How can I tank multiple mobsFollow

Here is the problem.

Let's say I have to tank skull and X at the same time.

I hit skull with devestate - go to X to do the same. Before I can get back, the dps on skull draws it away from me.

If I don't hit X, I lose it on the first heal.

Either way, I find myself running around like a nut trying to get back aggro on the multiple targets - most often with limited success.

Now I've seen warriors tank multiple mobs so I know that good ones can do it. What do they do?

I would spam cleave and TC for multi tanking. also throwing in shield slams and revenges in there. while doing this i was able to keep up to 3 mobs on me at one time solong as the group focused fired on my target.

I try to get a Shield Slam and a Devastate at least on Skull before trying to toss a Devastate onto the X. I also try to use Demo Shout as it not only produces a small amount of area threat but it won't break CC and it helps reduce the damage you are taking which means less Healer aggro to worry about. My guildies are usually pretty good about waiting for a Sunder or two to show up on Skull before they lay into it but I sometimes have to remind them. We also run with threatmeters so they know how much threat we each have on the mob. I will Thunderclap and/or Cleave if I'm positive that I have my mobs well away from the CC mobs but that is not always possible.

Going to toss out an idea that isnt specifically refered to above.

Start with your target Skull, hit TC, and then a Devestate or 2. however also keep doing White dmg to Skull. have a mouse over macro ready for Devestate so you never have to move your target from Skull. This way you keep building rage and threat by hitting Skull while your keeping X and any other mob on you. If your using CC have a mouse over Sunder macro so you can hit the CC'd mob and they will come for you when they are broken.

With these mouse over macros set to my 3rd and 4th mouse buttons and TC i have little to no problem keeping 2,3,4+ mobs on me for a fight. Just every so often toss in a sheild slam or devestate back on skull and keep mouse overing the other mobs.


The more you tank the more you learn the easier it gets. However as a warrior, multi mobs are never easy unless the DPS make it easy for you.

Is there any reason you can't just taunt one when it runs off to healer?

If this is in karazhan I can understand, but otoh if it's in Karazhan you probably won't be getting much use out of thunderclap either.

In situations like Kara where tclap and aoe won't work what I do is the following, assuming I'm MT.

a) Pop Bloodrage.
b) I pull, always. This means I have initial aggro on everything. Pull should happen very shortly after bloodrage, is popped, within 2-3 seconds.
c) Soon as the pull is initiated, target the mob that's CLOSEST to you, among Skull and X. If X is closest to you target X, if skull is closest to you target Skull. Soon as it gets to you Shield Slam it. The mobs hit hard enough that you will easily have enough rage for this. If you get unlucky and dodge/parry the first attack so you don't have enough rage for Shield Slam, hit Revenge if you shield blocked, and Devastate as a last resort.
d) When the other mob gets to you (regardless if it was skull or X), switch target and use whichever is up (Shield Slam if possible, Revenge second priority, and Devastate last).
e) Now just switch back and forth between the targets making Skull slightly more of a priority than X.

Sometimes it gets really tricky in cases where you're pulling in a very tight corridor and you have shackles. There have been times where all 4 mobs are literally right on top of each other to where it looks like one mob. In those cases it's just hard and you gotta do the best you can.

For what it's worth, I don't switch targets with tab because it often gives me targets I don't want. Instead I just left-mouse click the target I want (X or Skull) and then use ability on it.

Edited, Feb 5th 2008 2:58pm by duvar

tanking just skull and x should not give you too many problems, especially if you are geared for it. are you able to tank pulls like the double coilfang defender pulls in heroic SP, or the double bog giant pull before the first boss in heroic UB, where the mobs hit like trucks for a ton? when i first started doing heroics, i used to either need the X kited, offtanked or misdirected, but as my gear set got better, i could not only survive tanking both mobs at once, i was able to maintain aggro on both by spamming cleave and tclap on top of my other abilities.

Well again it depends what you're tanking, and so far I can't find in this thread where you said what level you are and/or what instances you're tanking. If you're 70 and you're talking about heroics, don't expect to ever be tanking more than 2 mobs. Tanking 3 mobs in a heroic, kara, or any other raid-type situation is just asking for death. Don't do it. Bring more CC.

If you're in normal 70 5-man instances then most pulls are 4 or 5 mobs at most. CC 2 of them, make sure your CC are smart and don't CC mobs right on top of you, and then just go to town with thunderclap, cleave, and target switching.

Yup...CC is the key to heroics. I for one get my head bashed in by the bog lords in SV. Thankfully, you only fight them one at a time. I usually try to tank as little mobs as possible. 2 mobs, CC one. 3 mobs, try to CC two. I'm not that good in tanking more than 2 mobs. I have to work on that as soon as possible. So far, I don't have problems in regular intances, heroics still give me a very hard time.

I only have like 12k armor and 11k hp unbuffed so when the orcs in heroic ramps hit me...they hit me very hard. I do have 500+ def and 32% dodge/parry rating. I'm currently trying to find more hp stuff for my gear without lowering my defence.

Btw, +hit chance is a good stat for tanking because it sucks when you miss a shield slam, devastate or revenge xD

Edited, Feb 6th 2008 2:14am by Mylandre

Man, based on the subject I was gonna have a smart *** comment like "aggro more than one?" So, there you have it...Nothing else to add as everything has been covered already.

Ok i cant edit my post above (too much time has passed)

/cast [target=mouseover,harm,nodead] Devastate(Rank 3)


This is the macro i use for devastate, you could also use it for any other attack basically. I assign this one to my 4th mouse button and can use it to devastate any mob in range while still keeping the original as my main target

I don't use macros, cos I have no ideas how they work :)

But in general, the tab-button is your friend. Usually when I've built aggro for 4-5 seconds, and revenge procs for the second time, I tab over to enemy 2, then revenge him, give him a sunder or two, then change back. That's usually more than sufficient.

Doesn't work when the mob you're trying to tab to is CC'ed, because you'll auto-attack it and break the CC. Mouse over should let you mouse over -> sunder a mob without ever targeting it.

In a normal instance i agree, pulling them away is easy enough, However for a heroic I highly recommend you stay near the CC'd mob and use mouse over sunders. That way instead of the mage, lock, hunter, priest doenst get agro when CC breaks. If I can pop 2-4 sunders on a CC'd mob i then dont have to worry or work nearly as hard when it comes time to grab that mob to kill or if someone accidentally breaks CC.