Does Paladin automatically mean MT?

[NrthnStar5]

<p>I really like the idea and concept of the Paladin, but I don't want to be MT. Is there a role for Paladins that is not MT? </p>

[Edith]

<p>Well, off-tank...</p>

[Boli32]

<p>Depends how good/well geared you are and how good/well geared the other tanks are in your group/raid/guild.</p>

[NrthnStar5]

<p>I don't want to be a Paladin if I will be expected to be MT. I don't like to be the leader of a group. I'll be happy to be off tank/combat support/healing support. </p>

[Boli32]

<p>If you don't want to tank "ever" don't role a paladin. As I said depending on how skileld your friends are or how often you are online you'll be asked to tank many times.</p><p>For a pure "support" role; bards and chanters are available. For pure healing rolls choose a healer; for tanking support rolls where you will near refuse to tank all the time brawlers are your best bet but even then you'll often find yourself in situations where you will have to tank even if you do not wish to.</p>

[NrthnStar5]

<p>I guess what I mean is, I don't mind tanking, but it seems that the tank is often expected to be familiar with the dungeons/nameds and should lead the group. I can tank, but do not care for being the one in charge when it comes to leading the group. </p><p>Does leadership and tanking go hand in hand? Will I be expected to be familiar with most dungeons, how to run them, what nameds & events there are?</p>

[Skywarrior]

<p><cite>NrthnStar5 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I guess what I mean is, I don't mind tanking, but it seems that the tank is often expected to be familiar with the dungeons/nameds and should lead the group. I can tank, but do not care for being the one in charge when it comes to leading the group. </p><p>Does leadership and tanking go hand in hand? Will I be expected to be familiar with most dungeons, how to run them, what nameds & events there are?</p></blockquote><p>In EQ1, where the puller was usually NOT the tank, then this really wasn't much of a problem.  In EQ2, however, due mostly to the mechanics that exist in this game, the tank is pretty much expected to lead the group through any dungeon as he/she is and, generally, must be the point character and puller.  So, while group leadership does not necessarily automatically go to the tank (someone else can call the shots as far as where to go, loot rules, who to invite, etc) it is pretty much expected for the tank to physically lead the way in dungeons.</p><p>If you are unfamiliar with a dungeon then just say so up front and get some advice and help.  If you've run it a dozen times and still don't know what to do and how to do it you probably should not be playing a tank.  If you depend on PUGs for your groups then your reputation will, sooner or later, be affected by how well you lead a group as a tank.  If all you do is group with friends/guild then not so much but still can be a factor.  It's hard to get around the fact that the tank pretty much has to pick what to pull next, know how to pull it and where to place the pull, and physically lead the group through a dungeon.  This means the rest of the group looks to the tank to know what to do for any given encounter unless they are willing to stop and talk about it between pulls.</p>

[Maamadex]

<p>If you play a paladin, yes you have to be a MT. You don't always have to know what to do, but rarely will you be invited as support or dps or whatever unless people are desperate. You can OT and Heal and Dps, but most people won't invite you for that, they'll expect tanking. If someone needs heals I play my mystic, for buffs I play my dirge. Quite simply, healing or support there are better options, paladins don't fit that bill. We are tanks. That being said its incredibly fun being a tank and leading a group or figuring out stuff. Get input from people who have done the zone a million times.  Its why I have always loved this class. The main thing is in having fun, you don't have to know every encounter by the numbers, you just have to be able to grab aggro and keep folks from dying. Don't be shy, look at every zone like Japan and you are Godzilla, enjoy yourself. Hehe</p>

[Lethe5683]

<p><cite>NrthnStar5 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I really like the idea and concept of the Paladin, but I don't want to be MT. Is there a role for Paladins that is not MT? </p></blockquote><p>For groups it <em>generally</em> does mean MT.  But anyone who is remotly confidant in their ability to do so can fullfill a role not typical of their class.</p>

[TerrorFirmer]

