I wanted to see if i'm using the correct disciplines / aa's at the correct times. Everything is group content, so far T3 TDS, but will be EoK named come middle October. But, really, it should be universal. Big named I pop Final Stand. Possible pairings: Blade Guardian Resplendent Glory For pulls of a double I use the following: Stout Defense (I have this up most the time) Pain doesn't hurt For a 3 pull, I'm not quite sure what is the best route to go, but was thinking the following (I struggle with this for sure) Armor off Darkened Runes Brace for Impact Warlord's Bravery Warrior's Bulwark Hold the Line On 3 pulls, I pop offensive disc's on my melee characters. but, generally what happens is the tank dies fast, and the rest of the toons finish off the mobs. I'm not sure if the merc healer just isnt' ready for the big damage or what, which is why I was thinking of a rune / mitigation approach would be ideal.
I'm not familiar with warrior AAs and discs. However, I am familiar tanking with a healer merc. Even on reactive, they can do stupid things at the beginning of fights, and that can cost enough time to where you die shortly after engaging. If you haven't already, you'll probably want to block the level appropriate versions of HoT and Promised heals. Those don't do enough healing when you need it and they take time away before the healer merc casts the more useful heals. After I blocked those, especially on named fights, there were a lot fewer deaths and close calls at the start of fights.
Don't forget about fortitude and flash of anger. Taking zero damage while you burn down one can be a good route when need be. I could be wrong, but I don't think runes is ever better than the defense line. Get the anguish BP if you can. It adds another good ability to your arsenal. It's a better warlord's bravery.
spoiler warning: you're not Run a rotation of PDH - Guardian's Bravery - Dichotomic Shielding. This is the same as saying "on cooldown, chain them" for these abilities, since they each refresh in 5 minutes and approximately blanket those 5 minutes, but that symmetry is worth calling out. If you have Diplomatic Papers, that doesn't functionally stack with PDH, run that during one of the other two. Last Stand is used when things are "serious" for whatever reason. It stacks with all of the above. Nearly everything else is used constantly/on-cooldown: Stout Defense, Brace for Impact, Blade Guardian, Warlord's Bulwark, Field Protector, Commanding Voice, Third Spire of the Warlord, Imperator's Command, Vampiric Aura - Hold the Line - Resplendent Glory - Blessing of Tunare. The long-refresh things Fortitude Discipline, Warlord's Tenacity and Warlord's Bravery are, necessarily, crisis tools due to that refresh. Warlord's Tenacity only helps if you're getting lots of healing and just need to absorb more damage between heals, Warlord's Bravery doesn't stack with Guardian's Bravery. Armor of Experience, if you have that Vet AA, is in this category as well.
While I generally agree with your premise Brohg, it is worth pointing out that if survival is very difficult for him under certain circumstances (multiples/nameds), saving things to be combo'd can be worth it. You might be able to tank one with none of the major buttons, but two might still kill you with just PDH, so comboing them becomes required. Once your gear is good enough it mostly becomes moot and rotating them to minimize total damage over time is the best route, but I can certainly see merit to saving them when survival from pull to pull is much more in question.
Maximum survivability from Laststand+PainDoesntHurt+Guardian'sBravery+DichotomicShielding+WarlordsTenacity+ResplendentGlory+HoldtheLine+BlessingofTunare+BloodDrinker'sCoating+WarriorsBulwark+BraceforImpact+BladeGuardian+ThirdSpireoftheWarlord+CommandingVoice+FieldGuardian. They all stack. They start running out at 50s, most in the 1-2 minute range, all gone by 3 min, then you sit there with nothing but your armor and hope the healer can carry you through like you're a merc.
What Zalamyr said is true. My sessions are generally a HA or two, then campfire to a camp for around 3-4 spawns, then log. So, I generally break a camp, and I may pull with my warrior to get multiples on purpose to break faster. I won't be cycling these for that reason, I wan to basically have big abilities to mitigate damage when needed and not a constant group running. However, I always have commanding voice up, and I always have field protector up. I didn't mention that because they are always up. Since I use a healer merc, his mana is never below 80% or so. What I'm trying to is maximize endurance efficiency with my warrior while still living through all encounters. I'm finding myself to be out of endurance at about the 10-15 min mark if I constantly spam the defensive skills. I noticed last night that I was dying soooo much, single mob pulls and I'd die, I was so frustrated. Then I realized I had my shaman in my team, and I hadn't blocked the spells on him yet. Gialana, you mentioned blocking merc spells. I already had 3 or 4 blocvked from a website I found; however, I noticed last night either my merc is now casting different spells, or, well, I don't know. I basically had the spells blocked, but the version below. So, do you have a list of all spells they currently cast?
