Can an experienced tank explain tanking system in ESO to me please?

Lopti

I am in my late 20s and have been playing MMOs since I was a little kid and have always enjoyed the Tank in the group for dungeons & raids however this is the first game that I either dislike the tanking system or just don't understand it. I am hoping I just don't get it yet or am not far enough into the game to really see how the tank works so I thought I would jump on the forums and see if someone can explain it to me.

I am new to ESO, and have a level 22 Warden, I originally specked him with a sword and shield, heavy armor and ice armor buffs and a few light heals plus the bear companion for my ult (just cause it is cool and I like the roleplay of it no other reason) however when I started doing dungeons I found that there did not seem to be any type of threat system... it is just purely taunts and really the only taunt is puncture which is perhaps one of the most boring abilities ever known to mankind. However I found that to be really useful in the dungeon and keep mobs on me I had to just run around using puncture on everything that breathed then buffed myself and my teammates with ice abilities and some light heals. Dungeon went very well, no one died everything was great except it was not fun for me at all to play the tank... I am used to a much more dynamic and complex system then this, so am I doing it wrong or is that legit how you are supposed to tank? am I playing the wrong class for tanking? or basically can someone that is experienced let me know is tanking just not for me in this game if what I explained above bored me?

I have since respecced my warden to have a two handed sword, have heavy armor for survivability but more just be a damage dealer and am enjoying him but am happy to switch back to the tank if I can figure out a fun way to play them, let me know thanks.

ps-I am not bashing the game it has been very fun so far other then tanking... so if tanking is just not my thing in this game I will just play WoW for tanking and ESO for damage dealing and the fun lore quests so no insult intended here.

LordTareq

Like you I'm a bit older and have generally enjoyed tanking on other MMO's. In ESO I haven't done any dungeons in like a year. In theory tanking in ESO seems so much fun, you have reactive combat, you get to actively block and dodge. Wow.

In practice however tanking in ESO is a very tedious experience, tanks generally have two roles. 1. You make sure the boss gets taunted every x seconds. 2. You debuff the boss / buff your team so the other people in your group have a better time.

Obviously you also need to stay alive.

There is no tactical aspect of a threat system you need to manage like in many other MMO's. Like you noticed, there is only the one taunt (and a ranged version in the undaunted skillline). You are not expected to tank everything like in other MMO's. Before bosses you only tank the most dangerous 1 or 2 mobs within a group (or just help DPS everything down), while the rest of the group fends for themselves and kills everything. At bosses you just tank the boss, any adds are for the rest of your group to handle (there may be some exceptions in dungeons I haven't done yet).

ps. You can temporarily grab agro by going in first and doing an AOE, especially if you have an AOE CC like the immobilize Dragonknights have. This gives your team enough time to nuke everything down from safety.

ps.2 tanking is now actually better than it was before. When ESO just launched the nightblade's cloak worked vs bosses, so we could taunt > then spam cloak for 100% damage immunity (the boss would just stand with a puzzled look) > taunt > spam cloak. It was hilarious. After that we got permanent blocking, so tanking went like taunt > hold block indefinitely > taunt > hold block indefinitely. So it has become better at least

Ahzek

You are correct in that the threat system in ESO is very basic. Regular mobs either are taunted on you or run around with (as good as) random aggro.
While a tanks job in ESO is first and foremost to taunt the big baddies and stay alive, a task that is pretty easy to achieve in most content, most of the dynamic of the tank role comes from supporting your group to deal with threats more efficiently.
This means for example to pull mobs into the AoEs of your DDs with pull abilties or to support your team with a variety of support sets many of which have quite different delivery systems for the varoius (de)buffs.
You are also the first one responsible to apply crowd control where needed, as well as interrupting certain abilties.

Naturally higher level content also has more and more tank specific mechanics you will have to play out while still fulfilling these tasks, but that is a given for every role anyways.

I personally find tanking in ESO to be quite fun in the more advanced content where you will have plenty to do that keeps you busy. In less demanding content however it can become quite boring very quickly, with there being a lot of downtime between things to do and a lack of meaningful consequences to you failing in your tasks.

yooqi

I recommend reading Woeler's intro to tanking, very helpful.

