I’ve been playing the tank role ever since I started FFXIV back in Stormblood, so I’ve already done some digging to find the aesthetics I like, and I have lots of pieces and glamour plates already saved in my glamour dresser for general use across the tank jobs.
However, when Shadowbringers released I decided to use a fantasia to change my character’s race from Miqo’te to Hrothgar. As such, many of the glamours I was using now have an altered appearance on this new character model, making this a great time to take another look through all the pieces available to me as a tank.
As always I’m going to focus on finding just the body gear, as it’s almost always the central piece for any look. I probably will keep way too many of them because there’s so much cool glamour in the game, but for this post I’ll try to narrow it down to three different styles usable by all the tanks.
My first style that I want to try out veers away from much of the tank-designed armour in the game. I prefer my character to be in something a little lighter than a full plate suit, so I’ll probably be looking for more furs, leathers, and cloths to make a Lightweight outfit that still captures the fantasy feel. Something that would be worn by a confident, skilled warrior who moves quickly through battle.
The second look will be a Knight aesthetic. Something you might see on a member of the royal guard or in a medieval army. Some colour to stand out would be ideal, and I hope I can find pieces that dye well among all the metal chestplates.
Finally, a Modern look which could include stylish clothes you might see in real life or any army or military type garments. There are a lot of civilian type clothes in the game but not all of them might suit my preference for a tank to wear.
My list of locations to go check out gear in-game includes the following:
- A main city (Limsa Lominsa) for the Calamity Salvager, Grand Company vendor, armoire, and marketboard.
- Mor Dhona for tomestone gear and a couple other random pieces.
- Idyllshire for tomestone and raid gear.
- Rhalgr’s Reach for tomestone and raid gear (including Centurio Seal vendor).
- Eulmore for tomestone and raid gear.
- The Wolves’ Den Pier for all PvP gear.
- The Gold Saucer for MGP-priced gear.
After that I’ll be checking out the xivstyle archive to browse through all the dungeon and 24-man raid loot I can’t just preview in-game on my own character whenever I want.
Calamity Salvager Gear
Let’s begin in Limsa Lominsa, checking in with the Calamity Salvager. I’ll check the job gear even though they are job-specific, just to see what it offers. The Paladin’s Gallant Surcoat is classic knight’s attire, but the hem of the piece is a little too frilly for my taste. I prefer the Chivalrous Surcoat which has a longer body, smaller pauldrons, and a cape. I would probably use the dyed version of this.
For Warriors I’m actually surprised at the Fighter’s Cuirass, which I used to hate on Miqo’te. On Hrothgar’s larger frame it’s not too bad. The fur around the neck clips my hairstyle only the tiniest bit, which I can live with, and I’d use the dyed version. In contrast, the Brutal Lorica is much more slim, with a tight body piece and lots of metal bits here and there on the shoulders. It feels a little cluttered, but it definitely looks cool.
The Outsider’s Jacket for Gunbreakers is a nice looking modern half-jacket, but I can’t help but feel like the hanging cloth at the side doesn’t belong. Dark Knights have the Abyss Burgeonet which is a really badass suit of armour but unfortunately is so dark you can’t see too many of the details.
The Alpine Coat looks cozy but commanding on Hrothgar in my opinion, and I had never considered it before the fantasia. Of course the Scion Adventurer’s Jacket is awesome, but the jacket hugs the Hrothgar body really, really tight, which may or may not be desirable. I still have a soft-spot for the Uwagi #55 cause it’s so uniform-like, and it looks better on this race for sure.
The Scion Traveler’s Jacket is capetastic (so the tail clips), and I like all the texture on the front of the body, especially when dyed. The Crystarium Tabard has a lot less noticeable clipping on the tail, and has a lot of chainmail textures on the arms. Only the cape dyes, while the rest remains black.
Armoire Gear
Walking to the inn room for the armoire, the Endless Summer Top, Moonfire Happis and Lucian Prince’s Jacket are all basic shirt options but I don’t think any of them fit what I’m looking for in a tank glamour. The Wild Rose Cuirass is undyeable but the colours and chest piece look stylish as they are.
