Returning player looking to tank

Sirraven

Hey, everyone, I'm playing on returning to the game soon since the new expansions is on sale and I'm looking into doing some tanking this time around my only question that I have are between Nord and Imperial which one is better for besides Sorcerer which class is the best for tanking?

zvavi

Currently nightblade nords are meta, but all classes can tank. Chose a class you feel you will have more fun with, the almost 4k resists from nord are really strong, so i would recommend still chosing nord, but other than that go wild.

validifyedneb18_ESO

have fun being kicked from dungeon groups while you're still learning the ropes
"fake tank" or some ***.

VaranisArano

validifyedneb18_ESO wrote: »

have fun being kicked from dungeon groups while you're still learning the ropes
"fake tank" or some ***.

The basic things most dungeon groups who kick fake tanks look for is simply whether or not you:
A. Hold boss aggro with a taunt
B. Don't die with the boss looks at you

For a DLC dungeon, its probably wise to glance at a guide before you try it, since even normal DLC dungeons tend to be easier when you aren't coming at the mechanics blind. If you don't, I appreciate new tanks who ask about mechanics - that way I know they care and I can warn them about anything they need to know about ahead of time instead of in the middle of the fight.

UntilValhalla13

Dragonknight would probably be the easiest to learn to tank on, if you've never done it before. They have all of the skills already built into their kits, with a much simpler learning curve.

Major_Lag

Sorc tanking is also quite easy, IF you have the Swarm Mother set.
Then you just ranged taunt the adds, and the problem (mostly) takes care of itself.

Without the Swarm Mother set, you're kinda screwed, since Sorc has no class pull (chains) ability. You're left with the Fighters Guild pull which costs stamina. Meh.

Nord is probably the best race for tanking, makes it easy to reach the hard cap for resistances (33k) due to the racial bonus.

On PC you can use Xynode's "all about mechanics" addon to display the dungeon guides in-game without needing to alt-tab out of the game.

Taleof2Cities

zvavi wrote: »

Currently nightblade nords are meta, but all classes can tank. Chose a class you feel you will have more fun with, the almost 4k resists from nord are really strong, so i would recommend still chosing nord, but other than that go wild.

Nightblades can tank ... but they definitely aren’t meta.

I like how smoothly you tried to sneak that in there though.

Shanehere

I think Nord and Argonian are still the best tanking races, but I'm sure Imperial can get the job done just as well. Argonian is just really sweet with their potion passive.

Dragonknight is best for tanking.

Yes, every class can pull it off but Dragonknight has easy access to anything a tank wants and more. If you want to pick up how to tank after a break, play this class first to get the feel of the play style down, and then if you really want to tank on another class make the switch.

Heatnix90

Nord for straight tanking, Orc if you want to swap to off-DPS for certain fights. Imperial is also good, and Argonian as well but just not as good as it used to be.

DK is the easiest to learn tank on, plenty of synergy between defensive and support passives. Warden and NB are right below with some decent toolkits for tanking and support (NB has some of the best damage reduction via Grim Focus damage reduction and an innate way of obtaining Major Evasion). The rest are viable but require more work to be optimal.

If you pick a class that doesn't have native CC like chains and talons (DK), you can use Fighters Guild skills, Silver Leash is your pull and Turn Evil is your soft root (fear doesn't make targets run anymore)

Major_Lag wrote: »

Sorc tanking is also quite easy, IF you have the Swarm Mother set.
Then you just ranged taunt the adds, and the problem (mostly) takes care of itself.

Without the Swarm Mother set, you're kinda screwed, since Sorc has no class pull (chains) ability. You're left with the Fighters Guild pull which costs stamina. Meh.

Nord is probably the best race for tanking, makes it easy to reach the hard cap for resistances (33k) due to the racial bonus.

On PC you can use Xynode's "all about mechanics" addon to display the dungeon guides in-game without needing to alt-tab out of the game.

Imagine not using Dark Deal to easily regen stamina (inb4 hurr gotta spam encase).

Also lol @ All About Mechanics, yikes dawg.

BejaProphet

Be careful when being advised for “meta.” When people are talking about meta, they are usually talking about 12 man trials. And when talking about 12 man trials, META is about the total buff composition for 12 man groups, not primarily about which class tanks better.