But yes, there are basically 2 taunts and that's the best way to hold aggro. On my DK tank, I use skills like talons (cc) or inhale (interrupt) to control large mobs. Never tanked on a warden, so I don't have much insights on that. Also as you advance in the game, tanking becomes a lot about buffing your group and debuffing enemies as well. But at low levels, taunting and staying alive is enough.

VaranisArano

There is no "threat" in ESO the way other games have it. This is by design.

Essentially, you can hold aggro in two ways.

1. You use a taunt. ESO only has single target taunts, again by design.
2. You can gain a very loose sort of aggro from hitting enemies first, but after a short period of time they will reset and focus on someone else. This is described in more detail here: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/391895/a-guide-to-aggro

So what does this mean for ESO tanking?

It means you need a taunt to hold aggro, but you can't run around taunting everything because that's inefficient and boring. So instead, you need to focus on taunting the boss and any priority adds (minibosses, 2hander adds, etc) while crowd controlling the rest of the mob to bunch them up for the DDs to fight. Your DDs and healer ought to be able to take a hit from the untaunted adds, again by design.

A typical dungeon mob fight goes like this:
1. Hit the mob with an AOE damaging skill or CC to grab their initial aggro.
2. Taunt the priority adds. These are heavy hitters like minibosses or 2handers who can one-shot a DD.
3. Crowd Control the rest of the mob. The goal is to bunch them up for the DDs to use their AOEs effectively.
4. Buff the group, debuff the mobs.

For a Boss Fight, hold aggro on the boss with a taunt, and buff, debuff, and crowd control as needed.

Your available taunts are as follows:
Puncture, from One Hand and Shield - the morph Pierce Armor is a great debuff.
Ice Staff Heavy Attack with the Tri-Focus Passive - a ranged taunt
Inner Fire, from Undaunted - a ranged taunts that can be morphed to cost either magicka or stamina
Tormentor Set with a Charge attack


Personally, I enjoy the battlefield control aspect of ESO tanking. I can't taunt everything, so I have to control the battle through crowd control, leashing the enemies into position, and maintaining focus on the priority targets.

Hope this helps with your questions!

Royaji

First let me establish some things you have to understand about tanking in ESO.

1. Leave everything you know from WoW behind.
2. There is no threat. Only three taunts: Puncture, Inner Fire, Ice staff heavy attack with Tri-focus passive.
3. There is no AoE taunt. And there will never be an AoE taunt.

One of the basics of ESO tanking that so many tanks coming from other games miss is that you do not taunt everything. Those DDs and healers are able to take some ambient damage. They are not squishes. What you taunt are high-threat targets with heavy one-shots. Usually big guys, guys with two-handers, some animals. Everything else can be not taunted but should be stacked in a nice little pack for a quick burn. Skills like Impaling Shards and Frozen Gate are your bread and butter for trash packs.

Another issue you had is that you were tanking a normal dungeon. And they are designed at such difficulty that anyone can clear them. You technically do not even need a proper tank for them and for someone who has experience in MMOs they might seem like a complete bore.

But generally tanking in ESO is a lot less about maintaning aggro and staying alive through some super dangerous hits and a lot more about positioning, debuffing and support. It is complex and dynamic but if it is not the kind of complex you find fun, it might be not for you.

leeux

EDIT: Never mind, already suggested above! That's what I get for jumping the gun... And that's why I should never post on the forums on the run while doing other stuff

yooqi wrote: »

I recommend reading Woeler's intro to tanking
<snip>

Have you checked Woeler's tanking guides, it's really a good resource for learning.

Lopti

Cool thanks for the replies, sounds like something that may be more fun late game so I will just stay DD for now and then late game respec again and try tanking again but as of right now I think I would just get bored with tanking the low level dungeons that I currently am doing.

Joxer61

Good tips all around and also check out: https://www.xynodegaming.com/wardenatronach

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

. Like you I'm a bit older

Late 20s is a bit older? Really?

To the op, you are level 22. You ought to be a dps till you get to level 50 cp 160, so you get a feel for the game and how it plays from that perspective. Then try to tank.

