Confessions of an ALcoholic... (Warrior Tanking Thread)

[Sokpuppet]

First of all, I thought my title was funny at the time... Then again, I've had a LOT of coffee this morning... But I digress... So Here's the deal. I'm a horrible tank (I've been told I'm not but I completely disagree) I feel like the only time my party has great runs are when the maps are a low enough level for them to be able to take hits and not die. Elite Nordr and Shuyal I feel like I'm not holding aggro well enough to keep everyone safe. I've got mythic armor, an amulet of doom, mediocre ring, and I typically use a Dimensional Targe of Savvy (for the extra armor) for tough maps and an entombed hammer of fatality for the easier ones. I don't die often (unless I'm not paying attention to the goo) I just feel like my party is dying too much. I've searched and found a few little tips and tricks for certain maps and some beginner level tanking tips but I haven't found a good comprehensive guide to tanking. (I could've missed it) I can think of several warriors that are frequent posters on the forums that usually seem to be willing to pass on their knowledge to others. So if you're a successful tank, I know I'm not the only one that would love to hear your tips, tricks, and insights. Feel free to share builds, equipment requirements, map-specific strategies, or anything you feel might be pertinent. I don't really feel like having a great tank is all that necessary for normal maps other than shuyal bosses so I'm mostly looking for tips as an elite tank. Thanks to anyone who contributes to this thread.

[Rare]

What skills are you using?

Its very hard for a Tank to maintain aggro with Sorc and Rogue blowing everything up. Those skills with taunt need to be times appropriately. Its impossible to maintain aggro ALL the time. But if you time those skills well, you can minimize the attention your teamates get.

[Crowsfoot]

I'm sorry, I thought this was about something else *mildly disapointed*. Never the less, try thes skills:

Heal
Vb
Jugg
Wm
Ss

Replace jugg with ss during boss fights.

[Sokpuppet]

LoL, I'm sorry to disappoint Crow... You're actually one of the ones I figured I could get to respond to this thread with helpful info. I'm running with Horn, VB, WM, and SS. I ran the exact same layout that Crow has listed but found it way too tedious to switch out skills when reaching a boss, so I dropped juggernaut. Though it might not be as efficient, I find it more enjoyable to play this way due to my unfortunate laziness problem. When I'm bored I help the random beggars in Kelys who are asking for help with elite runs and I've often wondered if they're getting killed due to their poor play or my bad tanking. Even if its more their fault than mine, I think my timing could certainly use some improvement. Many times I feel like I get a rogue that goes rogue (yeah, another stupid joke) and pulls in an extra group of mobs, and I'm trying to hold aggro on a group of 15 elite shuyal mobs while trying to dodge goo at the same time.

[j3peaz]

Good thread.

Could someone eleborate a Lil on timing of skills? I mean what are the opportune times to use which skills? Would order matter? Another thing I didn't see mentioned are pets.

[Rare]

Good thread.

Could someone eleborate a Lil on timing of skills? I mean what are the opportune times to use which skills? Would order matter? Another thing I didn't see mentioned are pets.

It depends on your party. If you have sorcerers with stun skills, you can potentially space out your taunts a little longer (e.g. when they aren't stunned).

Also, spamming skills sometimes can throw off your taunting because of the cool down. Try to keep them spaced out enough that you can keep taunting without having to wait for extended periods for cool down. There might be an exact science to it. But I just mainly try not to spam all of my taunts as fast as possible.

Also, for non tanks... it would be helpful if you guys waited a few seconds for the tank to round up mobs. If they are running to aggro mobs, don't hit the stragglers and take aggro. Just follow the tank until they have the right number of mobs that they can handle. THEN start attacking. Nothing worse for a tank than when they look on the map overlay and 2 party members are hanging back fighting 8 mobs when you're running ahead trying to pull.

[Oedid]

I always use jugg, CS, Horn and WM. Each of these skills uses a taunt. Very valuable to help maintain aggro. Furthermore Juggernaut has a dmg reduction modifier that really helps against bosses. I may not be the BEST tank out there. But I have experimented extensively. I agree that having a 5th skill CAN be useful for different situations. But like you, I found that a 5th skill is just extra effort especially with PUGS who dont always think to wait for the tank before they run into any given conflict.

To address the gear matter. Tanking gear is a toss up. Personally I use Pavisse for tanking in general as it has the advantage of a stun proc against mobs. For bosses I still use it as it has the added bonus of extra armor to help reduce that incoming dmg just a bit more. The major drawback is the lack of dmg or dps. Then again, with a build like mine where I rely entirely on taunts, helps me to trump the need for DPS or DMG. Some have been telling me they like using Arch swords for the additional taunt. Though I've tested this myself and agree, it only goes so far. I end up preferring the Pavisse for the added protection. Call me paranoid but I guess I just feel better knowing I can take a bit more dmg with a sword and board.

