Tank gear setup

[DiscordiaSorrow]

I see a few gear setups for DPS, was wondering if someone could post an ideal setup for tanking on a warrior pre Darklight set.

[carraway]

Based on tackling non-Garuda content, I would recommend starting with AF, then looking at the following upgrades in no particular order:

Stonewall accessories / electrum accessories / amber accessories (mix-and-match as needed based on required accuracy)
Coral Armillae +1
Cobalt Cuirass with as much Bloodthirst as possible
Cobalt Plate Belt with as much Touch of Rage as possible
Cobalt Gauntlets with as much Bloodthirst as possible
Sentinel's Sabatons with Bloodthirst

When I say "as much X as possible," I think you should be aiming for, at minimum, a double meld.

edit: Heavy Darksteel is probably going to be even better

[Aratharn]

edit: Heavy Darksteel is probably going to be even better

Until we find out it's MRD only.

[Kitfox]

Until we find out it's MRD only.

It is MRD/GLA only. ^^

I recommend tanking in DPS melded equipment, just do your melds on highest def pieces you find (cobalt). Personally I just try to get as much DPS out without compromising def and hp where possible. My reasoning is that WAR keeps hate through dmg, and I haven't really had problems staying alive wearing this set, so might as well squeeze as much dmg as possible.

Helm: AF, don't think any crafted helm really tops this at the moment.
Body: Cobalt Cuirass (double vit), could also do vit+def or vit+hp and still reach 310 VIT.
Hands: Cobalt Gauntlets (triple str), here I like offensive better than parry or hp.
Legs: Felt Pants (double str/vit), both are dmg mods+vit reduces dmg taken also, prefer this over hp personally.
Feet: Explorer Sabatons, planning to replace these with double hp Cobalt Sabatons.

Atk and acc from accessories, since missing a WS = missing combo and big chunk of hate.

Well of this might change in this patch so we'll see. ^^

[Aratharn]

I guess I was trying to point out that it is class exclusive.

So won't apply to best WAR setups.

[Frein]

I agree that there seems to be little point in going all out defense at this point. I try to strike a healthy balance between offense and defense (<3 VIT), though it's possible you could make huge sacrifices in defense stats and still survive just fine while putting out significantly more damage.

[carraway]

Yeah, I made that post before we saw the new stuff.

As far as going with DPS gear is concerned, it really depends on the encounter. On Coincounter, having a tank with 4.5k or more HP is a huge boon in case something goes horribly wrong, but Mistress has no instagib potential. Against Princess/Marshal, there is a lot of incoming damage, but you also have to balance that against the utility of extra AoE damage from the tank(s). On Chimera, your damage represents a proportionately low amount of the total damage dealt to the boss, so I would prioritize HP there.

I generally prioritize:
HP~enmity > acc > str/vit

For DPS, I drop a lot of HP, but try to keep as much +enmity as possible, while ramping up atk/str/vit.

[Frein]

It might be different for highly geared groups, but I have found very little use for +enmity. You need a ton of it before it makes any real difference and I haven't had any hate issues tanking anything so far. For instance, I wear Raptorskin Wristbands over Coral Armillae because I don't see the +0.8% enmity (I suppose +1% for HQ) doing anything for me.

[carraway]

Some semi-fuzzy napkin logic:

If we presume that +1 ATK = 0.35 points of damage (based on Seiken's testing) = 0.35 points of enmity, it should be far easier to gear for +enmity than the equivalent amount of +damage (which makes sense, since +enmity is just +enmity, while +ATK would be +damage/+enmity). 4 capped ToR IVs would be +10% enmity, while 4 capped Heaven's Fist IVs would be +120 ATK, or +42 damage. Let's say you're Steel Cycloning a boss for 750 damage. +10% enmity would net 825 enmity off the WS, whereas +120 ATK would net 792 enmity.

So why not just go for damage? Well, that extra 33 enmity means an extra 33 damage per DPS player in your party, which far outweighs your personal +42 damage.

The cumulative effects of gearing for enmity are hugely noticeable when DPS players are pushing as hard as possible. It may not be necessary for every tank, but it's certainly an important stat to look out for. Even for an entry-level tank, you can get:

Stonewall Earrings (+10)
Coral Armillae +1 (+10)
Sentinel's Sabatons (+9)
Fighter's Breeches (+10)
Cobalt Plate Belt with one base ToR IV (+21)
Total: +60 enmity, or +6% enmity on every single action

Ideally:
Stonewall Earrings (+10)
Coral Armillae +1 (+10)
Militia Choker (+30)
Heavy Darklight Armor (+45)
Heavy Darklight Flanchard (+25)
Heavy Darklight Gauntlets (+45)
Cobalt Plate Belt with some combination of ToR to reach +50 (+50)
Total: +215 enmity, or +21.5%

To get that kind of boost to damage output that would allow you to generate the same amount of enmity, you would need an impossible-to-reach amount of +STR/+VIT/+ATK. Unless they drastically change how the enmity stat bonus from gear works, I would never value a damage-related stat over enmity, except for accuracy. In fact, looking back at what I posted earlier...I would actually value accuracy over everything else until you're at 95% or higher hitrate (which depends on what you're fighting).

In my opinion, the real argument is between HP and +enmity. Now, if your DPS aren't even close to your enmity ceiling, and your WHM(s) need more of a cushion, of course you can adjust your HP upward. The exact valuations are going to depend entirely on your group's composition, synergy, performance, and the design of the encounter that you're tackling at that precise moment.

TLDR? Essentially as a tank, you want the flexibility in gear to be able to handle anything, so...get everything.

[Frein]

In my opinion, the real argument is between HP and +enmity. Now, if your DPS aren't even close to your enmity ceiling, and your WHM(s) need more of a cushion, of course you can adjust your HP upward. The exact valuations are going to depend entirely on your group's composition, synergy, performance, and the design of the encounter that you're tackling at that precise moment.

I completely agree with this analysis. I just haven't found a need for more enmity, though I'm sure that could and will change when the DD I work with has exceptional gear and the encounter allows for non-stop attacking.