My hat off to people who play dedicated tanks

[caveslug]

As someone who had never really tanked in an MMO prior to SWTOR, I disagree with this statement. For someone like me (who has never tanked before), having a companion and being a tank, you can learn how to tank and have no fear of being yelled at or kicked from a group for being a "newb". Yes, the mob killing is slower, but in my opinion, that is time well spent, if when you jump into a group you know what you are doing. And when you get your healer companion....you are INVINCIBLE!!!

 

If you enjoy leveling that way sure, my only comment was that for a guardian / jugg its very gimpy. You may take less damage, and last longer with a healing companion but you kill mobs twice as slow. I leveled my jugg dps, and with a healing companion I came out of ever fight at 90%+ help also.

 

You say you learned to tank leveling up, well I can't really argue with that. I can only say I don't hold with that. I will say this, holding threat on trash mobs when its just your healer companion is cake. Its going to be a rude awakening when you do a FP and have over geared DPS with no desire to follow a kill order that will give you a nice shock to the system.

 

Either way I'm not here to argue which is the spec one should use to level with, I should have clarified that it was my opinion. And one should level with spec the find best for them.

[DawgPoundSwag]

I enjoy tanking on my Juggernaut & Guardian. It's old school where threat is earned via technique - not by competing with dps for damage aggro. Where taunts and aggro bombs are kept in reserve for emergencies & breakaways. I like the challenge of having to keep my toon's head on a constant swivel and having to use terrain features to break LOS & set up dps. I also like my tanking to be up close & personal, hence the preference for Jug & Guardian. Gimmie one taunt, one aggro bomb, one stun and one interrupt & I'll tank Godzilla with a whiffle bat and a frisbee.

 

This post, and in particular, this quote, is so full of win, I had to snag it.

 

Great topic all around and shoutout to the deeps and heals who allow us to do our thing!

[SleepyKing]

If someone gives me the impression that they're racing the content and keeps pulling more groups, I simply warn them that I'll taunt the mobs of their back only once. Next time they do it, I leave them to rot, run off, and let the encounter reset itself.

 

I haven't done that yet, but god I have been tempted to. Especially in Kaon, where dps will run ahead of the group and pull groups of enemies and then expect the tank to come and taunt them off. I have been so tempted to say "you wanna tank, you tank!" and let them die under the claws of rakghouls.

 

With a good group, tanking can be great fun. It's an extra challenge, requiring leadership, quick thought and reaction, while DPSing can sometimes be boringly mechanical. Sometimes you want the low energy play of DPSing, but if you're feeling zippy and want an extra challenge, tanking is great.

 

I too think that tanking should be mandatory. even if just for a bit, to show what a tank goes through. extended tanking experience can actually help you be a better DPS! the awareness skills and group skills you learn as a tank make you an awesome DPS....I can usually tell which DPS are also tanks....the awareness skills are pretty obvious.

 

Totally agree on that point, too. Every DPS should also try their hand at healing as well. It makes them appreciate things like kill orders and how healers are not magical creatures that can just heal the party through any situation, no matter how dumb the rest of the party plays.

Edited February 5, 2013 by SleepyKing

[FeelFlow]

I levelled my Guardian tank from 10- 50 as a tank and whilst most pugs were good, wow it was slow to level. This game definitely needs dual spec ie so those that are noble enough to level as a tank (or indeed, a healer) can also have access to a solo grinding/questing spec.

[Jetsunz]

First toon i made in this game was a tank...Jedi Guard,..full defense tree all way to the top,...I leveled him up that way,..slow but got there and know my class cold inside and out,..however,...I solo him....I refuse to group in this game

 

This game has the worst community I ever experienced in my 12 yrs of mmo gaming,...it's horrendous. People in this game just want to dps down every flashpoint and not coordinate with a tank and healer. I posted a thread about this very subject,....remove tanks , healers and dps....the trinity system simply does not work in pick up groups in mmo's

 

Worst group experience of any mmo I ever played so I solo every class now

[CaptianFordo]

Progression raiding tanks deserve a title... or a cape. Or something. Those guys.

