The problem I have with the dps fake tank, that in my admittedly limited experience, the level of dps is exactly the same as the level of dps you get when you pug dungeons, ranging from melts everything instantly, to the 3-5k dps that you get from the other dps who are hiding behind the healer hitting snipe and acid spray. If its easy content and you're melting things before they're even a threat to the other players? Fine, it might not be how I wanted to go through the dungeon but it works.

jabrone77 wrote: »

The better question is, why are you trying to pug achievement clears? Especially on vet?
Good luck with that....

I was kind of wondering the same thing.

I am just exploring tank-ness.

Lexxypwns wrote: »

However, since this game is marketed as “play as you want” and since you can’t force anyone to play the game your way I think the “fake” tank such as OP is an acceptable option. Because despite your dreams of a gaming utopia, the reality is that most pugs have one or both DPS lacking and it’s totally viable to queue as a tank when you only plan to hold agro and then do DPS because most DPS you encounter are doing an even more inadequate job of their declared role and it can help you get clears you otherwise wouldn’t.

On onther side it can be tank fault when DD have poor dps, as main stamina templar when i go with PuG and we get some fake or poor experienced tank, my dps sux mostly bc when tank running with boss over all room all my most efective dps skill ( biting jabs, caltrops, endles hail, burning spear) are wasted, and need be recasted much more then is normal duration, its lower my dps significantly, give me huge stamina problems which again decrease my dps... and i am happy pull 10-15k dps, when have no problem at skeleton with some eqvip reach 30k... and its only bc tank dont do his job....(and i know it from tank side to with ma templar tank using ebon + warmachine/alkosh + infused weapon with crusinh/wekening enchant to buff party and enough survivavibility survive big hits from boss without need move) and decent tank who who know what to do for group boost dmg of goup dps then can do itself in dps gear.

I did a few dozen runs of Darkshade Caverns looking for Automaton pieces from my stamina Templar and Sorcerer which I want to bring into end game content at some point in the next year. About half were on Magicka Templar, the other half on Magicka Sorcerer. 9/10 times it was normal but I also queued for veteran because I want purple jewelry. Sorcerer was queued Tank and DD, Templar was queued Healer and DD. I had no trouble holding aggro even without taunt on most bosses that aggro - most of them have pretty random attacks - and my DPS was surprisingly higher on the few veteran runs, because on normal the enemies were so weak they died before they took full damage from ground DoTs. I averaged about 23-30K on bosses, depending how much they moved (lowest was the Centurion at the end because he runs and spins at random players most of the times), and up to 100K on trash, totaling between 60-75% of group DPS. You can hold aggro even without taunting if you attack the boss first time and keep multiple DoTs on them.

In my case it would have been counter-productive to be a real tank, since the other's DPS was so low. As long as the bosses don't hit for more than your HP+Shield (if magicka) or blocked damage w/o 1H+S passives (if stamina) fake tanking is perfectly viable in all normal dungeons, and most vanilla veteran ones. As I said before, the game has a very big gap between overland content, normal dungeons and most veteran ones, and the hardest DLC veteran dungeons and trials respectively. I was able to finish some part 1 normal dungeons running solo without food on on a Stamina NB, without dying, with 11K health. I mean, how are people supposed to learn playing if the game doesn't really punish them at all for not speccing & fulfilling them? And overland you can 2-3 shot most mobs with light attacks, even 1 shot them if you are properly build for damage.

So yes, tanks are redundant in those, but still have it better than healers, that are redundant for all content but veteran trials. All 4 man content can be finished faster, cleaner, with 3 DDs + Tank with their own heals. As long as people know the mechanics and don't get one-shot by their own fault, you can survive with your own healing and off-heals. Lately I've been playing my Templar as ranged DD, while casually off-healing with Ritual of Retribution and Purifying Light and supporting with Blazing Spear and Elemental Drain (which is part of my normal solo rotation anyway). On Saturday we ran the pledges and at first I didn't understand why my mates were reluctant reading the scroll at the end of Mazzatun, until they told me we can go for no-death, since nobody had died by that point, so we skipped the scroll and made it. Even though I've mastered older content I'm still reluctant in playing newer trials since the gap is so wide.