Dropping the ball?

[maladorian]

hey guys,

i've been playing my druid for 5 years now, it was my first toon, and my first 80. i love him and have been trying for the last month to gear him up (i took a break and pretty much missed ToC, Ulduar and ICC)

My Armory (its pretty crap i know and some gems/chants are wrong for tanking but im playing solo so im a little behind the ball): http://www.wowarmory.com/character-s...orn&cn=Attarib

now my concern here is that from the new 3 heroics... there isnt much to get for feral tanks.. unless im suppose to intentionally take a hit to stamina to gain more agi...

any suggestions to get gear (im working on badges to get 3pc t9 and the 2 i245 items)
(also bear in mind that im guildless.. and with my server {being mega shitty} its practically impossible to get into a raid {plus my servers obsessed with the whole "lf2m randoms 5600gs+" shit})

thanks,

Attarib

[Niter]

If I was gearing up a new bear, I would do this:
- the newest PvP belt you can get with honour alone (check the guy in SW/Orgrimmar) is strong
- get the HoR regular tanking cloak when you can
- as for bracers, the crafted one is fine. If you cannot get that, go for any PvP alternative over ilvl226
- your weapon is great for a somewhat new tank, so enjoy it
- do not turn your back on the tanking neck you can buy with Emblems Of Conquest. Keep in mind that you can get the same item by doing the bosses in Shadowfang Keep
- go with the T9 helm if you need expertise
- get the ilvl 245 shoulders, they are way better
- get The Black Heart trinket, from Black Knight in regular ToC
- Ick's Thumb is bad trinket, IMO. Go for Essence Of Gossamer (Hadronox, H Azjol Nerub, little more Stamina for tanking magical hits), DMC: Greatness if you can afford it, Glyph of Indomitability bought with Triumphs (excellent trinket, it does shine against melee, no question!)
- Mark of the Relentless is a better Ring than the Signet, IMO.
- if you can afford them, both armour (ilvl 245) and the ilvl226 boots are great to have. Great sockets and stats.

Combined with the T9 pieces you can get, you'll have very strong set to start PUGing anything. Once you are ready and confident, go for the Poleam in HoR, it is very good.

Keep in mind that threat is a major concern nowadays since DPS seems to be scaling very fast. Tanking heroics with knowledgeable DPSers are somewhat challenging nowadays, you cannot just stand there and spam Swipe and expect to keep aggro off good Ret Paladins, Destro Locks, Kitties and Arcane Mages (all those have incredible AoE burst and are aggro magnets if they do not give you a couple seconds to hit stuff).

Once you get that going, do VoA, Onyxia and stuff like that. Those places may not net you big upgrades but you can tank them easily and people can get to know you. Tanks are always needed. If you do a fine job and keep improving your gear, people will always invite you and you will more than likely be able to join a nice guild if you wish to do so =)

[Sativaspirit]

Off topic
It's so nice to see a constructive post like the one above. + karma/mojo/rep/whatever

[maladorian]

If I was gearing up a new bear, I would do this:
- the newest PvP belt you can get with honour alone (check the guy in SW/Orgrimmar) is strong
- get the HoR regular tanking cloak when you can
- as for bracers, the crafted one is fine. If you cannot get that, go for any PvP alternative over ilvl226
- your weapon is great for a somewhat new tank, so enjoy it
- do not turn your back on the tanking neck you can buy with Emblems Of Conquest. Keep in mind that you can get the same item by doing the bosses in Shadowfang Keep
- go with the T9 helm if you need expertise
- get the ilvl 245 shoulders, they are way better
- get The Black Heart trinket, from Black Knight in regular ToC
- Ick's Thumb is bad trinket, IMO. Go for Essence Of Gossamer (Hadronox, H Azjol Nerub, little more Stamina for tanking magical hits), DMC: Greatness if you can afford it, Glyph of Indomitability bought with Triumphs (excellent trinket, it does shine against melee, no question!)
- Mark of the Relentless is a better Ring than the Signet, IMO.
- if you can afford them, both armour (ilvl 245) and the ilvl226 boots are great to have. Great sockets and stats.

Combined with the T9 pieces you can get, you'll have very strong set to start PUGing anything. Once you are ready and confident, go for the Poleam in HoR, it is very good.

Keep in mind that threat is a major concern nowadays since DPS seems to be scaling very fast. Tanking heroics with knowledgeable DPSers are somewhat challenging nowadays, you cannot just stand there and spam Swipe and expect to keep aggro off good Ret Paladins, Destro Locks, Kitties and Arcane Mages (all those have incredible AoE burst and are aggro magnets if they do not give you a couple seconds to hit stuff).

Once you get that going, do VoA, Onyxia and stuff like that. Those places may not net you big upgrades but you can tank them easily and people can get to know you. Tanks are always needed. If you do a fine job and keep improving your gear, people will always invite you and you will more than likely be able to join a nice guild if you wish to do so =)

haha i dont think i could have asked for a better responce!!!
thank you so much for this info!!!

