def or att stance?

[Araman]

when and what occasions do you use diff stances? i was always att unless tanking but i been soloing now a lot and def stance seems a million times better for me :S im fencer btw i asked other swashies and they think im weird for using def stance

[Hamervelder]

I solo in defensive stance, and group/raid in offensive.  At times I also go defensive in groups or raids.  Moreso in groups, when it looks like the tank is about to drop and I may have to pick up the mob quickly.

[Duskwo]

<p>depends on what you're doing. I solo in offensive unless I am taking ^^ mobs. the atk stance helps you hit more often and for your cap more often. Defensive stance you'll miss more often, but take less damage. Now on normal mobs or ^ mobs, I can take em out so fast I take no damage anyway. but on ^^ or higher mobs solo i use defensive stance. and I can take 2 ^^ mobs my level or one ^^^ (if im lucky!).</p><p> then there are instances where you dont have a tank in a group, and im a sta specced swashy. With my damage and two taunts i have no problems at all keeping aggro (hell i usually dont have to taunt). So I tank in groups in defensive stance.</p><p> Then there are groups that have a [Removed for Content] good tank. And you go in offensive. Its all a situational thing. You're never in one stance at all times.</p>

[Hamervelder]

<cite>Duskwood wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>depends on what you're doing. I solo in offensive unless I am taking ^^ mobs. the atk stance helps you hit more often and for your cap more often. Defensive stance you'll miss more often, but take less damage. Now on normal mobs or ^ mobs, I can take em out so fast I take no damage anyway. but on ^^ or higher mobs solo i use defensive stance. and I can take 2 ^^ mobs my level or one ^^^ (if im lucky!).</p><p> then there are instances where you dont have a tank in a group, and im a sta specced swashy. With my damage and two taunts i have no problems at all keeping aggro (hell i usually dont have to taunt). So I tank in groups in defensive stance.</p><p> Then there are groups that have a [I cannot control my vocabulary] good tank. And you go in offensive. Its all a situational thing. You're never in one stance at all times.</p></blockquote> Coule cancels out most of the offensive penalties associated with your defensive stance.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Cocytus]

<p>I'm defensive and in tank gear constantly unless I'm</p><p>1. Not tanking in a heroic group (uncommon)</p><p>2. IN a raid and DPSing. (yes I play offtank roles, and fairly regularly)</p>

[Bunion]

<p>When soloing non heroic mobs I am generally in offensive stance, when soloing heroic mobs, especially green ^^^ heroics I go defensive since you are going to hitting them just as much due to there lower level, but you will take far less damage in defensive. Also if you are going to use your En Garde you really need to be in defensive stance to get the most of out it.</p><p> In standard groups I am in offensive stance, your interrupt proc ends being a fairly signficant amount of your overall DPS around 4-5%. If I am two boxing with my Templar or I am tanking for some kind of instance or quest, I go defensive. You can do a pretty good job tanking, your biggest downside is that you don't have any real aggro control other than your DPS since you only have a single target taunt. Most of the time that isn't a problem though as the people I play with know what they are doing and generally the mobs die pretty quick.</p><p> Callus</p>

[liveja]

<p>I solo writs in offensive; if I'm tanking for my Warden & Ranger guildies I go defensive.</p><p>If there's a real tank, or if I'm raiding, I'm in offensive.</p>

[Rippitt]

I try to avoid using the defense stance unless I have a warden or dirge with me; the warden +skill buff is the only one that really 'cancels out' defense stance penalties. With the dirge, I could go defensive, but the mobs die so fast in offense stance that my survivability becomes a non-issue.

[Hollyf]

Atelos@Antonia Bayle wrote: <blockquote>I solo in defensive stance, and group/raid in offensive.  At times I also go defensive in groups or raids.  Moreso in groups, when it looks like the tank is about to drop and I may have to pick up the mob quickly. </blockquote> Same for me - and I really want to accentuate on Atelos's mention about picking up the mob while in Def; to this very day, I have picked up Tier 7 mobs when the tank had adds and died in Unrest, (basement) led groups through Den of the Devourer and one time got mistaken as a Guardian (funny but true) by a Raid leader and was asked to tank Venekor, (successfully I might add.) Def stance is a wonder for swashies.

[Birn]

I pretty much always use off stance. If i'm fighting ^^ or higher I might switch to def stance but it's all down to the mob level, if it's white or higher con I might be better off with off stance since I will hit more reliable and kill it faster. And the interupt part of the off stance is nice against caster mobs <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Swashbuckler_Tisiphone]

offensive stance unless tanking something in castle or an epic,  with 1 group, ie I pull aggron vikmont or the main tank dies, I have my tanking gear and dedfensive on macro, but most of the time solo or with my dirgeand or warden or the gf's defiler generally offensive, been able to duo most the eof instances with little problems, the dps  usually offsets the  decrease in miti and avoidance

[Araman]

ty for the help guys

[Moonlance]

I tank Tactician's armor in MMIS in Offensive stance.  I found the increase to aggro management to be far superior to added mitigation for that encounter.

[Soulshark]

<p>I know this wasn't asked, but if you decide to pvp:</p><p>Def stance for melee engagements, Off. stance for casters and healers</p><p> The casting time is short enough so you can switch it up depending on what you find yourself killing.</p>