Tanking, tips for a newbie? =)

[DramaticBaby]

Hi all tankadin friends

The reson I did this topic was simply to get some basic tips for how to tank.
I've tanked SM successfully and will soon start ZF, but I really don't know what seals to use.

In SM i judged SoC and used SoR, is that ok?

Can I even use SoW or SoL when I tank or do they give me too little threat?

And consecrate, can I use a lower rank to save mana or should I go with highest rank?

And what blessing should I use, in SM i tried BoSanc, BoK, BoW?

Well, many questions but I hope I will get some tips ^^, don't even need to be tips around these questions.

Sry if there is a topic about this in this forum, if there is, pls link =)

EDIT: I've read Tankadin 101 now and that helped me alot, answered many of my questions but if you have any tips anyway, especially about consecrate, post it

[Peryl]

Hi all tankadin friends

The reson I did this topic was simply to get some basic tips for how to tank.
I've tanked SM successfully and will soon start ZF, but I really don't know what seals to use.

In SM i judged SoC and used SoR, is that ok?

Can I even use SoW or SoL when I tank or do they give me too little threat?

And consecrate, can I use a lower rank to save mana or should I go with highest rank?

And what blessing should I use, in SM i tried BoSanc, BoK, BoW?

Well, many questions but I hope I will get some tips ^^, don't even need to be tips around these questions.

Sry if there is a topic about this in this forum, if there is, pls link =)

EDIT: I've read Tankadin 101 now and that helped me alot, answered many of my questions but if you have any tips anyway, especially about consecrate, post it

Welcome Dramatic. For consecrate, when I was at your level I downranked a lot. Used 1 or 2 because your mana pool is going to be small. I just used consecrate to help gather up enemies. Also, if you are starting ZF, you might not have Holy Shield yet. That is a big help for tanking, and you'll definitely need improved Holy Shield for ZF if you do the Pyramid event. (Tons and Tons of trolls come after your party and some NPC's. It's fun ). I think you need to be Lv. 43 or so to have improved HS.

For low level stuff, I just used SoR. I only use SoC, SoL, or SoW on bosses as the trash is usually dead before you can get much return.

Don't forget to rotate your auras. I find it's really helpful to have shadow protect for some of the warlocks who use shadow bolt. Then switch back to Devotion or Ret on physical guys.

Good luck!

[DramaticBaby]

Hi all tankadin friends

The reson I did this topic was simply to get some basic tips for how to tank.
I've tanked SM successfully and will soon start ZF, but I really don't know what seals to use.

In SM i judged SoC and used SoR, is that ok?

Can I even use SoW or SoL when I tank or do they give me too little threat?

And consecrate, can I use a lower rank to save mana or should I go with highest rank?

And what blessing should I use, in SM i tried BoSanc, BoK, BoW?


Well, many questions but I hope I will get some tips ^^, don't even need to be tips around these questions.

Sry if there is a topic about this in this forum, if there is, pls link =)

EDIT: I've read Tankadin 101 now and that helped me alot, answered many of my questions but if you have any tips anyway, especially about consecrate, post it

Welcome Dramatic. For consecrate, when I was at your level I downranked a lot. Used 1 or 2 because your mana pool is going to be small. I just used consecrate to help gather up enemies. Also, if you are starting ZF, you might not have Holy Shield yet. That is a big help for tanking, and you'll definitely need improved Holy Shield for ZF if you do the Pyramid event. (Tons and Tons of trolls come after your party and some NPC's. It's fun ). I think you need to be Lv. 43 or so to have improved HS.

For low level stuff, I just used SoR. I only use SoC, SoL, or SoW on bosses as the trash is usually dead before you can get much return.

Don't forget to rotate your auras. I find it's really helpful to have shadow protect for some of the warlocks who use shadow bolt. Then switch back to Devotion or Ret on physical guys.

Good luck!

Ty, seems like a really great forum.

Ok, then I have one more question . Can I go full prot instead of like now go into prot down to reckoning and then spend the rest of the points in retri tree?

Will my lvling speed be decreased by doing this or is it maybe even easier to lvl since I can pull a lot of mobs at the same time?

[djellum]

your leveling speed will decrease a bit going full prot, but not enough to not get the practice in. you will still level fine.

one thing i ussually advise is to wait till you have holy shield if you want to spec full prot (and improved is even better). most ppl want to aoe since its fun but reckoning isnt enough to make it work well and the few levels between reck and holy shield can be really long. after that it speeds back up.

overall i say wait till you have at least holy shield, and if your rested and can blitz to improved quickly do it. then get into instances and tank. Maraudon is a great one, since it gives you the best pally tank trinket for the early years (a quest reward) as well as a great shield and weapon on common drop rates. also lots of bosses and different types of mobs to learn how to do things.

[DramaticBaby]

your leveling speed will decrease a bit going full prot, but not enough to not get the practice in. you will still level fine.

one thing i ussually advise is to wait till you have holy shield if you want to spec full prot (and improved is even better). most ppl want to aoe since its fun but reckoning isnt enough to make it work well and the few levels between reck and holy shield can be really long. after that it speeds back up.

overall i say wait till you have at least holy shield, and if your rested and can blitz to improved quickly do it. then get into instances and tank. Maraudon is a great one, since it gives you the best pally tank trinket for the early years (a quest reward) as well as a great shield and weapon on common drop rates. also lots of bosses and different types of mobs to learn how to do things.

