Tanking Guide

[Budmonkey]

Ok thought is was about time i tried my hand at writting a guide on how to MT instance runs, some may know most of this already and some may get something useful from it.

PREPERATION
First things first, when my group or raid is formed i always identify who in my group will need watching, Priest/Druid, Mage/Warlock(clothies) will always need attention during fights so identify them before you start. Leather/Mail/Plate users are more durable and will survive longer than a clothie, they are not my first priotity when it comes to taunting mobs.
Simple things like making sure you have a few Health pots and that your Armour is fully repaired is basic but worth a mention, also carry a rage pot for dire moments when you just need rage fast:p

THE PULL
Before you click charge or fire your gun/bow observe the group and the immediate surroundings, ask yourself the following.. How many elites are in the group? are there any patrols passing through group you are pulling? are all the mobs linked?
After a quick survey i decide weather or not i shoot or charge. I always charge whenever the situation allows, the reason being that charge gives me free rage, it stuns the enemy, it creates agro and it looks the dogs bollox :D
I shoot pull when there is a danger of pulling adds if i charge, or a mob can be pulled by it's self(UBRS is Typical shoot pull Instance).
I will charge whenever the target mob is linked to a group that will agro anyway and there is NO danger of pulling adds(Stratholme, undead's can be charge pulled though some groups can not be pulled safley so you have to shoot, experience will soon teach you which you can and can not).

GRABBING AND HOLDING AGRO
Ok as i have said i prefer the charge pull whenever possible so i will explain what i do on a typical charge pull(lets say we have 3 elites to tank)
Select target.
IMPORTANT:check that your group is ready fight ;)
Charge, before i even reach the mob i have started to change stance to Zerker, whirlwind(25 rage so you will need to wait until it lights up which seems to be instant for me, i have 2 points in improved charge) as soon as i get WW off i now switch to Defensive stance.
As soon i am in defensive stance i hit Demo shout and take a few steps back, seems to fan the mobs nicley in front of me, by this point less than 2-3 secs have passed and i have at least 4-5 mobs which have all taken 300+ damage(500-900 damage if ww crits)each and are pretty pissed.
Immediatly select the closest target to the one i charged, taunt and 1 sunder then switch to third target, sunder, revenge, sunder.
Now back to the mob i charged sunder,revenge and then cleave, 2 or 3 times if i have the rage. Cleave is exellent tanking tool IMO, try it!! This generally has the mobs fixed on me.
There is a good possability that one of the mobs will leave you and is probably trying to eat your Mage or Priest, simply ask the clothie, or better still inform your group that if they have a mob on them that all they need do is let you know on TeamSpeak and then move close to you, simply select the mob, taunt and sunder, revenge ect. But remember that you just pulled this mob so work hard on it as it's likely still got your clothie on it's mind :p
MSG to CLOTHIES: Do not run and jump all over the place as it makes getting the mob off you near impossible, also you look stupid :D
It is Important to switch targets once you have the agro, experience will teach you how long you can stay on each mob so expect some trial and error here.
Shoot pulls work slightly different, as you start with no rage and the 1 shot you fired will not hold the mob you pulled for very long.
I tend to use Bloodrage before i pull(20rage) and wait for my first hit to land which normally affords me enough rage to switch stance and get a WW off, then i go through the routine i explained above.
If for whatever reason i have failed to get WW off or the mobs just aint playing ball, and don't want to be tanked then i will not hesitate to use Challenging shout.
This skill is on a 10 min timer which seems long but 10 mins go quickly in an instance. Anyway challenging shout will only grant you 6secs off agro so again i will switch stance and fire a WW off for max agro generation in shortest space of time, back to defensive stance hit shield wall and start Taunt, sunder, revenge ect like a mad man, remembering to switch targets.
Tip for this situation..dont use your taunt until you see a mob leave you, nothing worse than taunting a mob thats hitting you already then watching another mob leave the second you use it :rolleyes:
Don't be afraid to use your shield wall, i dont care that its on a 30 min timer, if i need it i use it! Also no point in you using challenging shout getting the agro and dropping dead in less than a few sec, shield wall is useful but most are afraid to use it because of the timer, dont be:p

Some tanks will vary how they grab agro, using Thunderclap, Demo shout or WW so play about see what works best for you. Also i have found the quicker the weapon you use the better, means skills that are not instant and on the next swing happen quickly, cleave for example.
Will finish off for now by saying that it took me some time to perfect the way i tank so don't get annoyed or put off if things don't work out at first, keep trying and it will come :)
I may add to this later but thats all for now.