Contrary to DPS classes who have often a burn disc / AA order to follow to achieve max DPS, there is not a "one way" to chain your miitgation discs / AA for tanks. First of all, if you don't have it, get asap a OOW raid BP with Guardian's Bravery focus. The idea of keeping on cooldown the 5 minutes abilities is a good one, you need Diplomatic Paper to fill the 5 min gap. Keep in mind that in group content, your damage reduction will be way more important under Pain Doesn't Hurt than Dichotomic Shielding or Guardian's Bravery alone. So if you happen to face a tougher mob, try to time PDH to be up for it. Should not be hard as PDH uses 3 of the 5 min. Armor of Darkened Rune is never used, and we use Stout Defense instead. You also need to know what tools have a real impact on your mitigation, and what others don't do much. Tools that do much : Dichotomic Shielding, Guardian's Bravery, Warlord's Bravery, Warlord's Teancity, Pain Doesn't Hurt, Diplomatic Paper, Warrior's Bulwark, Brace for Impact. Tools that don't do much : Hold the Line, Resplendant Glory, Blade Guardian (effect is good but it disappears in 1 sec when used),Third Spire of the Warlord, Imperator's Command I don't have Blessing of Tunare and Blood Drinker coating, and frankly I very doubt it make any impact on survival when you look at the effects. When I say that don't do much, I mean when you use them, you will see way less gain than the others one. And that's coming from my experience on raid bosses, so the hardest hitters in Everquest. That being said, I disagree with Brogh about Warlord Bravery and Warlord Tenacity to be used once in a blue moon as a crisis tool. When their refresh timer was around 1 hour, sure. But with all hastened AA, it's 20 min refresh time. No reason to not use them when they are up, and when another tool that do much is not up. I also question the fact that Hold the Line and Resplendant Glory stacks. Both are on a different SPA, but use the same slot 1 Increase Healing taken by 15 % and are both AA, so are you sure that when you use them both you increase healing taken by 30 % ?
I don't have a list of everything they cast. At level 105, I have the following blocked: promised rehabilitation ardent elixir complete heal (after a certain level mercs are not supposed to cast this, anyway) I think even if you have the group HoT spells blocked, the mercs can still cast them, just with someone else in your group targeted. But it won't land on you. Those spells are Ardent Acquittal and Elixir of the Seas, but I'm not sure if the healer mercs only even try to cast one of these or both.
While not discipline or AA related, I'd prioritize getting the best shield you can get your hands on if you haven't already OP. Also, be sure to go back to LDON and get Frosty Gem of Enhanced Protection(best type 5 AC augment for shield). Grab the the best type 7/8 augmentation you can get for shield as well. The reason for this is the AC in your shield slot isn't capped the same as your other items, so it grants the largest impact. Discipline/AA wise, it looks like Brohg covered everything besides Flash of Anger. When your merc is being silly, Flash can be a pretty big game changer in buying enough to get that next heal if utilizing properly. Also, to P2aa, Hold the Line and Resplendant Glory do stack.
I block all spells on all toons and pets in my group, which I read is the key. I didnt' have pet's blocked either, so the new toon and pets not blocked = splat war on a couple pulls where I was really scratching my head. My shield is lacking, that's for certain. It is just a vendor bought one from Marks of Valor. I will start camping the best one in TDS for now until I buy EoK on my other toons. I need to do LDON all around, haven't done any yet. That will be semi fun though, can destroy the zones. I actually did a couple raids for old time sake (friend had high faction to get the raids), so that was fun. I have no slot 3 augs either. My slot 7 aug is heroic on the shield, so I'll investigate a better one. I did try to molo a couple named in EoK. I was table to stay alive with no issues, essentially dual wield, or 2h 90% of the time, but I could only get to like 60% before Final Stand wore out, then I knew I would die so just zoned. That made me really happy as I know I can kill named in Eok with, so far, ease (I will be doing the outdoor zones first).
