tanking after just hitting 80

[phindi4521]

Hi

Im coming back to wow after more than a year break and Im planning on rolling a paladin for my new main. It seems like theres alot of hostility to tanks running heroics when they first hit 80. Im having a hard time understanding this because I played a warrior when wotlk came out and we jumped into heroics right away in crap gear.

I guess im just wondering, is the attitude just something I need to ignore and second is it pretty cheap to buy the BS armors available from ToC and ICC?

[Traejun]

No, the crafted stuff is not cheap at all. The ToC crap is probably somewhere between 1.5k and 6k, depending on your server's level of progression and how inflated your economy is. The ICC stuff for tanks runs about 12k for boots and 15-16k for the legs if you buy them cash. Neither are much cheaper if you're going to get the mats.

[rabbimojo]

Do these things and you'll be ok:
-Get def capped
-Crank health as fast as you can. Profession boosts, enchants, etc.
-Use stoneblood flasks, carry around scroll of stamina for when fortitude isn't available.
-Run normal dungeons a bit, specifically the ones with epic tank gear.
-Put gladiator on your shoulders, 30 stam.
-Carry around stam food and make use of it.

-First off, run heroic AN as much as you can, get Gossamer for a trink.
-Also be chain-running ToC5 normal for the black heart.

My last tank had around 24k unbuffed when she hit 80, as a warrior before the 3% stam buff. You should be able to get into that range. I ran normals until I got around 27k. With stoneblood and my shout, didn't have a problem.

You can tank heroics with very very little HP, but nobody wants to risk a wipe to help you gear. That's why you can catch flak. People will often still run with you, though, so it shouldn't take long. Just do what you can to maximize that HP, as these days it's far and away the biggest factor in whether a fresh tank lives or dies.

[Stevegasm]

Do these things and you'll be ok:
-Get def capped
-Crank health as fast as you can. Profession boosts, enchants, etc.
-Use stoneblood flasks, carry around scroll of stamina for when fortitude isn't available.
-Run normal dungeons a bit, specifically the ones with epic tank gear.
-Put gladiator on your shoulders, 30 stam.
-Carry around stam food and make use of it.

-First off, run heroic AN as much as you can, get Gossamer for a trink.
-Also be chain-running ToC5 normal for the black heart.

My last tank had around 24k unbuffed when she hit 80, as a warrior before the 3% stam buff. You should be able to get into that range. I ran normals until I got around 27k. With stoneblood and my shout, didn't have a problem.

You can tank heroics with very very little HP, but nobody wants to risk a wipe to help you gear. That's why you can catch flak. People will often still run with you, though, so it shouldn't take long. Just do what you can to maximize that HP, as these days it's far and away the biggest factor in whether a fresh tank lives or dies.

Pretty much this. It's a shame too, because the second you ding 80, you can actually run heroics as a tank, especially with the gear the healers are running around with.

On my paladin, I just ran heroics as DPS, as paladins do very good DPS with poor gear. Just make sure you let the group know that you're after tank gear that the group's tank isn't after.

[Thefullmonty]

Do these things and you'll be ok:
-Get def capped
-Crank health as fast as you can. Profession boosts, enchants, etc.
-Use stoneblood flasks, carry around scroll of stamina for when fortitude isn't available.
-Run normal dungeons a bit, specifically the ones with epic tank gear.
-Put gladiator on your shoulders, 30 stam.
-Carry around stam food and make use of it.

-First off, run heroic AN as much as you can, get Gossamer for a trink.
-Also be chain-running ToC5 normal for the black heart.

My last tank had around 24k unbuffed when she hit 80, as a warrior before the 3% stam buff. You should be able to get into that range. I ran normals until I got around 27k. With stoneblood and my shout, didn't have a problem.

You can tank heroics with very very little HP, but nobody wants to risk a wipe to help you gear. That's why you can catch flak. People will often still run with you, though, so it shouldn't take long. Just do what you can to maximize that HP, as these days it's far and away the biggest factor in whether a fresh tank lives or dies.

Ditto to what he said. Yes, you'll get flack periodically. Just ignore the whining when it's overblown gear hysteria.

[phindi4521]

Thanks everyone

good info here. I probably wont roll until may but Ill keep this in mind when I hit 80

[Holycola]

toc normal is pretty ezmode and has some tank gear right ?

[Deleted]

When dinging my DK tank, I only had 2 healers flat out refuse to "boost" me though heroics, one actually said "I don't heal tanks with less than 30k hps".

Yes, some people area ssholes an inconfident in their own abilities, but do not expect strangers to trust your tanking skill asap. Just say "let me tank before you judge, ok?" or something, and then pull. If the healer drops group, so can you.

[Kosic]

Alot of people really do QQ about the whole gear score addon now. I had a DK who had some pieces from ICC25, with some ICC10/10Hm gear and he joins a heroic with us (HOR) and goes "Fuck you guys and your low GS" and leaves the group.