The Strife Vest and Leonhart Jacket are iconic Final Fantasy looks of course and you can also dye them. I probably wouldn’t use the Tantalus Vest for a tank look, but the Breeches and Boots could actually come in handy so I thought I’d mention them. Same for the pants and footgear from the Strife and Leonhart sets actually.
Grand Company (Maelstrom) Gear
Since my Grand Company is the Maelstrom, I checked out the gear there in Limsa, but only two of the exclusive pieces caught my eye. There’s the Artisan’s Gown which makes your character look pretty high-class and sophisticated. I also like the curvy Storm Lieutenant’s Jacket, a military-style button-up coat with a high popped collar (that frustratingly clips my Hrothgar’s hair).
Marketboard (Crafted) Gear
The Facet Mail of Fending is an long ornate body piece with lots of gold trim, and dyeing it affects the cloth in the middle and some bits on the arms. The Zonureskin Coat of Fending is a leather body piece with a fur-lined collar. The Bluespirit Cuirass of Fending (High Mythrite Cuirass for gold trim instead of silver) and Deepgold Cuirass of Fending are both well-designed sturdy metal armours, while the Deepgold Mail of Fending has a cloth body with metal spaulders and looks more like a guard’s outfit.
The Chromite Armor of Fending is total Dark Knight aesthetic but is available for all tanks. Kirin’s Osode of Fending is a unique armour made of cloth with some rectangular metal plates protecting the shoulders. The Tigerskin Coat of Fending has always looked like a classic traveller or adventurer’s outfit to me, while the High Steel Mail of Fending and High Steel Scale Mail of Fending both look like they’d be worn by the royal guard or something. The Sky Rat Harness of Fending is a grungier exposed piece that could be part of a punk look, kind of Borderlands-esque. I’d say it leans a little more towards lightweight fantasy than modern.
The Heavy Metal Cuirass of Fending is a beefy chest piece with a simple design. The Sky Pirate’s Coat of Fending is a good sort of airship captain outfit. The Chivalric Coat of Fending is similar but without the white neckerchief. The Titanium Mail of Fending is a heavy chestpiece with spikes on the shoulders. The Archaeoskin Jackcoat of Crafting (or Gathering) actually looks like a pretty cool coat that fits more of a civilian look, while the Mythrite Hauberk of Fending is a thick, heavy set of armour that dyes really well.
The Wootz Cuirass has a slim body with big shoulders, and the Heavy Wolfram Cuirass has big…everything. The Militia Cuirass is a traditional look for a knight with plenty of chainmail textures in there. The Replica Heavy Allagan Armor looks big and imposing but the collar is strange to see from behind. The Replica Heavy High Allagan Coat is sleek and cool but doesn’t fit squarely in any of the categories. The other marketboard equipment below level 50 has a lot of reskins and look pretty basic, so I’ll skip over them and move to the crafted glamour gear.
Highlights from the level 1 glamour equipment include the Anemos Jacket for a tough leather look, and the Anemos Gambison for a modern covert ops aesthetic, I’m thinking for Gunbreaker. You could definitely come up with a lumberjack Warrior look using the Anemos Suspenders (or Wool, or Flannel). The Pagos Shirt works for a wild fighter feel, and the Light Steel Galerus for a coliseum theme. The Best Man’s Jacket goes for more of a secret agent look and it fits nicely on Hrothgar. There’s also the stylish, sleeveless, and expensive Hooded Fireglass Leather Vest, or Adventurer’s Hooded Vest for a variant with a tank top underneath.
Tomestone and Raid Gear
Heading over to Mor Dhona, the Ironworks Armor of Fending has a futuristic feel and fits the larger Hrothgar frame pretty nicely. The augmented level 50 sets for Paladin and Warrior found here dye pretty well, but they can’t be placed in the armoire like the undyed versions, and they’re exclusive to their respective jobs.
