Holding Aggro - Need Assistance

[averlus]

Been doing low level roulette (GLD 41) with no issues, but now I need to run higher level dungeons constantly to push to 50. I've bought the latest gear and weapon appropriate for my level. My MO is usually to pull 1st enemy or group w/shield bash, pop flash a couple times to keep the group on me. Then alternate between fast>savage>rage of halone combo with flash every 2-3 rotations or 1-2 if I have trouble holding onto the hate. I do use provoke, but I usually save it as a backup for if a mob gets away and I can't seem to pull it back in with anything else. This has always worked fine for me.

First high (ish) level experience @ Stone Vigil: used my same methods, but couldn't seem to keep aggro off the healer. By the time we got to the end the mobs were ALL over the healer. Flash, alternating between mobs with combos, provoke. I could NOT get them off my pt, no matter what I was doing. The party hated me. What am I doing wrong?

Help

[ColdestHeaven]

First off: Gladiator 41? Or did you mean Paladin? The difference between class and job is vital, especially since Shield Oath (Paladin-only) greatly boosts the aggro you generate. That's the first thing that I can think of, since I'm no tank expert, so not sure if some veterans here can tell if there is something wrong with your MO.

[Dioptase]

If you haven't unlocked PLD make sure you do that first then unlock shield oath through quests. For the rotation after that shield lob flash 2-3 times and start your halone combo. On groups with 3 or more mobs the halone combo can get tricky just weave in flash. If amob gets away and you use provoke follow it with shield lob to solidify your threat. I hope that helps

[Jarvix]

Mark the target you want groups to focus on. Then rotate your skills through the mobs. Don't just do your entire rotation on 1 mob. spread your rotation through the 3 or 4 mobs (that is the usual sized pull unless things go bad). Pay closer attention to the one you have marked. As other posters have said make sure you have Shield Oath up. Flash should only be necessary at the very beginning. once the mob is almost dead start to focus on the next one. ahead of th DPS switching over. If at that time you start to loose the aggro on that almost dead one don't worry. By the time it will focus on another player it should be dead.

[JonBigwood]

Hi. As others have said, if you are not yet PLD, become PLD and use Shield Oath. It not only gives you more enmity but also less damage received.

Flash a lot. I have noticed that now when I do the low level roulette I flash much more than I did when I was leveling. When I go as WHM or BLM many times I find tanks don't flash enough (especially in the easiest dungeons.) Flash is not wasted (until the mob dies), enmity accumulates so i'ts not more efficient to save flashes for later. When there are more than 3 mobs you need to flash much more since it will take a lot of time to rotate attacks among them. Flash a lot then recover mp with the riot blade combo, on the mob you think needs it to keep aggro, or rotate.

If it's the healer that gets aggro, it means he is healing a lot. Maybe you and the rest of the party are getting a lot of damage and he has to heal a lot too. And it's a vicious circle sometimes since he has to heal himself which causes more aggro, he gets hit more, heals more, etc. If people avoid AoE attacks the healer will have to heal less and will create less enmity.

Provoke, as you say, is for recovering hate in an emergency, and it only will work if you keep attacking that mob.

It is much easier to keep enmity from the start than having to recover lost enmity. The party also helps here, trying not to steal hate from the tank and waiting till he has good aggro before attacking hard.

Stone Vigil is a difficult place the first times you go there. Try to have small groups of mobs and not make big pulls, this helps for keeping enmity and avoiding a lot of damage and heals. Edit: For parties that are having a bad time, sleeping mobs works fine in Stone Vigil. Aevis can't be made sleep. If you don't need it, it's quicker to not sleep the mobs, though.

[Synestr]

I remember at that lvl I would shield lob pull, flash, flash again, then go into my Halone combo, as said not on just one mob, spread out. SO on mob one I wold do Fast blade > Savage blade, switch to mob two, Rage of Halone. Go to mob three and repeat as if mob one, then same to mob four. Flash as neccesary.

Instead of the second flash you could go into your Halone combo on the one mob then spread it out among the other mobs. I like the two flashes because the first will add hate and blind and the second just adds a lil more hate, and possibly blind on a mob that may have resisted. At times the best use of flash is every time blind wears. So when you see it wear, use it. If it's in the middle of a combo it's ok, it won't break it. The less you get hit, the more hate you keep.

Hope it helps

Syn

[LalaRu]

When new 50 and maybe with the GC i55 weapon, you only need pray the dps is smart enough to take care aggro markers and hold dps when needed.

As the state of the game it is now, on your lv50 duties you will be paired with i90+ dps most of the time, so be prepared for losing aggro at every pull, every time. Spamming flash doesn't help, your mana so low that you will end it at first pull, and dps don't want you regenerate mana for second pull. Most likely if you hold 1 second more, some dps will go ahead to aggro next mobs and take them to you.

[EricCartmenez]

Hi guys, new to tanking, and I'm leveling my MRD toward WAR. Did my first dungeons last night, and I sucked the first time out. I knew it. I was like the fat guy, eating chips who knows why he's fat, but I have to finish this bag first, before I get going. I have Flash, though my MP keeps me down to using it only a couple of times, and that's if I don't Stoneskin. I have a lot of higher level gear that I have plundered previously, but I can't wear it yet, because of my current level. I flashed, I threw Tomahawk, I used Skull Sunder, and Overpower, but I had a heck of a time getting the aggro off the MNK, BRD and SCH. What can I do better or am I fighting the simple math that they are higher level and more equipped than myself? Also, does anyone have a good macro for marking? I use a PS4, and I might be better off just making a macro that says mark this target as next number. Yes, I have a mouse and keyboard as well. Any tips would help.