<p>Just tell people beforehand that you haven't run the instance before and most will let you know what to expect.  Some people may not want to group with you if that is the case, but it is their perogative. </p><p>It is hard to go straight to tanking in the instances unless you have a few friends to group with.  I would generally recommend playing another class if you are not confident in being able to lead a group through a zone and do not wish to be a main tank (raid or group).  This will also get you familiar with the instances so later on you will have more confidence in leading a group through them.  For myself, it meant playing on my assassin for a while, and then swapping over to my paladin when I was comfortable.  Sometimes it's good to step out of your comfort zone, though, and I ran quite a few zones for the first time on my tank.  This is especially true because the majority of the zones aren't complex and can be figured out with a forgiving or knowledgable group.</p><p>I know I had fun running through PoF and YoS on my tank without firsthand knowledge, but for PoF I had somebody in the group who had run it before.  Now these zones are trivial and I am hungry for new heroic challenges :p</p><p>But yeah, if you are uncomfortable in leading at any point then you should not be a tank.  It is more or less the tank who makes the majority of decisions in groups, I know I make them in mine.  It helps to focus the group.  Raiding you may be delegated to an off-tank position but that position can be more challenging at times than main tank.  In raids, you generally will have raid leaders and the responsibility will be shifted off of you, as well.</p>

[Aull]

<p><cite>NrthnStar5 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I guess what I mean is, I don't mind tanking, but it seems that the tank is often expected to be familiar with the dungeons/nameds and should lead the group. I can tank, but do not care for being the one in charge when it comes to leading the group. </p><p>Does leadership and tanking go hand in hand? Will I be expected to be familiar with most dungeons, how to run them, what nameds & events there are?</p></blockquote><p>I tank. Sometimes I lead other times I follow directions.</p>

[Faelgalad]

<p>Learn the game mechanics, learn to lead, know your dungeons -> everybody loves you</p><p>be a lazy tank -> no one with a pint of sanity will go with you.</p><p>Tanking is Leadership. That's why there are so few tanks, and 80%+ of all Tanks are clueless.</p><p>Which is allright if you're a Supporter/DD, problematic for healers, and inacceptable for tanks.</p><p>For dungeons new to you, ask that someones guides you via voice.</p><p>A Tank that know his buisness, a dungeon takes less than 50% of the time as with clueless tanks.</p>

[Jonaroth]

<p>aye, dont make a paly if you don't even want to tank... make a troub or a dirge or something</p>

[Jonaroth]

<p><cite>Maamadex wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p> Don't be shy, look at every zone like Japan and you are Godzilla, enjoy yourself. Hehe</p></blockquote><p>Haha. good analogy of how the paladin class works <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[juggalo0385]

<p>Tanking in EQ2 is awsome I love playing my paladin even though people give me crap for not picking SK.  Paladins if played right are one of the best tanks in the game in my opinion.  Think about it you have a high DPSer in your group and have trouble keeping aggro off of them.  Well Paladins have Amends for that and no more problems with that.  Paladins are a great class to play if you want to take the time to play them properly.  I never tanked or off tanked in VP and last week my guild was going through VP and I off tanked for them after only being in there a second time.  they didn't expect me to know the ends and outs of VP they helped along the way with the area.  If you dont want to main tank make a scout or caster.</p>

[verukte76]

<p>Pally is deffinately a MT class. However, if you van get the right gear you can out dps many dps classes. The best thing about a pally is they are so versatile. I was an OT for a guild then I joined anohter guild and was thier MT. I was the main raid tank for my guild through RoK and TSO. I'd run instances as a AoE dps'er.</p><p>Pally's are very gear dependent to fufill other roles other than MT.</p><p>I just got back into EQ2 and am lvl 83 now. Hoping to get back into MT'ing raids.</p>

[Darkonx]

<p>Tanks in general are gear dependent</p>

[Aull]

<p>For me being a/the tank is the easiest and funnest position to play. The job is plain and simple. On the flip side healing is the most demanding position in the group. Dps is fun to but it also has responsiblities. Any dps that thinks it is the tanks job to be the one holding aggro is mistaken. No tank other than a paladin can hold aggro off quick fire high burst dps and even then paladins can suffer.</p><p>Tanks usually are getting the best buffs in the group to ensure survival, hate, and dps.</p><p>Every good and successful group have people understanding their class to the fullest. Its a group effort and not soley the tank making everything happen. </p>