Is Tanking hard?

DPS is fun, Healing is a responsibility and Tanking is work.

The reasoning behind my opinion is that no other role has to learn how to "fight" against his own group. That is to say, Tanking can either be easy or it can be hard and your group decides which one it's going to be. More often than not it's DPS who decides this. Pulling aggro from the Tank because they're not focusing the correct target, not paying attention to where they're standing and pulling adds are some of the more common blunders you will see. And when these happen, who's job is it to keep the group from wiping? That's right.

It's your job.

You're the one who has to correct that guys mistake or your whole team is going to have to start over. Of course this has a trickle down effect on your Healer as well. Now he has to stress over the Tank taking more damage then he would have normally. Do I heal that fool that pulled aggro? Hell no. He dies. I don't have the time to be splitting my attention between keeping him alive and keeping the Tank up. If I can rez him later, I will.

The Tanks "work" is most especially profound when in PUGs. Because you never know what you're gonna get with a PUG. It can either be really easy or it can be infuriatingly hard. Most experienced healers, you'll spot them, they'll be following you almost exclusively and staying in the back. They don't talk much. They're focusing on those health bars and getting ready to start rotations. The DPS though... zomg the DPS... they're jumping all over the place, dancing like it's a disco, jumping the gun on your opening rotation hoping to squeeze some more deeps out of their damage meters.

It... never... ends.

So, yes. Tanking is work, or it can be, if your group makes it that way. And always remember to thank your healers. Healing is a thankless job. Mostly because if you're a good healer your efforts aren't noticed by DPS. Tanks know better. Tanks have to pay attention to their health bars in order to get a sense if the Healer is going to lapse. This way the Tank knows if he has to pop a CD in order to compensate for this lapse. It's understandable if DPS doesn't say, "Good job" to the healer. But you, the Tank, you know better.

Assuming that you've copied and pasted this from somewhere else, but:

Quote:

Pulling aggro from the Tank because they're not focusing the correct target, not paying attention to where they're standing and pulling adds are some of the more common blunders you will see.

Speaking as the newb in the team - the "focusing on the correct target" bit is one of those things that you guys frequently expect but no bugger has explained. Who is the correct target? Why him and not someone else? How do I not draw aggro when I'm hitting him with my shiny stick? Perhaps I should only lightly tickle him in order that I don't upset him too much?

Hell, even half of this text means nothing to me. Adds? PUG? Pop a CD? [sjackon]Speak English?[/sjackon]

Hey Ray, good to see you're still around somewhere ! How goes up north ? Are you into SWTOR at all ?

Bisilicum said:

Hey Ray, good to see you're still around somewhere ! How goes up north ? Are you into SWTOR at all ?

Im lurking here from time to time. Posting when I have something to say.
We have below zero outside so perhaps we can have snow soon.

Sw:tor no thank you. If I did know my computer would run it I would buy to try. Unless there will come a trial I wont be swtorizing at all Cannot afford a new pc yet, upper floor still cost, bought a TV for kiddos and interiors for the room.

As I did play quite much Rift last year I fear that Swtor is "just another" mmo clone with a different skin. Same kind of questing, do this, do that etc etc.
Rift was new and "fresh". Brought another feeling just like Swtor I guess when you are used to WoW. But its still an mmo as every other game out there.
Still play wow but only pvp, part from helping my wife when she needs some help in game.

The one game I will turn to, as it seems now, is Guildwars 2.
Seems like it will be more of a step forward than all the proclaimed wow-killers out there.

Cheers for now and soz to be OT in your tanktopic.
Swedes say Hi.

I understand completely Dave.
Its no easy thing to arrive in group that has so many jargon filled conversations.
First of I would like to appologise on behalf of those jargon users and say hold on its not that bad.

Ill try and give you a crash course in what goes on and why in a group. Now this is a group of very special people. Not like the other groups you might encounter but different
Also dont take this as me patronising, im just trying to fill in the gaps.

First of some terms (in no order of importance):
Agrro=Aggression, when you hit an enemy with your lightsaber it annoys the baddie.
Mob= from my experience this comes from Ultima Online, it means mobile monster. As in a walking around baddie.The other type was a stat or static monster.
Agrro Range= the distance that a mob aggroes on you. A tortuous sentence but it scales with level. So if you are level 40 and the mob is lvl 10 you can basicaly walk up to it and slap it before it enters into combat with you.
Dps=Damage per second. If your not a healer or tank then your DPS. Known as the retards of mmo's. DPS'ers need to ballance damage with aggro generation.
Healer= The person tasked with stopping the Tank from dying. Note that they are only there to heal the tank NOT the DPS!
Tank= The player you will have to pay the most attention to. The tanks role is to take all of the aggro of all of the mobs you are in combat with.
Crowd Control or CC= The act of freezing or rendering inert a mob. This is designated by the tank and you will need to keep your assigned mob CC'ed until the tank decides to hit it.
Adds= Adds stands for additional mobs. As you know your self a few mobs wander about like bastards. They like nothing better than turning up as you are fighting a large group. DPs and healers need to keep their eyes open and tell the tank about them, before they get into Aggro range. All directions must be given from the tanks point of view. To save vital WTF seconds.


Conventions and Roles

Main Tank

Ok so this will be Bisi. At least on the Light side. Unless ofc he levels a sith tank and to be honest I wouldnt be suprised.
The Tanks role is to be the aggro magnet. He needs to be the player being hit by all of the mobs all of the time. He will take virtualy all of the damage output of all the mobs and has the responsibility of deciding which mobs are to be CC'd. The tank is usualy the group combat leader. Making the calls about when and where to start combat and what mobs are taken on.

DPS-Damage per Second

The guys and gals who kill the baddies. It is easy for me to be over critiical of DPS players. Because if a group wipes, it is nearly allways thier fault. But they are the players that kill things the only ones who can nuke stuff and the ones with the big splashy effects and booms!
A DPS player has two main tasks. The first is to hit the tanks target. Not an all out nuke fest but keeping his aggro below that of the tanks on that specific mob. The second is to CC the target/s that they are assigned by the tank. To emphasise DPs are NOT tanks. You may be tempted to do the DPs thing. Of thinking "It dosnt matter that this mob is punching the shit out of me. I can kill it before I die.". Well no, you cant. The only reason your tank seems to never take damage and die is because he has a fuck load of hit points all the damage mitigation in the game and a dedicated healer. You however dont. You will die.

Healer

Healers are like Golaies. All very odd.
The healer is there to keep the TANK alive. Occasionaly the healer may be able to heal a DPs player but dont count on it. The main thing they are doing is being a set of eyes for the party. Watching out for Adds,mobs and PVP bastards. The healer has to analyze a fight as it happens, keep the party alive and not out aggro the tank.
As most players do not know that every healing spell generates vast amounts of aggro on EVERY mob you are in combat with. It can come as a shock that healers get attacked. Keep an eye on your poor squishy healer.

Perfectly rounded off by the picture I think.

Good post Stumpy. Thanks.