[Daymare]

great guide mate, if you could get a number cruncher to put in some aggro numbers, it would be awesome. I always wondered what tools to use while tanking =)

[Shinigami]

Good post Bud.

I can only say that it apparently works, Bud is very hard to pull aggro off and he is also one of the top damage dealers in the party :)

[Ironman]

Budmonkey ftw. :D

[Jega]

Nice work Bud, will remeber that if I ever create a warrior :)

[Banadan]

Just to add - the group(s) should realise that the aggro is a 'two way street' and that all have to watch 'left and right' when crossing it. It is not only the tanks job to worry about aggro management, it's something what everyone has to pay attention to. Personally, I can pull off the aggro from the tank, but I do my best to NOT do it, which means that if I see that the aggro starts to 'act up', I stand back - stop attacking, move out of attack range, actions like that. Few seconds and it's 'back on track' and I can resume whatever I was doing. Same should go for everyone - if you see that you're about to pull the aggro - stop for a while and let the tank regain it. Easiest is to stop attacking for a bit, some classes also have special abilities/spells, which allow the aggro to drop from them for a moment and that's really what's needed, as the tank can then get it back.

So, yep, tips are good, but the group should watch it as well, and not to try to make the tanks work harder. And as Bud said - if someme does get aggro from multiple incoming mobs and then starts to run around like headless chicken - stop it. This will not save you, this will only make it WORSE for the tank to get the aggro off of you, because tank abilities do not have a 'mile long' radius like the spells do, they have to be used from very close range and obviously the running around doesn't allow it. Such running will only cause more problems and this time, for the whole group/raid.

[Dojun]

And dont attack 1 target per person. it is hard to keep aggro on 3+ mobs if one is attaked by the mage the other by a rogue and so on.

[Gromagrim]

Nice guide Bud, a few additions I'd like to make;

Mocking Blow; If you find yourself tauntless, this is a good back up (it's a 6-second long taunt with a longer cooldown, found in Battle Stance)

Tactical Mastery; An arms talent, it allows you to keep 5 rage (x5) when swapping stances, and is essential.

Concussion Blow; A Protection talent, this will stun the enemy for 5 seconds. If you find yourself with 2 mobs to peel off a cloth-wearer, stun one (it's becoming instant-cast next patch), then you've got 5 seconds to really piss off the other

Disarm, Sheild Bash/Pummel; What attacks annoy you as a player? Being disarmed, and being interrupted/silenced must rank high, and the same is true of mobs

Hamstring/Execute; found in Battle and 'Zerker stance, these 2 are your anti-runner devices, though you'll probably find you don't have time/rage to use them, unless it's the last mob of the pull. Because of this, let the rest of the group know that runners are their responsibility. If you have points in Fury talents, you might also have Piercing Howl, which is AoE daze, available in all stances and highly useful.

Last Stand; A great alternative to potions or Sheild wall, Last Stand gives your healer 15 seconds to get you healthy again, by lending you up to 30% of your full health



A few notes; Positioning

A tank is ideally suited to performing the three roles of tanking, pulling and leading. Once you know the pulls in an instance, you'll also be learning the patrol routes as well, and should have an instinct of where to stand not to pull adds. As a leader, you need to convey this to the group. Also, you need too be aware of two other attributes most players have - that is elastic tapemeasure, and DDD

Elastic tapemeasure needs to be taken into account when telling your group where is safe to go. What might be a great spot when you're standing in it, may well lead to a wipe when anyone else is there. This is because of elastic tapemeasure, when one metre might actually end up stretching to 3 or 4. Consequently, tell the party to stay well back, and well away from doorways. Good example: Stratholme, Scarlet part

DDD is the rather crudely named 'Dog's Dick Dilemma' after the fact that some players just have to be in, like a stray dog's dick. A perfect example is the 'Wall of safety' after the rookery in UBRS. You might tell the whole group to stand with it's back to the wall, but you can be sure as you return from the stairs with a pack of bloodthirsty orcs on your tail, that one person has edged forward and then it becomes a game of one-upmanship in the time you head off to pull, and all but the healers are somewhere just asking to be intercepted off the ledge. Extreme sufferers can be spotted by the fact that they're next to you on the stairs as you pull :rolleyes:

Tactics: Charge and Pull

I find this to be most effective against linked groups of mobs (like Strat undead) It basically involves grabbing lots of aggro (thunderclap, demo shout, WW if you have time) and bringign the mobs back to a safe position for the rest of the group to deal with (remembering the positioning rules above ^^, and also taking runners into account). It's a pretty obvious miltary strategy really, taking and holding territory - you clear somewhere, occupy it, and bring the enemy into that territory, before claiming the next bit of ground.

