For the Tanks out there: Do you dodge AoEs?

Rodario

I got yelled at the other day for not roll-dodging AoEs. I usually prefer staying where I am and blocking AoEs, especially when they're just one pulse and/or are weak enough for my blazing shield to absorb most of the damage, as was the case when the healer freaked out on me.

Am I way off base here? The reason is mostly stamina management, as blocking costs me next to nothing, but dodging is quite expensive for me.

wookiefriseur

seems fine to me, dodging would have wasted your blazing shield for nothing ^^

the healer just seems a bit to fixated on avoiding aoe at all costs
should yell at dps instead, if they don't roll out

there are some bosses where dodge rolling removes their (persistent) aoe before it can be placed, but i think that wasn't the case here

TehMagnus

Real question is, why are you a templar and not healing??? :disagree:

Other than that, just block the AOE, especially if you're in sanctum. Let people QQ about roll-dodging and die because they roll-dodged too soon or too late.

Rodario

Thanks for putting my mind at ease guys.

@magnusnet‌ I've considered it, but I enjoy tanking more and while DK may be the best tanking class, I do just fine with the Templar passives and skills such as blazing shield. Honestly, as long as I carry enough magicka potions, my health rarely goes below 70% and if it does it's usually a wipe and the other three guys have been dead for a while.

TehMagnus

Rodario wrote: »

Thanks for putting my mind at ease guys.

@magnusnet‌ I've considered it, but I enjoy tanking more and while DK may be the best tanking class, I do just fine with the Templar passives and skills such as blazing shield. Honestly, as long as I carry enough magicka potions, my health rarely goes below 70% and if it does it's usually a wipe and the other three guys have been dead for a while.

Was trollin' a bit ^^. I guess it depends on the instance and the situation, don't think DK's are always better tanks than templars, both have different sets of skills and high survivability. As long as you can tank the en game instances without dying or loosing agro anything goes .

Unmai

I think it depends on the situation, I'm learning to tank as part of my guild (trying to develop some specialisation between players ready for harder content) and have come to the conclusion that depending on the healers strain to keep all alive and the type of AOE being layed down sometimes it's more helpful for them to have a tank dodge.

That being said as tanks we should be built for survivability so the healer shouldn't be stressing over you taking one or two AOE's by blocking. As the above poster said. It's more a DPSer issue.

Healer may have felt pressured if the rest of the party are making them work hard.

danovic

As a Templer tank I heal myself don't need a healer using all ring heals and shields as the ring spells don't move I don't dodge don't have the stamina for it save it for blocking and interrupts, a well times bash stops a lot of damage. Healing is the best taunt in the game throw out a few heals and the mobs come after you. With the exception of storm Atronochs run in circles around those trying to keep them spinning still get wiped out in one hit with those hitting for 2-3k damage if I don't get out of way.

Tripwyr

A little bit off-topic, but numerically speaking Templars are the strongest tanks in the game when considering the currently available gear.

Templars get +15% block mitigation, while DKs get only 10%; Templars get +15% healing received (Restoring Focus), while DKs get only 12%. Without going too deep into the numbers, a Templar with the Footmen's set + Evasion + Hist Bark receives less average damage than a Nightblade with the Footmen's set + Evasion + Blur + Hist Bark.

Templars also receive bonus Spell Resistance which DKs do not have.

The reason why I choose DK instead of Templar despite the strict numerical advantages is because DKs get all of their bonuses in one skill, while Templars require 3. To get the same bonuses, a Templar's bar must be:

Taunt, Absorb Magic, Radiant Aura, Restoring Focus, Blazing Shield (or Heal), Free (or Empowering Sweep)

NOTE: If a Templar chooses a heal instead of Blazing Shield, they must choose Empowering Sweep as their ultimate in order to activate their block mitigation passive bonus.

for the same bonuses, a DK must use:

Taunt, Absorb Magic, Free, Free, Green Dragon Blood, Free

TL;DR: Templars are better numerically, but DKs have flexible skill slots.

On topic, no I generally do not roll out of AoE attacks. This is because roll dodging causes you to stop blocking temporarily during the roll. When this happens, often the result is much worse than the AoE you were about to receive. There are of course exceptions to this rule (Mantikora's knockup, or DSA Stage 4's Poison Mist for example), but generally it is safer to just block or walk out while blocking.

Wyietsayon

Huh. on my tank character I always roll out of AoE circles. Never thought to stay in them for the sake of stamina.

xaraan

Tripwyr wrote: »

A little bit off-topic, but numerically speaking Templars are the strongest tanks in the game when considering the currently available gear.

Templars get +15% block mitigation, while DKs get only 10%; Templars get +15% healing received (Restoring Focus), while DKs get only 12%. Without going too deep into the numbers, a Templar with the Footmen's set + Evasion + Hist Bark receives less average damage than a Nightblade with the Footmen's set + Evasion + Blur + Hist Bark.