Timing is crucial. Try not to overuse your taunts when combining Jugg and any other skill other than maybe CS. Once jugg if expired, use horn and WM with CS. Wait for the cool down on Jugg and try to spread your taunts somewhat evenly. Spamming taunts will make no difference as far as keeping aggro. a taunt is a taunt and will work for 1 second regardless. So let that cool down time elapse. Be patient with your skills and spread out the usage.

Pets: I primarily use Malison in general. a wide variety in stats bonuses and frankly as a tank, the dodge ability can be an asset regardless of what you fight. When it comes to bosses, I prefer Ribbit to boost everyone crit and thus speed up the dmg output and overall battle. Against tougher bosses I like using Abbadon. Go dmg reduc and armor increase.

My line up:
Malison for extra health and dodge buff - overall a good pet
Ribbit for extra health and crit vs bosses
Abbadon for dmg reduc and armor bonus (and some health) - for bosses or mobs that hit very hard (like the ice elementals in nordr maps)
Slag is just awesome. DMG boost and will often stun mobs and many bosses alike with his ability
Nexus for farming and mobs (I hear jack is good for this too)
Grimm for farming and mobs
-I have other pets that are decent but I feel the above are worth mentioning the most and I have a tendency to use these the most.

I am sure there is more to add. But I'm at work. LOL. I'll add more if I think of anything else off-hand.

[aarrgggggg]

this is what i have found works for me and seems to work quite well for keeping those squisies alive. I use skyward,windmill(must have taunt), horn (also must have taunt) and vengefull ,JUgg is terrible with a 45 second recharge its pretty much useless i think. I lead into a mob with skyward and then as soon as all squishies catch up to me I immediatly drop fully charged horn now i have almost all aggro, this is where it becomes tempting to use windmill........dont not yet, u do not want to use windmill until horn is roughly one third to one half recharged. Time it like that and the squishies should be fine..... if you are still having a hard time holding aggro try using the architect blade as it has taunt proc on it.

[Oedid]

Though I agree that Jugg's cool down is long, its far from useless. ON the other hand, if you chose not to use Jugg, arch blade would be a good substitute to help maintain aggro. Agreed.

[Shanamerny]

The title though LoL

[Sokpuppet]

Also, for non tanks... it would be helpful if you guys waited a few seconds for the tank to round up mobs. If they are running to aggro mobs, don't hit the stragglers and take aggro. Just follow the tank until they have the right number of mobs that they can handle. THEN start attacking. Nothing worse for a tank than when they look on the map overlay and 2 party members are hanging back fighting 8 mobs when you're running ahead trying to pull.

I'm finding this to be a huge problem... I will run forward to get a group, and when I get to the spot I was going to pull to I'll see a couple of my party members each mobs on them... Let the mobs gather around the tank before you begin attacking. And there's some great advice in this thread. Thanks for all the suggestions. Still would love to hear how everyone else goes about tanking. I tend to believe that, like everything else, there's more than one way to do something right.

[inkredible]

every tank is diff but i do not recommend VB.. i think its kind of a waste of slot..

VB do help with damaging mobs etc/ or boss, but its not really much for tanking.. i would leave damaging base to rogues/mages.. focus on tanking
since ur asking for tanking tips
"how to survive" keep ur team and u survive..

I recommended = Cs/Smash/ Jugg/ Hor .. if youre gonna do 5 skills

i would do Cs/ Smash/ Jugg/ HoR /WM
it is hard for tanks to hold agro..

Skill builds

Jugg- for agro - ignore damage - impairment - help u survive and get the mobs or boss away from ur team 5/5
- if ur doing nordr - lots of ice patch.. its nice for warrior to have this.. u dont wanna fall behind
- if ur doing shuyal - them mages annoyin.. and wolf with stuns etc - jugg helps again for impairments.. which allows
u to tank better.. and heal the team when needed.. if ur always stunned and stuck.. u cant do much for the team..

Hor - for agro - shield - team healing 5/5
Wm - For agro also -dmg/ (first tick, or with cripple to help with damage i guess )
Chest SPlitter: - dmg/ Boss crit purposes - low cool down - u dont need to charge this - just tap it for feeble at boss - Switch wm to CS
SS - -Stun / dmg/

Passives:
If you want more health 5/5 Int - and the usual 5/5 str 5/5 agil

if ur choosing between crit and dmg ?

DMG over CRIT passives..
why?
Crit is just percentage when u crit.. .. how often you would CRIT
DMG increases ur DMG (hidden stat) .. meaning every time u hit

if you can have both.. then better but usually with me one is either 5/5 and one is just 4/5 or 3/5 etc depends

as for durable.. i know some people do touch that.. i dont..
i tried it before for tanking.. tbh..... as for me it doesnt have too much affect on me..
it maybe helpful for some idk
Im full upgraded myth + maul

Did you check out cero's build? im surprise that wasnt enough info for u
http://www.spacetimestudios.com/show...E-Engame-Build


Use stun pets.. if ur armor isnt around 1795+ .. if u have abadon - its nice for pve ..
slag is good for pve also


choose the right party - alot of mobs ? aka shuyal? - have a mage with u
if u find ur self dying too fast.. dont pull big pulls.. take it easy

[johnsr]

I am a fully myth tank minus the ring and I use the following skills.