[Niter]

Remember to get some nice Agility through gems and enchants where Stamina would not be so beneficial. Most people get too impressed with our HP pool and want to see it larger and larger thinking that our gear alone will provide enough avoidance. Do not buy that unless you are raiding and your healers say otherwise =)

When you are tanking lots of mobs in a place like H UP and you are rage starving so badly that you just know you must get some (or all of it) DPS gear on to make the run smoother, you will know you are doing it right. hehe

[maladorian]

Remember to get some nice Agility through gems and enchants where Stamina would not be so beneficial. Most people get too impressed with our HP pool and want to see it larger and larger thinking that our gear alone will provide enough avoidance. Do not buy that unless you are raiding and your healers say otherwise =)

When you are tanking lots of mobs in a place like H UP and you are rage starving so badly that you just know you must get some (or all of it) DPS gear on to make the run smoother, you will know you are doing it right. hehe

i was gonna say i use the macro's to bind maul into some abilities.. but some fights i start with 30 rage (furor + enrage) and i ff a mob, go in to get a lacerate off and before i can blink some pally or lock or mage has just blown all their CD's and persuits to faceroll the shit.. but they get insta aggro so they then change to a mob thats nowhere near me....

[AnotherPaladin]

I really can't beat Niter's post. I'm not even going to try. Anyway, it'll go fast. Make sure you tell your DPS to give you a few seconds before each big pull. If they don't, oh well, it's their repair bill.

[Niter]

Save Lacerate for bosses and tougher mobs like those in ICC dungeons. It is extra threat and it is nice to keep Savage Defense up, especially against pesky things that stun you, but it is not a good move in the beginning of a fight. Furthermore, it is a horrible skill when you are low on Rage, so prefer to Swipe and Mangle when low on Rage.

Approach a mob (no need to Feral Charge in, that costs Rage, it is better to do that when you are chainpulling or if you truly need it, like getting a pat to attack you), Faerie Fire, Mangle and Swipe. Save Maul for later if you are low on Rage =)

You can also pull stuff with Hurricane and Moonfire, those things may help you a bit. Remember that it is mandatory that you know the mobs AI or they might charge and you will die.

Do not be afraid of using Berserk. Most Bears I have come across (and there are not many around) preferred to save it for bosses and dramatic situations. I say just use it whenever it is off-CD unless you know you will have to contribute to DPS (like those Runeshapers in HoL, the last pull will have two of them and they rip melee apart if not killed ASAP of controlled in some way).

Another advice I can give you is to use Mouse Over macros. Those are excellent and TABing stuff is lame and gives you a lot less control. Create mouseover macros for Maul and Lacerate (for those stronger mobs), Growl and Faerie Fire. This way you can be more precise.

Optional note: I love having Grid when tanking and having it showing who's got aggro. You can use macros, Clique or anything really, to help the one who pulled aggro. I think it is a lot better than watching the in-game UI, other frames or red messages on the screen which is already full of stuff and might get confusing.

[maladorian]

Save Lacerate for bosses and tougher mobs like those in ICC dungeons. It is extra threat and it is nice to keep Savage Defense up, especially against pesky things that stun you, but it is not a good move in the beginning of a fight. Furthermore, it is a horrible skill when you are low on Rage, so prefer to Swipe and Mangle when low on Rage.

Approach a mob (no need to Feral Charge in, that costs Rage, it is better to do that when you are chainpulling or if you truly need it, like getting a pat to attack you), Faerie Fire, Mangle and Swipe. Save Maul for later if you are low on Rage =)

You can also pull stuff with Hurricane and Moonfire, those things may help you a bit. Remember that it is mandatory that you know the mobs AI or they might charge and you will die.

Do not be afraid of using Berserk. Most Bears I have come across (and there are not many around) preferred to save it for bosses and dramatic situations. I say just use it whenever it is off-CD unless you know you will have to contribute to DPS (like those Runeshapers in HoL, the last pull will have two of them and they rip melee apart if not killed ASAP of controlled in some way).

Another advice I can give you is to use Mouse Over macros. Those are excellent and TABing stuff is lame and gives you a lot less control. Create mouseover macros for Maul and Lacerate (for those stronger mobs), Growl and Faerie Fire. This way you can be more precise.

Optional note: I love having Grid when tanking and having it showing who's got aggro. You can use macros, Clique or anything really, to help the one who pulled aggro. I think it is a lot better than watching the in-game UI, other frames or red messages on the screen which is already full of stuff and might get confusing.

so do you have the macro's that merge maul into mangle/lacerate/swipe? and if you do, do you also have the ability's separate so you can use it single without maul being triggered?

