Tanking

Trinkets are a Tank’s Best Friend

Jaraxxus hits like a kitten, but you want snap threat to position him. A hit trinket shines here.

Jaraxxus hits like a kitten, but you want snap threat to position him. A hit trinket shines here.

Trinkets are a very special kind of item. Unlike most gear, which has an assortment of stats, trinkets usually bring one stat in large quantities with a related “On-Use” ability. Where switching out a ring might give you -40 Stamina for +30 Hit, switching out a trinket might be -160 Stamina for +130 Hit.

A good tank knows that different fights call for different gear. For an Ulduar example, I Choose You, Steelbreaker (25 Man) requires a lot of Effective Health, while I Could Say That This Cache Was Rare (25 Man) will benefit from some serious threat. Keeping two different sets of gear up to date can be tough, though.

Gormok can make quick work of a tank. Stack Effective Health, but consider a glyph of taunt to avoid epic taunt fails.

Gormok can make quick work of a tank. Stack Effective Health, but consider a glyph of taunt to avoid epic taunt fails.

This is where trinkets shine. You can give up a big chunk of one stat for another. In my earlier example, Steelbreaker would be much easier with Heart of Iron, The Black Heart, or Glyph of Indomitability in that trinket slot, while Mark of Supremacy is an attractive option for Hodir. You know what you are giving up, and what you are getting in return. Moreover, the changes are big enough to matter. You aren’t quibbling over 0.5% hit. You are getting a juicy 4% boost.

Does it really make a difference, though? Anecdotal evidence says yes. In my last raid I went heavy on Effective Health for Northrend Beasts, packing my Juggernaut’s Vitality and Glyph of Indomitability for a one-two punch on health and armor stacking. It kept me alive, though I did suffer two untimely misses on Taunt, one of which I was able to save with Mocking Blow, but the other led to a wipe. For Jaraxxus, I switched to my threat spec, and switched in Mark of Supremacy for Glyph of Indomitability, since the damage spikes are fireballs (and armor doesn’t help with that). The change in glyphs, talents, and 4% hit, resulted in an increase of around 2k TPS, which is nothing to laugh at.

So, what sort of trinkets should you keep in your bag? My recommendation is this:

Effective Health

Stamina and armor will both help with the vast majority of boss damage. Juggernaut’s Vitality and Glyph of Indomitability are perfect examples of this sort of trinket.

Stamina Stacking

Sometimes armor won’t save you. Jaraxxus has a nasty fireball, that can ruin your day if it gets off. Juggernaut’s Vitality is still a good choice, but drop Glyph of Indomitability for Heart of Iron or something similar.

Avoidance

Usually not a strong option. However, there are rare occasions when not getting hit at all is much better than being able to take it. Eitrigg’s Oath and Purified Onyxia Blood Talisman hit all the right notes, here.

Threat

As a tank, you will probably find yourself short on either hit or expertise at any moment. Packing on a little more of either should help you connect when you need to, and build that threat your DPS desires. Mark of Supremacy and Vengeance of the Forsaken are great examples on either end of the spectrum. Watch out, though, since threat trinkets are DPS trinkets, and if you don’t moonlight as a damage dealer, people might get the wrong idea.

What is a Tank?

Keeping mobs under control is a tanks first job. Everything else you do is only to further that goal.

Keeping mobs under control is a tank's first job. Everything else you do is only to further that goal.

So, considering the subtitle of this blog “Musings of a Main Tank.” I think it’s worth musing about what a tank really is. Traditionally in World of Warcraft, you think of characters as having one of three primary roles: DPS, Tank, or Healing. This is a very damage centric categorization, as you are either dealing damage, healing damage, or taking damage. If you ask me, though, this is a clumsy way to look at things. Where does casting sheep fall into this categorization? What about offering buffs or debuffs? Couldn’t you remove “Taking Damage” and “Healing” from the list if you had enough control and damage? As such, I tend to think of a different set of roles. All-in-all you have four roles, that I would split up like so:

  • Dealing Damage
  • Buffing/Debuffing
  • Control
  • Healing

Where does tanking fit into this definition, though? It’s actually quite simple: Tanking is a form of control. Unlike casting a fear or a sheep, though, tanking is a form of control that is infinitely sustainable and allows others to damage the target. The downside of such a potent control is that it requires healing to sustain. Thus, as tanks, our goal should be to have complete control of the battlefield. If every mob is accounted for, and you aren’t at risk of dying or losing aggro (That is to say, your control is reliable) then you are doing your job.

A perfect example of this concept is tanking the Nerubian Burrowers in the Anub’arak encounter (especially on heroic mode). You want to keep them positioned over ice, next to the boss, while posing as little risk to the raid as possible. To do this, you get aggro on them, stack shield block to reduce their outgoing damage (and thus improve your chances of surviving and keeping them under control), and stand so they are near the boss on the ice. It’s essentially crowd control, except you are using your own positioning to root the mobs instead of a stun or a snare effect.

Subscribe to RSS

RSS POSTS RSS COMMENTS