How does one Tank in this game?

Joxer61 · October 2018

I have asked this before and in regards to tanking, I know how and all that, was a tank in WOW for many years, raiding guild, all that "fun" stuff...lol. Anyways, after trying a few dungeons as dps I noticed the ratio of tanks is like 0.2%, if that. That's sad because someone checked tank when they qued up, and then played stupid. So, stepped in and gave it a go, not really knowing the dungeons but figured someone might say "its this way!" and off we go. Nope, promptly got kicked for "being to slow" (and this was level 15ish randoms)! So, without the ins and outs of tanking as I know to keep taunt up and grab biggest and all that, HOW the hell do you ever progress and actually LEARN the dungeons as a tank in this game? Seems no one (on pc/na at least) has the patience to let someone have a go and learn, they are all in zerg mode and just want to plow thru them.
Maybe que as dps but then tank! that would be a switch! Or is it just a matter of persevering and hoping that not every group is in a hurry? Running with guildies was always an option before but sadly our little guild just doesn't have the numbers yet and time zones are whack as well. I do enjoy tanking but at this rate maybe just staying dps is the ticket?

paulsimonps · October 2018

Not all groups are in that of a hurry, but friends and guildmates go a long way, though good ones in large enough numbers can be tough to find. Everyone that was here at the start of the game learned together but since the game has aged a lot of people, having to do the same content over and over, just want it done ASAP and could not care any less about you if you make it slower. That said, keep trying, look up guides and videos of strats and builds, that or trial by error are the ways to go. Some will try to hinder your progress in an effort to make their experience better for them, but don't let that stop you. This goes for A LOT if not all places on the internet.

mague · October 2018

Same for heals. There is always one or more vet Alts grinding something. I gave up on it

The best way is to build your own groups and make it clear that it will be a "slow" run to learn. There are people waiting for easy going groups and some time to read a quest. Even then you might pick a griefing DPS but well... thats life

VaranisArano · October 2018

I learned to tank with a group of IRL friends. Guildies are probably thr easiest route - you can be in up to 5 guilds.

The general principles of tanking are always the same. Taunt the boss and priority adds, crowd control the mobs. Interrupt, block, bash the boss when needed. Hold the boss more or less still, facing away fron the group if possible. Throw buffs on your group. Stay alive,

But practice really does make perfect, and it can be frustrating to run with groups who want to rush ahead while you are trying to learn the boss mechanics. Keep at it! Tanking can be great fun if you like support roles and being in control of the battlefield and you'll always have a quick queue. If you want to cut down some on the practice time, perhaps some YouTube videos or guides that go over the boss mechanics would be helpful, that way you can recognize them quicker?

WoppaBoem · October 2018

I learned all dungeons as a tank. In PVE I still tank with all new alts as this is the easiest to clear vet content and rank up undaunted and fighters guild. Just keep at it. Don't mind the kick and keep going. If you need some knowlegde look at : https://woeler.eu/

Sparr0w · October 2018

Go into dungeon, spend a couple hours bling running thru it. e.g. vSCP took our group about 3 hours first clear since we had 0 idea of any mechanics prior to entering.

Otherwise watch runs/read tuts on it.

Joxer61 · October 2018

WoppaBoem wrote: »

I learned all dungeons as a tank. In PVE I still tank with all new alts as this is the easiest to clear vet content and rank up undaunted and fighters guild. Just keep at it. Don't mind the kick and keep going. If you need some knowlegde look at : https://woeler.eu/

Yea, been there and great site and all but very end game focused. Liofa as well, good tips and such but builds and all end game for sure and wont be me for some time.

Donny_Vito · October 2018

Joxer61 wrote: »

WoppaBoem wrote: »

I learned all dungeons as a tank. In PVE I still tank with all new alts as this is the easiest to clear vet content and rank up undaunted and fighters guild. Just keep at it. Don't mind the kick and keep going. If you need some knowlegde look at : https://woeler.eu/

Yea, been there and great site and all but very end game focused. Liofa as well, good tips and such but builds and all end game for sure and wont be me for some time.

While some of the sets he uses are end-game and may not be accessible to you, just focus on a lot of the traits. You'll probably see the Sturdy trait quite often, so no matter what set you are running you want to be using this trait as much as possible (especially for harder content). It reduces the cost of Block, and as a tank when you can't block (or dodge roll) because you've used all your stamina up then you're not doing your job. Also, maybe have one Infused trait on your chest with either a Tri-Stat glyph (can be a little expensive to get one, like 5k or so) or Stamina Glyph (the more stamina, the better) as this will help with your resource pools some.

Like most people said, experience is key. Knowing what mechanics you need to block, when to heavy attack to get resources, and when to dodge roll certain attacks are critical as you get into Vet content (especially DLC). In normal content, you can spend all your points into HP and you'll basically live through every mechanic if you're weaving 5+ pieces of heavy armor.

