Learning Mitigation

[Claire_Pendragon]

Go into normal mode, and mitigate the same attacks that EX/savage modes use. They are the same, so you will get a feel for them, except they wont kill you.

Theres 3 teirs of damage you take.
The filler fluff damage from auto attacks.
The cleave damage.
The "Tank Buster" damage.

The one you have to worry the most about, is "Tank Busters" (TB)

Anything that is potent, like -20% damage taken, is to be used for these. Most bosses have a cast bar to warn you about them.
(Bosses have been using them since Lv40, but they werent fatal unless u were low in HP)

In easier content they do almost all your HP in damage, and you'll survive if you were fully healed, but an auto attack might kill you, so you want to mitigate it.
In harder content, it will kill you at full HP, so you HAVE to survive it. In some cases, even -20% wont be enough, depending.

Cleaves are the next big threat. They will never kill you, but they WILL be a burden on your healer, so you might die, if things are getting crazy. You'll attempt to have a CD for them when you can, but you wont always have a CD, depending on class/fight.
(Sometimes a Tank Bsuter happens right before or after, and if you place rampart right before the cleave or tank buster, it will protect against both while the effect is still up.)

Auto Attacks can be healed through regardless of mitigations, but you can pop some of the weaker fluff ones, or ones that arent always going to work.
Anticipation doesnt ALWAYS parry, so this is an example of mitigation of fluff damage.

Lastly u cant parry magical attacks, so you need to decide if your cooldowns even help. If the boss only does magic damage, as most bosses in savage only do, anticipation is useless, but convalescence will at least make it easier for your healers to heal you.

EDIT: If you really wanna be lazy, and dont mind its not the best/ideal way to do it, a way to help learn is to make 2 macros.
(Dont use macros normally, this is just to learn)

One macro you place every "Strong" CD on 1 button.
The other is all your weak mitigations.

If its a tank buster, push the strong mitigation macro.
if its auto attack damage, and you have no mitigation up, hit the weak mitigation button. (you wont always have weak mitigation up, as a lot of it is now on the role action list, which means u cant have everything.)

an example;
/ac "Sheltron" <me>
/ac "Rampart" <me>
/ac "Sentinel" <me>
/ac "Hallowed Ground" <me>

This will go in order of least costly, to most costly.

For the fluff macro:
/ac "Anticipation" <me>
/ac "Convalescence" <me>
/ac "Bulwark" <me>
/ac "Awareness" <me>

In order of shortest CD, to longest (with awareness at the end for being pretty useless for fluff dmg)
Awareness is sometiems used as a strong mitigation for bosses who have strong criitcal hits in place of their tank buster, and sheltron wont work, as critical hits cant be blocked/parried.