Tanks.

CMDR_Un1k0rn

Hi. I've been told that tanks are a bit more n00b-friendly than other classes.

Is this correct?

I'm looking for a relative easy class to get me started in dungeons later on, and I like planning ahead in my notebook.

Many thanks!

VaranisArano

Tanking is pretty simple to pick up the basics so it's noob-friendly. Just grab some heavy armor and a taunt.

A basic tank holds aggro on the boss with a taunt and doesn't die.

What you'll want to aim for as you learn: a good tank holds aggro on the boss, crowd controls mobs, taunts priority adds like minibosses, debuffs the boss, buffs the group, blockes, bashes, interrupts, follows mechanics, keeps the boss more or less still in the AOEs, and stays alive.


Any class can tank. You can follow the skill advisor advice, but the main things you'll want are a taunt, some crowd control, and a way to stay alive.

You'll want to equip a taunt. Puncture from One-Hand and Shield is the easiest to acquire and the morph Pierce Armor is a potent debuff for your group. If you want to go magicka, Ice Staff has passives that give its heavy attack a taunt and help with blocking. Eventually, the Undaunted Line has a ranged taunt called Inner Fire. The Tormentor set is the final taunt, applied when using a charge ability, but that set is acquired by doing a dungeon.

Another big thing to help you group is to crowd control mobs. You'll want something that slows or locks mobs in place so your DDs can mow them down since there is no AOE taunt. If you don't have class skills to help with this, Ice Staff wall of elements for magicka or Caltrops for stamina will do in a pinch. If you want to pull enemies to you, Dragonknights have Chains, ans everyone else has the Fighters Guild Leash skill.

As I said, you'll need to stay alive. If you've got self-heals, great. You'll also need to block big attacks, interrupt the boss's channeled attacks, and follow mechanics. This will do wonders for survivability of you and your group. You'll learn the mechanics as you go and dont be afraid to ask your group. Most groups I've been with are thrilled to help a new tank learn how to do the dungeon. Or if you prefer to know going in, watch a YouTube run.


Another noob-friendly role is healer.

A basic healer keeps the group alive with resto staff/class heals.

A good healer keeps the group alive, does DPS, buffs the group, debuffs the boss, and helps with resource sustain.


I've leveled new characters through dungeons as both tank and healer. They are both easy to pick up and fun to practice as I get more comfortable with the dungeon mechanics.

Hope this helps!

CMDR_Un1k0rn

It does help, and I'll be reading your post a few more times later tonight, when I have some time spare.

Right now the Elder Trolls are giving me agro' for being on my computer.

Can someone bring a DK tank to get them off my back?

zvavi

while it is very noob friendly in early stages, in higher content i think tanking is much harsher, when i first started tanking it was easy, then i reached dlc vet dungeon in the first time, and found out i know nothing about tanking.
it is also much less forgiving from other players, if a damage dealer dies he can be easily resurrected, while if the tank died it often might mean a wipe.

also mechanics are different from dd's and tanks. tanks can ignore a lot of them cause damage is too low for them to care, while dd's cant.

VaranisArano

zvavi wrote: »

while it is very noob friendly in early stages, in higher content i think tanking is much harsher, when i first started tanking it was easy, then i reached dlc vet dungeon in the first time, and found out i know nothing about tanking.
it is also much less forgiving from other players, if a damage dealer dies he can be easily resurrected, while if the tank died it often might mean a wipe.

also mechanics are different from dd's and tanks. tanks can ignore a lot of them cause damage is too low for them to care, while dd's cant.

One of the most interesting things for me about moving from normal dungeons to vet dungeons was that I'd overbuilt for normals, so I had to relearn mechanics I'd been able to safely ignore on normal difficulty.

Like Selene's bear-ignorable on normal, instakill if not blocked on vet. I had to relearn to block early to account for lag.