Bit hiccups to this come in threes - 1) Runners. The bane of my life, the fact you've brought them back gives the groups more tiem to deal with them, but you need to assign a ranged fighter with instant/fast cast abilities to watch for them, or have rogues with crippling poinson, or have piercing howl, or have warlocks/palas ready to curse and judge them. 2) Players. A melee class stopping a runner really doesn't acheive anything if he himself then pulls the next group. Again, see positioning 3) Caster mobs. No good bringing the rest back if the casters stay there :p 2 ways to deal with this, first is get the mage to do it! counterspell is brilliant t odraw the casters in, or just sheep them :p, secondly is;

Tactic: Sheild bash drag

Go up to the mob, use sheild bash, taunt and walk backwards. The caster will obediantly walk back with you, meleeing :D Also works on ranged mobs (trolls with throwing axes etc.) if yo ucan get them to start meleeing, then retreat.

This works brilliantly with Improved Sheild Bash (Protection talent) as the sheild bash also silences the mod for 3 seconds. With regular sheild bash, you'll need to wait for them to cast ,then hope they just don't swap schools and cast a different spell, all in all, just go for MAge counterspell if yo udon't have it improved :p


More if I think of it

[Budmonkey]

Some good stuff coming out here lads, the shield bash and drag works a charm and every tank should use this, intercept and pummel does the same trick but shield bash is my preffered option.
Runners are a real problem, if only Hamstring was in Defensive stance:S
I have piercing howl atm and it is very effective, only 10 rage, instant cast with no cool down, but having Hunter/mage watching the runners if far more reliable imo.
Mocking blow is a handy tool to use but i seldom come out of defensive stance once i have settled into a fight, if i am doing it right i am taking a lot of hits and switching out of DS means i am taking more damage and also losing threat generation that the stance gives me, useful skill all the same and as Grom said worth using when you find yourself with an 8-10sec Taunt cooldown.
Lmao at the 'Dog's Dick Dilemma' have seen it so many times, in fact have been guilty off it in the past :p
Banadan makes a good point about agro been a two way affair, learning to manage your own agro is very important, damage dealers who end up dead because they stripped a mob off the tank during a normal pull, should have a word with themselves :p That said if the tank has points in protection and is doing his job well then damage dealers will have a job to agro the mob. Allowing the tank even 5 secs before the nukes come makes a big difference and this is an area that we will all have to work on with MC just around the corner.
Will add some info on Talent points when i have more time ;)

[arjarjar]

Just a little add, Give the tank some time to get agro before the damage dealers fire off the heavy damage spells, if you start with the biggest and baddest right off the tank will not be able to hold aggro and you will have the mob on you :D

Also i like using beserker rage when possible just because it gives you extra rage generation with every hit you take.

[Gromagrim]

Also i like using beserker rage when possible just because it gives you extra rage generation with every hit you take.
This is true, but only worth using really once you're sure you'll hold aggro (i.e. after 3 revanges :p) and also that the mob you're against isn't going to smack you down - 'Zerker stance makes you take an extra 10% damage, and in a boss fight where you might take 40- or 50,000 damamge, that extra 5000 is enough to drain one full health bar of most tanks, and will make a big dint at least :p

[Toast]

Very useful stuff guys, keep it coming. :D

[Gromagrim]

Missle Weapons

Just a quick one, but I find Thrown weapons to be the best, as they are the fastest, so you can pull much quicker with them (useful against a moving target)

On the downside, guns/bows add stats or passive effects (attack power etc.) to you, that thrown weapons don't

[Ramiraz]

I would be very gratefull if you could write up a guide of how to tank, when you have a secondary MT present, since alot of our warriors seem to think that if they are MT 1, then they need to steal agro from the mobs that MT 2 is tanking

[Gromagrim]

Most MTs will take aggro from their Offtank until they get used to playing with them. MTs need to be aggro greedy in their early development :p

More importantly is for all tanks to understand how to offtank, as this will benefit the Main Tank (no, taunting a boss isn't a good idea as an offtank :p), and also allow those offtanks to behave courteously when they fill the role of Main tank

[arjarjar]

Is it usefull to use "Execute" as the main tank or better to keep your rage and try keep agro on all?