PLD speshul taktics: Cover in O3S

Hello everyone,

I have got a question to all of you Paladins out there who tanked O3S.
Ever thought about constant tank swaps to maximize mitigation on Critical Hit-tank buster with Awareness?
Or did you OT and asked yourself how to help your MT mitigate the tank buster damage?
Have you ever used Cover to achieve that?

A story behind those thoughts: MT (PLD) in my raid group got his PC crashed and was gone for good, through he said he might come back after some weeks. A DPS in our group agreed to swtich to tank (WAR) for the meanwhile. So, I had to either DRK or PLD, my first pick was DRK. Mitigating tank busters in progression appeared to be rather difficult, caused by many deaths, resulting in less heals and lower mitigation, as MT or OT had to take over and had many skills on CD.
So I thought of maximizing mitigation by using as many defensive CDs as possible (from both tanks). With DRK and WAR, the only solution was tank swap. As DRK, I picked up both first adds after 2nd tank buster on me (with Awareness, ofc) and tank swap, because DRK has awesome magical damage mitigation with Dark Mind. And both the white orb and the dragon used hard hitting magical attacks. Our progression became easier, but still wasn't safe enough and I felt pretty insecure in my DRK play.
I switched to PLD. I remembered that our MT would return in a few weeks and I tried to think of a solution to make this whole 'tank swap' thing easier than before. Then Cover came to my mind.
I became OT, and used Awareness, Cover and Sheltron every second tank buster on MT. Cover itself provides 20% dmg mitigation with the new trait, block another 24%.
This solution made our progress easier than ever and both tanks could make full use of their CDs on boss and adds at the same time. Also pretty easy to teach, should our MT ever return. (In the end, he didn't.)

What do you think about this tactic?
Does this sound rather difficult? Would the extra mitigation be worth it for you to learn this strategy?
How often do you use Cover in general (just curious)?

That's exactly what we do. I MT as DRK, and my PLD buddy covers the second Critical Hit with Sheltron and Awareness while staying in SwO. The 20% mitigation from Cover acts as a free CD, it's really sweet and by doing so we never have to tank swap in the fight. I LD the first Critical Hit so that healers can go balls deep in the opener (only popping bene at the last second on Walking Dead, right before Spellblade Holy), and LD another Critical Hit in last phase. Everything goes very smooth by doing so. I only have to mitigate 3 Critical Hits with my CDs other than LD in the whole fight. I can then use my CDs to smooth auto-attack damage and other mechanic damage. O3S is actually the only fight where my tank buddy stays PLD. He switched to WAR two weeks ago for the other 3 fights, but PLD is just too good as OT in O3S.

Our DRK MTs all fight w/o swaps and have some mitigation for all tbs. I use Cover on DPS in add phases, esp. White Flame, and Intervention on tankbusters.

you really, reaaaally don't absolutely need any of this clusterfuck, if you use your cd properly you will have a cd for every single tankbuster, V3 requires no tank swap and much less make the OT losse GCD to cover the other tank or take the boss or anything at all. use your CD appropitely if you are raiding at this stage you should know the timing of your abilities and work around it. if you need the assistance of another tank either you or the healers are doing it wrong.

edit: also if you are having so much problem mitigating stop following the hive mind and meld yourself tenasity it's infact helpful despite what everyone likes to preach and you will do almost as much damage as a dh build.

Your war can solo tank the fight. Holmgang every other critical

I main DRK and never tank swap that fight or use cover from PLD. Awareness + Rampart + TBN for one buster; Shadow Wall + TBN for others. I use LD on the 3rd Critical after the dragon dies and again during Ninjas. I drop tank stance after the first critical and never turn it back on. I have MORE than enough mitigation to comfortably survive all of the tank busters.

If you use Awareness 13-14 seconds before the pull Awareness will be back up again for the second Critical Hit. Little tidbit of info that some people don't know :P That makes it so there's no need for tank swaps either.

Cover is still a nice free CD, tho, so if it's working out for you guys keep doing it!

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Originally Posted by MyaValentine

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This sounds like we would have problems in O3s, but it's not! (I have already cleared O3s multiple times.)

As I said in the OP, this idea came to my mind when we did progression and I guess you figure that many people die there, or make some mistakes which needs additional healing. So ANY extra migitation helped. And c'mon, Cover is one of the most underused skills right now. Yet it's actually pretty awesome 'cause you get EXTRA 20% migitation, just by using it. Add Awareness and Rampart, you don't even drop to 50% OFF STANCE. (No Crits, and 36% mitigation!)
MT (WAR in this case) can also use its CDs for constant mitigation, not just tank busters.

Ofc I know that it is possible to solo tank the boss in O3s, never doubted that, yet I like to take every little burden from healer if there is an opportunity. Especially in progression.

edit: You don't need to clip a GCD to use Cover, Provoke or Shirk! (Where did you get that idea from anyway?)

Of course using such strategies isn't needed, but it's free and it helps. It makes the fight a lot smoother by allowing you to use extra mitigation on autos and other mechanic damage instead of keeping them for tank busters only. Cover is an extra free 20% mitigation CD. Why not use it ? It's not like you're sacrificing DPS for doing so.

I use cover during apanda, because I use hallowed for the crit hit but there's raidwide heals going out anyway, so it helps. But I mt the entire fight aside from the first crit hit, and that's just to ensure aggro with a quick voke-shirk swap.

There's so many adds that I think I'd actually find it more confusing to do tankswaps now I'm used to having her for the whole fight.

maybe one day my almost static will be able to pug a melee that doesn't drop a book on me so I can clear...

