Any advice for someone about to tank their first dungeon?

Honestly? Run. Run far away.

There are much nicer games in which you could learn to tank if that is what you want? Far more new player friendly.

Have you heard of FFXIV?

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I gave it a go last night when I got back in.

I told the first group that I was a new tank and it was my first ever dungeon and someone said ‘ffs 200 achievement points’ … then they all left.

Shrugged it off, told the second group who didn’t say anything. I thought it was going well, no one else was getting hit/dying and I was going the way I’d memorised from the guides. Then a mage started swearing at me in chat that I wasn’t skipping something that I could. I explained I was following a video I’d watched, moved on…then I was removed from the dungeon group?

The next group seemed to all be the same guild and called me a ‘re***d’ when I explained I was new.

Won’t lie, I just logged off. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I was told it could get ‘heated’, maybe being called a couple of swear words? Or maybe someone huffy that I’d made a mistake or something went wrong/someone died.

But I really wasn’t expecting it when nothing had gone wrong?

I probably could have done the dungeon eventually but not really the kind of vibe I’m after when people are furious when everything is going ok. I’ve read now that it gets worse in the dungeons you do at level 60.

Thanks, I will check that out. I had come across it when looking at what game to take up in my new spare time but picked this one because I much preferred the old worldy fantasy setting.

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I definitely think you will have a far nicer new player experience there. People are usually actively helpful and nice to each other, the absolute worst you can expect is a silent dungeon, and I’ve found most are very chatty. They seem to love new players!

I was the same, preferred this games lore/setting. But as a seasoned mmo player to a new one…don’t waste your time trying to pretend that the overbearing toxicity of this player base is worth ‘getting used to’.

It’s not.

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Cheer for the wow community for chasing off yet another rare new player :scream:

Seriously though, we really aren’t all like that.

Unfortunately too many are and using group finder for anything will be a horrible experience for a new player.

If you do stick around (don’t blame you if you don’t though) then I would say my top new tank tip? Is to get a nice guild as a priority and never, ever ‘pug’ (use the in game random group finder without having your own group full of people you know).

Of course, guilds can have their own downsides. So not sure what the answer is for a brand new player really. But I think that’s the best bet.

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Meant to add, classic is kind of dead at the minute but some new servers are coming up soon. I’ve found the community to be better overall there.

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I recently tanked on a BM Pandaren Monk and a Vengeance DH, all the way to level 50 and found no issues.
However I didn’t purchased SL and I have no intentions in playing it.

From what I read, your experience is a much different one from what I’ve had from level 10-50.
It’s probably because from levels 50-60, is when the game starts being serious.

I have a golden rule: I never tank a dungeon that I haven’t been as a DPS or Healer at least a couple of times and memorized the pattern.

Play as a DPS till you can do that dungeon back and forward like the palm of your hand.
Than you can venture yourself in tanking with a alt.

Cheers.

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damn that really suck, sorry for your terrible experience…

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Just go for it, learn from wipes/ deaths. Mechanics are pretty easy. Don’t look up guides, it’s not a test, it’s a game. If people are toxic: ignore and move on.

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Sorry to hear this but it is unfortunately the consequence of a system that just shoves random people from a big pool of servers together and a company that has removed pretty much all of its investment in customer support. It’s also incredibly easy for people to jump out of a dungeon group if it’s not an absolutely optimal use of their time and jump back in the queue.

As someone else said, consider checking out Classic WoW (Classic Burning Crusade or when fresh classic servers launch). Don’t get me wrong, the community there has its flaws and the lack of customer support from Blizzard is still an issue. However, I have experienced very few toxic dungeon runs there because people have to invest time in putting their groups together and disbanding a group is a real last resort. It will still be worth explaining that you’re new to the game at the start of each dungeon but you’d be unlucky to not find anyone in your group willing to explain where to go. It’s also a mechanically simpler game so I think the learning curve of learning your class is a bit easier.

However, dungeon groups are hard to come by in Classic until you hit 60 (and 1-60 is a longer grind than it is in Shadowlands).

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I am sorry you had such a bad experience, I started playing in Shadowlands and as a tank myself, met douchebags aplenty while learning how to do things, not going to lie, if I weren’t playing with a friend at that time I probably wouldn’t have stuck around. As people mentioned above, the most important skill is to shrug it off, there will always be arseholes, but I met more good people than bad in the end. So if you’ll decide to give it another try and would want some support or company, you can add me and I’ll run some dungeons with you.
Hope you find a game you can enjoy. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I am really sorry to hear that this was the result. It doesn’t surprise me much, but it does sadden me. This is the reality of WoW.

You CAN get past it. It is possible. With practice, you will become better, more knowledgeable, and more confident, and groups will recognise that, and go more smoothly - well, mostly.

But whether it’s worth getting past it, for you, is a decision only you can make.

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You hate those people don’t you? :3

I don’t blame you, the community in game has far too many morons who will happily ruin the experiences for others over something trivial like a normal dungeon taking 10 seconds longer then they expected.

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Some might be allowed…

Also damn… coming back here and to read what happened ;/

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Blizzard is adding new report system and improvements on punishments…I hope they will make a better experience for everyone, I can’t even count how many times I had someone flame others in WoW and not getting punished for it.

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Can’t come soon enough! This crap has been going on for far too long already.

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Meh, the first skill a new tank has to learn is how to taunt(the other players)

This is why, as much as I would want to try tanking, I won’t.

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It isn’t only tanks.

And it isn’t only the players.

And adding some kind of language/flaming filter or punishment won’t fix it.

The basic problem is in the game itself, and the choices the devs have made. Of course, seen from the point of view of the kind of players who like rushing dungeons, there is no problem; this is exactly what they want. And if rushing numbingly-repeated dungeons wasn’t mandatory, it could be a harmless niche playstyle, like pet battling, that is enjoyable for whatever segment of people happen to like it.

As things stand, though, dungeons are an exclusionary barrier that far too many hopeful new players bounce off and sadly walk away from, and drive off even older players who can’t, or don’t want to, keep up. I’ve seen it too often. It’s heartbreaking. :cry:

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When you get round to listing a key put in the listing you are a new tank. Doing that sometimes gets you some really lovely experienced players that are happy to help.

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