Help me be better!

[Xiaoki]

After big pulls you done wait to kill 2-3 mobs, the dps can prob kill it on your way to the next packs. its better to just mobe on and grab more. unless u need to wait for cds or healer mana is low.

Yeah, this is stupid and annoying. This only works if you have 2 Ranged Physical DPS.

For Melee DPS the mobs will be moving in and out of melee range. You could use Sprint to go faster but then you will be going faster than the mobs and your Sprint will run out before you get to the last pack of mobs and be wasted.

The problems should be self evident if you have Caster DPS.

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

I started tanking but got distracted but now I’m getting into it again I have a few questions.

At what point should I pop a defensive cooldown? And is there a particularly order like should I save the 30% until last, is there a common rotation or all depends on how many mobs you pull?

If you're pulling more than one pack of mobs, use sprint first before you've aggro'd if you have it available, as it allows you to outpace mobs so you take less autos as you move to the next pack.
Once you've got all the mobs together, pop Hallowed Ground first if two or more packs once you're about half health. If you have a WHM, that holy spams, it is worth waiting a bit as Holy is also an AoE stun so it would make Hallowed a little pointless.

When Hallowed isn't available, Sentinel > Rampart, weave in Sheltron as you can, once you're main cooldowns are on cooldown, make use of Reprisal and Arm's Length. If only a small single pack is all you can pick up, then just use light cooldowns.

Wall to wall pulling, is this a thing I should do in level 50 dungeons or wait until higher levels.

So far it’s going ok except the disaster hull breaker isle (bloody final sting).

Wall to wall pulls take some getting used to but 50 dungeons is where it becomes more expected, while levelling dungeons, wall to wall pulls can be less expected due to gear discrepancies, and typically levelling dungeon mobs hit harder compared to level cap dungeons, but there is plenty of opportunity to do so.

Should I spam aoe until there’s only 2 enemies left then go onto single target attacks.

Yes, 3 or more targets you Total Eclipse > Prominence until 2 mobs remain, then single target down the rest.
Once you reach level 72, you will get a spell called Holy Circle, which you will use on two mobs or more, for five uses while under the effect of Requiescat which you acquire at level 68, which boost your spells damage and healing by 50%, if you mp is above 80%. At level 80 you will swap the fifth Holy Circle for Confiteor, a heavy hitting AoE skill, only available under Requiescat. But don't worry too much about it until you get there.

Do you usually pull one pack and see how you get on and that determines how you will play for the rest of the dungeon?

Typically this is the worst way to gauge if a group is competent. If you pull one pack, the party wastes resources that could have been better used on more mobs, so the next pack has less resources to burn down. Honestly best advice I can give is go straight for the deep-end, and pull 2-3 packs, if you wipe you've learnt what the groups limits are, and you can adjust, but single packs are the worst means to test a groups capabilities.
You have to be used to wipes in this game they can happen often, and can be a good means to teach and help improve.

It is really difficult giving up control of your health and relying on others (I usually play healer)

Rule of thumb, only the last hp matters so don't panic if healers lets you get low, healers gotta DPS too. Typically I don't look at my health bar that often, try put a bit of trust in the healers.

Any other pointers would be grand I am focusing on paladin at the moment but will work through them all.

there isn't a whole lot that hasn't already been mentioned so far for your level, especially that doesn't also extend out to the other three tanks. I would say look up single rotations for PLD, it's pretty straightforward at early levels, but it does help to understand it.
There is a decent bit more to PLD at 80, but nothing that you can't ask for help once you get there, if you need it, but most importantly try have fun with it, and don't let a few bad runs discourage you from keeping at it.

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

For max reductions as close to the end of the cast bar as u can get(depends on latency) you want the buff icon to appear before the cast bar is finished to register(depends on the attack some attack have a longer animation and can be mig later i think)

This is a not a good means to using cooldowns, outside of maybe timing tank invulns in Savage or Ultimate. Really you should not use cooldowns that close to the boss finishing its cast, but instead try to use your cooldowns early, in advance of tankbusters, as mitigating auto attacks before tankbusters and after can help healers immensely. Also the sooner you use them, the sooner you get them back off of cooldown. Of course pre popping your cooldowns comes with learning a fight first.

After big pulls you done wait to kill 2-3 mobs, the dps can prob kill it on your way to the next packs. its better to just mobe on and grab more. unless u need to wait for cds or healer mana is low.

This is by far the worst thing you can do as a tank in a dungeon, it's just stupid and frustrates melee and casters for no reason, and even Physical ranged too to some degree. A good tank will commit to the pull they have made, and will wait until the mobs are dead before proceeding to the next pack. You prevent doubling the sprint duration received from being out of combat or prevent the use of Peleton from physical ranged, and the increased HP / MP ticks out of combat too, all the while dps are trying to kill the mobs that keep getting yoinked out of their range.

