Need Tank class advice for grouping

[Wyvernclaw]

Myself and five friends are playing EQ2(we are all brand new but subs not free) and I need to create our tank.

We will probably never raid,Solo a good bit doing Quests and group up doing dungeons. I don't mind tanking but its not like im real good at it in past mmo's. Average to average lame is about my skill level.

All new so no twinking ect.. though I dont mind tradeskills for tank gear ect..

What tank class am I looking for?

[Wyvernclaw]

Seems like every tank class on the boards thinks they are underpowered and everyone else is sitting pretty! So I assume its just like every other mmo and they are all doing ok

Bruiser seems pretty cool and it would be new for me. Never been a hand to hand kinda tank before.

I gather that race choice is not much of a matter. Maybe a gnome bruiser or something might be differant enough for me to be fun and still let me do my job in dungeons.

Good lord! A Fairy Bruiser....dunno if im THAT willing to go for strangness! Still would be differant!

[Gravy]

If you're going to play with a group I'd suggest a half-elf guardian. Guardian is a great pure tank and the half-elf race gives you tracking. Important to know if you're the one looking around for a named mob.

If you're going to play with less than a full group then DPS of the tank becomes more important. Then maybe a bruiser or paladin. Again with the half elf race.

Honestly, the content is so easy up to the later parts of DoV you don't need to worry about it too much. Only if later you decided to raid will this decision become important.

[Tollymore]

I find Paladin tanking in pre-90 instances reasonably straight forward.

Set up your interface so the taunts are together, the heals are together, the nukes are together and the AOEs are together.

Find the biggest aggro magnet, and put Amends on them - this gives you much of their hate. Note this might be a pet

Second, consider if you want to pop Consecrate - it's a pulsing AOE-over-time spell. Yes. AOE over time

Third, pull. Maneuver the mobs so they are facing with their front to you and their backs to the party. While doing this, use AOEs and make sure you keep smacking the main target.

Fourth, be ready to hit f-whatever and then your snap taunts if any of your DPS misbehaves and takes aggro.

Fifth, keep taunting and nuking and smacking the mob. Use AOEs when they are up, so you get a nice hate lead on the second and subsequent targets.

Finally, and this is the tough bit, train your DPS to give you a little time to establish hate before they start nuking. Talk to the healer about whether you let the DPS die as a lesson, and if so how often.

PS And read the Tanking 101 guild on the Pally forum

[gourdon]

You've probably already picked a class and race, but I will respond because I don't think the other posters have addressed your question properly.

A better race than Half-Elf is Kerra, which have tracking, strength as an ability you can enhance and favor health over power.  They are very popular as fighters for these reasons.

As for class, Guardian won't be what you're looking for they are probably the lowest DPS tank class. Paladin probably won't either, though they aren't as bad as Guardian for solo speed.  Your choice of Bruiser will give you a very good solo character that might be a little deficient as a tank, though that depends on what you will be doing in a group and how good your healer will be.  The two AoE DPS tanks are Berserker and Shadowknight, which both might work out pretty well for you while soloing.  Monk might be a little slow like the Guardian and Paladin.

However, this is not the last word.  You will have the option to change class by doing the betrayal quest line.  This means that when you pick a class, you are really picking a pair of classes.  Since they are paired Guardian/Berserker, Paladin/Shadowknight, and Monk/Bruiser you will have the ability to go for a stronger tank or more DPS no matter what pair you choose.  I would guess that you will want to pick Berserker, Shadowknight or Bruiser and should base that more one which one seems the most aesthetically pleasing because it is pretty much guaranteed that their relative standing will change in the reasonably near future.