A real tank uses cc on adds, keeps taunt on bosses and dangerous adds, interrupts boss attacks, debuffs enemies and buffs the group. The bare minimum required to be a tank is to taunt the boss and hold it as still as the mechanics allow.

A fake tank is someone not trying to do the job of tanking. If you have slotted a taunt and stay alive without needing to run around all over the place like speed racer, then you're already going to be praised and do better than most "tanks" in normal queue.

Depends a bit on who you ask.

By definition the term means someone who queued as tank with without a proper build and no intentions of fulfilling the role’s intended purpose.

Some like to separate between good and bad fake tanks where as good fake tanks are DPS builds with a taunt slotted that holds the boss in place and does not die while still outputting acceptable damage numbers. A bad fake tank would be a player who queues as tank but plays like a DPS, running around, kiting adds and dying over and over due to lack of staying power.

Tolerance for fake tanks also vary from player to player, if i do a random normal dungeon and i get fungal grotto or another equally easy base game dungeon i’d gladly take a fake tank over a real one because the run will go faster without much dificulty. However if said fake tank pops up for a veteran DLC dungeon then i’d be much more likely to initiate a vote kick depending on the dungeon.

I’m pretty tolerant for fake tanks in easier content, but there are some players that will absolutely not tolerate fake tanks under any circumstances and will always vote kick if they spot one.

Until there's an official definition of a Tank and the design is updated to enforce those requirements, then fake tanks do not exist. Players are allowed to queue as a Tank regardless of their playstyle and are considered tanks for the duration of the dungeon. Groups are allowed to vote kick tanks that don't meet their expectations. But that doesn't mean the player is a fake tank.

Tanks who became frustrated with the Block bug currently affecting the game.

The in-game skill advisor recommends a taunt (Puncture and/or Inner Fire) for the Tank role so that's about as close as we will get to an official endorsement that it's 'required'.

A tank is a player who taunts the target. This is the definition based on game design. Anything added to that is just what specific players want to see in their tank but is not what the game defines as a tank.

So the difference between a fake tank and a tank is the taunt.

If you are a real tank, players will know. So do not let the thought of fake tanks scare you away from queueing. You have to remember queue's can go very well, or at rare times, very badly. Just keep queueing, and do not let one bad experience ruin it for you! If you are a real tank, most runs will go very smooth.

Everyone expects something different from a tank, like someone said above chain enemies, which is not what I think is tanking(most mobs can't be chained anyways). The bare minimum for a tank is holding taunt on bosses. If you want to be an even better tank, group regular mobs, and buff group/debuff bosses as well. So the dungeon becomes even smoother, but how you do that is up to you. To become a pro tank, there is so much more to tanking: Holding the group together, keeping an eye on the groups resources, remember which enemy to taunt next, knowing mechanics, etc. Don't worry too much about messing up mechanics as everyone does sometimes, just keep going. But knowing mechanics makes runs much much smoother, as you can quickly tell the group in a difficult dungeon what players should do during a specific boss fight. One line of text can save you minutes of effort/frustration!

Goodluck!

PS: To practice tanking adds, try tanking world bosses with many adds. And try to keep all of them taunted, this will also tell you your limit of how many adds you can taunt, and there is no issue if you fail as noone expects someone to tank a world boss. Depending on which world bosses you try, but you'd have to check that out yourself as I haven't done this in a long while and do no longer know which world bosses to recommend.

I experienced them all day yesterday. It was a learning experience. Traits of a fake tank:

- They don't block
- They wear DPS sets
- They use 2H weapons
- They charge ahead and leave the group behind
- They die (repeatedly) to boss mechanics
- They depend on the noob magplar to tank for them
- They leave at the end of the group without so much as a "tyfg"

Soarora wrote: »

To me, a fake tank is simply someone who doesn't taunt. A tank that doesn't chain and/or dies a lot is a bad tank. A bad tank, if they are trying their best, I will have patience for... there is no safety net in tanking you just have to take the plunge and I admire their attempt. A fake tank I will never have patience for.

I want to add to this that if I’m on a dps but taunting I still call myself a fake tank. That is because I know it’s a dps that’s just taunting. However, I can’t hold other people to that standard because their tank might just be dpsy because that’s how they want to play the role.

A fake tank is a DD who queues in a tank role. In general making normal dungeons clear faster.

And please remember that some bosses can’ t be taunted, such as the Engine Guardian in Darkshade II. If your tank doesn’t taunt that one, they’re not fake, just frustrated.