Toon Timing

[Daghammerskold]

I was going to post this in response to '26 and loosing [sic] heart' but thought it might warrant its own thread.My zerks only low 20s but I've been playing eq2 over a year.I've noticed that a lot of people make fighters for their first toon.  Some of them may be naturally good tanks but I am guessing that most of the best tanks I've grouped with learned their way around as another class. Besides what you do during the fight I find that what makes a good tank is knowing the area and the mobs, how to pull them and where to pull them too, things that can only be learned by wiping a lot or by watching it done.I've been in plenty of groups where one of the dps or even the healer knows the way around, takes point, leads the tank to the mob then sends him in; and if the tanks agro-management skills are good that method works fine. But nothing beats a group where the tank is the full leader of the group: knows the way, knows what he's gonna find when he (or she) gets there, and knows what to do about it.I may use the same buttons every fight but the interesting part of tanking for me is getting the group to the fight.Anyone else have any thoughts about this?<div></div>

[WinterAnar]

Personally for me at least, half the fun of the game is not knowing what will be around that next corner.  Even if I don't know where I'm going I'm more than happy to lead the group somewhere.  The zone isn't fun for me anymore once I know where everything is.<div></div>

[ParlMoebius]

<DIV>My zerk, at 41, is the first fighter class I have ever played, in any mmorpg.  I have always played healers, with the occasional scout archtype.  Having said that, I can definitely say that knowing my job well as a healer (I think of myself as pretty darn good at it, except when I'm playing while trashed... which admittedly is fairly often) has given me good insight into playing the meat shield.  Even so, there has been tons of things I've just had to learn the hard way, or pick up from watching others, or on the boards here, just as you say.  But never stop experimenting.  There are many ways to play, and lots of variables in any scenario, especially for a versatile class.  Dont be afraid to test new approaches and combinations, sequences of CA's... etc</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In other words, be observant, be flexible, and be adventurous, and you'll end up that tank that gets PM's at the end of the night complimenting your playmanship and tecniques.  I personally like to bring rp elements in, not in a elaborate storyline sense, but in the sense that I'm a zerker dammit!  I will cuss and scream at the mobs, and /em rages, /em beats her breastplate etc, to try and get the group as amped as possible. :smileyvery-happy:</DIV>

[Nghis]

It is pretty nice at the end of a group when people give you a good old pat on the back.  Just turn the target (back to the dps class), pick up the adds, and build the hate.<div></div>