Offtank enmity in Turn 4, Phase 6: How do YOU do it?

BC Turn 4 is somewhat old content for the top-tier players around here, but for my own improvement, I'd like to know how the best offtanks grab so much hate in so little time. In the groups I find myself in, we're usually finishing off the Phase 5 Knight and Soldier as the Phase 6 Knight, Soldier, and Spinner Rook appear. I try the usual tricks--saving IB and combo'd BB to use on the spawns, saving Provoke and Tomahawk for emergencies. But this isn't good enough--healers are getting destroyed, though it takes me only 8 seconds or so from the time of spawn to have everything on me.

I consider myself a tank of above-average skill and knowledge, so it's deflating to be the cause of wipes in Duty Finder. I'll admit to not knowing spawn locations very well on my first couple attempts, but I'm getting better there. I think I need to be using Flash more--maybe stand in the middle, Flash the first add, and stand near the healers for Overpower to grab the whole group as they swarm?

I usually just Flash and Overpower the knight and soldier and save voke etc. to snag the rook if a DPS isn't assigned to kite/KB it. If you're killing the dread first in p5 then the bugs don't matter.

As Off-tank on warrior for this fight, I do the following sequence: Make sure you have Infuriated status by the end of phase 5, Flash the Soldier as soon as the name appears, run to the Knight spawn location and Steel Cyclone, Infuriate, Steel Cyclone on the bugs if they gather at healer and you guys are not feeding it, Vengeance then proceed to Bloodbath, Overpower spam.

Something else that can help would be to have your healers both stand in the same place, somewhat away from the Dreadnaught. If they're both in the same place, then the mobs that agro them will all be in one spot for you to pick up with some of the skills others have mentioned.

It sounds like you guys are killing the Dread then dpsing the Soldier and Knight while you wait for the next phase. I suggest switching that around, and killing the knight/soldier instead of the dread.

It puts a bit more stress on the main tank, but my FC has found it's a lot cleaner. Then, when phase 6 starts, your OT has his hands free for aggro, the MT just has to flash real quick, and then you can just kill in this order.

Spinner - Damaged Dread - Soldier/Knight - Bugs - Dread.

It also helps if the OT kites a bit while he waits for DD assistance.

We had a ranged kite the new P6 soldier(or knight if brd), and I took the other along with the P5 knight/soldier. Bugs were fed to dread and rook was killed quickly by melee LB/dps.

Note that I haven't done T4 since echo was added, so I am not sure how that changes things. I'm guessing you could just tank all four clockworks now without issue. Know where they spawn and do a loaded BB/RoH on one and then toma/lob on other. There is not really any need for you to be tanking bugs or rook. Feed and have dps handle rook.

This might not even be your fault if healers are grabbing hate. My FC kites the knights and soldiers in the last 2 waves and the OT never loses hate by just using overpower/flash whenever he gets drawn in.

Healers might just not be timing their burst healing incorrectly or are overhealing. There's a ton of different ways to do the last 2 phases but typically if the tanks know what to do and healers are dying at the end it's usually the healers' own fault. Regardless of whether you kill the 2nd dread or the knight and soldier, healers should be burst healing and getting the tanks up to full before the intended enemies die so they aren't scrambling to do it after the next wave pops and they pull hate.

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Originally Posted by Bombast

It sounds like you guys are killing the Dread then dpsing the Soldier and Knight while you wait for the next phase. I suggest switching that around, and killing the knight/soldier instead of the dread.

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It seems to go both ways most of the time. Part of the problem might be Duty Finder and the lack of communication. I can take it upon myself, if I get assigned OT, to suggest prioritizing the Phase 5 knight/soldier so I have a little breathing room / better visibility going into Phase 6. Same with asking healers to stand in the same spot (thanks, JoeDono).

Thanks for all the advice, responders. Sounds like a good rule of thumb is, wait in the middle, Flash the first add, and move toward the healer(s) while popping Bloodbath and Vengeance. Also while moving, Steel Cyclone / Infuriate / Steel Cyclone if all are up, otherwise Overpower, catching as many adds as I can in the cone/radius.

Any advantage to using Flash over Overpower, other than the obvious MP vs. TP usage? Maybe for the radius effect if I'm having trouble lining up the Overpower cone? I read that Flash gives less total enmity.

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Originally Posted by BrielleBeaudonet

Any advantage to using Flash over Overpower, other than the obvious MP vs. TP usage? Maybe for the radius effect if I'm having trouble lining up the Overpower cone? I read that Flash gives less total enmity.

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The reason I use Flash is because you can Flash as soon as the name appear without targeting the mobs. You can't do that with Overpower. By the time the mob drop, you'll be well on your way to the second spawn location.

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Originally Posted by Lemon8or

The reason I use Flash is because you can Flash as soon as the name appear without targeting the mobs. You can't do that with Overpower. By the time the mob drop, you'll be well on your way to the second spawn location.

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Wow, did not realize mobs could be affected w/o targeting as soon as the name appears. Thanks!

i'd take a look to see if healers have regen up or are throwing out cure2 towards the end of a phase or are blowing SoS unnecessarily

ask for ss/adlo a few seconds before ph.6 extra hp buffers make healing less of an emergency for that first 5 seconds where they can attract deadly attention