100%. A tank that knows what he is doing can make a 28 feel like a 15. I swear.
And I dont know how. Cause in the end, damage is the same, pulls are the same… but… dunno… its just so much smoother.
Also, in progress he’s usually a whole difficulty, or even two, behind in gear. For instance, in S1 he did most prog bosses (with the exception of Rasz due to Mythic reclears building up so much stuff at that point) on normal/hc ilvl.
From my pov (which admittedly doesn’t include tanking hof level prog), it comes down to being able to utilize your tools well.
For instance, take Brew. A tank with a lot of defensive tools that work on exactly one thing, and with these you’re supposed to form a defensive profile able to counter whatever gets thrown your way.
A lot of worse Brew players who don’t clear the content early struggle with this, and, as an example, rely on stuff like Cheat trinkets to cover for your misplays in case you use the wrong tool at the wrong time. On the other hand, a good Brew doesn’t need this even while undergeared because they have the whole thing mapped out, so to speak.
When I play Brew, going into a pull I already know what to use when, what kind of damage I need to expect on specific abilities & a rough outline on when I need to cc casts going on me, when I need to Ring in order to get space between me and the mobs etc etc. It just comes down to familiarity with pulls and being able to plan the stuff you need to use while you’re still grouping up the packs.
Tanks that manage to play like this rarely need external assistance either, unless it’s planned for like on Rashok week 1.
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Yeah, I ain’t gonna do that. My PB was 16 stack in Siege of Boralus with druid. And I was sweaty enough at that time too.
That right there, that’s my point. Do you think this design is acceptable? It’s a simple question: do you think a Mythic raid last boos should be doable with only LFR/WQ geared tanks, DD and healers? Just because they are expert at their class?
From the little I know from friends that tank and know about it, its not just good play.
Its tracking peoples CDs (both offensive and defensive), healers CDs (and know what they do)… knowing when to ask for special healer support (personal defs, ect…).
And dont just interrupt. But interrupt the correct thing. Like when 1 person is being targeted by 2 mobs. He interrupts 1 cast so that he does not get 1-shot…
Off healing… dispelling… ect… stuff like that.
I have no issues with undergeared tanks being able to clear the content, because that’s exactly what prog is about. Learning to play the fight, solving the dance, and then finding the numbers to get the boss down. The whole idea of high level gameplay is that you don’t have the numbers to focus on just the mechanics, you need to think on the fight as a whole.
This is why fights like Terros & Rashok were THE stuff in week 1. They engaged you in way more ways than just “do mechanic kill boss broo”
Definitely, external usage is a big part on playing tank at a high level. I remember our Broodkeeper & Rashok progress comms were literally just 80% tanks calling for Sac/GS/PS etc.
You expertly dodged my question: Are you okay for a Mythic raid to be cleared with only players in LFR or WQ gear, if they execute the fight flawlessly?
But is it the case? Can it be done? As far as I am aware the RTWF guys could not.
Of course it should not be possible. But im also almost certain that it does not matter how good you play you get 1-shot by Gnarlroot mythic if you go with WQ gear.
That isn’t a high key any more. The reason death isn’t an option is because you’re overgeared. Try tanking that level key with 445-450 ilvl as we were at the beginning of the season.
Yes please. Bring necrotic back. That was fun.
Bear was meta in SL s2.
- No DF dungeons
Oh wait…
Ugh… Maybe for you…
I still have nightmares trying to keep tanks alive during necrotic. Especially DHs in S1 of SL with all their dumb jumping around and kiting all over the place… 
LoS… so much LoS… 
I was a DH tank in SL s1. I didn’t have any trouble staying alive. It’s the easiest tank for necrotic.
S1 from SL was quite some time. So maybe memory fails.
I wasent used to the “kiting” meta that developed early in that season though.
But hey. Necrotic atleast is not a healer thing I have to deal with. 
Yeah, I would have thought necrotic was one of the best affixes for a healer because there’s absolutely nothing you can do if the tank lets their stacks get too high.
And I mean, a DH who didn’t kite early enough was probably a nightmare to deal with. You had to make the decision to either kite at low stacks or commit to staying in until the mobs were dead because you can’t heal yourself once you’re out of melee range, and you’re totally dependent on the healer. But it’s very easy for DH to get out of melee range, so no excuse really.
Druid was kind of fun to tank on as well, with the huge shield we got from Ursoc’s in SL - kind of “you can’t heal me and I don’t care”!!
Actually, shaman was the 2nd best class to help with Necrotic. Spirit Link and Earth ele were life savers.
I shall do that and get back to you. Still saddened you did not answer my question.
What was the question? You said something about “death not being an option” in a +20 even if you play badly. The answer to that is to tank keys appropriate for your ilvl. Our 485 ilvl tank is prone to dying in under a second if he manages his CDs badly in a +27/28.
Sure thing, I don’t know how it was missed, but here it is:
Ah, OK. I’ve checked the original source of this claim, and I’m not convinced by it.
According to the poster’s kill history on RIO, the alt tank in question (the main pala tank’s DH) had been picked up a week earlier (at 435 ilvl) and had been running M+ to bring its ilvl to 486 ahead of the mythic Fyrakk kill.
Clearly the player is very skilled - you’d have to be to go from previous season’s gear to timing +30s and a zero wipe last boss mythic kill in the space of 2 weeks - but they didn’t tank mythic Fyrakk in season 1 gear.
There is a guy that did that?
OK. Wow. That surely is skill.