Specifically a question for Vengeance DH, but am guessing general tanking principles apply…
Sooo I’ve been playing Wow about 3 months (thank you, lockdown), as DPS and Healer with Arc Mage and Holy Priest respectively. Have done all the regular dungeons from BC up to Legion multiple times, as well as the Legion Heroics.
I’ve been meaning to try Tank, so created a Vengeance DH 3 days ago, and have been practising (mainly Halls of Valour, love it). Read the Icy Veins articles and watched a few videos. It’s going OK so far… only had one healer quit on me today (!). I’m also enjoying how tanking is making me think about the dungeons in totally different ways!
A question on best practice for a tank though: if you pull mobs and aggro them all, but then one (or more) pulls away from you, and your Taunt is on cool down, what is the best way to get it back?
If I ‘Throw Glaive’ at it, it doesn’t always work (presumably because whoever it’s attacking is going hell for leather trying to keep it off them).
I’ve tried running after it to attack it with Fracture or something, dragging all the other mobs after me, but then sometimes I lose more mobs in the process, and all hell breaks loose.
Would love to hear you guys’ thoughts if anyone has any suggestions for what do to here
Typically it’s the melee who pull aggro with TD being a thing, so it’s kind of a case of let them get slapped until you can taunt. I use plater nameplates (strongly recommend a nameplate addon for tanking) and it does give me a bit of warning when I am losing aggro on a specific mob. When I see this happen I will target that mob and cleave off it.
Outside of that, it never hurts to cycle your main target in aoe pulls so single target things like fracture can spread threat rather than just immolation aura/soul cleave and spirit bomb. Especially on weeks like this one with skittish.
If it is ranges pulling threat off you then it’s either their fault for popping off too early or you just need to aoe a bit more. Make sure things like soul cleave (if running gluttony) are hitting all targets. Oh and use imo aura on cd. Ranged players need to do 130% your damage to pull aggro. So most of the time they are not too hard to deal with.
In your specific situation though you can do exactly as you say, throw glaive and hope that’s enough, or move all the mobs to that one. Personally I’d just let it waddle towards the ranged player and taunt it back followed by a glaive asap.
You will find a lot of over eager dps who think that you have unlimited instant threat. It’s just something you get used to in the ‘go go go’ world.
It comes with practice
Have fun tanking and I hope you continue to find enjoyment in it. The game could certainly do with more tank players.
Thanks for the extensive reply! Really helpful, I’ll try all that out esp. the ‘let them get slapped part’ XD
Just one more quick one if anyone might know - are DPS (ranged or melee) expected to assist target tank by default? Is it reasonable to politely remind them if they keep not doing so?
I don’t mind it particularly, just curious what is considered standard
I wish I could answer yes to your question as it would make our loves so much easier, but more often than not it’s a no. Especially in more unstructured groups. In my experience most pills usually descend into a massive aoe pump. If you are playing with better players they will typically focus the more dangerous mobs in the packs (usually casters). So I guess that’s as close as it comes.
The people I usually play with will focus/assist if I ask them to but that’s largely because they know I won’t shut up if they don’t .
It’s mostly down to experience and a willingness to learn from both sides. As you do the dungeons more and learn what is dangerous you can start marking etc and ‘hopefully’ people will work with you. As bad as the reputation for this games community is there is also a lot of fantastic people out there who will help along the way.
If a ranged pulls aggro they have time to react. A decent range player will use a cc, we all have them, and run into melee or the oppisite side of the tank to bring the add to you. A bad ranged player will panic and run away.
Also if a melee pulls aggro and taunt is on cd your cc’s can help. Chains and fear sigils can buy you a few valuble seconds.
esp. the ‘let them get slapped part’ XD
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