Class, Job, Role... Help?

[Sagittarian]

Thought of 2 more comments:

1. While tanks have a hard role during the dungeon, they usually have much less responsibility on bosses. For most bosses the tank's job is to just keep wailing on it and avoiding red areas. Anything else that shows up gets handled by dps. (Obviously there are exceptions and situations with multiple 'bosses' - this is mostly for pre-50 content)

2. People should not be ragging on / kicking you in the very first dungeon of the game. That sucks. This is my first MMO too and I'm fairly sure I was awful my first time through Sastasha. Have you tried any of the guildhests yet? The first one teaches you about enemy parties and aggro.

[APyralis]

I see some of the mistakes I was making AND the party I got the boot from.One of the DPS was going in headstrong with me,and the healer was Cure happy.But I was not using Savage Blade to get more Hate,I've been using Riot Blade.Also,I thought Flash got everyone within the AoE,but from the comments I have to target each enemy and Flash (is that right?) to get their attention?
I went into a new party for the same dungeon and Flashing did a little better.They all played their roles better too.It went A LOT better.I had been Lobbing my Shield too but ineffectively.I leveled a Lancer to eight.Felt like a twig and fairly ineffectual in solo combat.
That being said I appreciate the comments,it's good to see some helpful people out here.I was kind of set to give up and move to DPS,but with a more successful run and your advice I have more confidence I can do this.Placement and more attention to Flash will serve me well,and a keyboard.Thank-you all.Restored confidence for this new player!!

[Bixby]

Also,I thought Flash got everyone within the AoE,but from the comments I have to target each enemy and Flash (is that right?) to get their attention?

No, Flash doesn't require a target, and it will give you enmity on everything within its range. It's just that its range is pretty limited. The visual effect makes it look bigger than it is.

[Anova]

As Bixby said, the flash animation is bigger than the actual area, but it affects all enemies around you.

You should see a "flash" text pop above the enemies affected by it. The boundary tends to be the inner-most ring of the smallest circle. Just keep playing and you will develop a sixth sense for it.

[Swear_Bear]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but gear is very important for a tank's survival and hate management. It'd probably be a good idea to farm/spam dungeons for loot and extra practice.

Also, don't be discouraged by those negative comments. You're in a MMO. You WILL meet:

- tanks that don't even try to hold hate.
- healers that are trigger-happy with their cures or are so focused on dpsing that they forget to heal.
- dps that forget hate management due to their focus on dmg output.
- players with an attitude.

Heck, even good players have their off days and still derp every now and then. I have 10+ years of MMO healing experience under my belt, but I still forget to switch off Cleric Stance once in a while.

[Orophin]

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from tanking, but if you don't like it there are other classes that are focused solely on dealing damage. (Pugilist/Monk, Lancer/Dragoon, Archer/Bard)

[APyralis]

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from tanking, but if you don't like it there are other classes that are focused solely on dealing damage. (Pugilist/Monk, Lancer/Dragoon, Archer/Bard)

I'd agree with you normally, but as I originally stated I'm a sword and shield guy. I've leveled a Lancer and it feels like a twig, unstead and not powerful. Plus, don't enjoy lances, axes, or fisticuffs. Archer/Bard would be the other other choice I'd make.
Luckily, I found out that I can actually be EVERY class/job... so I could always DPS and Tank later if I really wanted to be Sword/Shield.
But, I think with the advice here I will do better. I made a Macro for Convalescence, Rampart, Fight/Flight and Flurry, then I can manage Flash and Savage Blade (instead of Riot Blade) more effectively.

[APyralis]

Did another run at Sastasha. Went exponentially better, even got meself some new gloves. I held up almost all enemies, I lost track of a couple, but regained their attention quickly-- even the final boss and his friends. And watching the meter under the party helped me see what others were doing. Had a trigger happy healer taking on a huge amount of Hate, instead of yelling at him I tried to keep up with really helped me work on management. Thank-you ALL for the help and advice, wouldn't have understood all this without you. I'd buy you all lunch... but... likely you're all quite a distance apart.

[Iymala]

Healers will likely be the bane of your existence for a long time if they do not manage their own hate. I feel bad for tanks that have to put up with that.

[Sagittarian]

Did another run at Sastasha. Went exponentially better, even got meself some new gloves. I held up almost all enemies, I lost track of a couple, but regained their attention quickly-- even the final boss and his friends. And watching the meter under the party helped me see what others were doing. Had a trigger happy healer taking on a huge amount of Hate, instead of yelling at him I tried to keep up with really helped me work on management. Thank-you ALL for the help and advice, wouldn't have understood all this without you. I'd buy you all lunch... but... likely you're all quite a distance apart.

Yay! Now you can go and post your first run on the tanking horror stories thread.