WoppaBoem · October 2018

What he said, the page mentioned is not all about gear. He explains a lot and gives insight and why using certain skills and traits. Keep at it. This game no matter what role you pick will have quite a learning curve. But that is the fun.

profundidob16_ESO · October 2018

Joxer61 wrote: »

I have asked this before and in regards to tanking, I know how and all that, was a tank in WOW for many years, raiding guild, all that "fun" stuff...lol. Anyways, after trying a few dungeons as dps I noticed the ratio of tanks is like 0.2%, if that. That's sad because someone checked tank when they qued up, and then played stupid. So, stepped in and gave it a go, not really knowing the dungeons but figured someone might say "its this way!" and off we go. Nope, promptly got kicked for "being to slow" (and this was level 15ish randoms)! So, without the ins and outs of tanking as I know to keep taunt up and grab biggest and all that, HOW the hell do you ever progress and actually LEARN the dungeons as a tank in this game? Seems no one (on pc/na at least) has the patience to let someone have a go and learn, they are all in zerg mode and just want to plow thru them.
Maybe que as dps but then tank! that would be a switch! Or is it just a matter of persevering and hoping that not every group is in a hurry? Running with guildies was always an option before but sadly our little guild just doesn't have the numbers yet and time zones are whack as well. I do enjoy tanking but at this rate maybe just staying dps is the ticket?

I consider making a baby virgin healer on the NA servers and running dungeons with it. Feel free to contact me in-game as @profundido in case you wanna run

Nestor · October 2018

Dont let one group skew your view. Sure, some DPS heavy groups that are in the group finder dont appreciate a tank, ironic as a good tank can make the dungeon run go faster. Find a good guild, or better find a healer, pair up with them and then you own the group. When the pesky DPS run ahead, dont tank and dont heal. When, not if, they die, then tell them to stay with group and they will be more succesful.

DoonerSeraph · October 2018

Nestor wrote: »

Dont let one group skew your view. Sure, some DPS heavy groups that are in the group finder dont appreciate a tank, ironic as a good tank can make the dungeon run go faster. Find a good guild, or better find a healer, pair up with them and then you own the group. When the pesky DPS run ahead, dont tank and dont heal. When, not if, they die, then tell them to stay with group and they will be more succesful.

Yep, this. Most groups are nice enough to see you are a lower level and help you through the run. There are the farming jerks but you can ignore them 😄

profundidob16_ESO · October 2018

Nestor wrote: »

Dont let one group skew your view. Sure, some DPS heavy groups that are in the group finder dont appreciate a tank, ironic as a good tank can make the dungeon run go faster. Find a good guild, or better find a healer, pair up with them and then you own the group. When the pesky DPS run ahead, dont tank and dont heal. When, not if, they die, then tell them to stay with group and they will be more succesful.

see that Nestor ? The results of the cp power creep in action !! max CP dps nowadays consider tanks and healers a "slowdown" and "loss of dps" to their speedrun...

God I miss the days of homestead when dps would be happy and glad to stay and cower behind the tank, hoping to survive...

Donny_Vito · October 2018

On a different note from my previous comment.... unfortunately I can relate to some of these "DPS speed freaks." When it's my random daily dungeon, my intention is to get it done ASAP and move on to more entertaining parts of the game. I usually just do these on normal, so when I'm on my DPS I have the mentality of just pulling as much stuff together and burn them down quickly. When I'm on my tank, I know the only real purpose I have (again, normal dungeons) is to chain monsters to me for the DPS to burn them. Again, it's not real entertaining. But the point is for the quick XP and rewards.

Edit: Will also add, if anyone ever says "I need quest" in group chat then that automatically triggers me to slow down and make sure they can complete it.

eliisra · October 2018

I just learned it myself by looking at what other tanks where doing, while I was healing or dps'ing.

It's not so much tanking that's tricky in ESO, it's knowing what to do as tank on different bosses. Mainly how to position the boss, when to get out, what to interrupt and when you need a ranged taunt. But you can learn that by running a dungeon as any role.

I would suggest tanking some easier dungeons to start off, where it's basic tank and spank. Than when you're 100% comfortable with the setup and don't have to fiddle around with weapon swap for the right skill so to speak, it's ten times easier to learn specific boss strategies for more challenging content.

And yeah, dps will run ahead and kill trash if a tank is slow and content is easy. But it's not the end of the world. If they think they can solo the trash, just let them. You're there to learn bosses after all and once you reach them, the dps will most likely stop running and let you engage first.

Joxer61 · October 2018

Donny_Vito wrote: »

Edit: Will also add, if anyone ever says "I need quest" in group chat then that automatically triggers me to slow down and make sure they can complete it.

One of the rare ones!!