This is why Nightblade was recommended to you earlier. While they have certainly been buffed, they are not in their moment of glory due to actually being good at tanking. They are there because of other group dynamics. Namely the rise of the stamina necromancer putting stamina night blade DPS to shame. Result? Trials without Stan night blade DD’s. But the trial still wants the group buffs the class brings, so they stick one in a tank slot.

My point: people will tell you the “best tank” based on fluid buff drama that may change next patch as the fortunes of the DPS classes rise and fall.. Filter what you hear.

All the races mentioned and that you are consider will do great. I’m a Nord fan.

Zephard

This one, Khajiit DK tank is main.

This one also likes Imp as tanks.

Having said that, Nord definitely sits high on the Tank ladder. Those natural Resist, hard to beat.

Having said that, I have only tanked overland, and dungeons, be them vet dlc HM or just me and my wife doing FG1 normal with me in some gear to bring my dps output up to 8-10k. I haven't tanked any Trials nor vet trials.

I agree with a post above, "META" is mostly about 12 man group synergy. And if you are just getting back, and that is what you really want, go find guild that you are going to run trials in then create a new tank with what they are trying to do.

And do it before New Life Fest so you only take a short time to get your lvl 50 CP 300 toon.

Heatnix90

BejaProphet wrote: »

Be careful when being advised for “meta.” When people are talking about meta, they are usually talking about 12 man trials. And when talking about 12 man trials, META is about the total buff composition for 12 man groups, not primarily about which class tanks better.

This is why Nightblade was recommended to you earlier. While they have certainly been buffed, they are not in their moment of glory due to actually being good at tanking. They are there because of other group dynamics. Namely the rise of the stamina necromancer putting stamina night blade DPS to shame. Result? Trials without Stan night blade DD’s. But the trial still wants the group buffs the class brings, so they stick one in a tank slot.

My point: people will tell you the “best tank” based on fluid buff drama that may change next patch as the fortunes of the DPS classes rise and fall.. Filter what you hear.

All the races mentioned and that you are consider will do great. I’m a Nord fan.

This is a really passive aggressive way of saying "don't listen to the meta humpers" lol. Could have saved yourself a lot of typing and time by just saying it outright and not writing a mini-essay.

BejaProphet

@Heatnix90
If you are detecting any passive aggressiveness I assure you that you are reading it into the post. I have no angst toward META, nor towards people who advocate it, nor towards people who chase it. I myself like to start with online posted meta build then proceed to tweak them to suit me.

But in the case if ESO tanking, the META is not primarily about ability to tank. It is about facilitating maximum trial DPS. That needs to be said when an aspiring new tank is told that a NB is META.

Sorry if that offends.

Sirraven

thanks for the help all of you I decided on a Nord DK and what is a good early Hotbar set up for tanking?

Heatnix90

Sirraven wrote: »

thanks for the help all of you I decided on a Nord DK and what is a good early Hotbar set up for tanking?

Ideally you'll want to run Sword and Shield in tandem with a Lightning or Frost Staff (mainly because sword and shield weapon enchantments are half the potency of a staff enchantment).

This is what my bars looked like


Front-bar:

• Pierce Armor - main taunt
• Heroic Slash - minor main + minor heroism, for ult gen
• Choking Talons - AoE minor main + root
• Green Dragon Blood - self-heal
• Igneous/Fragmented shield - use Fragmented, it gives Major Mending for 6 seconds for more healing
• Ultimate: War Horn - main ultimate to use, grants increased resources and critical damage to allies

Back-bar:

• Inner Fire - ranged taunt
• Flex spot - fill this with whatever the situation calls for. I stuck with Healing Orb since I usually ran with 3 dps buddies, so I was also in charge of providing sustain
• Unrelenting Grip - add pull
• Elemental Blockade - ground AoE to maintain uptime on my crusher enchantment
• Volatile Armor or Balance - Use volatile for starting out, but Balance is far better since it provides magicka sustain which is crucial for tanking (pulling mobs/roots/heals/etc)
• Ultimate: Magma Shell - useful when starting out, reduces all incoming damage to 3% of max health, so you can avoid those hard hitting attacks. If you're feeling confident you can swap out for Barrier