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A Guide to Tanking v2.0
I see way too many people who think the single quality defining
a tank is
a high armor value, and that enemies will magically start
attacking the
tank just because of that. Tanking is a skill useful not only in
dungeons,
but whenever a group of players are fighting a group of enemies.
Your sole purpose as a tank is to keep enemies away from
casters, and most
importantly, healers. A good healer can keep you alive almost no
matter
how much damage you take, as long as they are free to cast
uninterupted.
Non-caster players will generally be ok on their own, since they
only
aggro the single units they are attacking, but allways keep an
eye on
everyone just in case.
Main tank: The reason why you need a main tank for a dungeon is
that when
fighting single targets (bosses), there is no tactic a
dmg-dealer can use
to reduce the amount of aggro he produces (except to stop
attacking). You
simply need someone who can out-aggro anyone, with high enough
armor to
make healing effective. Also, if a healer is being mobbed, and
is forced
to start healing himself excessively, it can create an aggro
lock that is
almost impossible for anyone but a really good tank to break.
Off-tank: The defenition of an off-tank is a player that can
safely and
effectively tank one enemy. Depending on the situation and
composition of
your group, this may apply to anything from paladins to rogues
or
range-spec hunters. Basically, if you are fighting more units
than the
main tank can handle (damage- or aggro-wise), an off-tank needs
to step
in. As stated in the tips and tricks below, try to go for a
target that
isn't being attacked, it will be much easier for you to pull,
and you will
not need to attack it continuously to keep it locked on you.
General main tank requirements: There are only two really good
tank
classes, warrior (defensive stance) and druid (bear form), with
paladin as
the third "ok" tank, viable in dungeons up to lvl 35 or so. But
in lack of
these, any fighter class can go in as emergency tank, provided
the enemies
are weak enough for him to handle (don't try this in dungeons!).
Equipment
and talents matter a lot naturally, so for any situation that
requires a
good tank, don't go with caster-specced druids or warriors
without shield.
High level dungeon main tank requirements: Forget paladin, and
don't use a
druid if you can help it. Good feral druids are rare, and even
they are
generally more valuable as healers. Warriors (with shields) have
superior
final armor and hit points, and is the only real choise. Points
in
tactical mastery is almost a must, it enables the warrior to use
the best
of different stances.
General tips and tricks:
* Some abilities generate more aggro than others. There's no
table of
statistics that I know of, but you can figure it out roughly on
your own.
It might allso be a good idea to use low aggro abilities when
you aren't
tank.
* Leave to others what they can handle themselves. For example,
if a mage
is attacked by a single enemy and you aren't close, he will cast
polymorph. If you charge in, you might leave other players
vulnerable for
no use.
* Enemies that aren't being attacked are very easy to pull, a
single hit
or spell can make them turn on you.
* Since the enemies will be following you, you are responsible
for making
sure they take maximum damage from aoe spells.
Tanking with warrior/druid:
Taunt is your main weapon, it almost always pulls the targeted
enemy.
Sunder armor and fiery fire are rage/aggro-effective abilities,
so spam
away, and save bash/disarm to disable units you don't have time
to pull.
The hp loss from berserker rage (warrior) is minimal, but be
careful about
enrage (druid), the -25% armor is not helpful in a serious
fight. Feral
charge (druid) is a highly useful ability for intercepting
enemies that
are running away or attacking casters.
Tanking with paladin:
Using Seal of fury, and having cast blessing of salvation on
everyone you
think needs it, you can pull a resonable amount of aggro, but
accept your
limits and stick to protecting the casters first of all. Save
hammer of
justice to disable units you don't have time to pull, and use
blessing of
protection wisely. Improved seal of fury allows you to tank
slighly
better, but you still wont be able to tank in dungeons past
level 40,
unless you are at a significantly higher level.
Things to stress to your teammates:
* Spread out a little, if you stand in a pile I can't see who's
being
attacked.
* Don't overnuke! If you are being attacked, switch target or
stop
attacking. (to casters)
* Don't cast spells, just heal! (high level healers will
generally know
when to do which)
* If you're being attacked, run towards me, that way I can get
the unit
off you easier.!
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