first character tank - should I even bother?

[Bunny Mage]

I'm new to the server and am interested in making a tank character, since that's how I like to play most in MMOs. However, after reading up on things on this board... I'm wondering if it's even a valid decision.


Firstly, it seems that tank classes don't solo all that well, especially warriors. And you need nice gear to either solo or tank in groups effectively, which requires having a high level character to farm with. I don't know if I really have it in me to go through the daunting time and effort to make a level 50 necromancer or magician when they're not even something I really want to play.

Secondly, I want to play as either an Ogre or Troll for their great stats, but both of them get huge XP penalties. And if I want to play a Shadow Knight, which seems to be the most suitable tank, there's a huge XP penalty on top of that. I had my heart set on playing a Troll SK then it sank when I found out I'd be having a total 60% XP PENALTY just for playing one. This is a staggering cross to bear in a game that is already hard to level in.

Then I thought about playing a Warrior since they get a bonus instead of a penalty, but then I found out that they grind slower than molasses and their Taunt doesn't even work effectively. Last thing I want to do is spend all that hard work on a tank that is gimped compared to others. From what I hear Warrior tanks get better in the Kunark era but not until they hit 50+. So I'd still be spending most of my leveling time being a "special needs" tank.

Paladin seems to be in the same boat as SK, so that's not much of an alternative.


So what should I do? Bite the bullet and make a super slow-leveling tank with crappy gear? Spend extra months playing a class I don't really like just to have money for gear? Or just admit defeat and forget it altogether?