Templars also receive bonus Spell Resistance which DKs do not have.

The reason why I choose DK instead of Templar despite the strict numerical advantages is because DKs get all of their bonuses in one skill, while Templars require 3. To get the same bonuses, a Templar's bar must be:

Taunt, Absorb Magic, Radiant Aura, Restoring Focus, Blazing Shield (or Heal), Free (or Empowering Sweep)

NOTE: If a Templar chooses a heal instead of Blazing Shield, they must choose Empowering Sweep as their ultimate in order to activate their block mitigation passive bonus.

for the same bonuses, a DK must use:

Taunt, Absorb Magic, Free, Free, Green Dragon Blood, Free

TL;DR: Templars are better numerically, but DKs have flexible skill slots.

On topic, no I generally do not roll out of AoE attacks. This is because roll dodging causes you to stop blocking temporarily during the roll. When this happens, often the result is much worse than the AoE you were about to receive. There are of course exceptions to this rule (Mantikora's knockup, or DSA Stage 4's Poison Mist for example), but generally it is safer to just block or walk out while blocking.

I thought DKs had a 250 SR bonus or something like that. Plus their 10% block bonus is to everything, not just melee (at least the way the tool tip is written) which could be beneficial in other ways. (I Play a NB tank, so I don't have a preference either way on the DK vs templar tanking).

And on topic of the OP: I don't always roll out of AoEs either, depends on what it is and whether or not I can take the hit. Once I've learned most fights you can either predict when an AoE will land and get out of the way more efficiently than a dodge roll (which drops block and can make you take full damage) or you know you can just take it head on.

G0ku

I always thought you cannot block AOE Damage, can someone confirm you can?

On topic:

In normal instances I try to only block the heavy attacks and I try to avoid AOE to make the job for our healer easier; just standing there holding block and not moving is really quite boring.

Try to just stay on spot on DSA Vet mode stage 3 in poison, stage 9 in batswarm or in stage 10 when the boss drops his nova. You won´t last long if you try to block these. So you should take the easier fights as a kind of training for the hard fights to come...

Sasky

In most situations, a roll dodge out is excessive. However you shouldn't just sit still in AoEs if you can get out of it. For the majority of tanking in the game, just moving with your block up is sufficient.

There are a few end-game situations where you can't even stay in it that long and DO need to dodge roll (arena's boss nova or DK standard for example) or can't afford to even take the hit (the moving frost circle in arena).

Magdalina

I'd say it depends on AOE. If you know what you're doing and are sure it won't kill you/put you at low enough health to get killed next hit immediately, then there's no reason to. Your healer should trust you more:) My favourite Templar tank, who used to be very careful prior to becoming very confident(with good reason though, I must admit) got a charming habit of standing in all AOE possible lately just to check how much they hurt him. At first I as a healer was freaking out, but he usually knows what he's doing, don't think he died once doing that so I just let him do his thing.

Rune_Relic

I can dodge and still get hit sometimes using a chunk of stamina I nee for damage.
I can stay there and soak a little damage and a little stamina with a block and get more hits and damage in....perhaps kill them before they kill me.

TBH I will sit in the aoe and see how much damage it does.....then decide if I need to dodge or not. Sometimes its better to soak up the damage and attack rather than runaway with little damage and face a slow death.

You could die quick you could die slow...only you know how to manage your resources to give you the best chance of survival. Your healer needs to recognise you are taking a calculated risk specific to your build.

lolo_01b16_ESO

As a healer I also have a comment on this topic:
Please tell us, when you're testing if you can stay in the aoe. Just because you have 90% health after standing in the aoe for some seconds, it doesn't mean it's save there. It's also possible that the healer just burned >2k Magicka to save you.
But when you know that you can block the aoe and won't take much damage, it's perfectly fine to stay there.

Rune_Relic

lolo_01b16_ESO wrote: »

As a healer I also have a comment on this topic:
Please tell us, when you're testing if you can stay in the aoe. Just because you have 90% health after standing in the aoe for some seconds, it doesn't mean it's save there. It's also possible that the healer just burned >2k Magicka to save you.
But when you know that you can block the aoe and won't take much damage, it's perfectly fine to stay there.

Perhaps leave it until they get down to 50% health ?
Is that viable ?

Other than TS, giving on the fly feedback isnt practical.

TBH when I start hitting 75% or less I would start dodging which could make matters worse. So perhaps assume if they are standing still in aoe they are OK with it rather than a nub.

mousekime111rwb17_ESO

my tank has overcharged stamina and uses siphoning attacks (yes she's a NB) to keep it up, so yes, to make the life of my healer a tad bit easier I'll roll dodge occasionally. Recently doing a run of banished cells hard mode I roll dodged repeatedly for the 100% DR against the five deadroth for about 15 seconds while my group burned the last 20% of the bosses HP.