Though AoE tanking is apparently at least somewhat on its way out in Cataclysm, for the remainder of Wrath of the Lich King it is alive and well. For today's post I decided to take a quick look at the different staple AoE tanking tools available to the various classes. Which are strong? Which are weak? Which will cause a killing streak? Find out my thoughts below and feel free to share yours in the comments!
Druids
Swipe: It is always easy to identify Feral Tanks in real life because they are the ones with the rippling muscles on their left index finger. Why are their digits so pumped up? Why from mindlessly hammering the Swipe key thousands upon thousands of times of course.
Swipe is really a Bear's only true AoE damage dealer and, as a result, it is only ability we absolutely need to hit when holding a pack of mobs. It is a great spell because it costs little rage (which we have a near endless supply of anyway), does solid damage to large packs, and has no cooldown. It is simultaneously terrible because it needs to be pushed ad nausea to be effective and provides no benefit other than a small burst of damage.
Where Druids Shine: The real strength of Swipe is that it can theoretically be used infinitely with little to no restrictions. A Bear Druid loaded with mobs will have near endless rage and can therefor pound Swipe as fast as a finger allows. For fights where wave after wave of mobs are rolling into your raid, a Druid will always be ready to Swipe and has no reason to worry about much of anything else. Additionally, Swipe is a physical attack, leaving the Druid free from the fear of an ill timed silence.
Paladins
Consecration: The ability that single-handedly defined Paladins as "the AoE" tank is still alive and well. Consecration is great because it is the ultimate set it and forget it spell. You lay it on the ground and, until it expires, mobs are stuck to you like glue.
Back in the day, Consecration occasionally caused mana issues for the overzealous tank, but no more. Now, so long as the modest cool-down has run its course, keeping consecrate up on a pack of mobs shouldn't come close to depleting a Paladin tank's mana pool.
Where Paladins Shine: Where a tank needs to hold both a single high priority target and several smaller adds, the Paladin is feeling good. A Consecration every eight second will get the AoE job done and you are free to focus on your priority target. Sustained AoE aggro with little effort or attention is the Paladin's true strength. Also, if the mobs happen to be undead, other tanks can forget about it as the addition of Holy Nova to the mix makes Paladins all-stars. If a silence enters the mix, however, you may very well end up with some dead healers.
Warriors
Thunder Clap: Just as Consecration defined Paladins as the AoE tanks, the existence of Thunder Clap and ONLY Thunder Clap has long relegated Warriors to the AoE tanking bargain bin.
In recent times, Thunder Clap has started to hit harder and generate more delicious aggro, but it still feels lacking. Perhaps the cooldown is just too long, or maybe the supplemental slow just isn't enough to get a plate wearer out of bed in the morning. Whatever it is, Thunder Clap is far from a Warcraft media darling.
Where Warriors Shine: In terms of snap AoE aggro, it really is tough to beat a Warrior. Thunder Clap hits hard and generates tons of threat. After that, however, it's time to wait out the cool down. Grabbing AoE mobs is in a Warriors wheelhouse, holding them is often the problem.
Death Knights
Death and Decay: You mean to tell me that Death Knights can lay down a Consecration equivalent at range?!? Why yes they can.
With great power, however, comes slightly greater cost. While a Paladin using Consecration only loses a bit of constantly replenishing mana and can move on with his or her life, a Death Knight must fork over one of each and every rune in his arsenal to generate a bed of AoE hurt. Not only does the Death Knight need to consider Death and Decay's own huge cool-down, but also the fact that using the ability actually can put his other skills on cool-down as well.
Blood Boil: Though Death and Decay gets all the Death Knight AoE press, Blood Boil is the behind the scenes workhorse of the class's AoE skills.
For the cost of a single Blood Rune, a Death Knight can instantly ding all nearby targets for decent magical damage. Add diseases to the mix and that damage goes up appreciably. Limited only by the speed rune generation, the ability is available pretty often and offers decent bang for its buck.
Where Death Knights Shine: Death and Decay makes Death Knights both exceptionally flexible and inflexible AoE tanks. They can snap a group of mobs anywhere and hold them with a set and forget AoE, but only once every thirty seconds and only if they want to sack half their runic resources for a little while. With time to prepare, a Death Knight can AoE tank like nobody else, but when caught without cool-downs, Blood Boil can be a bit too little too late.
Showing posts with label Paladins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paladins. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Retribution Paladins Lose Vindication
Well, not entirely, but it certainly was beaten into submission by the nerf stick. Yesterday, Blizzard dropped a hot-fix to make Retribution Paladins less lethal in the arenas. With the fix, popular Retribution talent Vindication no longer reduces Stamina or Intelligence. Check out the thread announcing the fix here.
