Do You Switch Targets When Tanking?

[Bhima_LS]

Hello. First let me say, I am a new convert to finally seeing a use in defensive stance. In 7+ months I've grouped maybe 6 times with a healer on my warrior. All the groups I'd been in had been those where defensive stance was useless or death--until last night.

Background to question:
I got invited into a pick up group for Vol Tunnel. I was the only defensive fighter in a group that had a bard, a shaman, a disciple, a druid and I think a psionicist for a while. The group and fights started small, so staying offensive mode at first was fine, but then the monsters got tougher, higher numbers, and the group picked up lots of DPS without needing mine. So I quickly switched to Defensive stance and sword/shield.

It was great. I kept throwing out every taunting strike and taunting yell and shield bash and everything, and I was about 90% successful on keeping the monsters on me or rescuing people if they started getting hit.

Sometimes, though, when we had 2 or 3 monsters on us and I saw somebody getting really hurt, and when my rescue time wasn't ready to let me try another rescue yet, I'd switch targets and try to get the other monsters to attack me by hitting them with one of those strikes that forces them on me for a couple of hits. It usually worked (sometimes I wasn't quick enough, though).

The Question:
One of the casters asked me, "Are you switching targets? I'm on assist to you, and it had me switch targets that last fight."

I said that I was trying to rescue the guy who was getting clobbered.

If you're the only tank in a group with multiple monsters attacking you, what method do you use to keep the add-ons on you? Do you switch targets? The druid did say afterward that I was the first person to be able to keep monsters off him, and he was tempted to make a tank after seeing that hunt, so I guess it couldn't be all bad, but I'm wondering if it could have been better.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Tyrynt]

It varies. If I have cc classes in the group, I never switch and I tell the group to assist me and trust the designated crowd control. It is good toknow their limitations (A good Psi can handle 3 , A necro, bard, sorc can cc one)

In Rahz where every thing is immune to cc or with no cc in the group, I delegate a main assist to one of the dps so I can switch targets. I think there is another multi-tanking thead in here as well ..

Yea .. here it is
http://www.thesteelwarrior.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17191

[Zhium]

The Question:
One of the casters asked me, "Are you switching targets? I'm on assist to you, and it had me switch targets that last fight."

I said that I was trying to rescue the guy who was getting clobbered.

If you're the only tank in a group with multiple monsters attacking you, what method do you use to keep the add-ons on you? Do you switch targets? The druid did say afterward that I was the first person to be able to keep monsters off him, and he was tempted to make a tank after seeing that hunt, so I guess it couldn't be all bad, but I'm wondering if it could have been better.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

It all really depends I guess on the group. For me tanking 2 mobs at a time was not easy thing. But I'm slowlying getting better at it. If the group is uber and if they can take hits then I probabaly wont try and hold aggro on both. But ususally if I need to I would rescue them and place some aggro on it and then switch over to the other one hit it with some aggro and bounce back and forth some. This only works when the group is able to either controll there dps/aggro or they are all on the same mob and not really bouncing to the other mob.

Better yet really if I need to get the second mob I use Shout of Defiance because it gives me some aggro.

[Bhima_LS]

Thank you both for the useful replies. I guess then the main lesson I've learned here is to talk out the tactics in advance with the group. I'll do that next time. Thanks :)

[Tanahlai]

Thank you both for the useful replies. I guess then the main lesson I've learned here is to talk out the tactics in advance with the group. I'll do that next time. Thanks :)

Yup. Communication is the most valuable tool to any tank. While tanks in this generation of MMOs have a LOT more control than tanks have in the past, agro -- particularly in multiple mob scenarios -- is a group-wide effort.

The big thing for me, is that in anything relatively recent (like since....EQ...) I've *never* agreed with the main tank and the main assist being the same person. Why? Because I do switch targets a lot, ESPECIALLY at the beginning of a fight. WIth the right skill usage (just takes practice) and AE effects, it's relatively easy to have a lot of control early on in the fight, even against 4+ mobs (NOTE: My groups always tend to run light on the CC. Having a lot of CC available can greatly change tactics).

The best thing you can do, is group with someone that you know personally, or group with regularly, to be your main assist. They are hands down one of the best assets to any tank in any game. What you need is someone who is on the ball, and can quickly select prime targets, and who understands what order mobs need to die in, as well as good situational awareness skills to make priority changes on the fly. These are all trainable skills, but knowing someone that already has them obviously makes the process less painful.

General target order, which I think everyone should know, but no one ever does:

Healers
Casters
Offensive Melee
Defensive melee

People have this weird tendancy to like to kill warrior class mobs first...even though they tend to have the most hitpoints, the most armor, and relatively low damage output with no significant burst or other abilities that need to be avoided. This is bad. Us tanks know that magic will roast us faster than anything, but not a lot of other people do, so its important to stress that casting mobs are a priority over anything but healers. Also remember that 'general mob strength' factors (like dot rating, elite vs not elite, etc) play a major role in target selection. A 3 dot defensive melee is going to die rediculously fast compared to a 5 dot caster. SO you get it out of the way.

It's also important that your main assist is someone that can take a couple hits if necessary. A lot of people prefer another tank, I prefer offensive fighters (preferably ranger/monk). They can take a hit or six, and have enough agro tools to keep everyone else safe while you deal with the crowd and build enough agro to then rescue them and keep agro on the main targets.

But all in all...yes, I change targets. I view it as absolutely necessary in situations with limited or no CC. It also, once you get down the finer points of it, allows your people to use a lot more AE of their own. But as described above...one of the best tools to allow a tank to do so effectively is a good main assist.

Another tactical thing is keep in mind is that distance agro is very much alive and well in Vanguard. Keep your casters back. That also buys them a lot of additional AE leeway.