Tanking issues

[Daniellcarlson]

So recently after a few years of on and off playing I decided to work on some flashpoint achieves. I took my power tech and did some heroics and replaced all the gear to tank gear. I have noticed running flashpoint aren't really that hard anymore because of the gear choice. I can hold threat well and I don't die near as much when I did it with whatever gear I pieced together.

 

Yet over the last week I have noticed the same problems in a flashpoint that kept me out of that stuff after the first few months of the game when we all started. People running in front of the tank and pulling back and expect that some how they are entitled that the tank will just reward them for these actions. Even when I play a dps toon I see it happen and it always results in the tank or heals getting kicked.

 

I started tanking a few weeks back and I can't help turning in dick mode. I stay back let people die get into the argument and eventually get voted out. I don't mind so much being removed, it's the act of this happening over and over again 3 or 4 times out of 10 is what's getting to me.

 

So I see it this way as I do many games..the tank attacks first and gets all threat, dps kills and heals will heal the tank cause he's the only one who should be taking damage. CC gets used and we all FF on the healer>ranged dps>Melee till everything is dead.

 

But that doesn't happen and we all know it. Tank runs in dps takes their own target heals splits their heals by three someone dies, we make it we don't make it the argument ensues and tank or heals gets kicked cause no CC was used and nothing was FF'd. This repeats each group cause dps sees the tank standing but really I'm waiting for a cool down too near finish.

 

 

Rodney King truly said it best, "can't we all just get along"

 

Just play the instance the way it's meant to, let the tank do his job and don't be so impatient 👍🏻

[Erevan_Kindelar]

It typically happens for one of 2 reasons (blaming it on the DPS for simplicity here, but the heals and tank or GF match-up can equally be at fault). The primary underlying issue is that now the leveling/storyline of the game is so incredibly easy, that people do not need to know their classes.

1. The DPS in the group simply don't know how it should work, in which case they need to be educated and trained to go at the pace of the tank. Letting them die is not going to help there, but starting the FP with a question about who in the group knows tactics and roles is a good start - probably one they will ignore, but nobody is perfect, and after the first wipe this group are usually more receptive to a REPEAT of the knowledge call, and are willing to be trained.

2. The DPS in the group are just plain idiots, with one brain cell between them. Nothing you or anyone else says will help, so try and educate as per case 1 but do not be surprised when they blame everything from the wipe to their acne problems/erectile dysfunction on you, and either leave or vote kick you. Those are the breaks.

 

Players might/will have low-level or missing gear, be used to their companions digging them out of the **** (without realising that this is what happens, and they just think they are God-like), and they will not be used to FP boss fight mechanics, having encountered only "tank and spank" content while leveling.

[PorsaLindahl]

So recently after a few years of on and off playing I decided to work on some flashpoint achieves. I took my power tech and did some heroics and replaced all the gear to tank gear. I have noticed running flashpoint aren't really that hard anymore because of the gear choice. I can hold threat well and I don't die near as much when I did it with whatever gear I pieced together.

 

Yet over the last week I have noticed the same problems in a flashpoint that kept me out of that stuff after the first few months of the game when we all started. People running in front of the tank and pulling back and expect that some how they are entitled that the tank will just reward them for these actions. Even when I play a dps toon I see it happen and it always results in the tank or heals getting kicked.

 

I started tanking a few weeks back and I can't help turning in dick mode. I stay back let people die get into the argument and eventually get voted out. I don't mind so much being removed, it's the act of this happening over and over again 3 or 4 times out of 10 is what's getting to me.

 

So I see it this way as I do many games..the tank attacks first and gets all threat, dps kills and heals will heal the tank cause he's the only one who should be taking damage. CC gets used and we all FF on the healer>ranged dps>Melee till everything is dead.

 

But that doesn't happen and we all know it. Tank runs in dps takes their own target heals splits their heals by three someone dies, we make it we don't make it the argument ensues and tank or heals gets kicked cause no CC was used and nothing was FF'd. This repeats each group cause dps sees the tank standing but really I'm waiting for a cool down too near finish.

 

 

Rodney King truly said it best, "can't we all just get along"

 

Just play the instance the way it's meant to, let the tank do his job and don't be so impatient 👍🏻

 

Welcome to tanking in LFG's. I'm like you. If a dps jumps in first and wants to play tank, I'll wait a couple of seconds, jump in, AoE taunt. This buys him 6 seconds while I pick up the adds, but his primary target of attack will more than likely end up back on him (and maybe a couple of the others). If he dies, hopefully he's learned a lesson. If he didn't learn, he'll learn soon enough.

