Returning player
 

When I played live, many many years ago, I deeply enjoyed being a tank - specifically an SK. I took a great deal of pride in developing skills pulling, managing agro, and choosing my gear in a thoughtful way to improve my tank-ability.

But based on the reading here, it sounds like groups don't want anything to do with an SK tank, that they only want warriors.

Is that really the case?

I think for dungeons and groups SKs are fine and nobody cares (that's my experience). Considering how hard it is to find an actual tank for PUGs I don't think most care so long as you can hold aggro and take a hit. If you plan to move on to raiding that is a different story. I don't have first-hand experience with the raiding scene so maybe someone else can comment on that but I'm guessing at this stage of the EQ timeline Warriors are used over hybrids. My only issue with SK tanks is they tend to "taunt" every mob with their dot and then I can't mez. :p

In all my years playing here I don't think I've ever seen class discrimination, of any kind, in a leveling group - maybe I've lucked out a bit - BUT the forums are not a super accurate representation of Norrath : )

For my groups i will always prefer a hybrid tank over a warrior. Problem is taunting. A warriors taunts are not as reliable as a hybrids. Thats the price the warrior pays for more durability and weapon damage. In normal group content a hybrid tank is sufficiently durable.

Spoken like a champion; have fun in everquest, not forumquest.

Anyone can tank, if the group will allow it. I've had every class tank, actually. Sk and paladin are among the best at snap aggro. Warrior and monk can mitigate one they have aggro. Other classes require more creativity.

If you want to play an SK, do it. You won't get kicked out unless you just suck at it. :)

^^This.

Any extra healing the warrior saves the cleric is balanced out by the enchanter or shaman getting smacked around. By the time it's safe to slow an exp mob being tanked by a warrior, it's not worth slowing them.

Pal/sk are great for snap aggro and augmenting groups that suck. In an exceptional group, they are found lacking. Warriors are generally speaking always lacking. If I don't need a pal/sk's snap aggro, I'd just go with a monk for tank. If I don't need the pal/sk mitigation, but do need snap aggro, I'll go with a ranger. Bard works fabulously too. War tank is bottom barrel :/

That might be true for an enchanter, but on my shaman I slow exp mobs (and even some raid mobs) as early as possible.

Thank you all. I've made my SK now and am happily leveling away :)