Templar
The Wall
Tank
The wall. Holds aggro, soaks damage, and leads the charge.
Verdict: Essential in groups — just know solo will test your patience.
Overview
Templar is the wall that every party builds around, and walls do not get enough credit. As the only pure tank at launch, it owns the single most structurally important job in group content: standing between the boss and everyone else, and not moving. Its effective health pool is the largest in the game, its mitigation cooldowns turn lethal mechanics into inconveniences, and its presence lets the other four party members play aggressively instead of defensively. That is the job, and Templar does it better than anything else. The price is everything outside the group. Solo progression is the slowest of any class — no burst, no pets, no shortcuts — and in PvP its impact is limited to disruption rather than kills. Templar is a class you pick with open eyes: essential, respected, and patient.
Templar at a glance
- Solo — D: Slowest clear in the game — built to survive, not to kill. Nothing stops you, but everything takes forever.
- Group PvE — A: Best pure tank; every hard group is built around one. Bosses stay controlled, damage stays predictable, and healers can plan instead of panic.
- PvP — B: Disruption and peeling without kill threat. Valuable in organized groups that need space held; limited alone.
Templar in PvE
In PvE, Templar is the anchor. Best-in-class single-target tanking means bosses stay faced away from the party, damage comes in predictable patterns, and healers can plan instead of panic. On hard content, the difference between a good Templar and an average one is the difference between a clean clear and a chaotic wipe — positioning, cooldown rotation, and pull pacing all flow from the tank. The class is low-maintenance in one sense (the job description never changes) and high-responsibility in another (everyone notices when the tank fails). If you want the role where your competence is most visible to the group, this is it.
Templar in PvP
In PvP, Templar is disruption, not damage. It holds frontlines, peels divers off the backline, and controls space — the unglamorous work that wins organized fights. A Templar that times its control well shuts down enemy engages before they start. What it cannot do is threaten kills alone; duels against any competent DPS are slow losses. Its PvP value is almost entirely in group play, where being unkillable and disruptive is worth more than another damage dealer.
Solo play
Soloing as Templar is the slowest in the game. There is no way around it: the kit is built for surviving and holding aggro, not for killing things quickly. You will complete solo content — you are nearly unkillable, so nothing stops you — but every other class does it faster. Templar mains accept this trade on day one. If your playtime is mostly solo, pick Gladiator instead and get 80% of the durability with triple the clear speed.
Playstyle and difficulty
Playing Templar feels like being the foundation of a building: invisible when it works, catastrophic when it does not. The moment-to-moment game is positioning, cooldown management, and fight pacing — less about rotation execution, more about judgment. When do you pull? Which cooldown covers which mechanic? Where do you stand so the boss cleaves nobody? Rated Easy to learn because the basics are intuitive (hold aggro, do not die), but the responsibility weight is the heaviest in the game.
Group value
Every party needs exactly one tank, and at launch that tank is a Templar. It is the most structurally secure group slot in the game — no competition, no meta risk, no balance patch can remove the need for someone to stand in front. If you want guaranteed relevance, this is it.
Strengths
- Best single-target tanking in the game — bosses stay controlled and damage stays predictable
- Largest effective health pool with strong mitigation cooldowns for lethal mechanics
- The most structurally secure group slot: every party needs exactly one, with zero competition
- Enables aggressive play from the whole party — DPS and healers perform better behind a good tank
- Simple, role-driven kit that will never be obsoleted by balance patches
Weaknesses
- Slowest solo progression in the game — no burst, no pets, no shortcuts to clear speed
- Positioning mistakes punish the entire party, not just you — heaviest responsibility weight
- Limited PvP impact beyond disruption; cannot threaten kills or carry fights alone
- Can feel thankless: perfect tanking is invisible, mistakes are unforgettable
- Gear-dependent for the hardest content — undergeared tanks feel it first
Beginner tips
- Learn each boss’s attack pattern before your group does — the tank sets the pace, so study ahead
- Rotate mitigation cooldowns across mechanics instead of stacking them; coverage beats overkill
- Position bosses with the party in mind, not yourself — your comfort is irrelevant, their uptime is everything
- Communicate pulls and cooldowns; a silent tank forces the group to guess, and guessing wipes
- In PvP, peel for your backline instead of chasing kills — your job is disruption, not damage
Common mistakes
- Pulling without communicating — a silent tank forces four people to guess, and guessing wipes
- Stacking all mitigation cooldowns at once instead of rotating coverage across mechanics
- Positioning the boss for your own comfort instead of the party’s uptime
- Chasing PvP kills instead of peeling — your job is disruption, and kills are someone else’s
Progression philosophy
Tank progression is the most gear-sensitive in the early game and the most skill-sensitive in the late game. First, get durable enough that healers can keep you up through the hardest hits — effective health is your first milestone. Then the gains shift to judgment: pull pacing, cooldown rotation, and positioning that gives your party maximum uptime. Study fights before your group does; the tank sets the pace, so your preparation is everyone’s preparation. A well-prepared average-geared Templar outperforms an unprepared well-geared one.
Templar FAQ
Is Templar worth maining?
Yes, if you mainly play in groups. It is the most secure group slot in the game with zero competition. But go in with open eyes: solo play is the slowest of any class, so it is a poor choice as a solo-first main.
Templar vs Gladiator — which should I pick?
Templar if you want to be the dedicated tank; Gladiator if you want durability plus real damage. Gladiator solos far better and is more fun moment-to-moment, Templar is the superior pure tank and the safer group slot.
Is Templar hard to play?
Mechanically easy — hold aggro, use cooldowns, position well. What is hard is the responsibility: every mistake is public and punishes four other people. The pressure, not the buttons, is the difficulty.
Do I need a Templar for dungeons?
For hard content, effectively yes — groups need a real tank and Templar is the only pure one at launch. For easy farm content, a durable Gladiator can cover, but progression groups will always want the real thing.
What should Templar actually do in PvP?
Peel, disrupt, and hold space. Body-block dives on your backline, control enemy engages before they start, and be the unkillable problem the other team has to play around. You will not top kills — you will enable them.
Is tanking stressful?
Honestly, yes — it carries the most responsibility weight of any role. Every mistake is public. But it is also the most respected when done well, and the fundamentals (positioning, cooldown rotation) are very learnable. The stress fades as competence grows.
What separates a good Templar from a great one?
Pull pacing and cooldown discipline. Good Templars hold aggro and do not die; great ones set the tempo — knowing when to pull, which cooldown covers which mechanic, and positioning bosses so the party never stops attacking.
Can Templar deal damage?
Not meaningfully. Your damage is a byproduct of staying alive and holding aggro, not a goal. If you want durability plus real damage, that is Gladiator’s pitch — Templar is the pure tank.
Who should play Templar?
Players who like being the anchor of the group and controlling the pace of fights.
Bottom line
Templar is the foundation class. Nobody picks it for excitement — they pick it because every group needs exactly one, and being that one means permanent relevance, instant invites, and the quiet respect of everyone who understands the game. The solo grind is real and the PvP ceiling is low, so this is a group player’s class through and through. Pick Templar if you want to be essential rather than flashy, and you measure fun in clean clears.
Patch history
October 2026 — Global launch: Templar debuts at Tier A in the initial Aion 2 tier list. Essential in groups — just know solo will test your patience. Rankings will be revisited after the first balance patch.