Joxer61

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

. Like you I'm a bit older

Late 20s is a bit older? Really?

To the op, you are level 22. You ought to be a dps till you get to level 50 cp 160, so you get a feel for the game and how it plays from that perspective. Then try to tank.

On that I will disagree...play and level what you are going to be. That way you get a feel for the role/class you want and its a grind trying to fill those skills slots at higher level. Just keep going.....things don't die as fast when you a tank but they die. Again, that's just me...…

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

Joxer61 wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

. Like you I'm a bit older

Late 20s is a bit older? Really?

To the op, you are level 22. You ought to be a dps till you get to level 50 cp 160, so you get a feel for the game and how it plays from that perspective. Then try to tank.

On that I will disagree...play and level what you are going to be. That way you get a feel for the role/class you want and its a grind trying to fill those skills slots at higher level. Just keep going.....things don't die as fast when you a tank but they die. Again, that's just me...…

You are free to believe anything you want but I truly believe that the best way to experience all the content first is from a dps perspective.

Wolfchild07

As a tank you don't need to run around taunting every trash mob. You just taunt the big threat(s). As a warden you have access to the gripping shards morph of impaling shards. Make sure you have that, it will hold trash mobs in place for a few seconds and snare them for a few seconds while the damage from team mates melts them.

You also have frozen gate, which you don't get until rank 42 of winter's embrace, to pull enemies to you. But you do have access to permafrost morph of sleetstorm ultimate (rank 12 of winter's embrace) which will snare enemies within it and also stun them if they have been hit 3 times by it.

LordTareq

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

. Like you I'm a bit older

Late 20s is a bit older? Really?

To the op, you are level 22. You ought to be a dps till you get to level 50 cp 160, so you get a feel for the game and how it plays from that perspective. Then try to tank.

Well judging from zone chat quality & these forums I assume most people playing ESO are teens, but I could be wrong.

Raammzzaa

LordTareq wrote: »

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

. Like you I'm a bit older

Late 20s is a bit older? Really?

To the op, you are level 22. You ought to be a dps till you get to level 50 cp 160, so you get a feel for the game and how it plays from that perspective. Then try to tank.

Well judging from zone chat quality & these forums I assume most people playing ESO are teens, but I could be wrong.

Just based on the typical age range in the guilds that I’m in, I would guess that the average player is in their mid-twenties. However, in the main pvp guild that I mostly play with we have quite a few in their 30’s, a couple 40’s, and at least one person in their 60’s. We have a couple teenagers too.

On the subject of tanking, lots of good advice in this thread. Definitely check out Woeler’s site/guides, and you can find some interviews he did with Deltia on YouTube as well.

Joxer61

delete

BejaProphet

@Lopti in my signature is a link to a vet dungeon tank guide. Some love it, some hate it, all agree it’s crazy long. If you feel like a long read perhaps it will help 🤷‍♂️

Ysbriel

Lopti wrote: »

I am in my late 20s and have been playing MMOs since I was a little kid and have always enjoyed the Tank in the group for dungeons & raids however this is the first game that I either dislike the tanking system or just don't understand it. I am hoping I just don't get it yet or am not far enough into the game to really see how the tank works so I thought I would jump on the forums and see if someone can explain it to me.

I am new to ESO, and have a level 22 Warden, I originally specked him with a sword and shield, heavy armor and ice armor buffs and a few light heals plus the bear companion for my ult (just cause it is cool and I like the roleplay of it no other reason) however when I started doing dungeons I found that there did not seem to be any type of threat system... it is just purely taunts and really the only taunt is puncture which is perhaps one of the most boring abilities ever known to mankind. However I found that to be really useful in the dungeon and keep mobs on me I had to just run around using puncture on everything that breathed then buffed myself and my teammates with ice abilities and some light heals. Dungeon went very well, no one died everything was great except it was not fun for me at all to play the tank... I am used to a much more dynamic and complex system then this, so am I doing it wrong or is that legit how you are supposed to tank? am I playing the wrong class for tanking? or basically can someone that is experienced let me know is tanking just not for me in this game if what I explained above bored me?

