Defensive Stance...

[Raca]

<p>I almost never used defensive stance on my bruiser especially against named ^^^, I get owned if do(while soloing). I noticed with my SK i was soloing a group of 5 non heroic and was doing really poor till I realized I was in defensive stance and I switched to offensive, and it seemed to me that I started doing better. So is defensive stance pretty much only good for raid tanking and in a group when the healer sucks or you dont have mastercrafted or better? Kind would like to hear from those that dont have a ton of +slashing etc skills or at least coment on how it was when you didnt have tons of +'s to your melee skills.</p>

[Hamervelder]

I personally don't use defensive stance much.  Now and again if I need the extra mitigation because I'm taking a massive beating, but that's about it.

[Dead Knight]

Defensive stance is never to be used, raid or not, period. The only time I use it is when tanking TTR.

[Raca]

tanking TTR?

[Dead Knight]

Tunarian Throne Room, T7 Raid Instance bugged to hell.

[Sc]

I'm almost always in offensive but in groups with good dps sometimes I'll go defensive (and i'm very well geared) and just clear a [Removed for Content] at once.While you lose spell DPS, your healing does NOT change from offensive to defensive stance, but your damage taken WILL go down. Usually I'll be in offensive until stuff starts wearing on the healers too much (IE i get into harder areas of a dungeon/instance whatever) in which case I'll go defensive.I also regularly use defensive when I duo with my friends wizzie and he nukes stuff down, but I'm also tanking stuff a few levels over me without a healer <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Soloing there are almost never occasions I use defensive. One that comes to mind right away is when I'm training through an aggro zone - then I will use it.As a side note, if I'm only TRAVELING around and not fighting, I am in defensive. But I am also on a PVP server, I do that for extra resists in case I'm ambushed and need a moment to figure out what my options are.

[Coica]

 didnt you read?! its never to be used!! /shrug

[DwarvesR]

<p>I hold hate better in offensive stance due to doing more damage.  The difference in mitigation is pretty negligible.  though the avoidance boost in defense is decent.  Still, since we have 100% reactive taunt/damage on hit, I actually prefer to get hit more often (so long as my healer can keep up with it) becuz that helps me hold hate too.</p><p>If I overpull, then I'll toggle to defense.  That 3-4% mitigation boost plus avoidance sometimes does make all the difference.  But generally I do agree with the "It shall not be used" statement.</p>

[verydanger]

I use def stance plenty, just not for very long. If you hotkey stance-switches and keep the buttons just a fingertwitch away, you can be in def stance less then half a second after your HP took a dive, and just as fast back to off stance when your healer(s) got it under control again. Its like driving a car, you need to put in the right gear depending on whats going the at very second.

[Spangles]

<p>For non-raiding there is no need for Defensive stance that I have come across (Some Nizara encounters, maybe).</p><p>As a guild we are building up to EOF instances, but when raiding KOS as MT there are only certain encounters that I feel the need to adopt Defensive stance:</p><p>Labs - The Doom trio until the Ravager is down, then switch to offensive.</p><p>Labs - Corsolander.  Since he has damage shield there is little point doing lots of damage as it just reflects back and makes it harder work for the healers.  Switch to defensive and reap the benefits of increased aggro.</p><p>Labs - Vyemm, until he is debuffed then switch to offensive to finish him off.</p><p>Lyceum - I always found that the first two encounters of 5 mobs are a bugger due to the spike damage.  Switch to offensive once a couple of them are killed.</p><p>Lyceum - the final Named (forgot name)</p><p>DT - those worms.  Grrrrr.  They hit hard for what they are.</p><p>HoS - the two linked Nameds that come with a room full of adds.  Switch to offensive once one Named is down.</p>

[Dead Knight]

There is no Heroic mob in the game that requires Defensive stance, and against epics the only thing Defensive Stance is useful for is Avoidance. Now keeping in mind that all avoidance except block is contested, your avoidance is pretty much rendered useless and your block remains the same in offensive stance, thus making offensive tanking 100% of the time completely viable. If you die, it's not because of stances, it's because your healers don't have a clue or your gear needs upgrading.

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

<p>When I was starting out, I used to run in defensive stance almost all the time. Once you pass a certain gear level though, it's not neccessary and you stand to gain more by staying offensive almost all the time.</p>

[Nocifer Deathblade]

<p>Defensive stance sure needs some fixes. It got pretty good resist boost against AEing epics etc so not just benefit of avoidance..</p><p>Good fix would be that it removes all mitigation boosts and move all into avoidance cuz it will benefit us more.. Maybe keep INT in both off and defensive stance (instead of wis) because we rely on spells for aggroing.. </p>

[MaCloud1032]

To tell a famlie secrete iam almost always def stance<img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/499fd50bc713bfcdf2ab5a23c00c2d62.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" />

[Skua]

at low lvls 15% of armor bonus is a huge def boost ....when u cap mit isnt needed ....i am right?

[Dead Knight]

<cite>SkuaII wrote:</cite><blockquote>at low lvls 15% of armor bonus is a huge def boost ....when u cap mit isnt needed ....i am right? </blockquote>Not really, because at low levels the mobs hit like girls and you could tank it in cloth if you really wanted to.

[Beldin_]

<cite>SkuaII wrote:</cite><blockquote>at low lvls 15% of armor bonus is a huge def boost ....when u cap mit isnt needed ....i am right? </blockquote>Miti always goes up and down while you level, if you look at a set of mastercrafted you start at level 22,32,42,52 with around 50% effective mitigation, and end at 31,41,51,61 with 40%.