[Aliessil]

Do not be afraid of using Berserk. Most Bears I have come across (and there are not many around) preferred to save it for bosses and dramatic situations. I say just use it whenever it is off-CD unless you know you will have to contribute to DPS (like those Runeshapers in HoL, the last pull will have two of them and they rip melee apart if not killed ASAP of controlled in some way).

Another advice I can give you is to use Mouse Over macros. Those are excellent and TABing stuff is lame and gives you a lot less control. Create mouseover macros for Maul and Lacerate (for those stronger mobs), Growl and Faerie Fire. This way you can be more precise.

Berserk's great when tanking! Use it on bosses when you have plenty of rage and spam maul+mangle till it runs out. If you use it on packs, either use it on packs of 3 (so you hit all of them) or keep switching targets to spread the goodness around :-)

Mouseover macros are fantastic, I use them all the time! I would also add Feral Charge to that list - it can be very handy charging one mob while targetting another!

A couple of related addons I'd recommend if you're using mouseover macros - TidyPlates, TidyPlates_CleanPlates and TidyPlates_ThreatPlates, they're fantastic for tanks. Used together, you can change mob healthbars to be whatever size you want, and by default they grow on mobs you lose aggro on (so you can see as soon as you lose a mob in a pack, and the 2x bigger healthbar is much easier to hit with that mouseover).

[Ewell]

If I was gearing up a new bear, I would do this:
- the newest PvP belt you can get with honour alone (check the guy in SW/Orgrimmar) is strong
- get the HoR regular tanking cloak when you can
- as for bracers, the crafted one is fine. If you cannot get that, go for any PvP alternative over ilvl226
- your weapon is great for a somewhat new tank, so enjoy it
- do not turn your back on the tanking neck you can buy with Emblems Of Conquest. Keep in mind that you can get the same item by doing the bosses in Shadowfang Keep
- go with the T9 helm if you need expertise
- get the ilvl 245 shoulders, they are way better
- get The Black Heart trinket, from Black Knight in regular ToC
- Ick's Thumb is bad trinket, IMO. Go for Essence Of Gossamer (Hadronox, H Azjol Nerub, little more Stamina for tanking magical hits), DMC: Greatness if you can afford it, Glyph of Indomitability bought with Triumphs (excellent trinket, it does shine against melee, no question!)
- Mark of the Relentless is a better Ring than the Signet, IMO.
- if you can afford them, both armour (ilvl 245) and the ilvl226 boots are great to have. Great sockets and stats.

Combined with the T9 pieces you can get, you'll have very strong set to start PUGing anything. Once you are ready and confident, go for the Poleam in HoR, it is very good.

Keep in mind that threat is a major concern nowadays since DPS seems to be scaling very fast. Tanking heroics with knowledgeable DPSers are somewhat challenging nowadays, you cannot just stand there and spam Swipe and expect to keep aggro off good Ret Paladins, Destro Locks, Kitties and Arcane Mages (all those have incredible AoE burst and are aggro magnets if they do not give you a couple seconds to hit stuff).

Once you get that going, do VoA, Onyxia and stuff like that. Those places may not net you big upgrades but you can tank them easily and people can get to know you. Tanks are always needed. If you do a fine job and keep improving your gear, people will always invite you and you will more than likely be able to join a nice guild if you wish to do so =)

That was an unbelievably good post.

[Niter]

so do you have the macro's that merge maul into mangle/lacerate/swipe? and if you do, do you also have the ability's separate so you can use it single without maul being triggered?

I have all the regular keys plus a macro (Swipe + Maul) for those AoE situations or when I tank in DPS gear, which would be most of the time doing heroics.

I would not go for a Lacerate macro, that is a move I use only when facing bosses or in some places l know I'm bound to get stunned (like mobbing everything in the beginning of H UK for instance) and I still want Savage Defense to proc. Of course, you can use that increase Maul damage (and you should do that), granted you have enough GCDs to keep stuff on you without endangering your trigger happy DPSers. I know if they get aggro it is their fault and they should learn to defend themselves or avoid it all together, but I still prefer to let them have as much damage as they can in order to get over with heroics faster. I love heroics and speeding through them is a lot of fun =)

Do not go for complicated macros, 'rotation macros' like some suggest. I would advise getting only two: Swipe + Maul and SI + FR. Everything else is not going to make your life a whole lot easier.

Bears are amazing but they are a lot more about raw power and flavour than using many skills. Get used to mouseover macros and improve your own skills. Once you know what to expect and how to play, it gets a lot easier and you can play your bear to the fullest. A good bear is resilient, elusive, hits hard and has good reflexes., but most of all, bears must be wise. That's the difference between a mere meat shield and a Druid who can Innervate, get a Brez off, go Cat and dish out some great damage while bosses are busy doing whatever =)

[frester]

and $0.02 from me

change your spec a bit, get 5/5 Naturalist and 3/5 Furor

it's much better this way (+4% to damage >>>> 40% to get 10rage on shift)