Buckler spec vs Executioner's Anger spec

[Memmoch]

As alot of you know I've been MTing T7 raid zones for awhile now, happily going along with my buckler spec.  About a month ago I finally got Ascendant to drop ( crappy luck for the win!) and here recently I got Vilucidae's Ethereal Guard.  My question is this: Have any of you other MT's forgone the buckler spec in lue of the Strength line using Ascendant+the various kickass towershields we get?  If so how's aggro control for you?   If I went this route would the aggro reduction from loosing the buckler spec be noticable enough to make me regret it?  The Ethereal Guard is soo much better than any buckler we could get ingame lol. <div></div>

[Illustrious]

<P>Our MT guard tried the buckler line for a while but went back to Tower shield+ axe in less than a week. So can only assume that he at least thinks its better.</P> <P> </P> <P>Best bet is to respec and try it for a week of raids and compare</P>

[Wabit]

<DIV>buckler spec is still better for agro...  the axe gives you one 100% chance to crit every 30 secs, it has no bearing on the other abilites in the line...  everything is gonna be differnt when the expansion comes out i guess so just keep whatever ya have now for a spec is my advice...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>i've had both specs, and both will work fine...  it just takes doing things slightly different to max your hate gain</DIV>

[Docimodo]

<P>Aslong as I can consistently hold aggro I will stay as defensive as possible.</P> <P>I started with agi84448 wis5448 which was very great until our dps started to rise. I found that as every week went on I began to struggle with aggro especially when a threat modifier was missing. So since I felt my healers were doing a good job I tried various combos of AAs to get the perfect balance for me which is atm str4588 wis4488. I have no problems holding or retrieving aggro with this setup. I have began to feel occasions where I'm on the edge of losing aggro as my guild progresses through the content but upgrades to my gear have offset this (ie better 1handers and both hurricanus hate proc items). To give you an idea, we are at a stage nearing the completion of KoS.</P> <P>If I feel I can't maintain aggro reliably then I will begin my next series of tests to find the optimum balance of defense and offense for success.</P> <P>So thats my way of doing things. I feel like Im doing my job right if im on the edge of losing aggro but not doing so.</P> <P>Its all I feel I need to do since any dps I can contribute is insignificant and probably made up for if every priest can cast one more dmg spell instead of one more healing spell /shrug...</P>

[Sir_Halbarad]

<div><blockquote><hr>Docimodo wrote:<p>Aslong as I can consistently hold aggro I will stay as defensive as possible.</p> <p>I started with agi84448 wis5448 which was very great until our dps started to rise. I found that as every week went on I began to struggle with aggro especially when a threat modifier was missing. So since I felt my healers were doing a good job I tried various combos of AAs to get the perfect balance for me which is atm str4588 wis4488. I have no problems holding or retrieving aggro with this setup. I have began to feel occasions where I'm on the edge of losing aggro as my guild progresses through the content but upgrades to my gear have offset this (ie better 1handers and both hurricanus hate proc items). To give you an idea, we are at a stage nearing the completion of KoS.</p> <p>If I feel I can't maintain aggro reliably then I will begin my next series of tests to find the optimum balance of defense and offense for success.</p> <p>So thats my way of doing things. I feel like Im doing my job right if im on the edge of losing aggro but not doing so.</p> <p>Its all I feel I need to do since any dps I can contribute is insignificant and probably made up for if every priest can cast one more dmg spell instead of one more healing spell /shrug...</p><hr></blockquote>I agree with you on almost everything you wrote, Saracen. Except that your experience is one of a top tier raiding guild. Since you have both Hurricanus Hate items, I bet you are the MT of (one of) your server's top guild.My experience is similar, but different in a way.My way is to ensure my Raid can do as much dps as possible.My MT grp is a mix of survivability and dps. Templar, Defiler, Dirge, Coercer, Monk/Paladin/Conjuror most of the time.The more dps I do, the more hate I gain, the more dps my raid can do. That leads to quicker kills etc.I had STR and WIS AA spec and respecced to STA + WIS after I got the Ironplate Shielding.At the moment, for me there is no reason to go back to STR. The increased dps I do by far outweighs the increased damage I get. We kill mobs quicker with less lost aggro.For me, as medium raiding guild tank, STA and WIS is the way to go.Your mileage may vary <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Hal</div>