HP Tanking in 2025

yourhpgod

Why HP Tanking is a Viable Strategy in ESO PvP (Cyrodiil 2025): Shielding, Healing, Purging, and Rotation

In The Elder Scrolls Online PvP, particularly in the large-scale battles of Cyrodiil, HP tanking has emerged as a dominant strategy in 2025. By maximizing health pools and leveraging shielding, healing, and purging mechanics, HP tanks excel in surviving burst damage and outlasting opponents. Here’s why this approach works and how proper ability rotation makes it unstoppable:

1. Shielding for Burst Mitigation
Cyrodiil’s chaotic battles often involve massive burst damage from multiple players. HP tanking synergizes perfectly with strong shielding abilities, as a large health pool ensures you can absorb residual damage even if your shield breaks. Proper rotation of these defensive tools ensures you’re protected during critical moments, like when pushing keeps or defending against zergs.

2. Healing from Multiple Sources
Healing in ESO PvP doesn’t rely on health scaling but instead comes from a combination of sources, including proc sets, targeted heal skills, and AoE heals. HP tanking benefits from this by providing a larger buffer to absorb damage while these healing effects take place. In large-scale fights, proper rotation of defensive cooldowns and positioning within AoE heals ensures you stay alive longer. This synergy makes you a durable frontline presence, allowing healers to focus on keeping the group alive.

3. Purging Debuffs
Cyrodiil is filled with debilitating effects like snares, stuns, and damage-over-time (DoT) abilities. HP tanking thrives here because you can absorb debuffs while waiting for purges to come off cooldown. Timing your purges to clear critical debuffs during large-scale fights ensures your group maintains momentum and avoids being overwhelmed.

4. Rotation is Key
In Cyrodiil’s large-scale PvP, proper ability rotation separates good tanks from great ones. Rotating between shields, heals, and purges at the right moments ensures you’re always prepared for incoming damage or debuffs. Mastering your rotation maximizes your survivability and utility, making you an invaluable asset to your alliance.

5. Adaptability and Future-Proofing
HP tanking’s reliance on core mechanics—health management, shielding, and team synergy—makes it adaptable to meta shifts. As new sets and abilities are introduced, the fundamentals of HP tanking remain strong. By refining your rotation and staying flexible, you’ll continue to dominate in Cyrodiil, no matter how the meta evolves.

Conclusion
In 2025, HP tanking is a cornerstone of ESO PvP in Cyrodiil. Its combination of massive health pools, shielding, healing from multiple sources, and purging mechanics makes it ideal for surviving the chaos of large-scale battles. However, the true power of this strategy lies in proper ability rotation. By mastering your skill timing and coordination, you become an unbreakable force on the frontline, leading your alliance to victory. Embrace HP tanking, refine your rotation, and conquer Cyrodiil!

*posted here as I do not have access to post in guides even though there is no representation for this play style

BejaProphet

What is the counter to people ignoring you?

Serious question.

yourhpgod

The counter to players ignoring you , is playing the map or objective. You have to stay on the offense and become the frontline. If players from your factions fall in line behind you the enemy faction has no choice but to try to push past you.

Bashing, light attacking, and other skills to get attention will draw attention.

BejaProphet

So hypothetical. Finish the thought for me.


They hit you twice, realize you are unkillable. Walk away. Begin murdering all your friends. So in response you….

xylena_lazarow

BejaProphet wrote: »

So in response you….

The casual tank player can contribute at that point by operating siege, preferably meatbags.

The sweatlord tank player is already on an Acuity Warden.

BejaProphet

xylena_lazarow wrote: »

BejaProphet wrote: »

So in response you….

The casual tank player can contribute at that point by operating siege, preferably meatbags.

The sweatlord tank player is already on an Acuity Warden.

So it’s a seige build. I’m not trying to be snarky or clever. I’d love to play a tank in Cyrodiil. I main a tank in PvE. But I always run into the same flaw. There is no reason to attack you.

The original post advertises it as viable but what they mean by viable is that you can make it hard to kill. But that’s not the thing which keeps Cyrodiil tanks from being viable. The problem is lack of purpose.

Yes, you will sometimes see 12 people struggling to take down a tank in Cyrodiil. But usually it’s because either they are bored and thinking “what the heck,” or they just want to see if they are the chosen one who can break you. But in any meaningful moment EVERY good player will realize they are waisting their time, ignore you, and then kill all your team mates while you can do nothing to stop them.

If your answer to that is seige weapons, then you are saying you haven’t solved the problem. That may be incredibly useful. But it’s not getting to tank.

xylena_lazarow

BejaProphet wrote: »

So it’s a seige build. I’m not trying to be snarky or clever. I’d love to play a tank in Cyrodiil. I main a tank in PvE. But I always run into the same flaw. There is no reason to attack you.

There's no trinity in PvP, it's DD and Support, you can have a tank DD like Acuity Warden, or more commonly tank Supports that heal allies while being nigh unkillable. Those are the meta PvP tank playstyles, I promise they draw aggro.

If you take your PvE tank into Cyro, you're effectively already a siege build, if you don't want to do that then slot group heals and utility. Your allies will love you for bringing Blood Altar, Orbs, and Siege Weapon Shield (from the Support skill line). They'll love you even more if you're a 55k hp Warden tank with Polar Wind spam and Scribing Banner.

yourhpgod

Guys and gals make sure your advice is coming from me the original poster. I cannot certify or recommend anyone else's advise that being said you can check out my twitch or my website where I have the info and break down for you of what you need to do.

Thank you everyone for the interest!