Tanking Multiple Targets ???Follow

Thunderclaps a great tool to use to get aggro on multiple mobs the maths around here somewhere but its our best rage/threat move on more then like 2 or 3 mobs.

what i like to do is to be on the opposite side of the mobs we are fighting.. So it would kinda look like this:

 
{Healer} 
              {DPS} {Mobs}{You} 
{Mages} 

This helps you keep an eye on whos facing you instead of the dps. You have to be careful of aggroing mobs who may be up ahead.

Also good group organization is a key to fighting a lot of mobs at once.

Use markers! tell your group DPS the skull then switch to the Moon then back to the skull as they die (or any of the markers). This makes it easier because you dont have to focus on a lot of the other mobs at once outside of a few tab sunders and thunderclaps because all the threats on the one mob.

One thing also you want to say it to try and keep away from CCed mobs. If you have a mage or rogue sheep/saping have them do it far away from where you plan to fight or you cant thunderclap which severly hinders your multiple mob tanking ability.

It takes some getting used to but youll get the hang of it eventually. If you have groups who refuse to listen you cant do anything about it really just try to deal with it as best you can.

Hope this helped (^_^)b

I don't prefer that to be honest.

1) Puts you further than the melee from the heals. Melee don't need to be in range of healer at all times.

2) Makes your healer stand closer to AoE range to get heals on you. They have to go past the melee, past the mob, and to the tank.

Just about every single party, every pull I've done was like your example, just me and the melee swapped out.

It's just easier for the melee to get behind a group of AoE tanked mobs than the tank to dance around, making sure he did not lose one while running thru them to get in position.

Not to mention, trying to explain the formation to the group would be like teaching my dog to speak, so far I've only got him saying "Roof".

OP just make sure you're the one that pulls the group. If there's 'no' or 'little' CC available, just spam T. clap. I like using cleave, since T. Clap as a CD. However that's rage gain dependant.... sometimes you won't get enough rage to [Tab]-Cleave, T.Clap, [Tab]-Cleave, etc. *God I hope they 'fix' our T. Clap in WotLK, or give us a new ability/talent to AoE tank better lol

As long as no one is touching the Off Tanked mobs, and everyone is burning down the 'skull', then no one but you and the healer will get threat on them, then with Imp. T. Clap you should hold their attention with thunder claps alone. Unless you're super undergeared and the healer has to spam huge heals on you/

If you're AoE'ing the group down... well then we're kind of screwed. General rule I try using... Burn down the "Skull" 1st, mean time I'm T. Clapping all the while, after skull goes down the dps can AoE. Sometimes it works, some times it don't. However, you really only want to AoE down non-elite mobs, never try to AoE elites (well... without a pally tank anway).

Edited, Apr 15th 2008 4:37pm by GYFFORD

marking the kill order, or at least the first kill, is extremely important. what i tend to do is build up enough rage for a tclap. i dont have to worry because if a dps pulls aggro on skull i can taunt it back, and i get all the threat he built up (taunt sets your threat at the highest person on the list). then i sunder main target and revenge, then sunder two off targets, then rotate tclaps in when possible.

if you have a mouse, and i highly reccomend you do for tanking, use it to select targets and right click. that way your always engaged. you could also have a button bound to attack, or have the attack 'skill' on one of the toolbars to see if its blinking.

It really comes down to taking charge of the group, marking the targets yourself, initiating the start of combat youself, and telling them to follow the kill order. It is simply amazing how much better things go, even if it is in a tight area where you can't CC (because TC will just break it anyways).

I think your number is a little low. It used to be about 35-40 when people started catching on. But then Blizz made it much easier to level up. After some recent PUG experiences in Ulda and ZF on my priest and druid I would say that 50+ is a little more appropriate now. I think I have given up on PUG's for anything before BC content.


Edit: spelling

Edited, Apr 16th 2008 12:45pm by Paladense

A lot of good input here... Fortunately for me I have a 26 Shadow Priest who pals around with me. Even though he is a shadow priest he is very experienced in the game and is on the ball when I need to be healed.

My only problem with mouse clicking is like I said in the beginning I get crowded fast. Yes in a perfect world everyone would line up and we wouldn't have this problem. In a perfect world I would be the puller every time and not have to worry about some mage or hunter firing off shots at mobs because they are impatient waiting for me to get a clean pull.

Unfortunately I can't count on that, especially at these low levels. I need to be prepared for worse case scenario. I do try to let people know what mob I'm attacking first, and I don't kick people from the party in the middle of an instance. Unless we are wiping a lot, which (knock on wood) hasn't happened yet. But I defiantly don't invite them for a second time if they don't listen to me.

I want to say thanks again for all of the input. Even though I'm new to this game I'm not new to MMO's (4 years of FFXI) and I know how frustrating it is to play with new people especially when those new people are level 75 and still play the same way they did their first day. I have a drive to better myself in everything I do, I don't want to be "that" player that everyone avoids.

Anyway I'm rambling now so thanks again.

Thank you Mark that is exactly the type of answer I was looking for.

I have a trackpad, but I'm used to it enough that I can switch targets easily.

Another thing to consider is turning on sticky targeting in the interface options menu (not sure where exactly since 2.4 changed everything). This will prevent you from clearing your current target if you accidentally click on nothing.
Clearing your target will turn off auto-attack; Changing targets while auto-attacking will not.

almost got the syntax right, i think it should be this:

/startattack
/cast Sunder Armor

if you go prot, you will change the second line to "/cast Devastate" at level 50.

according to the 1.9 patch notes, sticky just prevents you from clearing your target, not changing it. but now that i use the mouse wheel, i rarely find myself clicking on targets anymore, so it's not an issue.



i think there is a separate UI option to control this. personally, i prefer to keep it set so i DO stop auto-attack if i switch targets, mainly to keep me from breaking CC. using a macro like the one above, i can start attacking instantly anyway.