I just dinged lvl 44 now, so I can get holy shield, think i can get improved too.

And about that you said that reckoning isn't enough, yes i've noticed, when i pull 4+ mobs it can get a bit tough sometimes.

Ok, I will go to Maraudon then , have Sword of Omen and Aegis of the Scarlet Commander which are good gear imo. But that trinket sounds interesting, have any idea where I get the quest for it?

[Shamora]

[item=17774]Mark of the Chosen[/item]

Also while your doing Mara I'd pick up [item=17705]Thrash Blade[/item]. I loved the proc while leveling, but some people don't like the slow speed and not getting in all your Reckoning charges.

[djellum]

the quest is from a centaur that wanders around the demons. pretty easy to do but you will need a group.

theres lots of good stuff there but i liked this shield at the time. super common drop.

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=17718

the weapon i used all the way tot he outland was this one with the badlands aoe chant on it.

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=17733

chant http://www.wowhead.com/?item=5421

[DramaticBaby]

Ok, ty for the tips everyone =)

Please feel free to post some more ^^

[Sarutankah]

Things that were a highlight of my prot levelling:


First time I charged down the steps for the ZF event and just hit consecrate at the bottom when the mobs spawned. Healer freaked but we pulled it off fine.

Then in ST with the dragons and a couply mages, pulling more than one group of em and finally seeing my mana stay up with SA for a change.

Then grinding the skellies in plaguelands by uthers tomb, I did a few levels there just pulling all that I could and judging light.

And then at 70 running through all the suppies by natheral for the first time in greens and some blues and hoping I didn't die.. then only just making it through with a healthpot.


But apart from those few situations I wish I had levelled as ret tbh - the farm quests with casters in dalson's tear etc made me cry - I used my lock to clear for the most part and then killed boss on pally, even holy would have been smarter than prot for that shizz.

But now I have disowned my holy tree - NO MORE healadin ffs, I is tank

/bs post cos I'm bored at work

[DracoTB]

one thing i ussually advise is to wait till you have holy shield if you want to spec full prot (and improved is even better). most ppl want to aoe since its fun but reckoning isnt enough to make it work well and the few levels between reck and holy shield can be really long. after that it speeds back up.

Reckoning works fine to keep you up and (reasonably) full of life/mana while AoEing but you need to have a fast weapon and a shield spike. I used http://www.wowhead.com/?item=6829 which I finally replaced with http://www.wowhead.com/?item=13401

I leveled prot and nothing but prot. I found the leveling fun after my four previous DPS classes. Walking into an area and know that nothing was going going to kill you... Casters could be a PITA but you find ways around that.

[djellum]

one thing i ussually advise is to wait till you have holy shield if you want to spec full prot (and improved is even better). most ppl want to aoe since its fun but reckoning isnt enough to make it work well and the few levels between reck and holy shield can be really long. after that it speeds back up.

Reckoning works fine to keep you up and (reasonably) full of life/mana while AoEing but you need to have a fast weapon and a shield spike. I used http://www.wowhead.com/?item=6829 which I finally replaced with http://www.wowhead.com/?item=13401

I leveled prot and nothing but prot. I found the leveling fun after my four previous DPS classes. Walking into an area and know that nothing was going going to kill you... Casters could be a PITA but you find ways around that.

yah reckoning is good but a lot of ppl think that with 1/5 reckoning their gonna go aoe 15 guys and it really doesnt work well with just reckoning. there are 4-5 talents that all play a part and the closer you get to all of them before you start the faster it will be and the better it will work. I respec'd prot at like 32 or something and the levels building up to holy shield were long, then it got way faster and better every talent point.

[DramaticBaby]

I'm lvl 45 now and will change my points a bit after last qs in STV, right now i stopped at reckoning and have put all points thereafter in retri.
Now I will change those retri points into prot tree instead so I get holy shield

[caboom]

I would also like to add that i was lucky enough to get, at ur lvl, a +7 sta and 1.5 speed weapon from SM witch i used till the outlands, and it made all the difference when tanking in instances, i dunno how good it would have been outside cuz i didn't aoe much, u might wanna take a look at the AH for a similar one.

edit:
this is the item i was talking about : http://www.wowhead.com/?item=864
i was lucky enough to have one with the +7 stamina enchant

[Base]

[item=17774]Mark of the Chosen[/item]

How did I miss this when levelling :O

But yeah - go respec and put all your points in prot - ardent defender makes aoe grinding especially easy (pre-nerf/fix - it was godlike though - used to spend most of my life at 19% health).

[Lookit]

[item=17774]Mark of the Chosen[/item]

Also while your doing Mara I'd pick up [item=17705]Thrash Blade[/item]. I loved the proc while leveling, but some people don't like the slow speed and not getting in all your Reckoning charges.

It's actually a fairly common misconception that slower weapons benefit less from Reckoning.

If the Thrash Blade had a weapon speed of 1.8, its average damage would be 63 per swing. With its actual speed of 2.7, its average damage is 95 per swing.

With a speed of 1.8, you're guaranteed to use all 4 procs (we'll assume no misses/dodges/parries etc for now). That's an average gain of 253 damage per reckoning proc.

With a speed of 2.7, you've got a 96% chance to get 3 extra swings within the 8 second duration of reckoning, for an average gain of 285 damage per reckoning proc.

As you can see, not getting all 4 swings in doesn't really matter when each swing is hitting for so much more.

Conclusion: slow weapons benefit MORE not LESS from Reckoning.