I want to improve my tankingFollow

Tanking is not my favorite thing to do in a group. I much prefer dps/support. However, when it comes down to me needing to tank, I will do it. However, my tanking is decent at best and I know I'm not using all my potential.
There's at least one thing I know I need to work on.

Feral Charge. I can't seem to get this one right. I've tried using it to charge into a group...but half the time I aggro them before the charge button lights up that I'm close enough. I'm not too low level in comparisson to the mobs, I know that. I think maybe I should practice on some lower level mobs to get a better idea of the right distance to be able to charge.

The other thing about feral charge is using it to protect my healer. I can't seem to be able to get it right and usually just end up running after the mob to regain aggro.

I wonder if part of my problem is the placement of the skills on my action bar. I have growl on number 1, enrage on 2, mangle on 3, maul on 4, swipe on 5, bash on 6, demoralizing roar on 7, feral charge on 8, feral farie fire on 9, frenzied regeneration on 0, challenging roar on -, and ...I don't recall what's on the =. I usually keep my left hand fingers hovered over numbers 3 to 6. Is there a better placement or macros I can use to help with this? I can't use macro's with 'alt' as a modifier as I find it quite awkward trying to use it. My right hand usually stays on the mouse to help move her around.

My rotation of attacks is: I usually start of with a mangle and swipe, demoralizing roar, and then alternating between mangle and swiping while changing targets as I can. I'll throw in a bash if I can while fighting casters.

Here's my armory link:
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Hellscream&n=Stardream
It seems to not be updated at the moment. I'm level 56 now.

Thanks for your time.

Placement of your keys and the use of other shortcuts really should be entirely up to your own preference, as it is more a question of what keys you can easily and fast hit.

I do however have a couple of comments on your tanking style so to speak.

Your setup doesn't reveal anything of the Lacerate ability. Outside of Mangle, this is the single most important ability to use for gaining aggro on a mob.

I'll try and give some advice based on how I generally tank single and multiple mobs.

Tanking only one mob:
1) Pull with Faerie Fire and not by using charge. Faerie Fire brings the mob to you instead of the other way around and thus gives you higher control of where the fight takes place.
2) Mangle the mob. This is the best threat ability bears have, and should be used whenever the cooldown is up.
3) After mangle start spamming Lacerate until Mangle is ready again. you can usually spam 2-3 Lacerates before applying another Mangle. Make sure you do not just apply the 5 Lacerates debuff and then stop. The main threat is generated by the hit, and not by the DoT.
4) If your rage gets over 30-35, start to use Maul, but use Mangle/Lacerate rotation at the same time (yes, you can do both since Maul is applied to the next white attack, and thus doesn't affect Global Cooldown). Remember however that Maul costs rage, and removes the rage generation from your normal white attacks. Thus - unless tanking Gruul or some other boss - you will quickly find yourself without rage; you therefore have to stop using Maul before you get too low to use Mangle/Lacerate (about 15 rage).
5) If you have no rage or too low rage to use an ability, reapply Faerie Fire. It not only provides some additional threat but it also gives a debuff which is helpful for the dps (physical damage only).

Tanking multiple mobs:
1) Pull with Faerie Fire and not by using charge. Faerie Fire brings the mob to you instead of the other way around and thus gives you higher control of where the fight takes place.
2) Your next move depends on the number of mobs: 4+ mobs you use Demorilishing Roar as that generates threat on all the mobs, and then you start using Swipe. 2-3 mobs you use Swipe a couple of times.
3) After a couple of Swipes, you hit Mangle on a target, then you switch to a different target making sure that target gets 1 white attack and 1 Lacerate (mangle on cooldown remember). Also give of a Swipe.
4) Change to the next target, 1 white attack and 1 Lacerate (if Mangle is still on cooldown otherwise Mangle).
5) Now you switch between targets all the time continually building threat on each target.

