Post by Domm on Sept 18, 2011 10:21:41 GMT -5
I've played a tank now for about 7 years in every MMO that I've played (with the exception of some PvP games, where tanking can be a very different beast). I find tanking to be very rewarding, and this game makes Warrior tanking particularly rewarding. This game seems to be short of tanks. So I would encourage anyone that has ever considered tanking to read on. I don't pretend to be a tanking expert, but hopefully what follows will help you decide whether it's time to roll a Warrior tank or not. And if you do, I look forward to tanking a raid with you some day!
To Tank or Not to Tank
Depending on who you talk with, tanking is either the most rewarding or most frustrating role in MMOs. So, what determines whether tanking is right for you? Perhaps, like myself, its just the right fit for your personality. Or maybe you have a friend that plays a healer. Or two friends that play a healer and a damage dealer. All good reasons to try tanking.
Another consideration has to do with damage. Tanks don't do much damage, so killing something is a slowww process. As a result, tanks aren't much fun to play solo. In a large guild, there's lots of opportunity to play in groups. But if you play during off-peak hours, or just like to be on your own most of the time, tanking may not be for you.
Gear plays a greater role in tanking than is the case with some other classes. The implication is that the person that plays a tank 18 hours a day is going to have better gear than you, so is going to be a better tank than you. Frustrating but true.
And finally, if you love PvP, tanking may not be a good fit. Aggro management is such a big part of tanking, and aggro doesn't exist in PvP. You can taunt all you want, but your opponents will ignore you and attack your healer. However, keep in mind that Rift allows you to have multiple builds, so you could have a PvP build that's very different from your tank build(s). More on this later.
Is Tanking Easy or Hard?
It's easy. And it's hard. It's easy in the sense that this game gives Warriors access to a rich set of tanking skills. And hard because:
(a) Tanking requires constant concentration (as does healing).
(b) At least in my view, a tank is responsible for the welfare of his group/raid. So if you wipe, it's your fault. And if someone is endangering your group, it's your responsibility to sort things out. A tank needs to be able to deal with that.
A good tank needs to be a student of the game. They need to study their soul trees very carefully. They need to spend time in their Combat chat window experimenting with skills and combinations. They need to read the Warrior forum tanking posts. They need to learn all of the instances and the bosses. And they need to know the strengths of other classes. I'm not trying to scare anyone off, and you may already be a student of the game. But at the end of the work day, after the dinner dishes are washed and you're sitting down at the computer with a beverage, ask yourself if you really feel like tanking. Some people would find a different role more rewarding/relaxing.
What Are the Attributes of a Good Tank?
At the most basic level, a tank must be good at two things, namely managing aggro and surviving.
In addition to being a student of the game and able to deal with criticism, a good tank is also a strong leader and a capable arbitrator (for dealing with disputes which will inevitably arise, particularly with random groups fighting over loot, stealing aggro, setting on auto follow and watching tv while the group wipes...).
A tank must also be able to process multiple simultaneous streams of information. You are watching the boss. And keeping an eye out for adds. And monitoring the health bars of your group members. And scanning the chat window for calls for help and indications that the boss is about to do something nasty. And making sure that you aren't standing in fire or on the edge of a cliff...
And I'll add one more desirable attribute. Tanks (in my opinion) should be very calm and collected. Bad things happen. A mage falls asleep and their nose presses their nuke spam macro button. A playful pet decides to pull every hellish creature in sight. Someone accidentally launches their Fear spell and the trash mobs run in all directions and return with every dungeon boss in tow. When that happens, it's ok if others panic, but a tank must immediately take charge, grabbing aggro and calming down the team.
One final consideration. A tank needs a good computer and internet connection. During invasions and raids, with mages casting lots of dazzling spells, the average computer slows to a crawl. Not a great situation if you're the tank. Can't target? Can't see? Can't move? Well, I think you can see where I'm going with this...
Can Warrior Tanks Also Fill a Damage Role?
Many Warriors have both tank and damage builds. It allows them much more flexibility since they can fill multiple roles in a group (and makes PvP fun). However, tanking gear and damage gear have very different stats. And tank Warriors carry a sword and shield whereas damage Warriors carry a two hander. So changing roles may require a lot of gear swapping. And perhaps more importantly, a tanking build is vastly different than a damage build in terms of soul trees. So you'll go through a learning curve each time that you switch roles.
Is There Room for Multiple Tanks in a Raid?
Yes, there is. But the role of all but the main tank won't feel much like what you're used to when tanking for a group. "Off" tanks (all but the main) are typically responsible for things like dealing with adds. In theory, two tanks could trade boss aggro back and forth for greater survivability. But that rarely happens, because of tank ego issues related to "losing" aggro.
How Does a New Tank "Get Their Feet Wet"?
You're already half way there, because you're in a large guild, which means you can try dungeons with friends. But even before dungeons, try tanking rifts and invasions. Practice aggro management. Enjoy the thrill of holding the aggro of a dozen rift spawn while some charming healer you just met keeps you alive. This game is great because it gives you a real feel for tanking by the early 20s. And if you have a bad experience in an instance with some strangers, shrug off the criticism and focus on being a student of the game. What went wrong? How are you going to ensure it won't happen next time? Revisit your soul trees. Visit the auction house and upgrade your equipment. Add a level or two and try the instance again. Treat it as an intellectual challenge.
