Tanking Turn 4

[Xandim]

Im having some trouble OTing turn 4 too. Just by standing on the centre and using Flash is enough to grab aggro (P5 and P6)? Or do I have to do some running around? Sometimes I can hold aggro on them but sometimes they go straight to a healer and that ends up killing him. My cover usually is on CD from P4 (I find it easy to just let the healer grab aggro on all mobs, cover then flash) so I can't rely much on that. Is this turn heavily tank dependant? Im the kind of ppl that will always assume its my fault if something goes wrong =\

Thanks in advance

PS: Sorry, English isnt my main language =P

[Traek]

Im having some trouble OTing turn 4 too. Just by standing on the centre and using Flash is enough to grab aggro (P5 and P6)? Or do I have to do some running around? Sometimes I can hold aggro on them but sometimes they go straight to a healer and that ends up killing him. My cover usually is on CD from P4 (I find it easy to just let the healer grab aggro on all mobs, cover then flash) so I can't rely much on that. Is this turn heavily tank dependant? Im the kind of ppl that will always assume its my fault if something goes wrong =\

As an OT you need to be on top of add spawns. Flash is best for initial pickup obviously, but you should be maxing aggroe on your Knight/Soldier through Halone combos and storing up MP for the next Knight/Soldier. Of course this partly depends on your group's method of doing T4. My group does single Dread strat, so we burn p5 dread before p6 drops, and OT Flash/kites x4 Soldier/Knights (usually Hallowed Grounds to just max threat) while DD burns Rook and moves into p5 Knight/Soldier > p6 Knight/Soldier.

In this scenario, picking up p5 Knight/Soldier is easily attainable with x2 Flash and starting into your Halone combos, as damage should be manageable with one healer per each tank. Make sure you are tanking Solider/Knights away from heals as their AoE will continue to hit heals hard if tanked near. Another thing you can do is ready a Halone for the middle spawn p5 add, and use as it drops. If big heals are going out at the time, provoke the far add drop as it runs over to heals, and Flash on it, or have a Savage Blade ready.

Honestly it sounds like you are having somewhat of a threat gen problem. You shouldn't *need* to use cover at all for p4. If you are at the drop location, your initial flash should pick up a majority of the adds, and if healers are gathered properly there, the next one will pick up the rest as they converge. MT should take the kill target Rook and OT just flashes while dodging pox on 2nd Rook (obviously can single target after threat is established).

On initial adds pickup possibly save a Circle of Scorn and maybe even Spirit's Within. While any extra DPS is nice to have, keeping your healers alive is far more important as a tank, so save them as needed.

[Asdamine]

Sometimes I can hold aggro on them but sometimes they go straight to a healer and that ends up killing him.

While it might be the tank's fault that he couldn't hold aggro due to the amount of adds running around and the intensity of the fight. But most of the time I done it, when a healer took my aggro, is because they over-heal the MT (or OT). Common mistake for healers are that they believe spamming Cure/Physick non-stop would maintain the tank alive. While spamming it would definitely keep the tank's HP topped up, however, that is just a waste of resources and over-heal do gain aggro equally as a normal heal.

It is very much a team effort (as well as you) on how you'll perform. Make sure you talk to each other if you notice these kind of problems.

A little trick is to pop hallowed ground immediately after the adds have gathered around you in p6. This gives you a clear 10 seconds to gain threat. This 10 seconds will definitely decide the fate of your fight. Good luck.

[Ooshima]

While it might be the tank's fault that he couldn't hold aggro due to the amount of adds running around and the intensity of the fight. But most of the time I done it, when a healer took my aggro, is because they over-heal the MT (or OT). Common mistake for healers are that they believe spamming Cure/Physick non-stop would maintain the tank alive. While spamming it would definitely keep the tank's HP topped up, however, that is just a waste of resources and over-heal do gain aggro equally as a normal heal.

It is very much a team effort (as well as you) on how you'll perform. Make sure you talk to each other if you notice these kind of problems.

A little trick is to pop hallowed ground immediately after the adds have gathered around you in p6. This gives you a clear 10 seconds to gain threat. This 10 seconds will definitely decide the fate of your fight. Good luck.

Depends, sometimes it's due to bad positioning of healer when the next wave begins.

[Xandim]

Thanks for the input, I'll tell my healers to stay closer to me when P5/6 starts (im usually in the middle and the healers are more to the edges). I'll save Fight or Flight for that part too (at least I wont use it on P4) to generate more threat. I DID pass it once but it wasn't with my static, it was with a PUG (even tho 3 or 4 members were from my static group/FC members). Oh and i'll try to craft/buy Mega-ethers, since sometimes I lose track of my own mp for Flash (and even tho we do have a BRD, its always good to have a instant mp recover).

You shouldn't *need* to use cover at all for p4.

It's not that I NEED to use Cover on that part, I just find it easier to Cover the aggroed healer. I almost never use Cover, might as well use it at least once in my game life =P

[NavocSkjold]

This is all excellent advice!!! Thank you all. Hopefully we down it later this week and I can post a victory kill!

Love the community.

[Traek]

Thanks for the input, I'll tell my healers to stay closer to me when P5/6 starts (im usually in the middle and the healers are more to the edges). I'll save Fight or Flight for that part too (at least I wont use it on P4) to generate more threat.

Ya, this sounds like your main issue. Healers should generally be on the back of the Dread (again sometimes depends on strat), or at least in the same area to have mobs easily gathered for tank. Running around tab targeting and trying to keep things in range simply won't work out well for just about anyone. Lol We keep our DPS and healers pretty organized in their positioning, and it makes for a very smooth fight.

It's not that I NEED to use Cover on that part, I just find it easier to Cover the aggroed healer. I almost never use Cover, might as well use it at least once in my game life =P

Sorry if I came off snappy, I didn't mean it that way. I think using cover is actually smart if the situation arises, its just the situation arising usually means someone did something wrong to begin with. This might not even be you, but poor positioning like we are mentioning, leading to terrible tank threat gen and healers getting pummeled till the tank can pull out ahead.

Anyways, good luck on your group's T4, its a pretty fun fight once you get things rolling.