I have since respecced my warden to have a two handed sword, have heavy armor for survivability but more just be a damage dealer and am enjoying him but am happy to switch back to the tank if I can figure out a fun way to play them, let me know thanks.

ps-I am not bashing the game it has been very fun so far other then tanking... so if tanking is just not my thing in this game I will just play WoW for tanking and ESO for damage dealing and the fun lore quests so no insult intended here.

As some have pointed out, leave Tanking for when you are past 50, lets say about in the 425 is a good spot to get the right CP in. I'm a 810 cp player my main character is a Warden Tank. basically you want to ditch the warden ice gate cause its garbage and use Silver leash and of course Inner Rage and Puncture, there is 3 tactics I use to get agro, run in and puncture one enemy, everybody best follow me so when we reach a certain point of each dungeons all enemies are stacked, from there I cast the gripping shards and light attack and puncture to make them face me, second strategy I use run into them if they are mostly range and puncture the melee and use Silver shards to pull I, cast gripping shards. silver shards doesn't say it taunts but it makes them agro you. Third one I just Silver shards most one by one if they didn't run in already, when someone else attacked them first. I do sometimes slot permafrost and simply walk in after casting it depending on the dungeon and the scenario. though you want to have spell shield, only use that on VET DLC content and VET TRIALS, for the other stuff, Reviving barrier is a good ultimate to slot it provides shielding and healing that helps the group out and ive found it more useful than any of the war horns in each and every vet content ive done so far, people will argue about warhorn, just try reviving barrier and put points into blessed. use vigor as well, the point is not to be a selfish tank in the skill side, I'm selfish on the set side, and use skills to support the crew. most people go the other way around.

MartiniDaniels

BejaProphet wrote: »

@Lopti in my signature is a link to a vet dungeon tank guide. Some love it, some hate it, all agree it’s crazy long. If you feel like a long read perhaps it will help 🤷‍♂️

Very pleasant to read, though I guess only real tanks will enjoy it

BRODY

Tank on TESO is more, than agro. If you tanking DLC vet doungeon ore trial, you 1)need have support sets and buff you team
2)have 100% agro in boss
3) stopped all adds
4)know all mechanics in any place, cose you must dodge/block all lethal mechanic, cose if you die in 80% place its rip you team.

You really think, that tank is borring in teso? I think borring if you DD, cose you get needed dps and all done, that you need.

And further, to be a really good heal its highly hard to.

Zordrage

firedrgn

I went from dps to heals to tank. I rather enjoy tanking as it is a change of pace.

I kinda like to see what the lowest dps group i can pug thru dungeons.

BloodStorm

Get plague doctor and warrior poet and have 65k- 70k PVE health if good enchants and divines / infused, skills. Then slot invigorating drain, inner light, structured entropy, Blazing shield, and puncture with whatever ultimate you like/ supports group if want. I personally use maw of infernal as my build is mostly just blazing shield ( Sun Shield morph ) and my CP is to buff blazing shield and the dragons overtime fire breath for the magic CP areas. You literally just puncture, blazing shield, and light attacks tell it explodes. I can solo almost ever world boss / DLCs no problem / dungeons. Only vet dungeon can't solo are ones with specific mechanics that just make it not soloable basically. In some of the DLC dungeons though you need to know mechanics though as the bosses can sometimes break your blazing shield with specific attacks / desighned to destroy you regardless of your health / shields basically. Maw of infernal set was designed for Templar tanks in my opinion as you can just blazing shield and light attack spam to proc the dragon/Daedroth to spawn and is up almost all the time. Invigorating drain for emergency heal or ult gain. Course blocking when needed between light attacks fir specific bosses and so on. I don't use 2 bars at all unless to switch for movement mount speed pvp buffs and stuff. It's the simplest build for tanking and you only need one skill bar making it such a straightforward build. Though werewolf can be fun to mess with besides Vampire. Just makes you really tanky as well. You will get wrecked by some players in PVP but usually you will kill a decent amount 1 vs 1 or be very annoying at least . I can't wait for Necromancer to come out, excited. Hope that helped if want a easy build to mess with or add / mix with your own.