Tanking, Aggro and Teams

Just want to post some thoughts to see if what I am thinking is on target.

I am 100% prot spec. I am dedicated to tanking. I know what generates
the most threat and use it. I always demo shout, lay 5 sunders and work in
revenge when I get it. Then devastate and shield slam and revenge. I try
and spread some sunders etc to others around but still need to get better
at this. I always use shield and def. stance, flipping to battle stance/berserk
and back again as needed. Usually battle stance for execute.

I play with a bud priest and another warrior always and so for instances we
are usually picking up 2 others.

I find that VERY few pickups play as a team or get aggro and threat. Things
get messy fast. It became clearer to me the other day when we picked up a
'fury' warrior and I was going to tank. I was doing a long pull, first large group,
and he charges before the pull is back and starts laying in. So we get through
the battle and he says "hey dude, I can pull more aggro than you and I am fury
specced". And I say well that tends to happen when you charge and start laying
in. Hell, Priests and Mages can pull more aggro.

1) It's not about who can pull the most the fastest but the team working together
to let a tank build some and also not unloading too much, whether spells or
healing, so things don't get ugly.

Mainly I just see an extreme lack of patience in most pickups, no matter what class.

My dream is to play with a tight 5 person team that gets it. My priest does and the
other warrior is clued in enough now to work well.

One theory I have is that alot of pickups are pickups for a reason. They are not
added to friends lists or asked back to instances etc. because of thier playing style.

No offense to Night Elfs or Hunters but we have found the most consistent
pickup we get are Night Elfs and/or Hunters. And they are consistently the
most spastic.

I am always wanting to improve at tanking and am looking for advice. I have read
and read and practiced and the one thing I am working on is spreading the aggro
across 2 or 3 mobs instead of 1, but I think that is very situational and I definitely
need to get better at cycling targeting. But this still takes team patience as they
just need to hold off a bit.

But after our n'th messy instance last night I decided to not tank and just perform
backup and protect my bro, the Priest, as the messiness was getting him killed too
much. I am pretty damn good at watching what is going on and hitting where
mobs need to be hit. I am thinking my skills are wasted trying to tank when
the pull breaks down so quickly because of early aggro spread.

I know we need to find some better team players because these instances have
gotten much tougher, starting with Blackrock Depths, with poor team play.

Ok, that was more of a vent than anything but damn, it is frustrating to dedicate
so much to something that becomes pointless so quickly in an instance when a few
don't get it.

I have a level 20 Mage I am playing with another person and have been practicing
the threat/aggro thing. It is pretty basic. In our 2-man, he is a Paladin. I start with
a frostbolt to get them coming slow, he hits them on the way in and they go to him,
I wait a few, then hit with something a bit, then unload when they are 30% or less.
They never come off of him until maybe the last few seconds of life. Sheep and
freeze them as needed. Of course in an instance or where it is tougher I would not
be pulling first.

On Mar 9, 12:05 pm, "Einstine" <n....DeleteThis@nohow.net> wrote:
> Just want to post some thoughts to see if what I am thinking is on target.
>
> I am 100% prot spec. I am dedicated to tanking. I know what generates
> the most threat and use it. I always demo shout, lay 5 sunders and work in
> revenge when I get it. Then devastate and shield slam and revenge. I try
> and spread some sunders etc to others around but still need to get better
> at this. I always use shield and def. stance, flipping to battle stance/berserk
> and back again as needed. Usually battle stance for execute.
>
> I play with a bud priest and another warrior always and so for instances we
> are usually picking up 2 others.
>
> I find that VERY few pickups play as a team or get aggro and threat. Things
> get messy fast. It became clearer to me the other day when we picked up a
> 'fury' warrior and I was going to tank. I was doing a long pull, first large group,
> and he charges before the pull is back and starts laying in. So we get through
> the battle and he says "hey dude, I can pull more aggro than you and I am fury
> specced". And I say well that tends to happen when you charge and start laying
> in. Hell, Priests and Mages can pull more aggro.
>
> 1) It's not about who can pull the most the fastest but the team working together
> to let a tank build some and also not unloading too much, whether spells or
> healing, so things don't get ugly.
>
> Mainly I just see an extreme lack of patience in most pickups, no matter what class.
>
> My dream is to play with a tight 5 person team that gets it. My priest does and the
> other warrior is clued in enough now to work well.
>
> One theory I have is that alot of pickups are pickups for a reason. They are not
> added to friends lists or asked back to instances etc. because of thier playing style.
>
> No offense to Night Elfs or Hunters but we have found the most consistent
> pickup we get are Night Elfs and/or Hunters. And they are consistently the
> most spastic.
>
> I am always wanting to improve at tanking and am looking for advice. I have read
> and read and practiced and the one thing I am working on is spreading the aggro
> across 2 or 3 mobs instead of 1, but I think that is very situational and I definitely
> need to get better at cycling targeting. But this still takes team patience as they
> just need to hold off a bit.
>
> But after our n'th messy instance last night I decided to not tank and just perform
> backup and protect my bro, the Priest, as the messiness was getting him killed too
> much. I am pretty damn good at watching what is going on and hitting where
> mobs need to be hit.

I'll be the first to congratulate you at least in this respect. Hell
any warrior can learn the basic most fundamental aspect of tankign in
that being getting on one target and piling up the threat and aggro...

But it takes a special breed to be able to keep an eye on things and
move around and taunt, stun, intercept, stance dance, cleave, shield
bash, pommel, rend, overpower, mock blow, pierce howl, hamstring,
challenge shout, juggle chain saws.

Keep up the good work.

Oh and I am not saying that every warior needs to do the above things
that I mentioned. I think it's figuring out what to do in each and
every situation and also knowing what to do based on who and what is
with you and avialble for what. That "braggart" who made those remarks
to you might still be a little young in the game. Perhaps even some
day he will consider remarks liek the ones said to be ill spoken.

Again I say... keep up the good work.

Three cheers for you Einstine,

OH! OH! OH!

Orion





> I am thinking my skills are wasted trying to tank when
> the pull breaks down so quickly because of early aggro spread.
>
> I know we need to find some better team players because these instances have
> gotten much tougher, starting with Blackrock Depths, with poor team play.
>
> Ok, that was more of a vent than anything but damn, it is frustrating to dedicate
> so much to something that becomes pointless so quickly in an instance when a few
> don't get it.
>
> I have a level 20 Mage I am playing with another person and have been practicing
> the threat/aggro thing. It is pretty basic. In our 2-man, he is a Paladin. I start with
> a frostbolt to get them coming slow, he hits them on the way in and they go to him,
> I wait a few, then hit with something a bit, then unload when they are 30% or less.
> They never come off of him until maybe the last few seconds of life. Sheep and
> freeze them as needed. Of course in an instance or where it is tougher I would not
> be pulling first.