 

I don't have to worry about being vote-kicked, though, because I usually run with a partner. Had a marauder that just had to fight every group in Hammer Station, even the ones we bypassed. The 3rd time he jumped a group the rest of us had bypassed, we all stood there and waited for him to die, then vote kicked him.

 

I think the general attitude is "It's a tactical so I don't have to wait for the tank." If I manage to pull a LFG with a trinity set up, I follow the tank's lead. If I'm tanking, I expect the others to follow my lead. I can tolerate mistakes, but I don't tolerate stupid.

[Warlocc]

I've had this problem ever since all the FPs became tactical. It's been a terrible experience.

[knowmyname]

Rule of thumb, Tanks set the tempo.

 

When I tank I move quickly but only as fast as my healer. So I change the rule of thumb and say,

 

Healers set the tempo. If the healer is ready, tank pulls.

 

DPS should not be pulling. It puts unneeded stress on the healer. When I heal and I see this, the DPS stop getting heals. They can lay there and watch the tank and I finish the pull.

 

 

I've been runner no tacts and HMFP a lot recently. Both tanking and healing. There is a problem. It's the same problem as in every other MMO out there. Players are lazy and jsand t want to blow things up. It's fun! But there are never enough quality tanks and healers. We need to band together and run the group. Vote kick these garbage DPS

[Lindraskada]

i tank, and heal, almost exclusively.

i have a few rules ;

 

1- at the start of a FP i -always- ask "anyone not done this before ?".. if someone hasnt, let them watch the cutscenes (cos a few minutes might actually kill you clearly..) and explain the fights as you go.

1b- if we then wipe and someone goes "lol didnt know fight" then i reserve the right to get pissy with them

 

2- if you pull it, youre tanking it. i either wont taunt it off you, or wont heal you. if you do this enough, i wont taunt off or heal you -at all-. you WILL die. a lot. learn or rage quit, either works.

 

3- dont put up with any ****. this is true for tanks aswell as healers, and especially for Hardmode. if a DPS starts crying , and wont settle down, i find 8/10 times the old classic "fine, i can leave and you can look for another tank/healer, or we can kick you and find a DPS.. how long you want to wait for replacement".

[SootyTX]

i tank, and heal, almost exclusively.

i have a few rules ;

 

1- at the start of a FP i -always- ask "anyone not done this before ?".. if someone hasnt, let them watch the cutscenes (cos a few minutes might actually kill you clearly..) and explain the fights as you go.

1b- if we then wipe and someone goes "lol didnt know fight" then i reserve the right to get pissy with them

 

2- if you pull it, youre tanking it. i either wont taunt it off you, or wont heal you. if you do this enough, i wont taunt off or heal you -at all-. you WILL die. a lot. learn or rage quit, either works.

 

3- dont put up with any ****. this is true for tanks aswell as healers, and especially for Hardmode. if a DPS starts crying , and wont settle down, i find 8/10 times the old classic "fine, i can leave and you can look for another tank/healer, or we can kick you and find a DPS.. how long you want to wait for replacement".

 

I tank and dps and agree overall, except that for (2) dps is perfectly capable of, and should be expected to, pull threat in many circumstances.

 

OP and others seem to be under the impression this is like those other games where the tank taunts and holds the entire group of mobs. Not only is this unnecessary, it's downright silly. Tank should concentrate on the top 2 or 3 threats, leave everything else to the dps. I've been tanking since the start and every time we get a new influx of players it seems we need them go back and teach this again (which is fine).

 

Expecting dps to hold off so you (the tank) maintain threat all the time will make things both slower and more dangerous. Dps are quite capable of handling a couple of silvers each if the healer is even half awake, as long as the tank picks up the golds or bigger threats. Slowing down dps lengthens the fight and puts more stress on the healer as now everything is shooting one target instead of 3 (assuming FP here)

 

As a tank - concentrate on keeping the tough mobs, tell dps to not pull them and to kill everything else first, weaker-to-stronger, to minimise your incoming damage over time.

 

As a dps - don't pull the tough mobs off the tank, kill the wealer ones first, keep mobs off the healer

 

As a healer - keep everyone alive (I don't do healing, I get frustrated at it being too passive)

 

Best bet - get into a guild and start grouping with the same players for multiple runs. It won't be long before you can roll through things at a much faster, and safer, pace.