PSA: How to Off-Tank in World of Darkness

[KikoriL]

I've yet to see even an Off-Tank take all three of the fireballs from the Firefly tethers and live.
I personally pass it to BRDs, or melee DPS, since the former can move freely and the latter almost always move as a natural result of combat anyway.

[Nyalia]

I've yet to see even an Off-Tank take all three of the fireballs from the Firefly tethers and live.
I personally pass it to BRDs, or melee DPS, since the former can move freely and the latter almost always move as a natural result of combat anyway.

I regularly do as PLD using self-stoneskin. I also regularly do as BLM using Manaward (assuming I've been Stoneskined by a WHM beforehand, otherwise the third hit really hurts). It turns out that if you take 0 damage, you don't get a stack of the debuff. The debuff is what hurts - it both increases damage taken and reduces max hp. Generally though, I pass after the second fireball, or grab after the first, just because it's kinder to the healers to spread damage out.

[Kiara]

I wonder if it's a data center thing (or only some servers) having multiple tanks fighting for MT'ing in the Towers?

I've been lucky enough that on my server (in all the times going through DF, etc.), that B Alliance is always default the MT. On stuff like Cerberus, A Alliance always gets eaten, C Alliance always tanks Wolfsbanes and handles Chaining Cerberus back up.

It was that way from Crystal Tower 1 and on (B Alliance always MT'ing).

[monochromicorn]

I wonder if it's a data center thing (or only some servers) having multiple tanks fighting for MT'ing in the Towers?

I've been lucky enough that on my server (in all the times going through DF, etc.), that B Alliance is always default the MT. On stuff like Cerberus, A Alliance always gets eaten, C Alliance always tanks Wolfsbanes and handles Chaining Cerberus back up.

It was that way from Crystal Tower 1 and on (B Alliance always MT'ing).

Every run of wod, minus 1 or 2, nobody wants to mt. There's just something about aether, or just what I've participated in recently, that's made us want to stop taking charge in there. Could be that everyone is tired if the hate fight and all tanks I run with are welcoming that OT roll.

Depending on how the earlier pulls go, I'll tell the tanks just to take the stance off for Cloud, because I'll taker her anyways, and let me mt, and that's usually because I've consistently taken hate, or close enough I had to stop, that if I went all out, I would take hate and tank anyways, tank stance or not

[Nyalia]

I wonder if it's a data center thing (or only some servers) having multiple tanks fighting for MT'ing in the Towers?

I've been lucky enough that on my server (in all the times going through DF, etc.), that B Alliance is always default the MT. On stuff like Cerberus, A Alliance always gets eaten, C Alliance always tanks Wolfsbanes and handles Chaining Cerberus back up.

It was that way from Crystal Tower 1 and on (B Alliance always MT'ing).

I forget - is your server in a JP datacenter? I've heard that's the way things are done on JP datacenters. From everything I've heard, JP players play very differently from NA players, likely due to cultural differences. JP culture is very focused on the group and the wellbeing of the group, so people tend to work hard at their role in that group. NA culture (well, US culture) is very focused on the individual and individual achievement, so people tend to work hard to be noticed and stand out from the group. The MT role is the most visible, so it's no wonder that people often fight over it.

I wonder if JP datacenters have a problem with trolls in the Towers the way NA does - people burning Bone Dragon in CT and laughing when the party wipes, people bringing fire orbs to puddles in Scylla to destroy them (or ice to puddles to freeze multiple people), people grabbing the chains on Cerberus and just holding onto them, people dancing on and off the platform in CT Atomos, people spamming the teleporter in any of the three from the very start until it activates (which spams everyone's screen and chat log) even in WoD where the first fight is before the first teleporter, and so on. Going by my theory above, NA players do it to get attention, because the culture is focused on standing out, not just standing out in a positive way.

[Ashkendor]

Except I have taken hate off both war and pld by going all out on sword oath, thanks to penta melded 110, so even if "mt" is in a tank stance, I can still take off them, it's even easier now that I have zeta

Yep. I have the exact same problem ever since I went to penta-melded i110 accessories. This is why I prefer WAR for OT duty even though I'm a PLD main. All PLD has is the RoH combo, but WAR can spam their Maim combo to their heart's content. If I manage to pull hate off of the main tank when I'm out of Defiance and using SP/SE, I'm not really sure what to say except that the MT must be seriously undergeared.

Every run of wod, minus 1 or 2, nobody wants to mt. There's just something about aether, or just what I've participated in recently, that's made us want to stop taking charge in there. Could be that everyone is tired if the hate fight and all tanks I run with are welcoming that OT roll.

Depending on how the earlier pulls go, I'll tell the tanks just to take the stance off for Cloud, because I'll taker her anyways, and let me mt, and that's usually because I've consistently taken hate, or close enough I had to stop, that if I went all out, I would take hate and tank anyways, tank stance or not

I'm tired of the hate fight after the previous two 24 man raids. I seriously gave up on MT'ing them; I just let the baddies that are gonna fight me for aggro anyway have it, and I DPS and do the clean up work with adds. I'm that kind of tank that grabs all six ninjas in the first trash room and stacks them on the dragon, etc. I guess I just enjoy OT more than MT. MT is piss easy in this content anyway. "Hey you, stand here and get hit and don't move the boss around too much." OK, I'll establish hate then go grab a drink... >.>

I forget - is your server in a JP datacenter?

Cactuar is on Aether with us.

[Nyalia]

Cactuar is on Aether with us.

I was talking to the guy I quoted, who is on Masamune :P

[monochromicorn]

snip

But war dps gets pretty trashed without an occasional butchers block though. Pre-penta melded 110, I had the shiva slaying bracelet and the rest of it vitand broke 240 in tank stance, I'm just curious what I would do now, even outside defiance I could probably strip hate with a 115 wep.

As for my pld, I've broken 170 in shield oath with mostly 120, some 110. Recently, I had a crit RoH for 1014 in sword oath. My pld dps is getting pretty good

[SarcasmMisser]

that's what mt gets for being undergeared vitbaby

Just keep taking threat off them until they learn how to gear properly.

[SpookyGhost]

But war dps gets pretty trashed without an occasional butchers block though. Pre-penta melded 110, I had the shiva slaying bracelet and the rest of it vitand broke 240 in tank stance, I'm just curious what I would do now, even outside defiance I could probably strip hate with a 115 wep.

There's only a 30 potency difference between SP and BB, it won't cost you much DPS at all to not use BB. The only time I use BB as OT is when Berserk is up and Path isn't needed for the damage reduction.

HS -> Brutal Swing -> Maim -> IR + Berserk -> SE -> Fracture -> HS -> SS -> BB -> HS -> Maim -> Eye -> Fracture/HS

Usually won't pull hate as long as I hit 2.5s after their Tomahawk/Overpower/Shield Lob. After that I just alternate Path and Eye, reapplying Fracture as needed. Later on, after the MT has established threat, you can stop using SP and use BB instead. Has worked wonders in WoD, though if I'm worried about pulling threat I just skip BB altogether until next time Berserk is up, but that's rare.

Being on Cactuar too, I've noticed that nobody wants to tank on Aether as well. At least I know if I'm there, then one person will voluntarily MT. :P