 

Ouch.

[Feztonio]

Trying to get people to follow simple instructions whether it's with crowd control or asking people not to punt mobs away from me

 

everytime i drop an aoe it seems like some sorc comes along and flings everyone safely out of my aoe range. EVERY SINGLE TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iamthehoyden]

Yes, thank you to the good tanks out there! I started in MMOs as a healer, and the good tanks deserve <3 for keeping my a** alive. I dps and occasionally heal now, and tanks that know what they're doing are so much fun to run with. (And I thoroughly apologize for those moments when I grab aggro as a van dps; really I'm not trying to make your life difficult. I'll get better at aggro management, I swear. ) Edited February 5, 2013 by iamthehoyden

[Ecaj]

First, get out of the tank tree for leveling. The damage is horrendous in tank spec for Guardians, *clipped*.

 

I've leveled both a Juggernaut and a Guardian as tank spec and had zero problems. Especially if you're using your dps companion it's not an issue, I'm always seeing comments like this and the only reason guardian/jugg tank damage is considered "horrendous" is because the dps in this game is outrageously high, tanks aren't supposed to have high damage, they're a tank, and anyone that can't level as a full guardian or juggernaut tank is either doing something wrong or has some serious ADD if they feel it's taking too long to kill stuff.

[GalacticKegger]

Don't get me wrong,

 

My Jugg is my only tank atm, I find powertech puts me to sleep. Its entirely faceroll with its 3-4 buttons.

I just got a shadow to 50 couple days ago, I joined a FP as a tank in tionese gear. I had no issues holding threat against dps in rakata and black hole gear. Sadly I feel more like a sage, then a melee dps with this class.

 

Hands down I prefer tanking on my jugg, so much so that I'm thinking of leveling a guardian next. As I have already respeced my shadow to infiltration, and would like to have a dedicated tank on republic side.

 

I would wager, most threat issues are truly on dps that feel the need to ignore weak adds. And go balls to the wall on strongs first, leaving the tank to run around trying to get aggro on all the weak mobs beating on the healer. I see this daily myself, with the 3-4 HM FP I run.

Was in Reaper and watched an assasin tank. Was pretty eye-opening as that character was (pardonez mon Francais) a real aggro whore. Wasn't squishy either (to my surprise) so I'm thinking of trying one just to do it. Edited February 5, 2013 by GalacticKegger

[DorkTrooper]

anyone that can't level as a full guardian or juggernaut tank is either doing something wrong or has some serious ADD if they feel it's taking too long to kill stuff

 

Leveling as a tank requires a certain level of patience that I doubt the majority of players have.

[GalacticKegger]

anyone that can't level as a full guardian or juggernaut tank is either doing something wrong or has some serious ADD if they feel it's taking too long to kill stuff

 

Leveling as a tank requires a certain level of patience that I doubt the majority of players have.

Hehe ... yep ... yep ... yep ...

[Benfynyn]

I have two tanks, a Juggernaut and Powertech, and I never join pugs with them. I'll heal in a pug and dps in a pug but I won't tank in one, not in this game. Too frustrating.

[V-Serp]

Since we can respec for free now and all the flashpoints are in Fleet, you should just level as DPS and then switch to tank for FPs. Keep your tanking offhand (for shield) though. The DPS loss isn't that big of a deal. Ideally you also want defense mods but when leveling 1-50 I don't think that's as big of a deal, you can complete all the regular FPs in this game without optimal gear.

 

I've played all 3 roles, tank I think is the most involved and is supposed to drive the party. A good tank is directing and setting the pace. The healer is his second in command, keeping the DPS in check and is also integral. Since the FPs to my knowledge prior to 50 do not have enrage timers, a skilled tank and healer should be able to beat the FPs with even suboptimal DPS players.