To be honest, a certain portion of Blizzard's reasoning makes a great deal of sense. The combination Vindication and Hammer of Wrath really does allow Retribution Paladins to burn their enemies' candles at both ends. What has caused significant outcry, however, aside from the fact that it is a substantial nerf, is that the change is purportedly being made to help "balance the ability out, especially in the lower arena brackets." This has given rise to a huge debate over whether PvP should be primarily balanced at the highest levels, or, alternatively, balanced to even the experience for the largest pool of players which currently rest in lower brackets. In addition to the original thread, check out some other fiery debates on the topic here, here, and here.
It seems as if most players' positions on the change are grounded in their own personal experience. Lower rank PvPers who are tired of getting obliterated by Retribution Paladins love the change. Retribution Paladins and upper level PVPers who like a variety of opponents hate it. Regardless of public opinion, the change has happened and it is likely to stick around for a while. I would not be surprised, however, if we see a compensatory PvP bone being thrown to Ret Paladins' way sometime in the near future, perhaps as early as the next patch.
To be honest, a certain portion of Blizzard's reasoning makes a great deal of sense. The combination Vindication and Hammer of Wrath really does allow Retribution Paladins to burn their enemies' candles at both ends. What has caused significant outcry, however, aside from the fact that it is a substantial nerf, is that the change is purportedly being made to help "balance the ability out, especially in the lower arena brackets." This has given rise to a huge debate over whether PvP should be primarily balanced at the highest levels, or, alternatively, balanced to even the experience for the largest pool of players which currently rest in lower brackets. In addition to the original thread, check out some other fiery debates on the topic here, here, and here.
It seems as if most players' positions on the change are grounded in their own personal experience. Lower rank PvPers who are tired of getting obliterated by Retribution Paladins love the change. Retribution Paladins and upper level PVPers who like a variety of opponents hate it. Regardless of public opinion, the change has happened and it is likely to stick around for a while. I would not be surprised, however, if we see a compensatory PvP bone being thrown to Ret Paladins' way sometime in the near future, perhaps as early as the next patch.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Bad Ret Pallies and How to Not Be One
Every one who has ever run an instance with a PuG (Pick up Group) has met that guy. He is the one who the group openly ridicules and the source of the many wipes which ultimately lead to your tank "restarting his computer" indefinitely. There is a that guy for every spec of every class. Put simply, that guy is a bad group member.
Being a bad group member does not involve having bad gear or not blowing consumables, it simply entails not doing things to help your group and doing things which harm them in the process. Below I take aim at PvE Retribution Paladins laying out the dos and don'ts of contributing to your party as a dps spec which is so hot right now.
On Helping your Tank:
Your tank, absent direct instructions to the contrary, wants only two things from you. First, do not pull agro. Everyone in your group is sufficiently impressed with your massive Paladin dps. While pulling agro amongst your friends might be a point of pride, in a pickup group it is frustrating at best. If you start moving two far up the agro table, lay a few blows on another target and/or Hand of Salvation yourself. Your tank will love you for it.
Second, keep track of your positioning. As a melee dps, you are on the front lines of the eternal struggle against the enemy of the day. The risks of you stumbling too near a roving pat or nearby bunch of mobs is always high. Whenever there is doubt, err on the side of caution and stay farther away from nearby mobs than the tank. That way, if he is not pulling them, neither will you. Along the same line, try not to stand in front of mobs. Many of Azeroth's denizens have crafted nefarious means of slaying all that stands before them. Try to see that you do not become one of their victims.
On Helping your Healer:
Though you may not be a tank, you are wearing plate and with great power comes great responsibility. You are always your healer's second line of defense right behind the tanks. If a mob makes a break for the healers time to bust out Hammer of Justice or Repentance. If your crowd control is on cooldown, throw a little bit of dps the mobs way. Generally speaking, a mob is not going to pound on your healers unless it is relatively agro free. This means you are only one massive crit away from being the mobs new best friend. Keep in mind you are only a temporary distraction, do not pile on the dps and bring the mob promptly to the real tank. Many an avoidable wipe has been caused by a Ret Pally afraid of getting hit.
The second way you can help your healer is to reduce his work load by healing yourself. The Azerothian gods gave you Art of War for a reason. Go into your interface settings and enable auto self-casting and use those massive holes in your rotation to instant cast Flash of Light yourself. Since, your instant heals no longer reset your swing timer and mana regeneration is a breeze, there really is no reason not to.