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Originally Posted by ArianeEwah

This sounds like we would have problems in O3s, but it's not! (I have already cleared O3s multiple times.)

edit: You don't need to clip a GCD to use Cover, Provoke or Shirk! (Where did you get that idea from anyway?)

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I'm not saying it's not helpful and maybe it worked for your party but to my eyes just adds another layer of distraction that just should not be there in the first place you are more than capable of taking every single tank buster with your normal cd hell I even take those hits on sword oath and still survive them just fine, this to me is just noice becuase while doing all this ot can just focus on dps and so can the mt you will clip GCD because you have to deselect the boss, select the tank pop cover or whatever select the boss back again and unless you have some impressive reaction and speedyou are bound to clip it or mess it, that or you use focus target macros but I hate those. all and all if it works for you keep at it and do good after all I'm still progressing through enrage and you already cleared it.

note to take if you are pld and you are ot you can just simply use intervention with some cd which will work the same if not better than cover and if yuo are mt pld just use sheltron every tankbuster you will be fine.

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Originally Posted by MyaValentine

you have to deselect the boss, select the tank pop cover or whatever select the boss back again.

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/ac "cover" <2>

If you only ever intend to cover/intervention/whatever the other tank, use that macro.

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Originally Posted by Freyyy

Of course using such strategies isn't needed, but it's free and it helps. It makes the fight a lot smoother by allowing you to use extra mitigation on autos and other mechanic damage instead of keeping them for tank busters only. Cover is an extra free 20% mitigation CD. Why not use it ? It's not like you're sacrificing DPS for doing so.

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Freyyy is this not a funny Lady in US TV?
I use cover during apanda--->because hallowed for crits *peng*no answer pls*peng*

THis was a common tactic when you had tanks staying in DPS stance, and constant DPS/TBs was heading towards the tanks.
But now that tanks use tank stance more, and there's not really any situation u would need an extra CD to survive, no one really does this anymore. most think its crazy talk.

Cover + Awareness pair up pretty well, as Frey pointed out, so this is a pretty smart way of going about things (unless your OT needs the action slot for Interject to silence the Iron Giant). You could Cover + Hollowed the Apanda if you really wanted to, the Apanda is probably going to be dead by the time the Critical Hit goes off anyways. The pummel that you'd actually want covered is the one that occurs immediately after Folio + Hammers, but it happens like 15s before the Critical Hit, and you shouldn't need tank stance for it either way.

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Originally Posted by Claire_Pendragon

THis was a common tactic when you had tanks staying in DPS stance, and constant DPS/TBs was heading towards the tanks.
But now that tanks use tank stance more, and there's not really any situation u would need an extra CD to survive, no one really does this anymore. most think its crazy talk.

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Any good group still has all their tanks stay out of tankstance for all the fights, even in week 1, so nothing has changed.
Maybe *your* group could go out of tankstance more as well if you'd only use your free migitation like Cover more effectively instead of scoffing and laughing at the idea of free extra migitation.
Free reminder that good tanks are able to stay in DPS stance for 99% of time without costing the healers any dps primarily and especially BECAUSE they use any extra free migitation as effectively as possible.

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Originally Posted by MyaValentine

note to take if you are pld and you are ot you can just simply use intervention with some cd which will work the same if not better than cover and if yuo are mt pld just use sheltron every tankbuster you will be fine.

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Actually, imho I think Intervention is bad. 6 sec of 10% mitigation for 50 gauge points, but you just can use Sheltron for yourself for 24% mitigation. It has it's use for gauge dump and maybe some tank busters you can't cover. Yet I wouldn't rely on this, especially since it only becomes effective once you (PLD) use a cooldown (Rampart/Sentinel) yourself. Even then it's less effective than cover + your own cooldowns.

Also you can't block anything with Sheltron if those attacks are guaranteed to crit. If that would be possible I would have MT this fight from the start, and would have taken out Awareness, lol.

Sorry to hear that you haven't cleared that floor yet. I wish you best of luck.

PS: Yes, I can click through all of this without clipping ;P

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Originally Posted by MyaValentine

you have to deselect the boss, select the tank pop cover or whatever select the boss back again and unless you have some impressive reaction and speedyou are bound to clip it or mess it, that or you use focus target macros but I hate those.

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There is a function called Target Assist that you can keybind into anything. Unless you're playing with a controller, maybe, I don't really know cause I've always used keyboard.

Target assist makes selecting the tank or the target of a particular mechanic incredibly easy: click target assist > use skill, click target assist immediately after. This happens in about 1s and will completely avoid GCD clipping. It's amazing for PLD, DRK, and all healers, and can be useful for some situations for DPS (ie. using Palisade/Apoca, or Goading the tank in trash pulls).

My target assist keybind is the mouse wheel, idk if that button is already bound to something else for you.

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Originally Posted by Lyth

Cover + Awareness pair up pretty well, as Frey pointed out, so this is a pretty smart way of going about things (unless your OT needs the action slot for Interject to silence the Iron Giant). You could Cover + Hollowed the Apanda if you really wanted to, the Apanda is probably going to be dead by the time the Critical Hit goes off anyways. The pummel that you'd actually want covered is the one that occurs immediately after Folio + Hammers, but it happens like 15s before the Critical Hit, and you shouldn't need tank stance for it either way.

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now this. THIS is something helpful idk why I haven't though off I think the right way to use cover is during this phase thank you my friend I will be trying this out during that phase to see if I can relieve some healer stress.

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Originally Posted by Fernosaur

There is a function called Target Assist that you can keybind into anything. Unless you're playing with a controller

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unfortunately I play on controller if such a function exists I'm not aware of it and I can't for the life of me battle with a keyboard and mouse. seems to be very helpful for more fluid tactics like that. thanks for that feedback will try to find if there's anything like that for controller.