Questions about PLD vs. WAR tanking

[DirgeNovak]

Keeping aggro from multiple mobs as PLD is challenging, but I pull it off most of the time (just turned 50, so only light parties so far, though). I run ahead and use Flash to grab everyone's aggro, and if a stray goes after someone else, I'll use Provoke + Shield Lob, and that usually brings it back to me.

That might actually be part of your problem: are you using Provoke properly? A lot of paladins don't because the tooltip is very unhelpful and unrepresentative. Provoke gives you aggro of the person being attacked plus one, so you need to immediately follow it up with another move that adds aggro - usually Shield Lob. Otherwise the mob's original target will take aggro back within the second. Provoke doesn't activate the universal cooldown, so you can use Shield Lob right away after it.

[MythToken]

I love overpower :P

[Kyana]

No matter what people say, Flash+CoS just don't create the same enmity level which Overpower and Steel Cyclone generate.
In addition to that, WAR does a bit more damage, which also increases enmity generation.

So, in short, yes, WAR has an easier time keeping aggro from groups of mobs.
PLD got more tools to reduce incomming damage.
Tanking single target can be done by both, but PLD got the advantage of more damage mitigation tools.

As for tanking in lower levels, mark targets and try to keep all mobs on you and reduce incomming damage as good as you can.
If people ignore marks and draw aggro, it's not your fault.
Managing hate at lower levels requires some teamwork. Nobody likes ego-players, no matter if they are dds, tanks or healers.

In the end, the best advice I can give you is to grow a thick skin.
Tanks get blamed for many things and everyone expects a tank to know every fight in and out.
If you don't pull enough, people blame you.
If you do as they say and pull more (or if they start pulling for you ><) and wipe, they blame you.
If you dodge attacks on mass pulls, DRG and MNK hate you for moving the mobs.
If you take too much dmg, so the healer can't stay in Cleric Stance, it's your fault.
If it's Hullbreaker Island again,... you get the idea

[Eye_Gore]

Tanking with PLD can be a bit of a dance. Of course this person sounds like an idiot. But people seem to forget to watch the aggro meters, not just the tank. The DPS/Healers need to watch to see if their meter is climbing and not going down, that is the first clue to back off. The tank needs to keep an eye on the colors, if they start to change and you are losing hate the only thing a PLD can do to try to get it back is switch targets and go after the ones that are being lost.

The minute I see the color change I will switch up my target, so it becomes a dance. With people pulling aggro off of you it can get a but hectic in a large mob. All in all though its a group effort, people need to watch what they are doing and not just assume ( we all know what assume means) that the tank will hold aggro no matter what they do. Fights should go quickly, but as a DPS if you are constantly pulling aggro off the tank, maybe its something you are doing, and not the tank.

[Squa11_Leonhart]

The DPS/Healers need to watch to see if their meter is climbing and not going down, that is the first clue to back off.

The healer often can not see their own emnity bar. Not sure why this is though.

[Shref]

The healer often can not see their own emnity bar. Not sure why this is though.

the only time you should have to worry about a healer stealing hate is if there's a big gear discrepancy. otherwise, you should be building enough hate to where this isn't a problem. esp if they're using shroud. if a tank is losing hate to healers, he needs to learn how to get more hate.

[Squa11_Leonhart]

the only time you should have to worry about a healer stealing hate is if there's a big gear discrepancy. otherwise, you should be building enough hate to where this isn't a problem. esp if they're using shroud. if a tank is losing hate to healers, he needs to learn how to get more hate.

the only healers i have emnity troubles with are scholars who dot then bane.

[ExiaQuanta]

If you havent already. You should cycle through the mobs with your skills. For example, you have three mobs. Shield lob > Flash > Fast blade target #1. Than switch to #2, use Savage blade, And than switch to target #3 and use Rage of Halone. After all that do another flash. repeat the processs but b4 that, make sure you use fast blade on the current mob (in this case #3) so that the next one (#1) will get the enmity generation from savage blade.. I did this pre-shield oath and held aggro just fine.

Target #1 > SHield lob > Flash > Fast blade > Target #2 > Savage blade > Target #3 > Rage of Halone > Flash > fast blade > Target #1 > Savage blade. so on so forth.

[TouchandFeel]

snip.

That's an interesting way to rotate between targets as I actually do it differently.
I either rotate full combos on each mob in order (full combo on 1, then full on 2, etc.) or I rotate in ascending order of attack so that rage of halone is used on the primary target.
Really I guess the best way to rotate between mobs will depend a lot on the situation and party makeup, for example do you want an even spread of agro because every one is aoeing or do you want more on a primary target because you have a mix of aoe and single target dpsing.

[Kyana]

I either rotate full combos on each mob in order (full combo on 1, then full on 2, etc.) or I rotate in ascending order of attack so that rage of halone is used on the primary target.
Really I guess the best way to rotate between mobs will depend a lot on the situation and party makeup, for example do you want an even spread of agro because every one is aoeing or do you want more on a primary target because you have a mix of aoe and single target dpsing.

If you are in a situation where a pack of 3-4 mobs are killed with AoE skills, it's better to spread your combo to build higher enmity on more targets in a shorter time.
If you don't split combos up, you will end up with some of them running to the DDs.

If you tank a pack with single target DDs, using RoH on the main target is a good idea.

If you tank a pack of more than 4-5 mobs which get attacked with AoE skills, you won't have enough time to split anything up and gain enough enmity on all of them in a short time.
In this case Flash spam, CoS and Riot Blade are your best bet.

PS: character limit....I hate you