Speed Runs Suck

[BroodingFicus]

Speed runs make we want to stop healing. Not the speed runs where everyone is geared and you have amazing dps that can burn the pulls. No. That's fine but not the norm in my experience.

The runs I am talking about are ones where you find yourself (as I just did) almost oom every pull in Neverreap because you are staring at a half law half esoteric geared PLD, who somehow has only 500 more life than the two BLM's in your party, that is trying to speed run and just expects you to keep him alive. Then has the nerve at the end to 'GREAT RUN ' at me. I'm still trying to figure out how his HP pool was so low when his gear was that high but whatever the case he had no business speed running anything but that sure didn't stop him. The general feel I get in these runs is that the tank doesn't care if I have to burn benediction, tetra, and all my cool downs to keep them on their feet. So long as they don't die its a 'GOOD RUN '. Its not a good run. Its stressful, often slower if the dps involved don't have great aoe damage or the tank can't hold aggro, and it encourages your healer to watch you die just for the momentary satisfaction of seeing your health bar at 0. It doesn't prove you are a good tank. It feels like some strange pissing contest that the other three party members are simply drug along for because someone has to be there to hold the fans so that the tank can stand heroically in the aftermath. I tanked before I healed and frankly I never did speed runs on anything but Bray hard and only usually if I had a friend heal for me and knew the dps could take it. As healer I am not amused by the people already trying to speed run the newer dungeons. Especially the ones who can't be smart about it.

*closes rant*

[Akei]

<WORDS>

Tank health is not the be-all end-all metric of gear.


I run Experts (and Alex) in Str right side. So my health is ~14K. I've yet to find any occasion where Fending right side (which puts me at ~18K HP as a PLD) is required. Health does not = Mitigation. We get no additional DEF stats on fending gear. Sure its a small buffer at the start of a pull (assuming full health) but it wont mitigate anything. The whole HP issue has been hashed over time and time again on these forums.

It sounds more like you encountered a tank who believes Cooldowns are something you use when you hit 20% health or a RWAR I TANKZ IN DPS STANCE tank. Sadly I see alot of tanks who do this. Hit low health thresholds and then start poping every CD they have. If your that low in health its abit late to be poping CDs (Excluding Hallowed / Holm / Living Dead) I see alot of tanks who are in the mindset that CDs are something you use only when your in trouble, and they try to speed run. Thats the issue, not their HP pool. I see alot of tanks who think that pulling 3 packs in Del / Sword Oath / No grit is a good idea with zero CDs used. Neither of these are HP pool issues, they are stupid tank issues.

Like I said above, I run 14K HP, I use CDs and if I'm pulling alot of MoBs I'll be in the stance to deal with it (Some packs you can pull in DPS stance with a CD or two) I've yet to encounter an Expert Dungeon boss I cant tank in Sword Oath, when using CDs. Having 20K Hps does not a great tank make. Using CDs correctly, using stances correctly, positioning etc .. make a good tank. HPs is just gear ...

You mention that the tank was having aggro issues, So i'm going with - Str Right side, DPS stance, No cooldown usage. The trifecta of bad tanking.