Teach me how to WAR!

[Sciwolf]

Its not rocket science. Use your abillities to generate threat, self heal and dps.

[Zell]

Ignore the "when this, when that" thingies. Situationnal skills should remain situationnal.

Tanking as a WAR is a lot of little questions to constantly ask, with a priority order

1) Is my hate far enough above the dps/healers ?
Y => go to 2)
N => use the hate combo : Heavy Swing, Skull Sunder, Butcher's block

2) is the damage debuff up ?
Y => go to 3)
N => use HS, Maim, Storm's path (bonus hp regen, but not worth mentionning)

3) is the resist debuff on ?
Y=> nothing more to do, hit whatever you like
N=> use HS, Maim, Storm's Eye

In a real fight (single target), you'll have to use BB combo, then SP, then it will be up to your sense of what is needed : hate, damage or DR. (consider that more damage dealt results in more hate generated, it can help sometimes)

in AoE fights, 3-4 overpower guarantee to hold threat if you mark the targets to focus. It's also guarantedd if both dps do AoEs (throw some flashes if you start to lose the packs)

in a general way :

Hate building > Damage reduction > Damage

Excellent post and very similar to my style as well. I'm going to piggy back on this and offer the following suggestions/tips.

After you have done your opening BB and SP combos, you'll have Maim buff up, you way want to use Heavy Swing (Internal Release), Skull Sunder (Berserk or Unchained), Butcher's Block.

I do this at the start of each Single Target fight to get SO AHEAD on threat, that I can do SP and SE combos from then on with 100% up time.

I will only go back to BB combo if the DPS or Healers are within 10-15% behind me in threat. By Building such a great threat lead, you're two other combos that offer a buff/debuff are kept on 100% of the time. It usually will go 1 SP for every 2 SE, since SP has 20 second duration on debuff. But priority is SP over SE.

Lastly, I have macroed Convalescence, Featherfoot and Fracture to one macro. Hitting the macro once, uses first ability. Since that ability is now on cooldown, hitting the macro again, activate second, etc etc. I try to rotate these three abilities in every encounter to have some form of damage mitigation up or healing buff to make my damage intake less spikey.

As for Thrill of Battle, Holmgang and Vengeance, those are your "oh shit buttons" or used when you know you're going to take huge damage (Trash mobs on WP speed run, or boss mechanics like MB).

As for Inner Beast, this is an AMAZING ability that needs to be used PROACTIVELY. For example, you would use this ability right before Mountain Buster on Titan or anytime you know you're taking huge predictable damage. It's also great reactively, but the 20% damage reduction for 6 seconds scream "situtational." The heal component is nice but nothing you should plan around. Lastly, because your priority is to keep SP debuff on boss up all the time (10% damage reduction) your situational use of Inner Beast becomes even more powerful since you're coupling it with the SP debuff.

My 2 cents. (3 cents since it was longer than anticipated).

Edit: I didn't include Awareness as cross class ability because before 2.1, it prevented you from getting critical heals as well as critical hits. For that reason and because I don't know if they've changed it, I do not use Awareness as a cross class ability.

[SpookyGhost]

WAR is very "learn by doing". The only things you need to know are really basic, like keeping Storm's Path/Eye up, opening a boss battle with Infuriate -> Unchained, popping Berserk + Bloodbath when spamming Overpower, etc etc. There's a lot of situational uses for all your abilities and you just need to react in those situations with the correct ability. Just remember to have fun and learn as you go~

[Zell]

Also, Macro Bloodbath and Mercy Stroke to Heavy swing.

Two abilities you don't need to think about. They will automaticaly be used when you spam heavy swing when the situation arises. I think of Bloodbath healing as a form of steady damage mitigation through predictable health regen. So i try ot have it up 100% of the time it comes off cooldown, hence why it's macroed to heavy swing.

Also, Inner Beast and Steel Cyclone are off the global cooldown. You can use them and not lose your combo chain.

[Quor]

Also, Inner Beast and Steel Cyclone are off the global cooldown. You can use them and not lose your combo chain.

That last part is correct. The first part is not. But how I wish it were true....

[Abbycat]

That last part is correct. The first part is not. But how I wish it were true....

And it totally should be. Only SE knows why its not..if they even do.
It was true pre 2.1 and even more so now since it has a 6sec DR CD on it...

[OmegaSinX]

WAR from day 1 Tips.

1. First Priority is always Threat. If you can't hold threat your party will most likely wipe on bosses or even trash mobs. That said, never ever pull with provoke unless your confident in your threat management skills. Provoke should be save for those oh sh*t moments to pull off healers/dps or to swap with other tank in specific fights.

2. Stun ( Brutal Swing ) can be used for more than just stunning. It is a good tool to use to lock down stunable mobs that DPS pull off. Most DPS/healer first reaction is to run away from you when a mob starts attacking them. If you stun the mob, they cant move, giving you time to use your threat combo. Provoke + Tomahawk should get you threat back most the time, but if it doesnt, stun it. If your a Threat Managing Boss and never lose threat, then feel free to weave brutal swing whenever its up for extra DPS. You could also use Holmgang to do this too but only if you know you wont need it in the next 3mins.

3. Have a plan of attack before you start the battle. Think about which moves will best suit the fight, which mob to take down first, etc... Also, Learn how to Mark Targets, espcially in dungeons you never experienced before, its important you and dps are on the same sheet. It makes things run much smoother.

