Make a man out of me(overcoming my fear of tanking)...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dioptase

I'll tell you I'm a terrible tank but I love to do it! Just in the last few days I've gotten to a point where I can solo tank shiva and Titan (although dps has to be decent to solo Titan) and now that Ive accomplished that I'll be working on coil, you'll get the ones that'll lol at you just laugh it off and keep going you'll get it. As far as primal a go always be ready to solo tank it that's the best advice I can give about that.

---

Probably not the best advice I've ever seen for someone who's trying to be eased into tanking.
You should NOT always be prepared to solo tank ex primals especially if you're new.
Solo tanking, especially titan and Shiva, is something you shouldn't think about doing until your gear and knowledge of the fight are to where you know where all the hard hitting abilities are and can mitigate them

Solo tanking is fine but definitely just do normal 2 tank runs until you're very very comfortable with the fight, and the same needs to be said for the healers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dioptase

I'll tell you I'm a terrible tank but I love to do it! Just in the last few days I've gotten to a point where I can solo tank shiva and Titan (although dps has to be decent to solo Titan) and now that Ive accomplished that I'll be working on coil, you'll get the ones that'll lol at you just laugh it off and keep going you'll get it. As far as primal a go always be ready to solo tank it that's the best advice I can give about that.

---

Eh. I wouldn't advise an inexperienced tank that's insecure about his tanking ability that he needs to know how to fly solo. OP is still low level so first and foremost, he needs to learn how to tank and get more confident with his skills. There's plenty of time later to learn how to solo tank eight man content. Some people never get comfortable with it. Unlike most dungeon encounters which are generally salvageable if the tank dies, things like EX primals and Coil are very likely to fall apart in a matter of seconds if a solo tank goes down.

Basically, don't scare the poor dude; he already says he's afraid of tanking. xD

Yeah, solo tanking is only for when you're geared + experienced. Tanking @ 50 is very much about knowing the rotation of the fight and when big hits are coming - this is mitigated a bit by having 2 tanks share that responsibility. It is good to expect the worst, but don't expect to clear unless you know the fight you're doing like the back of your hand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eye_Gore

Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it? As a leader if you don't believe in yourself, who will?

---

You sure know how to hit the nail on the head.

This turn out of helpful advice was truly unprecedented. I was not expecting so many responses and especially not for each one to be insightful. Thanks to everyone for the wise words. It is reassuring when reminded that I have run these dungeons numerous times on Monk. I guess much of my problem is just anxiety and lack of confidence. It's just that when your life has been the rear 180 degrees of the mob the entire game, switching to the front somehow feels like a completely different world. You fine people have taken some of the stigma off of it. Many thanks.

also, put all 30 of your bonus points into str
wear armor meant for gla pld med war, and use str or vit accessories, but prefer str

war is big on self heals
and more damage is more aggro and bigger self heals

Yeeeah, no. I would wait on using strength gear until you are absolutely comfortable with tanking. For now while your practicing, I would recommend full vit then swap slowly to strength once you have a good handle on all your tools. Strength tanking is for skilled players, not someone learning the ropes.

You can always use a mix of STR/VIT accessories, but points should definitely go into STR. Leveling up it doesn't really matter which accessories you use as long as you use accessories. If you find yourself dying a lot, swapping STR accessories for VIT ones will usually solve that problem.

If you are legitimately afraid of tanking, it means that you care about doing a good job, IMO. That idea alone puts you ahead of 75% of the pack.

Just practice, work hard, research your job, and work harder. Queue up for dungeons over and over and over. Be receptive to criticism, ignore insults, and learn from failure.

If you are worried about going into dungeons or encounters blind, do your homework and watch guides, but keep in mind that nothing beats hands on experience.

Also, learn to be a good OT. Generally speaking, OTing properly is the more difficult role when compared to MT.

As a new tank, I would not recommend that you go with STR Accessories or bonus points. Start out at 50 focusing on beefing up your sturdiness, then start messing around with STR. The only exception to that would be if you can afford Penta'd 110 accessories.

Learn to take damage and learn the when's and why's of cooldowns. Know how to tank, then worry about dishing out more damage. You have plenty of time to learn about hostile/offensive tanking after you master the primary functions of the job.

If you are going to stick to warrior, definitely learn how to U.B.I.R. by 50 8)

Tanking can be a major pain in the balls at times, but it really is a satisfying role in the long run. Good luck bubba and crack some skulls!

I'm also very new to tanking after a lifetime of DPS and healing in MMOs~ I feared it too, all the responsibility and that. But after going through a few runs you do tend to build up your confidence. Even when I thought I had done a terrible job, at the end I got a couple of "GJ Tank"s because no one died and I held aggro.
That's really all you have to worry about. Don't fear taking the hits. Keep a calm head and take note of what's happening around you. And yes, learn about the encounters beforehand if possible ^^

edit: tanking also let me see the front of boss models so I was like oohhh so that's what they look like lol

I would swear at you and make you feel like slitting your wrists but that is not allowed on the forums. Unfortunately this comes with the territory of tanking as you will need to develop a thick skin. I'm a seasoned tank, war since day 1 of ARR and even though I know exactly what I am doing and doing it right there will always be people who will always try to make me feel bad for no reason or just being nit-picky, be it elitists, trolls or people just out to get you. Though I know how to hold my own in an argument against my class so its no biggie for me so if you start an argument with me know that you will most likely make yourself look bad. This is especially worse during "expected" speed runs when the dps out gear you and start pulling left and right to force you to grab all mobs than you are comfortable with.

My advice:

1. If you are keeping hate away from party and staying alive with proper cds then you are right.
2. Be comfortable with the amount of mobs you can handle but slowly experiment with grabbing more when you feel you can trust your healer and your skills.
3. Always use Provoke followed by a weapon skill right after to secure hate i.e Provoke > Shield Lob/Tomahawk
4. Probably the most important, Don't let what others say get to you and know that if it wasn't for you tanking they would still be sitting in queue.