VB/CS/Horn/Windmill all maxed out

My passives are armor/might/damage all maxed out

I use Pavisse specifically for the armor. The pets I utilize are always to support the team depending on the level.

When pulling a really big Mob I use the taunt on the Horn so that I can setup the group to do initial damage and also have some extra seconds to not take damage. I follow up with VB to keep the taunt going and let my team deliver the damage. Don't always stay static when tanking I cannot stress this enough. You will have to stick and move and always throw yourself in front of your Rogues if you see they are taking too much damage. As a tank you need to put yourself between your team and the enemies at all time. Use CS to knock back mobs while you are waiting for your other skills to recharge and its also useful to interrupt wind up attacks on bosses.

[Sokpuppet]

I did check out cero's build. But that post focused on build only, and was just one person's opinion. I'm looking for a broad range of thoughts and ideas to build on so I can maybe play with several ideas. I'm noticing, even amongst some of the best tanks I know, that Juggernaut is highly debated... I still cant decide whether or not to put it on my build...

[Sokpuppet]

Oh and VB seems to be another highly debated skill, lol...

[inkredible]

Heres my opinion:

VB = PVP


JUGG = PVP and PVE.


Why not VB for pve?

Because.. no matter what you do.. warriors damage is so low so dont even bother.
like i said leave it to the DPS toons (mages/ rogues) for damage and focus on tanking.. thats what ur meant for.. not damaging
- its not for tanking.. its for u.. youre being selfish
- if ur think ur killing mobs faster and ur helping..
try this.. TIME URSELF with VENGE and without killing in elite with a team.. see if thers much difference

Why do i think people use it?
- 1. they dont wanna spend too much mana pots.????
- 2. people feel like a rogue with it. no just no. +200 dmg forget it??( not the exact number obvs)
- 3. adds some health ? .. its not like jugg where it adds health when u fall down below 25%..if ur in pve.. use ur health pots.

- its awesome for pvp - mana return- no pots in pvp.. so every increase of dmg u can get is awesome.
obvs - critical + dmg + str boost isssss awesome -


Why JUGG PVP and PVE?

- Jugg is meant for warriors survival .. most likely warrior standing.. everyone standing.. warrior dies.. everyone dies right after
- You are kind of immortal for 8s -
- When jugg is activate u cannot be impaired - which helps u survive and focus tanking..when heal is needed at the time.. u can heal while everyone else's stunned.
- ignore 20% damage for 8s .. every second counts
- when ur health falls 25% .. u have 50% chance to get health back as long as it hasnt wore off
- it has taunt for pve
- ITS OP

why people dont like it? .. all i could think of is.. 45s cool down ..

[Lui Delos Santos]

im not a warrior a warrior bt i think the most important is timing...timing of, ,horn renew ,jug,windmil
,axe throw..
horn--when the aoe /big dmg is coming/always watch life of parties.
jug--1st skill to lure mobs
windmil-when your loosing aggro.

[Alhuntrazeck]

@Title...
Oh, grimmy, what have you started?

[Kakashis]

I don't tank often, but when I do, I use CS, SS, WM, and heal. Sometimes I swap on Axe throw in there for 2 feeble at a boss. I tend to gain too much aggro and sometimes die lol! It's really hard to tank without full mythic!

[Crowsfoot]

A few misconceptions I want to rest right away:

Why juggernaut?
You need juggernaut, I am maxed gear wise for elite mob clearing and I NEED juggernaut for overgrow. If you don't have it speced change that immidiately.

Why vengeful blood?
Vengeful blood often gets the bad rap of not being worth it, that warriors can never deal heavy damage. False, wrong, you can; although, for a short duration.
*Here's the reasoning: I have 350 damage with samuel equipped (not asuch as a maul, but still quite a bit) and 420 dps. Vengeful blood is an extra +25% damage, but I also have +5% passive damage, and +10% damage from samuel (these are my buffs, I won't factor my ally's pets). Got that? +40% damage (this also effects dps as we know from bonus damage).
The Math:
Damage: 350 x 1.4 = 490 (warrior with maxed gear and a maul = 470)
Dps: 420 x 1.4 = 588 (mage with maxed gear and kershal = 560)

I also have a 56% chance to crit and I always get 2 charged windmills and 4 non-charged skyward smashes off during this period.

I then follow up with 1 charged windmill and 2 non-charged skyward smashes off non-buffed

So 2/3 of my attacks (4 out of my 6 ss, and 2 out of 3 of my wm) are buffed.