The Learning How to Tank in the Outlands BluesFollow

I made it all the way to the outlands having only tanked once, a ZF run which was very successful. I exlpained at the outset that I was a first-time tank and they agreed to let me give it a shot. With some good advice throughout I managed to get a few "gj" whispers after all was said and done.

So here I am tanking in Hellfire Ramparts. I've got my quest reward shield and a nice green axe of the soldier that dropped off one of my first Outland kills. I'm spec'd 2H Fury/Arms, but I heard it doesn't really matter at this stage. I've read tanking guides from here to Tibet. My main is a 70 hunter raiding SSC/TK, so I know a little about threat and managing aggro, and I've seen my fair share of great guild tanks and sought out advice from them as well. In short, I'm as prepared as can be.

At this point, I would like to apologize to every warrior that's ever tanked a group I've been in with my hunter main. I now understand the frustration.

/rant on

WTF is it with people? I'm a newb tank but at least I understand the importance of letting the tank establish aggro, maintaining your assigned CC, following the kill order, watching Omen for aggro warnings, not running away from me when your DPS exceeds my ability to hold that third or fourth mob (which you shouldn't be attacking anyway), etc.

At first I thought it was me. But when I'm reiterating that the group needs to follow the kill order and the blue square means hunter freeze trap and I get back, "just do a better job of holding aggro", I get steamed. Then when I decide to let them tank the mob themselves if they pull aggro they QQ at me and tell me it's my fault they died. And how many times do I have to tell then to stay back and let me pull the fear-casting groups to us so that we don't fear-run into add pulls? Stay back means stay the F back you F-ing dope rogue!!!!!

I know some of these level 58-61 toons have to be alts, or at least semi-mature adults and not ignorant morons who lack the capacity to follow a very simple, proven effective plan. So what the dilly-o, yo?

/rant off

In any event, I did join one group that had it's collective stuff together and I found out I'm a pretty effective tank, even for those multiple-mob pulls. And I got the Ironsole Clompers, too. Yay me.

Enough talk! *throws dagger*

Welcome to the world of tanking.

When I got married, my Dad gave me some advice. "Son," he said, "I'll give you the same advice your grandfather gave me, and if you follow it you'll have a long and happy marriage. Here it is: whatever you do, say, or think, always remember you're wrong. If you can just admit that up front, you're marriage will go a lot smoother. 'Honey, I'm sorry, I'm wrong,' said sincerely, is the secret!."

Tanking is the same thing.

Everyone will always think whatever went wrong is your fault. Deal with it.

When nothing goes wrong, it is because the DPS and healers were great. You had nothing to do with that. Deal with it.

Tanks have to be a fairly introspective lot who can look at their own performance and judge it for what it is. And take their satisfaction from knowing what they did well and poorly regardless of what any one else says. If you can look at your own performance and judge it fairly, and take satisfaction from what you do well regardless of what other people think, then you'll enjoy tanking.

If you are the type of person who needs accolades from others, or needs to see their contribution on an add-on meter, tanking will not be for you.

Welcome to our hell. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :)

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Edited, Aug 26th 2008 10:14pm by kawainui