Good hunting!
To Tank or Not to Tank
Depending on who you talk with, tanking is either the most rewarding or most frustrating role in MMOs. So, what determines whether tanking is right for you? Perhaps, like myself, its just the right fit for your personality. Or maybe you have a friend that plays a healer. Or two friends that play a healer and a damage dealer. All good reasons to try tanking.
Another consideration has to do with damage. Tanks don't do much damage, so killing something is a slowww process. As a result, tanks aren't much fun to play solo. In a large guild, there's lots of opportunity to play in groups. But if you play during off-peak hours, or just like to be on your own most of the time, tanking may not be for you.
Gear plays a greater role in tanking than is the case with some other classes. The implication is that the person that plays a tank 18 hours a day is going to have better gear than you, so is going to be a better tank than you. Frustrating but true.
And finally, if you love PvP, tanking may not be a good fit. Aggro management is such a big part of tanking, and aggro doesn't exist in PvP. You can taunt all you want, but your opponents will ignore you and attack your healer. However, keep in mind that Rift allows you to have multiple builds, so you could have a PvP build that's very different from your tank build(s). More on this later.
Is Tanking Easy or Hard?
It's easy. And it's hard. It's easy in the sense that this game gives Warriors access to a rich set of tanking skills. And hard because:
(a) Tanking requires constant concentration (as does healing).
(b) At least in my view, a tank is responsible for the welfare of his group/raid. So if you wipe, it's your fault. And if someone is endangering your group, it's your responsibility to sort things out. A tank needs to be able to deal with that.
A good tank needs to be a student of the game. They need to study their soul trees very carefully. They need to spend time in their Combat chat window experimenting with skills and combinations. They need to read the Warrior forum tanking posts. They need to learn all of the instances and the bosses. And they need to know the strengths of other classes. I'm not trying to scare anyone off, and you may already be a student of the game. But at the end of the work day, after the dinner dishes are washed and you're sitting down at the computer with a beverage, ask yourself if you really feel like tanking. Some people would find a different role more rewarding/relaxing.
What Are the Attributes of a Good Tank?
At the most basic level, a tank must be good at two things, namely managing aggro and surviving.
In addition to being a student of the game and able to deal with criticism, a good tank is also a strong leader and a capable arbitrator (for dealing with disputes which will inevitably arise, particularly with random groups fighting over loot, stealing aggro, setting on auto follow and watching tv while the group wipes...).
A tank must also be able to process multiple simultaneous streams of information. You are watching the boss. And keeping an eye out for adds. And monitoring the health bars of your group members. And scanning the chat window for calls for help and indications that the boss is about to do something nasty. And making sure that you aren't standing in fire or on the edge of a cliff...
And I'll add one more desirable attribute. Tanks (in my opinion) should be very calm and collected. Bad things happen. A mage falls asleep and their nose presses their nuke spam macro button. A playful pet decides to pull every hellish creature in sight. Someone accidentally launches their Fear spell and the trash mobs run in all directions and return with every dungeon boss in tow. When that happens, it's ok if others panic, but a tank must immediately take charge, grabbing aggro and calming down the team.
One final consideration. A tank needs a good computer and internet connection. During invasions and raids, with mages casting lots of dazzling spells, the average computer slows to a crawl. Not a great situation if you're the tank. Can't target? Can't see? Can't move? Well, I think you can see where I'm going with this...
Can Warrior Tanks Also Fill a Damage Role?
Many Warriors have both tank and damage builds. It allows them much more flexibility since they can fill multiple roles in a group (and makes PvP fun). However, tanking gear and damage gear have very different stats. And tank Warriors carry a sword and shield whereas damage Warriors carry a two hander. So changing roles may require a lot of gear swapping. And perhaps more importantly, a tanking build is vastly different than a damage build in terms of soul trees. So you'll go through a learning curve each time that you switch roles.
Is There Room for Multiple Tanks in a Raid?
Yes, there is. But the role of all but the main tank won't feel much like what you're used to when tanking for a group. "Off" tanks (all but the main) are typically responsible for things like dealing with adds. In theory, two tanks could trade boss aggro back and forth for greater survivability. But that rarely happens, because of tank ego issues related to "losing" aggro.
How Does a New Tank "Get Their Feet Wet"?
You're already half way there, because you're in a large guild, which means you can try dungeons with friends. But even before dungeons, try tanking rifts and invasions. Practice aggro management. Enjoy the thrill of holding the aggro of a dozen rift spawn while some charming healer you just met keeps you alive. This game is great because it gives you a real feel for tanking by the early 20s. And if you have a bad experience in an instance with some strangers, shrug off the criticism and focus on being a student of the game. What went wrong? How are you going to ensure it won't happen next time? Revisit your soul trees. Visit the auction house and upgrade your equipment. Add a level or two and try the instance again. Treat it as an intellectual challenge.
Good hunting!