Next over in Idyllshire, the Asuran Hara-ate of Fending is a fairly simple heavy armour with spikes on the shoulders. The Creed Cuirass for Paladins has a unique metal feather motif on the front shoulder and collar. The Warrior’s Ravager’s Cuirass feels like a plains warrior, with a mixture of furs and metal on the shoulders. The Dark Knight’s Chaos Cuirass is long and imposing heavy armour with several shoulder spikes, but the front is hard to see detail in.
The Hellfire Armor of Fending has two spikes coming out high off the back, and the front has a low-cut chest. It dyes well and there’s nice detail on the hem. The Shire Custodian’s Armor is another fairly plain piece, but the metal dyes nicely and it has a sort of scarf/cape thing on the back. Its pauldrons sit further apart giving the shoulders a wider look.
The Gordian Plate Mail of Fending also has very wide shoulders with high spikes, and the bottom is divided into strips at the back. The Midan Coat of Fending is a very cool armour made mostly of cloth with chainmail running up the front towards a single spaulder on one shoulder. The hem also looks pretty battle-worn. The Alexandrian Mail of Fending looks quite regal, with lots of detail on the chest, waist, and hem. The back also has a small metal plate over the shoulder blades that looks like tiny wings.
I’ll also mention the Spotted Spencer glamour piece here (bought from Bertana with FATE tokens) which works if you want to go all in on a jaguar theme with your Hrothgar.
In Rhalgr’s Reach, the Clan Centurio vendor has the Ala Mhigan Coat of Fending which shares a model with the Zonureskin Coat from the marketboard. The Lost Allagan Surcoat of Fending is another piece with a kingly feel, mostly due to the straight shoulder spikes, but the strips at the bottom of the piece have less detail than the Gordian piece.
The Ryumyaku Jufuku is an asian-inspired battle outfit with layered plate armour down the arms, and cloth on the chest and back. The Scaevan Armor of Fending looks like a blend of medieval shape and space-age texture.
The Genji Oyoroi of Fending is extremely bulky, especially at the bottom, but it offers another eastern style of combat attire with large rectangular plates for protection. The Diamond Armor of Fending has a decent amount of metal armour for protection, but the traveller’s cloak (which clips the tail pretty badly) makes me feel like it has a more lightweight aesthetic. The Omega Gambison of Fending doesn’t clip the tail much at all, and is a sleek outfit with some unique pieces on the bottom that kind of remind me of bug wings.
In Eulmore the Ronkan Mail of Fending is pretty solid. I like the shape at the bottom and the shoulders, but I wish more than just the middle would change colour when you dye it. I’m definitely not a fan of the Deepshadow Cuirass of Fending. It’s long and dresslike, with a very large bust which from the side looks like cleavage. It also has really large pauldrons positioned almost like blinders. Maybe on other races it looks better but it’s not my thing for Hrothgar.
The Edengrace Mail of Fending has a lot going for it. The shoulder plates, gold trim, and simple bottom section are all great. However, the dyes don’t impress me much, and the waist has a bit of a bulge at the front which looks weird from the side.
PvP Gear
The Warwolf Cuirass of Fending is basic, but it shows off a lot of chainmail which makes the Hrothgar arms look surprisingly good. The Lionsmane Cuirass and Lynxfang Cuirass would look really nice if the collars didn’t clip through my hairstyle so badly. The other Hrothgar faces would probably be ok. Nothing can save the Warrior’s PvP offerings. It is quite possibly my least favourite gear in the whole game.
The Armor of the Behemoth King is super badass with minimal clipping. I love the many shoulder spikes, the jagged hem, and the fact that there’s no giant collar to clip my hair. The Republican Hoplomachus’s Lorica looks awesome, like an old Roman warrior. I don’t even mind the length on it because so much on the upper body fits the Hrothgar perfectly.
I’ll be honest, I don’t like any of the Garo gear for the tanks. The Warrior and Dark Knight ones especially look so dumb. The gigantic cape on top of an already bulky chestpiece just accentuates the Hrothgar’s hunch. It’s not flattering.
