How to tank many mobs

[kiklion]

As others said, if its elites and non-elites, you tank the elites and let the dps/healers worry about the non-elites. Once you have threat on the elites and know they won't bail for the healer, then you can assist in pulling non-elites off though they are usually dead by this time.

If it's just elites, if its 3 then you should be able to run in, one ability on the main kill target, one ability on a second mob, one ability on the third, and then taunt the first off the dps right as it changes target if taunt resist, stun the main target. Ideally keep threat off of healers first, then off of dps second. You lose a dps you can finish the pack with 2 dps and a tank and a healer no problem.

If it's just elites and there are 4 of them, then hopefully you saved rage from the last pack or have a rage potion. What you would want to do is mark one as the kill target, run in and heroic strike not the kill target, then instantly tab over and use an ability on the other 3 targets. By leading with heroic strike and waiting until it fires to use an ability, you can pull off 4 threat moves faster than if you just chained 4 threat moves back to back. With GCD, that would take you 4.5 seconds before you touched the last target and the healer would probably get threat before then. Doing it this way you can get to that last mob right at 3 seconds and should be safe.

[Undertanker]

guys just so you know using thunderclap is basically a waste of time... it gives close to 0 threat since it can only be used in battle stance and only hits 4 targets. using it is basically a waste of time/rage. the best way to hold many targets is to hold back your taunt and not hitting the skull marked target until last. then after you have established threat on all other mobs taunt the skull off the dps its hitting and maintain the agro on it. also, depending on the instance its sometimes worth it to just not tank skull. Let the dps nuke it down and focus on establishing threat on the remaining mobs.

Ignore this.

Open with thuderclap, swap n do a ww. Swap to def and taunt skull, build aggro on others, when over 20 rage swap to arms and repeat.

Mocking blow can be used, concusive blow on a target that is half dead already n forget about him.

If you dont have at least 4/5 tactical mastery, go respec.

[JeeTee]

If you are still leveling up or doing 5 mans tactical mastery is a must. Without, its like you are playing half a warrior. If your healer is decent you can 2 hand tank most mobs besides bosses.(have a shield swap ready)

If you are level 60 and grinding dungeons with a lot of trash or hate using cc get a Skullflame Shield and put a spike on it. If you have a warlock or druid in your party tell them to put their damage reflect spells on you. Mark at least a "skull" for pub groups.

You have to spam abilities on every mob. There isn't any secret other than experience, so start experimenting and find what works for you. Engineering is kind of a trick to make aoe tanking easy but its not required at all.

[Viorus]

sunder armor.

/thread

[Pureless]

Take cleave off your bar. You'll never use it as a tank. Promise, if you're using cleave, you're wasting a shit ton of rage on virtually zero threat. Pull a pack, sunder first, revenge 2nd, battle shout, tab sunder tab sunder, battle shout. Etc. Just keep tabbing through and sundering with battle shouts thrown in the middle. Most will cling to you, if one manages to get away from a range dps burning the wrong target (you can usually predict this by watching health bars), tab and taunt.

[Badtank]

Take cleave off your bar. You'll never use it as a tank. Promise, if you're using cleave, you're wasting a shit ton of rage on virtually zero threat. Pull a pack, sunder first, revenge 2nd, battle shout, tab sunder tab sunder, battle shout. Etc. Just keep tabbing through and sundering with battle shouts thrown in the middle. Most will cling to you, if one manages to get away from a range dps burning the wrong target (you can usually predict this by watching health bars), tab and taunt.

Spamming BS is actually not great, first application is nice but you get bonus threat for every person it applies to so unless your party is dedicated to removing it tab>sunder is usually better.

[St0rfan]

Take cleave off your bar. You'll never use it as a tank. Promise, if you're using cleave, you're wasting a shit ton of rage on virtually zero threat. Pull a pack, sunder first, revenge 2nd, battle shout, tab sunder tab sunder, battle shout. Etc. Just keep tabbing through and sundering with battle shouts thrown in the middle. Most will cling to you, if one manages to get away from a range dps burning the wrong target (you can usually predict this by watching health bars), tab and taunt.

Spamming BS is actually not great, first application is nice but you get bonus threat for every person it applies to so unless your party is dedicated to removing it tab>sunder is usually better.

If I recall correctly, back in the day each renew of BS actually generated a ton of threat even if the previous hadnt been removed. I think this was changed a few patches after BWL release because tanks would abuse it for massive TPS on phase1 of Nefarian with the Dragonkin spawns. Anyways, just a side-note which I dont know if it applies here on Nost.

[snowtime]

Spamming BS is actually not great, first application is nice but you get bonus threat for every person it applies to so unless your party is dedicated to removing it tab>sunder is usually better.

so for the aoe packs, would it be better to use demo shout after the initial battle shout?

[Badtank]

Spamming BS is actually not great, first application is nice but you get bonus threat for every person it applies to so unless your party is dedicated to removing it tab>sunder is usually better.

so for the aoe packs, would it be better to use demo shout after the initial battle shout?

I mean yeah but don't spam it. Just cast it once.


To the above poster, you are correct but nost all ready has that nerf in place.They messed up and actually had it work that way at a launch but it was changed pretty fast.

[Undertanker]

Why would I take cleave off? If I have established aggro, and 50+ rage, I will cleave stance dance fury, ww, go back to def and continue. I do make use shield block is up prior to a dance, in case i do not dodge, parrymiss or cant swap back in time to before a slow attacker swings.