IronCrystal wrote: »

Tavas or dragonguard might help a bit more than plague doctors. You really don't need more than 30k hp.

The main thing you have to worry about is the axes from final boss. Your group's dps will determine how many you have to defend against.

I would say the first 3 are pretty easy to defend against, and your healer shouldn't have to really be healing you a whole lot other than a few healing springs and a shard or 2.

If you get to about 6 or 7 axes, I would recommend using more defensive ults like magma shell to stay alive. Your warhorns don't always effect the whole group anyways depending on how far away the range dps are.

Stam management will be key starting around 4th axe.

Thanks! really helped! any stam management tips?

I put that block cost reduction entchantment on all jewelry (606 reduced blocking cost) and used 4 pieces with sturdy (14.5% block cost reduction). There is also block cost reduction with cp.

With this you should be able to permablock without problems. Just need heals. No shards needed.
You can stay far back at the ledge, tank the axes and don`t even need to spot them, because as long as no one throws a shard, you will not lose aggro.

Then just occasionally cast your shield and the armor.

5 leeching plate, 2 rkugamz and 5 bahrahas
Curse/defending warrior. Alkosh and ebon are useless there and that is the most survivable setup you can have. 6/7/8 axes? No problem!

Prior to last boss, go meta with 5 ebon, 5 alkosh/ powerful assault and bloodspawn.

Don't tell the dps to "walk the axes to you."

Sordidfairytale wrote: »

Masel92 wrote: »

https://youtu.be/siXG4MyMofc

Here's a video of our main tank pugging 6 axes with the setup I mentioned above.the incoming self-healing is just awesome for that fight.

Baha is nice, but I think your main tank is showing "Resilient Yokeda". I'm looking to complete that set too, for my "no heals required" outfit.

The set is called defending warrior/resilient yokeda. It's the same set

Masel92 wrote: »

5 leeching plate, 2 rkugamz and 5 bahrahas
Curse/defending warrior. Alkosh and ebon are useless there and that is the most survivable setup you can have. 6/7/8 axes? No problem!

Prior to last boss, go meta with 5 ebon, 5 alkosh/ powerful assault and bloodspawn.

The more I look at it the more I like this setup for a main tank running hard mode, in regular VAA I suppose it depends on the tank and groups preference, usually when I tank this I taunt both the axes and the boss and stay infront while the group stacks behind her and keep the chain lightning on me so everyone else can concentrate on the burn this way you should get no more than 4 axes, it allows me to keep my alkosh procs up and she drops very quickly. But looking at your spec for a main tank running hard mode it's already pretty rough on the healers and not having to worry about the main tank at all would be quite handy.

As far as what else has been mentioned there are plenty of capable sets for tanking axes, tavas, histbark, dragon etc and in regards to stam management some tanks do it different some will focus on block cost reduction others on raw stats and others including myself focus magicka regen for igneous shield spam depends a lot on your playstyle.

Go to woelers website and do what he suggests