Also, my brother has a Warrior who has full T9 dps gear with some pvp stuff. He used his DPS gear, with a 1h shield, and was able to tank heroics no problem, but because the elitest kids of WoW think they're all great with 5k GS, they had him voted out of the group.

Things like this happen often, so i can only advice you to find a few friends who don't mind helping you gear, or run around as a DPS / heal spec to get into heroics for the time being and using the EOT to buy T9 prot gear.

Blizzard should make it alittle easier for people to quest for Prot gear so they can get into heroics without worrying. I've carried many DPS'ers in greens and 1-3 blues through heroics, but barely seen a tank with that low of a GS.

[arel00]

I feel your pain.

Personally, I always gave people a chance (when it was not me tanking). I must say, some of the best tanks I've met were totally undergeared people that liked their job and put max effort into what they were doing to compensate for the lack of gear.

In other words: GS doesn't make a tank good. No chance in hell.

[IronRabbit]

You will see people drop group when they see that the tank has ~26k HP, even though that is precisely the range that these instances were designed for.

Your biggest problem will be keeping threat. Keeping aggro off a fury warrior doing 4-5k DPS is a challenge under normal circumstances. To make matters worse, a lot of DPS seem to go out of their way to make a tanks life hard (they insist on pulling, charge and whirlwind before you have a chance to hit anything, and never seem to attack your primary target).

OTOH, what you have going for you is an extreme lack of tanks. Explain what you are doing at the start of the instance. If you are lucky, the jerk fury warrior will leave. If you get a decent group, ask them to stick around and run a few with them.

[Deleted]

my pally tank dinged 80 2 days ago now. And i was having the same issue.
But if you lvled as prot (or dual spec) you should have some nice gear from Qs and with luck some gear from dungeons.

Anyways, i made the toc patterns. Got defcapped (530-535, i think) And just started doing HCs. In these 3 days i have run HCs i have never heard someone saying: OMG LOW HP --> BAD TANK (or something like that)

And now i already have 4 set bonus T9. and some other stuff.

The only thing i warn you for is ninja's (yes i call them ninja's) other plate dps (or holy pallies) that roll on your tank gear, because they are to lazy to group as tanks and actually tank something. Happens to me everyday. (bit of rage from me ^^)

[saint sabbat]

Your biggest problem will be keeping threat. Keeping aggro off a fury warrior doing 4-5k DPS is a challenge under normal circumstances. To make matters worse, a lot of DPS seem to go out of their way to make a tanks life hard (they insist on pulling, charge and whirlwind before you have a chance to hit anything, and never seem to attack your primary target).

A million times this. My Prot paladin is fairly new but its got near 4600 gs if that tells you anything, and all i really do is heroics on it. So i think im pretty well good enough for heroics and such and ive got around 40k health when heroic buffed so its not a problem of dieing but i cant hold aggro on anything for nothing; when warriors charge in and ww ahead of me, or dks DnD before i even drop concencrate. And my biggest beef is the fact that dps never and i mean never attack the same target as the tank. oh well.

[Deleted]

You might be ok health / avoidance wise etc to tank straight after reaching 80 with the right gear, but will you be ok holding threat?

That is the biggest problem with some tanks, not their lack of health or avoidance just simply that they cant hold agro, my tank has no problems but I am well geared, however I find when I do my daily as a DPS class some tanks often have problems holding threat on single targets.

[arel00]

It depends. I've seen a warrior with barely 23k health holding aggro perfectly, and mind it, I'm an aggro bitch in heroics, especially on my ktty. While it is definitely the biggest problems, tools for threat are there, if one knows how to use them. If the tank is putting everything on the line, you'll have no problems.

I still believe the main concern remains the same: if people are polite and willing to share some fun, all will be right. It's just that... it's quite hard to find 4 decent guys.

[Pokemaster]

Buy craftables from toc(at least bracers, they are cheap(800-1000g) and buy titansteel tanking itemy, they have stam/def

[Draenith]

I've had the same problem being a fresh 80 pally tank, people just want runs to be quick and not have to drag someone along. I've had plently of people tell me to leave or that I suck. I think they let their e-peens get in the way. Everyone has to start somewhere, that's why I would just run with friends.

[Chuckles!]

I level Prot Pally from the 30 ish range, hit 80 and went to SW to get the upgraded spells. Saw "LF 1 dps for weekly: Patchwerk". I lol'd and said I'll dps it. I got accepted with my awesome BoAs, respeced on my way there. Got there and realized my 2H axe skill and got it up to 362 by the end of the thing. After that, went to tank H CoS for the sheild, H UP for the sword, H AZ for the trinket. Morale of the story is you can do it just after dinging 80. If you know what your doing from the previous levels while tanking you shouldn't have a problem. I had about 520 something Def and 23k health through self buffs and did just fine. Only a few times did I encounter a GS guy and I said just watch me and don't be stupid and just AoE everything and not attack my target, we will be fine. He said ok and we where fine.