not like DKs are struggling to reach the cap without that increased potency of their ward and resolve buffs. What about the health cost of Balance though? 6k Health for 3k magicka? A Templar needs to stand on their small circle for about 12.5seconds to gain the same amount of magicka/stamina, that is if we ignore the skill's initial cost. It doesn't take a DK 12.5 seconds to restore that health, there are healers for that after all. Of course keeping PvP in mind, Restoring/Channeled Focus don't need a sustain buff, but this also means Templars need to pick up a second sustain skill, like Deep Thoughts and/or Repentance, especially considering that their Silver Leash competes with their stamina meant for blocking. To gain the same effectiveness as DKs, Templars need to sacrifice 2 to 3 skill slots where DKs only need one.
A tank needs:
- melee taunt
- ranged taunt
- pull
- self shield
- self heal
- resistance buff
- heroic slash for minor heroism
- reliable way to proc the Crusher enchantment at maximum potency
- "optional" group buffs
- "optional" sustain tool
That's 10 skills and a DK can easily fit all of them on their bar and still have one spot open for more group support skills, because their resistances ARE their sustain tool. Templars don't have that freedom. Templars have only one flex spot at all, which somehow needs to fit the last missing two needs from the list - while being a class skill mind you as DKs could otherwise pick this mythical cure-all skill too.
Now how do we fix this?
Who knows.
Maybe a Major Sorcery buff for the entire group on a self heal/shield, similar to Hircine's rage? Can't be making Magplars in PvP worse than Entropy already is. They do have good healing already after all.
Reworking a Dawn's Wrath ability/morph into a magicka based pull like chains?
Making Sun/Blazing Shield let enemies hit receive more damage from certain sources?
Changing one of the boring passives like Enduring Rays to grant minor heroism instead while buffing the base duration of the active skills it used to buff to be the same as now.
There are many possibilities...
UPDATE
So ZOS addressed the disparity between Templar tanks and DK tanks somewhat in their first PTS patch notes. DK tanks essentially lost their ability to increase fire damage for the group by 10% as it now scales by 1% every 333 spell damage. This essentially moves the skill to a DK dps.
However DKs now not only supply Major Brutality for their entire group but Major Sorcery as well. If DK healers get buffed enough to become relevant, this might become the healer's job.
This Bosmer was tortured to death. There is nothing left to be done.