Intuitive Tanking.

[Codek]

When I hear Intuitive tanking, I generally don't think tanking swapping... That concept is done 20 different ways but it's always a simple one to grasp.

Intuitive tanking to me will always be more in line with Position and Facing of mobs/mechanics. I feel it's far more intuitive for an experienced tank to determine an appropriate motion and position that not only keeps the rest of the raid safe, but also gives them every opportunity possible to meet the highest effective output they can.

If a boss can cleave, and a tank must pick up an add that spawns on the other side of the room, then three situations can take place:
1. Bad tank will run straight to the mob and cleave anyone along the way
2. Good tank will take a longer route to keep everyone safe to pick up the mob
3. Best tank will anticipate the mob and already be on top of it when it spawns (taking the safe route to get there)

Now take this case above and place some dynamic mechanics on the ground that may force some routes to become more dangerous then others. The tank will absolutely require intuition to find the best course of action in what ever situation presents itself.

Situational awareness while maintaining the concern for core boss mechanics is something that just can't be drilled into a bad tank (at least, not without pounding your face into a wall for a very long time).


It's not all about how much damage your taking, but the situations you create for your team to do what they must to both survive and succeed.

[Enyeto]

Many current and good endgame tanks will tell you it isn't really all that fun. Also the idea that many fights can be solo tanked when SE is clearly designing the game for a 2-tank paradigm seems a bit wrong.

The problem with your idea and why is hasn't been implemented before, is because it sucks.

1. More off-tanking increases the dps needed (adds or additional boss mobs)
2. More mobs can mean more damage to heal.
3. You are going to throw off the raid balance anyway and Once geared we will use less tanks and more dps to do it faster.

So it would just perpetuate the problem, unless they increased the amount of players required... 24 is already enough. Just be happy this game favors random queue's to gear a lot of roles versus in EQ2 or Rift and other MMO's where your composition is 2% Tank (1-3), 8% Heal (4-5), 90% Dmg. (12-15).

[randomrope]

Taking your disenchanted friends comment as cannon for everyone. Can't take this seriously. Tanks tank because they enjoy it.

[Shurrikhan]

Somewhat off topic, but along the lines of what I think of when I hear "intuitive tanking" -- greater use of geometry in fights, and those mechanics more manipulable, using the whole team potentially.

The only thing I'd really like to see is some way by which the tank's role could be less isolated and/or taken for granted. As much as I'd fear the idea of 'team effort' tanking in a DF, I can't help but want the thrill of a truly difficult and coordinated effort being needed to survive, at least in certain fights. Split-cleaves are one example of this. Damage-reduced cleaves are another, where as the cleave moves through from point A to B (e.g. right to left on a dullahan swing or whatnot), each player hit reduces its remaining damage to be dealt. Damage-for-interruption would be another, where burst damage, especially physical, could help to balk or stifle an enemy attack. At that point, everyone's taking, everyone has to deal with it, and the step to playing a real tank is no longer so huge. The only remaining step is to how to stay entertained without any real [dps] rotation. On that note, I do hope both PLD and WAR might get a bit more interesting rotations with time--wouldn't take much. Counter-attacks (where damage attacking in a certain direction partially assists damage to be done in the opposite direction, especially from that attack's intended target (who has dodged)) might also make tanking more interesting.

In terms of making tanks more desirable generally, one could always bring in some manner of functional weapon types, where the difference goes beyond merely which ability is used for your obligatory 10% damage bonus--e.g. piercing excels in creating bypasses through armor and sharp interruption; blunt can deal more interruption, esp. through armor, and increases bypass sizes; slashing damage has a small native cleave mechanic, etc.. Probably would only fit if the abilities themselves dealt damage according to each attack within the ability, i.e. 2 attacks in Dragon Kick, Maim, and Straight Shot, 3 in Chaos Thrust, a bunch in Demolish...

Edit: with the tanks being the only slashing types, the native cleave mechanic on slashing attacks might give them a bit more to work with than just Flash, Overpower, and Steel Cyclone on AoE pulls.