8 Best Tank Mounts in FFXIV

You just finished guiding several new players through a Duty Finder dungeon you know like the back of your hand.

You took the time to inform your party on the boss encounters ahead of time, and as a result, your group encountered very few problems throughout the entire encounter.

That’s okay, being a tank is like any other job.

The duty of a meat-shield in Final Fantasy XIV is not one to be taken lightly, whether you are a professional tank who only plays tank jobs or a casual player who just wants to get through their daily roulettes as quickly as possible.

It’s a scary task for some people.

This is an exciting challenge for any serious tank fan.

Square Enix is aware that players dislike being put in positions of leadership and combat expertise.

In order to entice those of us who aren’t naturally drawn to the role of digital punching bags, Square provides a two-tiered selection of mounts based on wild animals to stimulate your inner meat-sponge.

There are eight different mounts, one for each tank.

Warrior = Bear
Paladin = Lion
Dark Knight = Panther
Gunbreaker = Tiger

War is the name of the lower tier, while Battle is the name of the higher tier with enhanced armour.

Since the Battle mounts are more flashy (and tougher to obtain), I will first compare and rank the War mounts.

It’s a fight suitable for the most savage beasts on the planet. Come with me as I rate each tank mount in Final Fantasy XIV!

Tank ‘War’ Mounts

4. War Tiger

Tank Mounts

I hoped against hope that I’d enjoy War Tiger.

As the newest tank in Final Fantasy XIV, Gunbreaker deserves some attention.

You’d imagine it would have a more modern look, compared to the rest.

War Tiger has a cute and angry cat face, as well as the trademark sabertooth grill, but its lacklustre tail puts it in last place among cats.

The tail is strangely proportioned to the rest of the animal, falling somewhere between being too short and being too long for a sabertooth.

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A new sentence alert: I would have preferred more emphasis on clumsiness.

The War Tiger Horn can be obtained by completing the Tank You, Gunbreaker II achievement, which requires you to complete 200 dungeons (level 61+), Extreme Trials (level 61+), Unreal Trials, the 50/60/70 Duty Roulette Dungeons, or the Duty Roulette Leveling Duties.

Helpful hint: Roulettes only count once per day toward the daily award.

3. War Bear

The War Bear is a tough opponent.

The issue is that closer inspection is required.

It looks like any other bear from a distance.

The fiery eyes, red fur (particularly on the neck), and the war scar across its face befit the Warrior you’ll need to take into responsibilities to tame it.

This tank mount has seen more battle than any other.

Bears in FFXIV have an odd proportion to them.

They tend to be bottom-heavy, and since War Bear is just a reskin of any bear you’d find in the overworld, it suffers from the same problem:

The trunk is stuffed with unnecessary items.

Obtaining the War Bear Horn requires you to complete 200 high-level, full-party duties as a Warrior, which is a requirement for the achievement But Somebody’s Gotta Do It (Warrior).

Any combination of Extreme Trials, Normal/Savage raids will do).

2. War Lion

War Lion is more of a fantasy animal than the other mounts — it’s ivory white, without the paws, and boasts a gorgeously maintained mane.

And because it is Final Fantasy, the series wins on principle alone.

Furthermore, the muscle structure.

The muscle on a War Lion is more defined than that of a competitive bodybuilder.

How it manages to seem so graceful in flight (did I mention they all fly?)

I have no idea, but its bulk actually seems to aid in its streamlined movement through the air.

While it doesn’t quite have War Bear’s street cred for seeing combat, War Lion’s visage and snarl make it ready to fight at any moment.

The War Lion may be obtained in the same method as the War Bear Horn: by completing the accomplishment while playing as a Paladin.

1. War Panther

Smooth as a War Panther.

Its tail and massive whiskers (which I’ve always believed look like weapons) stream behind it in waves, and its colour scheme is magnificent red and black to match Dark Knight.

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What really sets War Panther different for me is because its inspiration, the Coeurl, can only be found in Final Fantasy.

The first appearance of Coeurls is in Final Fantasy II.

They use a move called Blaster that paralyses opponents and makes them look like panthers or leopards.

Aesthetic mount action for Blaster would be awesome, but it wouldn’t be fair to the other mounts.

The Panther Bell can be obtained after completing the Dark Knight achievement in the same way that the War Bear or Lion Horn can.

Tank ‘Battle’ Mounts

4. Battle Panther

Now you may be wondering, “But you ranked War Panther highest among the War mounts; what gave?!

The key is in the upgrades themselves, of course.

Battle mounts are similar to War mounts, however they have sleek armour instead of a bulky saddle.

They all now appear to be in fighting form.

Battle Panther’s armour is better than War Panther’s, but it still doesn’t measure up to the other “Battle” mounts.

The hue is so close to the hide that you might not notice a passing War or Battle Panther if you weren’t looking closely.

It’s a new take on an old style.

Just doesn’t stand out enough from the standard issue model or the other Battle mounts to warrant its own category.

The Battle Panther Bell may be obtained in the same fashion as the War Tiger Horn, however the accomplishment is called Tank You, Dark Knight III instead, and a total of 300 (!!!) trials and responsibilities must be completed in Dark Knight’s name.

3. Battle Lion

The Battle Lion is quite stately.

The design and positioning of the armour accentuates all the unique, high-fantasy, lion-like traits.

It’s unique in that it’s the only type of armour to use fabric.

The feature that separates Battle Lion from the other mounts is (true to Paladin’s design) that the armour has more of a defensive purpose than an offensive one.

The Battle Panther’s light protection allows it to swiftly traverse its environment.

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Furthermore, as we shall see, the other two are also equipped with dangerously pointed corners.

Battle Lion’s armour urges you to attempt and put a dent in it.

The mane, too, is armed with protective features.

How to get: The Battle Lion Horn is gained the same method as the Battle Panther Bell, only the achievement (Tank You, Paladin III) must be accomplished as Paladin.

2. Battle Bear

It appears that Battle Bear is capable of unfathomable devastation.

Imagine it racing through a battlefield, mowing down everything in its path.

Like the Battle Lion, the Battle Bear excels as a complementary mount for the Warrior tank.

The metal has aged to a beautiful darkened steel colour, and the ruby eyes are still visible.

You can see the red fur of the War Bear below.

Plus it even has these cute, ahem, I mean, nasty claw gauntlets.

The finest part, though, is how the armour is shaped; it helps to disguise War Bear’s unusual proportions, such as the massive spike protruding from between its shoulder blades.

The Battle Bear Horn is unlocked in the same method as the other Battle mounts, but only when playing as a Warrior and completing the milestone Tank You, Warrior III.

1. Battle Tiger

Incredible turnaround.

All the things that bothered me with War Tiger have been fixed, and then some, in Battle Tiger.

The Battle Tiger’s armour is the most advanced and sophisticated of any Battle mount (with Battle Lion coming in a close second).

This alludes to the fact that Gunbreaker is the newest tank in FFXIV.

The teeth have their own armoured rings!

And even the horn (a double-tiered sword that resembles a gunblade) evens out the size of the teeth.

The tail is added at the end. It’s no longer an abnormally long phrase.

There seems to be a commitment at last — they proceeded with making the tail longer with a spinal-looking armour, and that alone is the finest aspect for me.

How to get: The Battle Tiger Horn is gained the same manner as all the Battle mounts, except the accomplishment is called Tank You, Gunbreaker III and must be accomplished as Gunbreaker.