A few weeks ago I made a thread inquiring about what ways to build threat were the best. The thread developed into a very good discussion of druid tanking as a whole and I am glad to have seen everyone's input on the matter.
However some problems still exist with my druid tanking skills which leave me at a loss. Mainly, it is my TPS according to Omen. Generally it is very low and I cannot figure out why. Tonight in regular Steam Vaults I couldn't even break 300. At other times, tanking in heroics or offtanking in kara I can occasionally get to 800ish and, once in a while, I will see over 1000 for a brief second or two. Generally though I can only put out 400-600 TPS.
Typically on any pull I will Enrage (if it's up and my rage bar is empty) then either use FFF, Hurricane or Moonfire depending on the pull. I will then immediately begin to mangle, lacerate and apply swipes, tabbing to each target to lay a few lacerates then switching back to the one marked with a skull. I will generously use maul when I am not short of rage, I will hit them all with demoralizing roar early and I keep growl and feral charge at the ready for when one of the mobs breaks off from me. Keep in mind I also always will growl the primary target (or whichever gets to me first) before beginning to use any other skill at the beginning of each pull.
Yet....this is all hard as hell. My TPS is low and targets like to break off me very quickly, often before I can even mangle or lacerate the primary target. Right off the bat I've got healers and mages and melee getting pounded on when it seems like I'm doing everything that I am supposed to be doing.
One of my problems might be the sort of tanking I am used to from previous games. To a limited degree Everquest and almost exclusively FFXI. In FFXI every pull was a single pull (at least in the EXP parties). Even a single add, depending on the makeup of the group, could spell death for the entire party. Therefore I am very used to the notion of keeping the mobs on me at all times, at all costs. Losing aggro = failure.
So basically what I want to know is this: in WoW is multiple mob tanking supposed to be coupled with the frequent possibility of losses of aggro to secondary targets? Is it generally something that happens to warriors (not so much paladins of course) and is, overall, an accepted fact of life? Or am I only good if I can keep four mobs glued to me at all times even when the mage is doing 800 DPS and the healer is dropping crit heals like there's tomorrow?
Edited, Jun 3rd 2008 3:28am by Tavarde