[Cold_Raven]

Did my first dungeons last night, and I sucked the first time out.

Ha! Me too. I was too nervous. Don't worry, that goes away with some practice to get comfortable.

I have Flash, though my MP keeps me down to using it only a couple of times, and that's if I don't Stoneskin.

I've never used either as Warrior (just getting to level 50 now...). Overpower is better than cross-classed flash. I'm sure stoneskin can help, but healers can take care of this side of things themselves. Sometimes they can also get a bit miffed when someone uses one of "their" protective spells And a healer's stoneskin will actually be better than your cross-classed stoneskin too... they get some traits to buff it a bit.

I flashed, I threw Tomahawk, I used Skull Sunder, and Overpower, but I had a heck of a time getting the aggro off the MNK, BRD and SCH. What can I do better or am I fighting the simple math that they are higher level and more equipped than myself?

Try this in low-level dungeons:

1. Tomahawk into the mob group
2. Run through all the mobs to get to the other side of them.
3. Use overpower (this will automatically turn you to face the mobs).
-If you're worried about losing hate, use overpower multiple times at this stage (2 bad guys = 2 overpowers, 3 bad guys = 3 overpowers...). You can even throw in an extra one if you'd like. Once you get used to things, you'll find you can usually get away with 2 mobs = 1 overpower and 3 mobs = 2 overpowers.
4. Then start your Heavy Swing - Skull Sunder - Butcher's Block (if available) combo back on the first mob.
5. Continue to use your Heavy Swing - Skull Sunder - Butcher's Block (if available) combo rotating through the rest of the mobs.
6. At this point... you should be worry-free. Feel free to do whatever you'd like. You can begin monitoring the enmity levels on the different mobs and just hitting whoever you think you should.

Also, after you get comfortable, try throwing in some cooldowns (Foresight, Bloodbath..) in-between moves. As a warrior, you'll need to get used to this for higher level fights.

If you're interested in some more reading-up... check out some of these posts:

This thread by Paikis is a good starter, and what I read up on when I started out:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...arrior-Tanking

Here's a post by Kitru (post #28) that talks about the different possible Warrior combos and what they can be used for:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post1857709

Here's another post by Kitru (post #38) on maximizing Warrior DPS (once you understand how to control enmity):
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post1860098

Also, does anyone have a good macro for marking? I use a PS4, and I might be better off just making a macro that says mark this target as next number.

I am on PS4 as well. I don't use any macros, though. I find them to be clunky... but others swear by them, so do what works for you.

Sometimes a macro won't "run properly" and can just mess up.
But always... a macro cannot be "pre-entered" into the system. That is, let's say you're doing your Heavy Swing - Skull Sunder - Butcher's Block combo. After you hit Heavy Swing, the Global Cool Down swirls around all your abilities and you can't use another one until that has completed. BUT... if you don't use a macro, you can "pre-enter" your Skull Sunder by hitting that button before the GCD has completed (during about the last 1/4 of it's clock-wise sweep). If you do it right, Skull Sunder will start up as fast as possible without you having to mash the button. This "pre-entering" helpfulness doesn't work if you convert skills to macros.

That's why I don't like macros, I like the control of using things on-demand and taking advantage of the pre-entering functionality. But find you're own niche.

I did find marking to be difficult for a while, but you get used to it. Helps a lot if you put them on a cross-bar somewhere.

How do you have your Cross-bars set up? I have 3 sets that I rotate through.

Set 1: L2 side contains all my "powerup" abilities (berserk, unchained, wrath-spending skills...)
Set 1: R2 side contains all my combo abilities (everything used a lot normally).

Set 2: L2 side contains all my "cooldown" abilities (foresight, bloodbath...)
Set 2: R2 side contains all my combo abilities (yes, again, exactly as setup on Set 1).

....Having my R2 side the exact same on Set 1 and Set 2 allows me to switch over to my cooldowns and use them while still running through my normal combos. This way I always have my normal combos available, and always on the same buttons, regardless of whether I'm trying to use my cooldowns or my power-ups.

Set 3: Just used for all the other stuff (running, warping, calling Chocobo...) I also have my numbering on Set 3. I'll mark stuff, then switch back to Set 1 as I run in and attack.
(My set 3 is actually set #8... shared between all my characters. Set 1 and 2 are character specific... it's amongst the millions of settings).

Any tips would help.

It's a big game with lots of information to get lost in. Try to remember to have fun! If you're not having fun... you're doing it wrong

[Thaliss]

Hi, for marking I have added 1 & 2 in my crossbar. (enough to start a fight )

I am PS4 user, don't forget you have R2 then L2 or L2 then R2 as an additional crossbar.
Some like to add marking with a skill for example :
/micon Tomahawk
/mark target1 <t>
/ac Tomahawk <t>

For MRD, flash is a nice tool when mobs are not available to be catch by overpower or when you don't want to break combo chain, or to save TP. But it is normal that your mp can't stand an intensive use.

About aggro, depends If you got a chance to start enmity moves or your team went bersek

It is all situational there is not only one way, example you have some melees:
-> Mark and advance to pack
-> when in range Tomahawk n°1 and continue to advance
-> OPTIONAL : mobs names going towards you are orange and not yet red, you can use a buff they will aggro you
-> If all mobs in range of overpower cone do it, if they are around you flash
-> place mobs so they are not around you (you don't parry in your back if i am correct), and to ease melee dps, you flash/overpower while doing so
In an Ideal world dps start dps now and you can keep aggro, but they probably started after the tomahwk
-> if you haven't done a 2nd overpower do it now
-> Start enmity combos switching targets to control aggro bars and throwing overpower as needed.

All can be different in a AoE heavy team, you will be doing a lot more overpower