 

In fact, in the earlier FPs, say before level 40 or so, a tank and healer can in fact complete FPs by themselves with their DPS companions! How do I know this? Well completely anecdotal, but I had one of those experiences once as a tank with the types of DPS you describe that are awful and also annoying players. After about 4 wipes, one guy got disconnected. As the tank and group leader, I simply booted the other DPS. I told the now only remaining member left, our healer, that we should try with our DPS companions. I'm sure you know where this story is going, we cleared it very cleanly, if that's not an indictment on those specific two DPS I don't know what is. To be outplayed by the computer companions...

 

Tanking can be a lot of fun with just civil people. Especially if you are a new tank, really you should get an experienced healer if at all possible. Even a skilled tank needs a decent healer, but the two of them can help fill in for each other a bit.

 

But as long as you have DPS that are willing to listen and work as a team it can be really fun. You are literally leading a group of players right through, and it's usually extremely obvious when someone is a good tank because of that. I don't care about flawless play, if you're not on voice chat you have to give leeway to people and the game does give you room for error like that.

 

For Guardian, I think it's designed for you to tank with 2 Sentinels. Try that and see, you burn down enemies so quickly, it's really a very synergistic group combination.

[Texaboose]

Good tanks are to be as treasured as much as a good healer - and both are freakin' hard to find.

 

I find a good tank is also a good leader - able to dictate to the group on who the attack and when, able to keep an eye on everyone else in the group and change plans on the fly. As a result, they've gotta know the FP, or whatever they're doing, well enough to lead efficiently as well.

 

I've recently started a ST PT and am loving it (although the combination of Range + Tank made conversion of WoW equivalent tanking a minute to process). So my voice is added as for a big kudos to tanks (and healers).

Edited February 5, 2013 by Texaboose

[Jawstheshark]

Leveling as a tank can be very good if you have a quest partner.

 

My wife leveled as a hybrid operative split between dps and healing. She used her DPS pet and I used Mako.

 

 

It allowed us to survive situations that otherwise would have been fatal. Tanking 3-4 packs of mobs at a time, and allowed us to do all the heroic 2+ and most of the heroic 4 quests.

 

As to flashpoints, I avoid pugs most of the time. When I do pug, I utilize the kick option often.

[SentinelDranoel]

I gave up tanking in this game. In fact I deleted my original Juggernaut in a bit of a rage quit. I am re-leveling him now but I simple don't do Flashpoints. I'll wait until 50 then join a guild. Pugging in this game as a tank is an excercise in patience.

 

So are doing OPS. I have not deleted my toon, I love my Guardian, just doing PUGs with random people.

[aleksandar_bf]

You're welcome.

 

 

+1

[Lord_of_Mu]

I play DPS almost exclusively (DPS Jugg, leveling an Assassin that I MAY make a tank), and I think that what makes a good tank, is good DPS.

 

A tank has enough to worry about on their own, especially during boss fights, the last thing they need are the DPS who try and show off that they can pull off the tank and they so uber powerful they need to be guarded; they are the bads of this game.

 

Try and get in with a guild that can show you the ropes (unless you are already), and ease your way into tanking things, if the DPS screw themselves over in PuG groups, oh well; it's their fault, not yours.

 

I've off-tanked EC HM in my Rakata set that I've had for some time, so trust me when I say that having the DPS that knows how to throttle and threat drop when they need to means a lot.

 

Having played a tank for many years in WoW and now in SWTOR, I'm used to dps with the mentality of burn hard and fast. At this point I'd rather have that than be stuck tanking a boss and wondering if I'm dealing the most damage.

 

My only little annoyance is when you have dps each focusing on their own strong mob and both are too far apart to aoe tank.

[ztee]

Its annoying when i take, but i find even more so when im healing.

 

The amount of people wearing tionese and facepulling in the rakghoul FP's is beyond a joke.

 

I like a challenge when i heal, but sometimes letting the tanks do their thing is also appreciated, so i feel your pain!

[Turshek]

Well I don't like generalization so I can't really give three cheers to all tanks because I saw as much good ones as bad ones.

 

As I often play as healer, I got many bad experiences with bad ones.