4. Learn to Prioritize Your Moves. This piggy backs off point 3. WAR uses combos to maximize on their potential so its good to prioritize your moves. For example: " I know I'm going to get hard in this fight, probably best to use Inner Beast instead unchained and Storm Path over Storm Eye". Or "This fight is a DPS check I should prolly use Unchained+ Storm Eye + Berserk + Internal Release asap". Or "Well this is a weak mobs AOE fight but Unchained isnt up, guess I'll use Steel Cyclone > Infuriate > Steel Steel Cyclone". With practice, this will become 2nd nature.

You will be much better WAR if you know what your going to do before you do it instead of just reacting. Most fights are scripted so if your ready for things before they happen, you will look so bad ass making the mobs your B.

5. Learn to capitalize on Abilities + Combos that best fit the situation . Some moves are good on their own, But Godly when combined with other skills.

Examples:

Storm Path + Inner Beast = Great for Predictable Big Hit Mitigation

Foresight+Bloodbath+Featherfoot+ Unchained + Berserk Overpower Spam = Great for AoE Trash Pulls

Storm Path +Vengeance+ Inner Beast + Infuriate (wait 6) > Inner Beast = Haha, Silly mob that tickled. (Note dont do this for bosses, spread out your mitigation)

Thrill of Battle + Convalescence + Mega Potion of Vitality(Cheap since 2.1) = 1 Hard to Kill Mofo

Unchained+Berserk+Internal Release+ BB Combo = Catch Me if you Can (Huge Threat Buffer).

Internal Release + Berserk + Maim + Storm Eye+ Butcher's Block/Inner Beast = {1000+ Crits ?} { Do you Need it ?}, {Yes Please}!!!

6. MACRO, MACRO, MACRO . Learn to use them, makes WAR life so much easier.

Hope this helped

[Richiealvian]

Thanks for all the replies! After some tanking on Qarn I realized how hard life as a tank is. Need to watch aggro, need to damage.. need to interrupt and place monsters' AOE away from party.. But is it really just situational? So far my perception has been that I have to keep all CDs up (for example, maim) while tanking and keeping an eye on interrupts as well. How "perfect" am I required to do stuff? Must I keep all my offensive CDs on while tanking or as long as the threat holds it is alright? Won't people be disappointed at my damage output if I forgot a maim here and there?

Another thing, which macros would definitely make your life easier?

[Kuwagami]

your job is to tank. Forget the dps, there are plenty to do this job for you. Just do things in order : threat, mitigation, damage.

You're not required to be perfect. If you hold hate, you're golden. If you ease your healer's job, you're the one I want to heal. If above that all, you manage to give a little extra to dps, fights go quicker and everyone loves it. But still, your job is to hold hate, and mitigate as much as possible in between. Extras are extras.

as for the macros, you can still make 3 for the combos, with the /wait 2.5, but it isn't necessary. Most CDs being situationnals, I don't use them at all, and instead I pop the CDs whenever they are useful.

[Jyoeru]

Hi, I am just now learning to tank as a marauder. I am only level 24, and here is what I've learned so far:

Macros:

/macroicon "heavy swing"
/ac "heavy swing"
/wait 2.5
/ac "skull sunder"

This macro attacks with heavy swing, then AUTOMATICALLY attacks with skull sunder 2.5 seconds later. You can cancel skull sunder and hit target with Maim by simply pressing the maim hotkey when the GCD is reset (before the macro hits with skull sunder).
------

/macroicon "bloodbath"
/ac "Bloodbath" <t>
/ac "Foresight" <t>

*** This gives you a great buff string for tight spots in fights.

/macroicon "tomahawk"
/marking attack1
/ac "tomahawk"

This marks your first target and attacks it with tomahawk.

TACTICS

I go in with tomahawk, then (while I am MRD) Straight Shot for increased crit (while at the same time I run through the mobs and jump+mouse turn so all mobs are facing away from party), then Overpower, then Heavy Swing, then Maim, then Fracture, then heavy swing macro.

While a lot of emnity building will be situational, and my strategy assumes people will pay attention and not try to destroy my efforts, this strategy is working quite well for me.

The number one thing I think you need to remember as a tank is don't be afraid to speak up. Protect your healer. Defend your healer. Most of the time, things go wrong because of DPS. Sorry, guys, it's true. Y'all get trigger happy and start attacking chandeliers on the ceiling and generally don't pay too much attention. I say this as a healer main, DPS 2nd class, and now tank. It's not always true, but generally.

You control the run. Yeah, we all work as a team, but the tank has to manage a lot and be on his/her feet when something goes wrong. Don't be afraid to lead that party to success. And ALWAYS be helpful. If you see something someone could do a little better (or correctly), feel free and politely offer them your view. It's up to them to take it or leave it.

My first few runs were scary. I simply told the party I was learning to tank and to please be patient. Mostly, people have been good about it. Then I got to a point where I felt comfortable doing chain pulls. I simply watch my healer's mana and any party chat, and just go with the flow.

One thing's for sure: while I have always gotten steady commendations in my BRD/WHM roles in parties, I keep getting sets of 3 as a tank. So, there's that.

Happy tanking!!!!

PS: I think going to tank from a healer is highly valuable. Don't underestimate your sharp skills of anticipation and party watching. I can almost always tell when I am healing a tank whose main or leveling sub is a healer. I can almost always tell when I am dealing with a tank who has never healed a day in their life, too.

I will have more info when I level up more. I don't know about the level 32 combo yet. Hopefully this system will help to address some of that, and hopefully I can work out some solutions to the staggering number of buttons a WAR has to deal with.