A Thread By A Tank For Future/Current Tanks.

[Zfz]

I would like to add this:

Don't refuse to listen to and learn from healers and attackers

1. that healer/attacker may very well be a seasoned tank who's just leveling a secondary class
2. you may be unintentionally making their job much more difficult because you don't have experience in their class
3. you may simply have missed something you shouldn't, we all make mistakes
4. people perform much better when doing things the way they're used to, tanks must be adaptable

All this tie into the fact that if you only play tank, you've never had the opportunity to observe other tanks, so you wouldn't know even if you're making big mistakes. As long as people are giving you suggestions or even outright telling you to "stop this" or "do that", it must be for a reason. Think and try it before you dismiss it. You may learn something valuable and become a great tank.

Some examples:

How many Gladiators know that Conjurer's Protect has additional magical defense? How many Gladiators know that the Pugilist isn't having a fit, but is required to shift around to deal proper damage?

Some healers like to use mouseover heal. If you always hide yourself behind a huge boss model, it annoys them. Try tanking them at 90 degrees or 45 degrees angle, so that both you and the boss are in clear view from your healer.

Tanking the boss on top of where adds spawn is nice and easy for you. But for some people that means they can't see the adds (especially small adds) the second adds pop. So in mobile fights where you're already forced to move the boss a lot anyway, you should consider avoiding the spawn location. It's a little more work for you, but makes everyone's job much easier. (Specifically I'm referring to Sunken Temple first boss.)

[LordSideKicks]

Great thread! Think I saw u around in game somewhere.....

[NoctisCaelus]

Great thread! Think I saw u around in game somewhere.....

I can't seem to shut up sometimes so maybe you heard me in shout. Hahaha!

Very nice read. Honestly I think they should have support threads like this for each role. Having the benefits, setbacks, and strategies discussed in each one. In my journey to getting to level 50 I only have one time I can recall that I had a lacking tank. It's not that the DPS's were rushing in before the Tank and catching aggro. It's that the tank could keep aggro is what the problem was.

He'd initiate the mob first then me and the other DPS would follow suit with the healer keeping everything stable. I have no idea the reason but the enemies would break focus from him mid way into the battle then set their sites on the healer. He eventually got frustrated and left. I'm guessing that one part of the tank role (My main being a Monk so I'm not familiar with the tank role) is keeping aggro right? If it was the DPS's fault I'd like to know the reason so I can be a better DPS and keep this from happening if that's the case.

Each tank has a certain rotation to keep aggro as high as it can. And players can see that if they're in the same party. There's 2 ways to see it. There's the one on the left where it tells you the name of the monsters. If you click it, it automatically targets the monster if you're close.

It goes by color, green (No aggro), orange (almost max aggro), and red (Currently being targeted.) And also a bar that tells you how close you are compared to everyone else, a aggro bar and it numbers people by who is next for aggro and such.

Use that to your advantage as a DPS to know when to attack. It usually takes 2 - 3 combo to have more aggro than everyone else if everyones hitting it at the same time but longer if the DPS have been hitting it longer.

Heal also generate aggros which is why healers shouldn't be buffing the tank almost right before he launch his second attack, sometimes healer will be hit first.

And just because a tank hits a monster, it doesn't always mean go for it. Sometimes a tank would want to lure a monster first and if hes doing that, he doesn't have room to do combos for a full aggro. These are the basics I suppose.

[Lasair_Shiorai]

Very nice read. Honestly I think they should have support threads like this for each role. Having the benefits, setbacks, and strategies discussed in each one. In my journey to getting to level 50 I only have one time I can recall that I had a lacking tank. It's not that the DPS's were rushing in before the Tank and catching aggro. It's that the tank could keep aggro is what the problem was.

He'd initiate the mob first then me and the other DPS would follow suit with the healer keeping everything stable. I have no idea the reason but the enemies would break focus from him mid way into the battle then set their sites on the healer. He eventually got frustrated and left. I'm guessing that one part of the tank role (My main being a Monk so I'm not familiar with the tank role) is keeping aggro right? If it was the DPS's fault I'd like to know the reason so I can be a better DPS and keep this from happening if that's the case.

[Bimble]

I have no idea the reason but the enemies would break focus from him mid way into the battle then set their sites on the healer.

