Dear Tanks That Aren't Me

[RyuSaarva]

some tanks refuse to OT, they always use provoke after they are revived as well.

[Violyre]

Well.. you're pulling the boss with sword oath, of course i'm gonna rip it from you as your co-tank..

Wow, I knew I was tired when I wrote this (I couldn't fall back to sleep!), but damn I got burned.

[TaranTatsuuchi]

Aye, but you're not on a NA or EU server. You have it lucky

Once I was doing World Of Darkness with a friend.

He was playing paladin, I was healing.



He wasn't going to participate in the hate contests that go on, so he secured 3rd on the aggro list and was going along.

We're killing off the hourglasses, and suddenly, he has a giant eyeball behind him...
The other two tanks managed to get themselves killed fighting over it.

[Animarelic]

Meanwhile, while you are typing, the other tank is running in to pull,

OR,

They never reply.

Bonus round: they stand around waiting, someone else pulls, they run in and provoke. And provoke. And provoke.

I figured common sense would kick in for the average tank. If another tank takes aggro while I'm typing, I Let them (pretty sure this has been said before). Regardless of what role you think you are supposed to be all Tanks can OT or MT effectively. If you out gear the other tanks and REALLY want to keep aggro not even a Provoke + aggro combo can stop you. If you aren't geared or equal you sit back OT & just make sure the healers and DPS don't rip.

We really shouldn't NEED to explain this at level 50 much less 60...

[bounddreamer]

We really shouldn't NEED to explain this at level 50 much less 60...

"Shouldn't need to" =/= what happens in duty finder with pick up groups, especially for 24-mans.

Not all tanks share the same set of principles or code of conduct.

Personally, I go in expecting to main tank or off tank. When we load in, during or before the first trash pull I check the other tanks' gear. Depending on how geared I am compared to them, I am prepared to main or off tank but I don't assume. If another tank pulls before I do, he's the main tank. If I'm way ahead of the others in gear, I do a ready check then pull. If one of the other tanks picks up the boss but can't hold him, or a dps pulled first, or mechanics are being botched, I pick it up.

But not everyone operates like that. I've seen some hilarious and sad shenanigans on the part of other tanks, including paladins who tried to provoke a boss from me every time it was off cooldown when I'm 40 ilevels ahead of them. I've also seen tanks troll the entire raid with their aggro battles, turn boss cleaves on the raid, refuse to pick up adds because someone else took main tank, the whole nine yards. During one memorable Weeping City, A alliance's tank got locked out of the side arena during the trash after Forgall, spent the next few minutes trying to take the Headstone off me, B tank, and died because their entire alliance was at A cleaning up adds without their help.

Chalk it up to one of the many things that makes playing an MMO so varied and interesting.

[Canadane]

I never base me main or off tanking on gear. It's about stances. If you come with grit/defiance/shield oath on, I'm assuming you want to MT. Likewise the assumption is made if you're not in these stances that you wish to OT.

The logic being that even if I'm better geared, yes I can take a hit a bit easier but you've met the minimum ilvl, you're more than fine. My greater ilvl can be used for heavier DPS. So it really works both ways easily.

[CrystalRainbow]

As a tank that isn't you. I only loss hate when I'm doing something wrong... you playing with my friend Tish.. Who somehow 100% of the time.. Attacks the mob I'm not focused on. PUGS in DF. Never have issues.

To Pull.
Make sure Healer hasn't put something on me like Regen, Range Attack, AOE HATE x2 times. Focus Hate Rotations on the one I want to die 1st AOE HATE. DPS rotations, may or may not chance stance depending on how close DPS are to taking it away from me and when I think it will die.

In Raid, Bouncing between DPS and Tank stance.