A small modification to the above may be in order depending on your dps. Triggerhappy dps makes the above quite hard, and in these kind fo groups I find it nice to use Mangle and Lacerate only on the kill target. This way demands that you with 4 or more mobs constantly spam Swipe also and move around a bit to have the mobs move also - otherwise you may only hit the same 3 targets with Swipe and then not build any threat at all on the fourth target. If you move however you're bound to hit all the targets with Swipe.

Some minor other stuff:
Reading your post you state that you have enrage set at number 2. Now providing your main (fast and easy to hit) buttons are 1-2-3-4, I'm thinking you use enrage during the fight - this is not a good idea. Enrage lowers your armor and thus increases the damage taken, forcing the healer to build up more threat in order to keep you alive. Better to use enrage just before the pull have the timer on the debuff run down to 2-3 seconds and then pull. Only use enrage during combat if rage is a problem and if your healer will have no problem keeping up. Therefore I would suggest you set up button 2 for Lacerate and then move Enrage somewhere else as you wont use it much in combat.

Hope you can use my "few" comments :-)

I would go with mainly what gnoster said. But, I would like to add some small things:

1 - Read this: http://elitistjerks.com/f31/t16902-feral_druid_megathread/
Search for the part about the bears (post #3), or click directly here: http://elitistjerks.com/504177-post3.html

2 - Read this: http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=228063040&sid=1
It's a important thread about Druid's avoidance.

3 - Use this: http://druid.wikispaces.com/TankSimulator
Now, you can simulate a battle and see how would be your battle.

4 - Read this: http://druid.wikispaces.com/Druid_Tanking_Guide
It's a nice guide to Druid Tanking.

5 - Read this: http://druid.wikispaces.com/Druid_Game_Mechanics#tocDruid_Game_Mechanics15
Everything about threat on Druid, not only on Bear form.

6 - Download this: http://druid.wikispaces.com/Rawr
You can measure if your tanking equipment is good enough and compare with other pieces of equipment.

7 - Instead of "tabbing" to the next mob, you would be better changing to mouseover a mob to have instant focus. This way, you can perfectly control wich mob you are hitting and generating threat.

If I remember anything else, I will edit here.

Edited, Dec 3rd 2007 2:19pm by Brisin

Actually, sometimes I do this, but not always. It depends on the mob(sometimes they have something like charge or a instant cast that could really hurt you), but it can be usefull, yes. Even starting as cat stealthed, depending on the mob, so you can start with a pounce and shred to add threat and dps, and then switch to Bear, can be usefull. It all depends.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I do try to pull with fff usually. I only charge if it's safe to do so. My biggest concern with charge is using it to try and charge a mob that might be after my healer.

Norelicus, I agree. I try not to use growl and enrage unless needed.

gnoster, thanks for the advice on Lacerate. I'll be sure to use it when I get the ability. As I said in my previous post, I was only level 56 (have since levelled to 58). Also, as I had said, I keep my fingers on the numbers 3 through 6, not 1 through 4. It gives me a little more options by being able to use my pinky to hit number 2 or 1, and my forefinger to hit number 7 or 8....thus the reason the lesser used abilities get put on those numbers. However, I think I will switch growl and enrage.

Torzak, I have auto run toggle attatched to my side button, and rejuv attatched to my middle button. I haven't attached any abilities to the forward and backward roll of the middle button because I like being able to quickly adjust my view if needed. I chose rejuv for the middle mouse button because it'll give me a quick heal and put me in caster form for other abilites needed (but use it more in solo/cat form than tanking). Maybe I could make a macro so that if I'm in bear form, the middle mouse button will use the frenzied regen instead?

Thanks again all!

I find the hardest thing with using feral charge is conditioning yourself. If I lose agro, my natural reaction is to run after it. This often keeps the mob within the minimum range for feral charge and outside the rang of growl!

I have trained myself to stop and wait (or even back up a bit) until the mob gets far enough away to charge. It is not always easy doing nothing for that second or so as the mob runs for your healer, but it ends up getting you to the mob quicker than running after it.