I recently returned to the game after something like a 9 month hiatus, and I've been struggling to decide what I want to play. I've got a 90 bruiser that I leveled for picking up shinies and such, and I got excited by Reckless stance and the prospect of dpsing on her, but from what I've been told I'll still be requested to tank heroics. I'm not too interested in raiding these days, so heroics & solo stuff would likely be the extent of my play. Now, I've never tanked in this game. I tank on other MMOs so I have the general gist of spatial awareness and where to put things, but EQ2 tanking has always intimidated me. The wealth of options (see: oh god too many buttons) just boggles my mind, and I'm worried about having aggro ripped off me constantly since holding it seems to require more knowledge in EQ2 than other games. So, what I am wondering, is where should I start to pick up tanking in this game? Should I stick with my bruiser (who is badly geared & low on AAs, but COE baubles can fix that), or try something else? Paladin seems like a good choice to get over my fear of losing threat due to how they're set up (Amends, Sigil of Heroism, some other stuff I am forgetting?), and from reading other boards they seem to be in a really solid place right now. Plus, conceptually, I just like them.
Paladins are easiest to hold aggro because of Amends, but a Bruiser should be fine for holding aggro. All tanking really involves is hitting your combat arts, watching your threat meter and being aware off other mobs that could potentially join the fight. Tbh the hardest part is when you have DPS classes in your group that don't hold back if they keep tearing aggro. Good dps classes should know how to control their aggro so you always have it. Another massive learning curve is that you're expected to know the zones 9/10 times because you're pulling. As a bruiser, you only have one 3 min death save (with up to 3 triggers with AA). So timing that can be tough also. With Reckless stance now though, although you are a tank and expected to tank most of the time, you can also fill a dps role if a more experienced tank is in the group.
Bruisers can actually tank in reckless if they want to. Get to level 95 and then do the signature quest for the cloak and green adorns. Farm solo instances and get experimented crafted gear to fill in any holes. After that you should be ready to tank. Just make sure you get good healers to heal you and some type of transfer like assassin, swashy, or coercer. _____________________________________________________
With all due respect, someone who hasn't grouped or tanked much I think should not be attempting reckless tanking in what I assume will be PUGs. Your write up on bruisers even say that it can be challenging for casuals, so I think sticking to the basics without throwing in 50% more damage taken and hate reduction into the mix.
It takes many weeks/months of practice to really learn how to Tank properly. You are expected to know the zones, know where and how to position mobs, how to hold agro, how to tell if someone has agro and know when to snap it back. As a brawler, you are given all sorts of short-term buffs and emergency abilities you can use. Knowing when to use them is something that requires experimentation. No group will have the patience for you to "learn on the job". I strongly suggest you roll a scout to level 92+ and GROUP as much as possible, keeping your eyes out and observing exactly what is happening in the group at all times, where the tank stands, how agro bounces around on some fights, etc. Maybe you will find a very patient guild, but tanking is not something you can learn overnight.
My advice OP is with your guild is listen to see if any are soling content around your level help them out and learn as you go i eman your grouped in a solo enviorment surely the person wont care if you stuff up as long as you learn from any mistakes you make. i main pally and i've found if you have a decent level of skill ppl dont mind dying if you still learning. the best advice i have for you is when you are doing the high level stuff, if you havent fought x boss or done the zone your group is in say so, im sure there would be at least one person willing to spill the details about the zone.
When I rubberband back to this game, I tend to spec and gear my monk out for DPSing so I can get a better feel for the current dungeon content and get my bearings. As Feldon said, players will expect you to already know the content, and be able to drag them through zones on autopilot; going in as a DPS on your first few runs can help smooth out your first few runs. I'd also recommend reading through whatever zone walks you can find on EQ2i before charging into the muck. With your lack of AA, you could offer to drag some low-level friends or guildmates through old content as their tank. Your lack of gear won't hurt you so much there, and it'll give you time to adjust your fingers to things like rotation/cooldown priority/positioning and figure out what your ideal setting is for group pacing and leadership.