On Helping Other DPS:
The same advice about protecting your healer also applies to your fellow dps. You should be the hardiest of your damage dealing brethren so if someone other than the tank is doomed to take a blow, make sure it is you. Though it may take a bit more to pull a mob off an agro hungry dps, never forget that you are just a temporary target so keep it as easy as you can for the tank to reestablish agro.
Also, stay on top of your buffs. Paladin buffs, when combined and properly used, are fairly potent and can make a noticeable difference in your groups damage output. Give your group members the buffs they want, not the ones you think they should have and refresh them before they expire. If you find yourself frequently being asked for a rebuff, you are not doing your job.
On Helping Yourself:
One of the best way to serve yourself and your group is to not die every other pull. PvE Ret Paladins are notorious for getting cut down enemy mobs. Defy the stereotype by keeping your self bubble handy and watching your agro. The extra dps you gain by jumping most of your tanks first attacks will never equal the dps you lost by being dead for 99% of that one pull. Resurrecting you takes time and mana. Take your time, be prepared, and watch your positioning and you will see the end of many battles.
Lastly, spec for success. You are, no doubt, born and bred to be a dps juggernaut, but you are also a team member. When selecting talents keep in mind that your contribution to a group is measured not by your place on the damage meters, but by how you raised your group's damage and survivability on the whole. In the long run, you and your groups will benefit.
Being a bad group member does not involve having bad gear or not blowing consumables, it simply entails not doing things to help your group and doing things which harm them in the process. Below I take aim at PvE Retribution Paladins laying out the dos and don'ts of contributing to your party as a dps spec which is so hot right now.
On Helping your Tank:
Your tank, absent direct instructions to the contrary, wants only two things from you. First, do not pull agro. Everyone in your group is sufficiently impressed with your massive Paladin dps. While pulling agro amongst your friends might be a point of pride, in a pickup group it is frustrating at best. If you start moving two far up the agro table, lay a few blows on another target and/or Hand of Salvation yourself. Your tank will love you for it.
Second, keep track of your positioning. As a melee dps, you are on the front lines of the eternal struggle against the enemy of the day. The risks of you stumbling too near a roving pat or nearby bunch of mobs is always high. Whenever there is doubt, err on the side of caution and stay farther away from nearby mobs than the tank. That way, if he is not pulling them, neither will you. Along the same line, try not to stand in front of mobs. Many of Azeroth's denizens have crafted nefarious means of slaying all that stands before them. Try to see that you do not become one of their victims.
On Helping your Healer:
Though you may not be a tank, you are wearing plate and with great power comes great responsibility. You are always your healer's second line of defense right behind the tanks. If a mob makes a break for the healers time to bust out Hammer of Justice or Repentance. If your crowd control is on cooldown, throw a little bit of dps the mobs way. Generally speaking, a mob is not going to pound on your healers unless it is relatively agro free. This means you are only one massive crit away from being the mobs new best friend. Keep in mind you are only a temporary distraction, do not pile on the dps and bring the mob promptly to the real tank. Many an avoidable wipe has been caused by a Ret Pally afraid of getting hit.
The second way you can help your healer is to reduce his work load by healing yourself. The Azerothian gods gave you Art of War for a reason. Go into your interface settings and enable auto self-casting and use those massive holes in your rotation to instant cast Flash of Light yourself. Since, your instant heals no longer reset your swing timer and mana regeneration is a breeze, there really is no reason not to.
On Helping Other DPS:
The same advice about protecting your healer also applies to your fellow dps. You should be the hardiest of your damage dealing brethren so if someone other than the tank is doomed to take a blow, make sure it is you. Though it may take a bit more to pull a mob off an agro hungry dps, never forget that you are just a temporary target so keep it as easy as you can for the tank to reestablish agro.
Also, stay on top of your buffs. Paladin buffs, when combined and properly used, are fairly potent and can make a noticeable difference in your groups damage output. Give your group members the buffs they want, not the ones you think they should have and refresh them before they expire. If you find yourself frequently being asked for a rebuff, you are not doing your job.
On Helping Yourself:
One of the best way to serve yourself and your group is to not die every other pull. PvE Ret Paladins are notorious for getting cut down enemy mobs. Defy the stereotype by keeping your self bubble handy and watching your agro. The extra dps you gain by jumping most of your tanks first attacks will never equal the dps you lost by being dead for 99% of that one pull. Resurrecting you takes time and mana. Take your time, be prepared, and watch your positioning and you will see the end of many battles.
Lastly, spec for success. You are, no doubt, born and bred to be a dps juggernaut, but you are also a team member. When selecting talents keep in mind that your contribution to a group is measured not by your place on the damage meters, but by how you raised your group's damage and survivability on the whole. In the long run, you and your groups will benefit.
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