I don't block any merc spells, since I'd have to be flippyflopping on the blocks for real players. More bother than I'm down for
So, in a nutshell, everything stacks (avoidance disc stack with other avoidance disc, mitigation stack with other mitigation) and all you do is spam whatever is up. I actually don't do what I posted originally, I mis typed that. It should have read this is what I was thinking of doing and wanted to ensure it was right. so, just spam everything when it's up or when you feel being hit hard, ok, easily done and what I do no.
You should look at it like this. Your job as a warrior is to take as predictble dmg as possible for the longest possible time. Its your job to use the tools you are given to make that happen. You cant heal your self but you can make it so that the stream of dmg you take is in a semi even curve. So wile you can use every thing at once and then take very little dmg . When all the stuff is down you nothing but a ragdoll.
Which is exactly my point of why I wanted to know what pairs with what. As a boxer, non raider, I have a finite amount of scenarios: Singles 2 pull 3 pull Named If I get 4, well, that's on me and I'm dead probably. Merc can't heal the tank, but can heal the rest o the group for some reason. Singles - no issue really. If I see my hps dropping consistently below 70%, then I'll pop Stout. If still dropping, then i'll add in Pain. Doubles - this is generally Stout and pain and swap to sword and board until under control, then back to dual wield or 2h Tripples - this is 50/50 live scenario. If I pop final stand, then I live 95% of the time. But, I like to save that for named if I can so I don't have to wait the 8 minutes or so for refresh. So, I pop whatever I can and pray. Now, I've been told this is wrong and I should have something on at all times. I get that, it levels out the healing. But, I'm boxing with a healer merc, he is never below 80%. I never die on singles (unless I have myself as puller or something stupid like that on accident. Or, if I am puller and stupid merc heals me on the pull and dies on inc). So, the bell curve doesn't need to be flat. My only purpose as a boxing warrior is to stay alive and keep agro, I do not care at all about mana for my cleric, never, ever, ever. yes, flattening out the curve will be less likely to die, but lets' remember a robot is healing me, he will do the same heal if I'm at 70% or 50%, and if I'm getting pounded or barely touched.
Generally speaking PDH is better the more mobs you have hitting you. I would move your PDH to your larger pulls and use Dico for your 1-2 oh moments. Keep Brace for impact on cooldown, and stout up when not running LS Save flash of anger for when the merc seems like they need some catchup time. all this is if you do not want to burn your last stand Generally speaking, and these options will not fit everything, tanking is really game of feel. Best thing you can do is make a separate chat window for just you being hit....over time you will get a feel for when to use what disc based on damage you see incoming.
I would like to thank all the posters within this topic I'm reading off and on and starting to learn. After my return to EQ the guy that talked me into returning is retiring 8(. He was our fellowship tank and atm we are Pet tanking what we can. Fellowship has asked if I am willing flop to a Tank. As I have leecher war 105 for past years.. this kinda makes sense. Sure there is a ton of work ahead.. with gear, augs etc.. most of all learning to suck less. Now we are looking at Warr.. and me boxing a bard. 2 non box wizzy 1 shaman and clr that flops to a zerker if someone will control the agro.. claims its no fun with a PC tank.. This fellowship will not tell if I suck.. and I think I will be my hardest judge. I want them to have fun and adventure as they did in the past with our old Tank. Everyone was happy, getting the xp and drops they were after.. if someone needed help there was a call to arms.. and everyone assist without fear. My goal is to bring that gaming feeling back to my fellowship.. there are a few others in this fellowship but that are not logging in due too a lack of a PC tank. >>>Rolling PDH DB and Dicho; I need papers.. I'm lost on hold to control the agro fenzy.. My feeling are if I can understand the cooldown.. I can setup a rotation of hotkeys in a rolling situation similar. Fearing no one likes to single tank 1 atm anymore.. its all about how many I can tank onto myself and let the cows come home.?1? Training grounds appear to be the stupid DH gribbles as that is were the fellowship wants to xp both regular and AA. And the mobs are older.. theory based easier? Goal being feb 1st to start grind RoS progression.. set backs as needed if I'm sucking it up. Group geared. fellowship Nec is farming some RoS matz and we have a TSer or 3 amoung us.. Would Jumping into that gear leap or jump start this project? What we can farm..I think we will setup a barter and passively get ore that way if that's an option. Requesting Advice on Rotation of agro tools, AA, and any general stuff that would help someone jump from mage caster to fellowship Tanker.. Thank you in advance.