Two possibilities I can think of:

- The tank was using DPS-oriented combos instead of high-enmity combos. He would generate less enmity than he might otherwise, and if he isn't being defensive he'd have to be healed more, causing more heal enmity.

- Overhealing. In this game overhealing causes threat the same as regular healing. Spamming heals when they aren't needed generates a lot of unnecessary threat. Better to keep the tank close to full health but not aim to fill him up with every cast (unless you know a big hit is coming).

The only thing DPS might have contributed to that situation would be to get hit a lot by AoE or enemy skills, since that would force the healer to heal them and generate more healing enmity.

[Eth]

Great read. I agree with everything but the "even healers follow" remark. I know tanks don't have it easy and as a healer, I try to help where I can. But on the flip side, my job isn't that easy either, something tanks don't always remember. I haven't played a tank, at least not very long, but I understand its not very forgiving. One mistake and the team can wipe, healing is the same way.

Tanks, talk to your healers, let them know what you need, and they'll love you for it. The best pugs I've healed are for tanks that talked, or even outright said "I'm new to tanking" or "new to this dungeon." Those are the times I explain every fight, or admit, "hey, its my first time too" and then the tank and I figure out the boss fights. Tanks, love your healers; healers, love your tanks. Tanks got a lot to watch out for in the thick of the fight, healers have a lot to watch out for in the fight as a whole. Share you're info and there'll be no surprises.

[NoctisCaelus]

Great read. I agree with everything but the "even healers follow" remark. I know tanks don't have it easy and as a healer, I try to help where I can. But on the flip side, my job isn't that easy either, something tanks don't always remember. I haven't played a tank, at least not very long, but I understand its not very forgiving. One mistake and the team can wipe, healing is the same way.

Tanks, talk to your healers, let them know what you need, and they'll love you for it. The best pugs I've healed are for tanks that talked, or even outright said "I'm new to tanking" or "new to this dungeon." Those are the times I explain every fight, or admit, "hey, its my first time too" and then the tank and I figure out the boss fights. Tanks, love your healers; healers, love your tanks. Tanks got a lot to watch out for in the thick of the fight, healers have a lot to watch out for in the fight as a whole. Share you're info and there'll be no surprises.

Actually. I think the hardest role is healers. Not tanks. In fact, tanks got nothing against healers late game in difficulty in my opinion. I think to myself all the time. "My god, healers have it tough." I mean, I can't keep track of everyones HP, attacks, dodging, following, all at the same time. That's just way too hard for me.

Maybe it's just me but props to all the healers. Hahah. But when I meant follow, I meant follow like in a dungeon or making the move right after the tank and such. I never said anything to offend healers in the thread. But yeah love your healers.

[Eth]

Maybe it's just me but props to all the healers. Hahah. But when I meant follow, I meant follow like in a dungeon or making the move right after the tank and such. I never said anything to offend healers much in the thread. But yeah love your healers.

Sorry, misunderstood you in that. Put like that, then yes. I am stuck to the ass of every tank I've partied with, lol. But that's my job. I keep them alive, they keep me alive. And we both try not to get blamed by the dps, lol.

[AnsBan86]

thanks fo this articcle.. im a tank and the job is not easy but it is enjoylable for me.

[Malix]

I am sure there are tanks out there that need experiences and there are many people(myself included) that are okay with that but from my experience the tanks i have to deal with that are bad are just plain bad.

1.) if you are a 50 tank and still have not learned the proper rotation to hold agro, that's your fault, all the mimicking in the world wont fix it.

2.) If i specifically show you where and how to pull a boss(AK last boss comes to mind) and you screw it up 5 times in a row and get it right the 6th time and reply with "well you should of told me to do it that way the first time" nd yes this actually happens than you are bad.

3.) If people explain simple mechanics such as "move the dragon off the green stuff" and u tunnel than yes you are bad.

There are times when the tank is getting chewed out for mistakes that i due to them being inexperienced and in those cases i do defend them but there are A LOT of tanks that do the above and it is irritating. Low levels its w/e but at level 50 you should get a general understanding of how your class works and if you cant do simple things suck as hold agro at 50 than you cant expect a lot of people to have patience with you.