Easiest tank class for total newbie tank...?

[416to305]

Hey guys, not to hijack this but I had a similar question as I want to do DRK but am leveling the other 2 to 30 just for the cross class. I'm a healer mainly and have all 3 at 60. I played Sashtasha with my level 30 DRK and had no issues at all. I then tried last night with my level 15 Gladiator (was 17 by the time it ended) and I bought all my gear from the market board which I think came from Sashtasha, and it's level 15 and has the green shading like it's a good item type thing. Anyway I forgot to check if anyone was level sync'd but last night was so hard, every few seconds the other 2 DPS would take aggro. I'd do flash, nothing would happen, do it again, same thing. Shield Lob I was convinced by the end doesn't increase enimity as it did nothing as well. They had to almost stop attacking for me to get aggro back. Didn't happen all the time, maybe 5 or 6 times but it was so hard to get it back or keep it. Am I supposed to be popping flash often during a battle? I was constantly running out of MP using it so much to try and keep it up (mixed with whatever that combo ability is that increases it as well at 200 potency, I forget the name of it but the icon is yellow.)

I assume it was due to level sync, especially if one of the DPS was much higher, but I had zero problems as DRK, but found it happened way more as Gladiator. Probably because I'm such a low level though. I think I was also nervous that someone else would be like wtf are you doing, since like the post above said Flash doesn't do damage. For the life of me I can't remember what other tanks do when leveling as even though I heal I don't pay that much attention lol.

[Malicewolf]

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It was probably a combination of things honestly. As Alex stated, start off with Shield Lob to get the initial pull going. It does generate enmity, just not a huge amount. Riot Blade is the mp generating attack, but it does not give you more enmity (but does hit harder at lower level than Savage Blade). However, Savage Blade is what give you more hate. More than likely, you had both DPS at lvl sync'd maxed gear that were attacking different targets. At a low level, this makes it hard to keep hate to start with anyways. Then once they pull, they take dmg, which means the healer is now trying to heal multiple people and their enmity is increasing exponentially quicker as well. This leads to a downward spiral.

Now, how to fix that
1. Shield Lob to start to get a tad bit of enmity generated on the 1st target and close the gap.
2. Flash! This is your AoE as gladiator! If you haven't flashed yet, that means the other 2 targets can be stolen by a single hit from the DPS or a single heal on you by the healer. Get a feel for Flash's range though. It's not huge. Alex's suggestion of 2 flashes is probably best in this case. It should give you a pretty good buffer to work with.
3. Fast Blade --> Savage Blade!!! This is your enmity generator. Fast Blade --> Riot Blade should only be used if you have a very clear lead on enmity on all enemies and you want to push out higher DMG (only in earlier dungeons before you get Rage of Halone as your 3rd combo for enmity) OR if you desperately need MP to flash and are out (which you should notice if you're getting close to out BEFORE you need it. Otherwise, downward spiral will happen).
4. For single or small pulls, you shouldn't be running out of MP, even at a lower level. Shield Lob, Flash x2, enmity rotation on enemies, should keep you on top of their hate lists. If your DPS are attacking different targets than you, switch between those targets. If you notice BOTH are close to taking enmity off you, use a flash to give yourself a buffer, then go back to enmity combo between the 2 targets.

Also, if you don't know already, you can look at the enmity levels to the left of your name on the party list on the screen. You should be constantly switching through targets looking at that to check enmity levels in order to determine which enemy needs to be focused on the most to keep enmity. If you are holding on all enemies and no one is close to taking (for me, if they are under half of mine) then you can start using other attacks to do more dmg instead of generating more enmity (but continue monitoring).

[Volatile]

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Already some good advice, I don't have much experience other than low level tanking myself but here are some things that help me.
1 mark everything. Its easy for dps to steal hate if they focus on a different target than you. Marking will let them know what to focus on first so you don't have to tab hit as much.
2 put a few skill points in strength. I've found I struggle for hate a little less when I split my bonus points between vit and str. Probably don't go more than half and half though.