Gold Saucer Gear
At the Gold Saucer, nothing is really relevant to the search for my tank glamour. The Riviera Doublet and the Gambler’s Trenchcoat are both more civilian style clothes which I like the look of though.
Alliance and Dungeon Gear
Looking at dungeon loot, I’ll start with the 24-man raids. The Phlegethon’s Cuirass looks like it might work for an armoured style. The big red shoulders make it stand out. The Diabolic Mail of Fending looks particularly evil, probably due to the colour scheme and the jagged shapes on the metal and cloth. Unfortunately it requires farming the Dun Scaith raid.
The Ivalician Squire’s Tunic absolutely looks like something out of a royal court with the checkerboard pattern and bright colours. The Ivalician Ark Knight’s Surcoat is relatively simple, but it personifies a knight’s garb in my eyes, and while undyeable, is a pretty safe colour already.
For dungeon loot many of the drops share a model with a dyeable version so if it was a cool piece I’ve already covered it in another section. The Dark Divinity Herklaedi is a buff looking black chestpiece with a single shoulder spike. It’s edgy and angsty, just like a certain tank job. The Woad Skyraider’s Fur, as the name suggests, is mostly made of fur, but I also like the necklace and single plate on the shoulder.
The Valkyrie’s Cuirass of Fending is another unique piece with this model only available in dungeon drops. It’s got a red and white theme and feels more military-like. I’m including the Filibuster’s Heavy Gambison of Fending because it’s unique and ridiculous with how loaded and bulky it looks. To be fair though I think it looks better on Hrothgar than the other races.
The Ghost Barque Tabard of Fending is an unusually light outfit for tanks. Typically this is the type of gear you see on the melee jobs. Everybody knows about the Shisui set, and the Shisui Joi of Fending looks really good on Hrothgar. I’m sure it would pair with a bunch of other leg and arm gear if you don’t want to go for the whole skimpy swimsuit look.
The Arhat Hara-ate of Fending is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, which means you’ll probably be one-of-a-kind if you rock this aesthetic. Same goes for the Skallic Coat of Fending, which I like on Hrothgar better than most other races. It just looks like it fits well and it’s eye-catching. The Royal Volunteer’s Gambison of Fending has an army feel to it, though I wonder if the pouches on the belt stick out a little too much.
Normally I don’t like the long drapey pieces, but something about the Lakeland Coat of Fending just works for me. The Ravel Keeper’s Vest of Fending doesn’t have the best colour scheme, but the model is very different which I appreciate.
Favourites
For a Lightweight outfit, I really have too many favourites. For the sake of this post I’ll pick just two, which are the Tigerskin Coat of Fending and the Sky Rat Harness of Fending. The tigerskin coat just seems like such an adventurer kind of outfit that I was immediately drawn to it. The harness is really grungy and I love it for an all-out warrior just charging in and dishing out damage.
Some close contenders were the raid gear chestpieces: the Midan Coat, Diamond Armor, and Omega Gambison, though these are a little tougher to get your hands on. I also love the Zonureskin gear for the fur look and I use this one as well in my glamour plates.
For the Knight aesthetic there are tons of options in the game, so narrowing it down was even harder than the last category. I think there were at least twice as many pieces of equipment that fit into this category. I decided to feature the Gordian Plate Mail of Fending and the Ivalician Ark Knight’s Surcoat.
The High Steel Scale Mail is also really nice for the shining knight aesthetic. The Diabolic Mail is one that will take some time to farm but I definitely want it in my dresser as well. Hopefully they add a dyeable version in the future. I plan to put the Republican Hoplomachus’s Lorica in the dresser too since I love that older style it has.
For the Modern look I chose one for street clothes and one for an army or military vibe, since those were the two main themes of this category. The Anemos Jacket is the street look, while the Uwagi 55 is my pick for a military coat.
The Skallic Coat and the Royal Volunteer’s Gambison are also great for the army look, while the Anemos Gambison and the Adventurer’s Hooded Vest were some other pieces I liked for their casual style.
Do you have any favourite glamours that I missed, either for tank or Hrothgar in general? Let me know in the comments.
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