Asardes · October 2018

1) Gear and spec accordingly: Wear at least 5 pieces of heavy armor, use 1H+S at least on the front bar, back bar can also be 1H+S or you can use Destruction Staff, either Lightning for more debuffs - sets the target off balance - or Ice that has some CC and also taunts on heavy attack and has a chance to apply chill and minor maim. For low levels I would suggest a combo of crafted & dropped gear, quality and traits are not that relevant, but try to have it as close to your level as possible, since while leveling your gear loses stats fast if it remains behind by more than 5-10 levels. I recommend doing Crypt of Hearts a couple of times and asking people for Ebon jewelry, legs and chest for your starter build. The rest you can fill with some overland zone sets like Green Pact (Grahtwood) or Plague Doctor (Deshaan). Since there are no monster sets at these low levels you can fill 2 slots with random gear, either the head+shoulder or weapon+shield ones. Allocate your skill points in a way that gives you 30K+ HP (with food) and the rest spread between stamina and magicka in a way that leaves you with a bit more stamina than magicka, because some support skills will restore your highest resource pool

2) Target the boss or otherwise the biggest add in the pack and taunt him with Pierce Armor (1H+S Puncture morhp) - this morph is the better one since it reduces both physical and spell resistance of the target by 5.3K. All targets in dungeons have 18K resistance so it will increase damage against them by quite a lot. Reapply every 10-12s to keep taunt and debuff.

3) When you see the boss/add doing yellow sparks, block, because he is doing a heavy attack. Also be careful about cone type telegraph since they usually indicate a pretty strong cleave attack. Some bosses also do AoE, ex. thump the ground or explosion. When the boss does red sparks, bash him by pressing LMB+RMB together (dunno which is the controller combo since I only play PC. When the boss is not doing any of those keep heavy attacking on your 1H+S to fill your stamina or staff to fill your magicka, depending on what you need.

4) When faced with multiple adds try to stack them and keep them in one place since the most damage from DDs comes from ground placed AoE skills like Blockade, Endless Hail, Razor Caltrops etc. Thus it's beneficial to allow those to do the most damage on target. Do not run around with boss or adds since this is quite irritating to most players for the stated reason and may get you promptly kicked from a dungeon. DK and Warden are the best classes for this since they have the CC skills to both drag mobs Unrelenting Grip/Frozen Device and keep them pinned in one place Choking Talons, Cinder Storm / Gripping Shards. I don't recommend using other classes for tanking, especially as a beginner, since it's much harder.

That would be beginner tanking in ESO in a nutshell

Agenericname · October 2018

Sometimes saying "new tank here" or something to that effect will do the trick. If it's an initial run "doing quest" or "I need the quest" will often slow it down a bit. If it doesnt, it's best to avoid those people anyway. I've never really had an issue with new tanks personally. In most cases I've already waited 30-40 minutes, another 5-10 isnt going to kill me.

If you're on PC/NA feel free to add me. I'll run them with you.

BejaProphet · October 2018

OP, Everything I’ve learned about tanking is in the guide in my signature. Long read but might help.

As for players being jerks just keep at it. Not all players are like that plus each time you will be a little better and a bit less likely to trigger their snobbishness.

El_Borracho · October 2018

Joxer61 wrote: »

Maybe que as dps but then tank! that would be a switch! Or is it just a matter of persevering and hoping that not every group is in a hurry? Running with guildies was always an option before but sadly our little guild just doesn't have the numbers yet and time zones are whack as well. I do enjoy tanking but at this rate maybe just staying dps is the ticket?

Don't queue as a fake tank, you'll be hated by all. Go with the latter. At some point your PUG RNG will change.

magictucktuck · October 2018

I love tanking, but honestly if you're doing NORMAL dungeons as long as you keep the boss taunted and block heavies you will be fine. try to stack large groups of mobs close together. but all the dungeons really are just follow the yellow brick road, just look a your map. i think you just had bad luck with the group or you really messed something up. so i would just try again, once you start figuring out more dungeons and mecanics u can change your gear to be more dps ish or more support and have some fun!

Samsgaard · October 2018

When you queue as a tank, the other players usually will assume (rightly or wrongly) that you know the dungeon and will lead the run. So it's best to learn in groups pre-made through a guild or chat, where people will know what they're signing up for (and may be in the same boat as you). Alternatively, you can study a dungeon through YouTube guides, then queue.

McCloskey10_5_13 · October 2018

Samsgaard is right. Tanks are supposed to be the captains of the team in eso (not sure how it happened that way) and people expect you to understand and maybe be able to explain the mechanics to the other people. This does make it difficult to learn as you mentioned, but the best ways I've found are studying Vet guides online, tanking it on normal, and running as a dps to see what mechanics the the tank has to deal with as I'm fighting things. Then, I try to tank on Vet.

The other aspect that might contribute to the captain image, and possibly your groups impatience, is the fact that the tank should attack first, drawing 7 seconds of aggro from whatever he hits. So the tank sets the pace, and if the run was taking a while, you may have caught the blame even if it wasn't your fault.