So here is what I'm working with: 110 SK 26k AA Full RoS tT with some T2 visible group gear Full RoS T2 non-visable group gear EoK/RoS AC Augs. I'm having big problem tanking a lot of the RoS named, more specifically the ones that does huge spike of DD damage (Saber or Overlord in OT for example). What I always make sure that my temp HP buff is up since most of my problem is HP spiking. What we have been doing on these specific mobs is just to tank it with a shaman pet. I really don't like the idea that a shaman pet can out tank a fully geared PC tank but that have been our solution for some time now. Is there something I as a tank can do to survive these crazy spike mobs without out gearing it with raid gear? I think RoS T1 and T2 grp gear should be enough for T1 named don't you think?
What are you currently doing to tank them? You have a bunch of defensive skills, AAs, and disciplines, and a bunch of lifetap spells--you didn't mention using them, but just listed your equipment. Are you using the skills and spells other than the temporary HP buff? Some of the T1 named are more difficult than T2.
I usually open with shield flash AA and pop epic after that I rotate the absorb disc and spam the Withstand skill. I have a SHM healing with a Cleric merc keeping me up. But I can really go from 100% to 0% in 2 seconds if the DD lands after a bad rotation of hits from the named. Sometimes I might save myself with dico lifetap but the spikes are just crazy... It just feels so random that a SHM pet not even maxed pet def AAs can survive but I cannot? It feels like I would need 50kish more hp to survive and I really don't know if I'm just missing something.
Sounds like you simply are not using all the tools that you have available to you. Tylix's Skin Five or six lifetaps, both direct and over time, mostly spells and one bite AA There's a lot more you can be doing here. It's become a very spammy, button-mashy game if you don't want to activate your skills in concert or "at the right time"... which I sure don't want to. Too much effort. Pets will never tank as well as a real player. However their performance has much less unpredictability because they just aren't developed so much. Just to throw out some arbitrary numbers to make the point clearer, pets will perform between 70-80%, while real players can perform anywhere between 0-100%. It's a matter of making the game more deep for real players and not pets.
