Questions About Tanking

scorpiodog

I'd like to improve in Tanking and have a few questions (mostly in reference to dungeons)

What is the role of a tank in a mob with no identifiable Boss? From what I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) a Tank's main role is to keep the most dangerous Bosses focused on the Tank and off of the DPS/Healer players. But what does a tank do if there are like 10-20 little creatures and none seem to be stronger than the rest? Does the Tank swap to DPS role in this case or do something else? Are there any good Mob Taunts for the different classes (DK/NP/Temp)?

Is DK the only real viable Tank option? It seems to me that chains make Tanking much easier. If you are a Tank and not a DK, how do you make up for the lack of chains?

lassitershawn

In trash mobs, focus on pulling initial aggro > taunting dangerous mobs > getting everything to one spot for easy AoE > helping protect group/buffing group.

To pull initial aggro, make sure you are always the one that aggros the pack, and skills like Razor Caltrops and Cinder Storm can help in pulling initial aggro.

If there are any dangerous mobs (usually heavily armored with s/b or a 2 hander, or just huge daedra), taunt them first. Spin mobs that you know have a cone AoE away from the group (such as archers). Also recognize mobs that you need to bash (healers, sometimes archers, the 2h stamsorcs that do a high damage circular AoE) and keep an eye on them. Bashing healers can save a lot of time.

Getting everything to one spot comes back to your question about chains, and it is a great skill, but not 100% essential. Once mobs are together, root them in place with a skill like Choking Talons if you can. If you are a DK and have chains, make sure to chain in archers and healers (not the Xivkyn Cauterizer healers in vWGT though, they have a powerful AoE heal). Grouping mobs is an important part of tanking as it helps your DPS kill them faster. This is also important on boss fights (get adds into the ground AoE).

Once you've got all of the above taken care of, help buff your group by possibly shielding them (through a skill like Igneous Shield), buffing them (via something like Aggressive Warhorn, though usually save this for bosses unless you know you can get it up in time for the next boss), and debuffing mobs. I help my healer out by using Choking Talons on mob packs (reduces all of their damage by 15%), and try to keep Igneous Shield up to provide a small barrier against damage.

If you are on PC NA and want more advice or specific tips, feel free to whisper or mail @lassitershawn.