Raid Tanking

[PhozFa]

While i know we aren't the #1 choice for MT at raids and never will be. I guess our #1 role on raids is mild dps. But i know there are bruisers out there who do MT raids. Now I've tried tanking epics with my SK and my Bruiser. I gotta say mitigation tanking is alot safer but i'd rather play my bruiser due to the fact its more fun. When i fight heriocs i tend to use my stuns when my life starts dropping to help the healers. Epics are a diffrent story and i don't have that option. Ok now heres my question finally. What do you do in epic fights to tank them without dropping like a fly? Or is it the group setup your in?  ty in advanced to whoever can help answer this<div></div>

[Danter]

<div></div><div>Against T5 mobs, we do really well MTing because avoidance actually works for the most part.  If you want to do T6 mobs, you need optimal group setups and a ton of HP or you're going to put a lot of pressure on the healers to keep their wards up.</div><div> </div><div>Also, Gaige mentioned that if you want to tank orange mobs, go offensive because they pretty much ignore avoidance anyway and you won't be able to hit them in defensive or mixed.</div><div> </div><div>Last night I 1 grouped Rognog with no problems with a 58 necro, 60 troub, 60 conj, 58 ranger, 52 mystic.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>-Kald, 60 Bruiser Permafrost</div>

[Nasyr24]

Well its no problem for bruisers to tank yellow epics. So far i tanked Dinree (cause i can taunt while stunned), Lockjaw, Sunchild and some other epics with success and without any problems. But orange epics are tuff. Tried the Black Queen but she always droped me so far, but our Plate Tanks too <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> We have some really usefull selfbuffs that help us alot when tanking epics and make you even better in tanking some epics as plate tanks. Its all situational and alot of good timing...

[PhozFa]

<span><blockquote><hr>Danterus wrote:<div></div><div> </div><div>Also, Gaige mentioned that if you want to tank orange mobs, go offensive because they pretty much ignore avoidance anyway and you won't be able to hit them in defensive or mixed.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>-Kald, 60 Bruiser Permafrost</div><hr></blockquote>I understand avd is pretty null on high level mobs. Chances are your going to get hit most of the time. But at that point i figured the mitigation bonus on the stance is better than the ability to hit then more often. I'm also going to assume in this theory you'd go off mode for better agro not the dps itself.Also deadly spirit seems like a good buff to use on epic mobs. Thout if the fight is going to be longer than 3 minutes timing would be key. Start with this buff on?Can anyone comment on the effectivness of </span>Calloused Skin on epic fights?<div></div>

[Danter]

<div>When I tanked Rognog in that group, I was in defensive with Deadly Spirit up.  Fight only lasted like 3 minutes even with 1 group.  Master defensive stance helps, but if you can't get a hold of it adept 3 that and Deadly Spirit if you haven't already.</div><div> </div><div>I tank in defensive on all raid mobs.  Use Deadly Spirit in the beginning of the fight because that's when the mob isn't fully debuffed and hits the hardest.</div><div> </div><div>You can use Calloused Skin in the beginning, right after Rescue if you don't have a Monk pulling to help with the initial spike while everyone is debuffing.  I wouldn't let the full duration go off though, or you'll lose aggro pretty fast.  You can also use it if you dip into red or yellow, but most of the time it won't save you, you'll still be dead if something goes wrong.  Overall I'd say that Calloused Skin won't make or break you either way.</div><div> </div><div>Good luck.</div><div> </div><div>-Kald, 60 Bruiser Permafrost</div>

[Keldo]

I've actually tanked a lot of yellow epics on my Bruiser despite it being an alternate character.  Sometimes our tanks our normal MT is late to log in.  Our normal MT group is Coercer (hate gain), Paladin (Mitigation), Defiler, Templar, Druid, then the tank.With this group and my gear (link in sig, mostly T6 rare crafted) I would be sitting at 3400 mitigation with potion and about 9800 hp.  With Deadly Spirit that is 4400 mitigation for most mobs.  About 70% avoidance (master def stance).My normal strategy vs single mobs was same as you use vs heroics probably - deadly spirit, close mind, stone deaf, pull.  Against bosses with adds, I can successfully use our stun mitigation which puts me around 6100 mitigation.. makes the first 30 seconds extremely easy.  Generally I don't even lose aggro on the adds.I've found that if anything, a well equipped brawler will tank BETTER vs yellows than other tanks, avoidance does matter (30-40% hit rate vs 50-60% on a plate tank), and with mitigation being fairly easy to beef up with buffs, our disadvantage there doesn't really mean a whole lot, since we can make up for it with short duration buffs.  Once a yellow raid mob is debuffed, basically anyone can tank it.  The though part is getting to that point, all adds dead, full debuffs applied, and brawlers have a lot of tools which help get there.Oranges, as mentioned, are a different story, but still doable - you just need lots of stamina, which you won't have unless you have excellent gear.<div></div>

[Gaige]

<div>Oranges are all aggro control and HP.</div><div> </div><div>Yellows avoidance matters and I tank them in defensive stance.</div><div> </div><div>With oranges I don't always use offensive stance, I switch it up.  I do tank them mainly in offensive or mixed though.</div>