 

Beyond the problem of good/bad players, whatever their role, there are the reasons behind, there's 2 imo that are directly related to the game design.

 

Firstly, I think the difference in HP between tanks and others is too low. At least during leveling and early at 50, ppl feel too safe because the punishment for doing stupid things is not that harsh, you won't get one shotted.

 

Secondly, companions. For the same reasons, having a NPC following you that heals you/protects you/does damage to mobs attacking you helps you whatever stupid things you are doing. If you are alone, you have to handle the stupid things you do, if you are with a tank/healer companion, they will automatically do things that will lower the risks for you. I'm sure if they could talk, you would hear them complaining about some players that spend their time making their life harder.

In a way, the game teaches you not to care about your mess, as it's your companion that will take care about it, at least for a part. When doing group content, some ppl act the same and thus expect others to deal with the consequences.

Edited February 5, 2013 by Turshek

[WorldSecurities]

My hat off to people who play dedicated tanks. I have played mostly dps type classes throughout my mmo history but this time I decided to give a defense tree guardian a try. I am currently level 47 and I just have to say, it has been one of the most frustrating experiences leveling up with this character playing during flashpoints. Trying to get people to follow simple instructions whether it's with crowd control or asking people not to punt mobs away from me, it just seems that people really don't give a crap about trying to play decently.

 

I just finished a run through the red reaper and I put the whole group on ignore halfway though and toughed it out to finish the flashpoint. I had a commando and a shadow that kept using their punt skill to knock mobs away from me which in turn made it difficult to retain threat. I would mark targets on which to focus attack and they just flat out ignored it and were most likely using tab to target their next mob to attack.

 

..........

 

There are certain aspects of the old mmos that I miss like from Everquest. The game was very unforgiving of silly mistakes and tended to weed out the silly people fairly quickly. So to all you people who play tanks, thank you and I know exactly how you feel and why some of you give up to go play dps classes instead.

 

Thumbs up for tanking.

 

It does get frustrating, and many times a Tank doing their job in PvP or PvE gets 'no respect'.

 

But Tanks don't do it just for the thanks. Tank for the challenge. Tank, because you prefer group play. Tank, because (football analogy, see Dick Butkus) you prefer being a defensive line type of player. And many other reasons.

 

But bottom line, we Tank because we love it.

 

"Hey, buddy, just give me the big glowing rock, and there won't be any trouble."

Benjamin Grimm *

[wstussyb]

I love playing tank, I just hate having to have Quinn all the time, true i can use others, but i like sitting there taking DMG and outliving mobs.

[caveslug]

I've leveled both a Juggernaut and a Guardian as tank spec and had zero problems. Especially if you're using your dps companion it's not an issue, I'm always seeing comments like this and the only reason guardian/jugg tank damage is considered "horrendous" is because the dps in this game is outrageously high, tanks aren't supposed to have high damage, they're a tank, and anyone that can't level as a full guardian or juggernaut tank is either doing something wrong or has some serious ADD if they feel it's taking too long to kill stuff.

 

I leveled my powertech and shadow both as tanks, I would even say that my tank spec shadow has been the most over powered class I have leveled to date. Trust me, only guardians / juggs in tank spec have poor dps compared to the other two.

 

I can also drain an Olympic sized swimming pool with a teaspoon, But I'm not. Just like I'm not going to level as a tank spec guardian / Jugg. There is nothing hard or challenging about leveling in this game, be it in any class or spec. Or for that fact any spec at all, you even have people that leveled with no advanced class.

[wargonglok]

first off, thank you

 

2nd. that sage was probably dps specced.

 

what i do is when we are having trouble due to people specced as wrong thing, kick them.

 

they lied, just to get a faster que, and they should pay the price, not me. Had a dps sage que as healer, a healer gue as dps and another tank qued as dps.

 

actualy healer refuse to heal, said they were under the dps role, healer (dps) dpsed. and tank could nto put out enough damage to beat enrage

 

this was BoI