Be a good tank don't do this in dungeons.

[Absurdity]

This is a not a good means to using cooldowns, outside of maybe timing tank invulns in Savage or Ultimate.

There are some cases where this is actually a good idea, namely when you know that popping your cooldown as late as possible allows you to mitigate a second mechanic.

[Shanir]

Thanks everyone! Tanked yesterday went really well even managed to get a hard dungeon I haven’t done

[aodhan_ofinnegain]

There are some cases where this is actually a good idea, namely when you know that popping your cooldown as late as possible allows you to mitigate a second mechanic.

It can happen, but it rarely happens in current content, especially with so many forced tank swaps due to debuffs, in just about every 8 man content, you're just wasting over half of your mitigation.

[Spartan_Aoues]

As a DPS main, I hate this. Don't do it. Killing moving targets is a pain in the socks especially if there's still 2-3 of them since they'll likely be spread out and you're forced into single target.

Yeah, this is stupid and annoying. This only works if you have 2 Ranged Physical DPS.

I understand your frustration, as most combo skills will be useless while on the move, especially if u are casting. As a tank i get it but pay attention to the situation. If there are 2-3 mobs that are 10% health, there is no reason to maximize combos u can just use single target or use aoe skill that are not tied to mob pos. If done right by the time you pick the next pack dps will have already killed all mobs. Also if you are moveing the mobs will have a longer/staggerd auto attack pattern, making it much easy for healers in range, also it makes buffs like regs more efficient.

As a rule you want to always be pulling not 2 much to wipe not to little that healers it not challenged, make sure you push ur team to be better.

[Mhaeric]

I understand your frustration, as most combo skills will be useless while on the move, especially if u are casting. As a tank i get it but pay attention to the situation. If there are 2-3 mobs that are 10% health, there is no reason to maximize combos u can just use single target or use aoe skill that are not tied to mob pos. If done right by the time you pick the next pack dps will have already killed all mobs. Also if you are moveing the mobs will have a longer/staggerd auto attack pattern, making it much easy for healers in range, also it makes buffs like regs more efficient.

As a rule you want to always be pulling not 2 much to wipe not to little that healers it not challenged, make sure you push ur team to be better.

No. You're potentially wasting dps buffs by pulling like that and killing mobs on the move is a pain for melee and casters. Anyone looking for tanking advice, please ignore anything he said above. Most of it isn't good.

[Spartan_Aoues]

This is a not a good means to using cooldowns, outside of maybe timing tank invulns in Savage or Ultimate. Really you should not use cooldowns that close to the boss finishing its cast, but instead try to use your cooldowns early, in advance of tankbusters, as mitigating auto attacks before tankbusters and after can help healers immensely. Also the sooner you use them, the sooner you get them back off of cooldown. Of course pre popping your cooldowns comes with learning a fight first.

I actually agree with alot of this especially in dungs where getting the most out of ur cds is linked to how many times you can use them. However when it comes to savage or other linear fights the number of cds you will use is static they are made in a way that you will always have cds for a tank buster even if you use them late. Also the purpose of having late cds is to increase the mig up time after a buster, giving healers more room to heal. Before a tank buster your health will be topped up or close to it, you dont need mig on that damage, but if a buster takes you to 40%(mig) health auto dealing 5%(un mig) haveing a 20-30 mig will have a greater impact.

This is by far the worst thing you can do as a tank in a dungeon, it's just stupid and frustrates melee and casters for no reason, and even Physical ranged too to some degree.

Ya i don't know why you are throwing jabs, if you don't wanna play like this you don't have too. In my 1 year of tanking I have never had anyone complain about this playstyle. I won't force you to do it but op is asking how they can improve their gameplay, and this is one way.

[Spartan_Aoues]

A good tank will commit to the pull they have made, and will wait until the mobs are dead before proceeding to the next pack.

The reason you pull the next set when prev set is low is 1.dps will kill mobs before or during the next pack pulls 2. reduces healing requiremented letting healers reposition for next packs put regs or dps 3.faster and soother dung experience

You prevent doubling the sprint duration received from being out of combat or prevent the use of Peleton from physical ranged, and the increased HP / MP ticks out of combat too

I usualy save sprint so more of a def cd to give a buffer from auto attack so healers can heal. But there is no need to use out of combat sprint as most dungs have walls that prevent you from moving until you clear the next pack. The only time i would use sprint other then as a def cd is during the pack pulls as i get the benefits of its def utility but also it lets me get all the mobs packed quicker, and resets the cd so it can be used more times. Also there is enough down time in-between packs that you done have to worry about health/mana ticks so there isnt a need to worry about that either.

, all the while dps are trying to kill the mobs that keep getting yoinked out of their range.

All dps can move and attack, they will lose any combo chains if they are not skilled at pos around mobs, but they don't need them if mobs are low health.

Be a good tank don't do this in dungeons.

cheeky