While tanking is the least preferred role in HotS, it is one of the more important ones. When asked why people don’t enjoy tanking, you will often hear things like tanks do not have an impact on a match, tanking is not fun, or people just don’t know where to start in terms of learning how to tank. Because of this, I thought I would put together a very basic guide on the role, and things to keep in mind when playing a main tank. This is not going to be a comprehensive look at every tank, when to draft them, and the nuances of starting a fight, but rather things that apply to all tanks (and in some sense, all heroes!) and how to incorporate these into any match. Hopefully it can show you just how interesting, impactful, and fun playing a tank can be!
Tanking in Heroes of the Storm is all about gathering information and controlling fights. Because of this, positioning, managing resources (mana and HP), and being aware of everyone on both your team and the enemy team are the main keys to successful tanking. Although tanks can certainly be built aggressively and in some cases reach assassin level amounts of damage done, your primary job is to make sure that every fight is done on your terms, and set your team up to win. The following sections discuss the main responsibilities you should be focusing on when tanking.
Scouting
As the tank, you want to make sure that if anyone is going to be attacked first, it will be you. Take the lead spot in rotations, and always assume that any bush along your rotation path has 5 enemies waiting to pounce, if you cannot account for them on the mini-map. If enough of them are missing, use your abilities as you approach a potential ambush point to check, not your face. If you are playing Anub’arak or Garrosh, throw a Q in there and see what happens. If you are playing Diablo, a quick Firestomp can let you know if it is safe to continue. It is far better to “waste” an ability on an empty bush, than lose your life right before an objective. If you can see enough of the enemy team, you can hold your abilities for the fight ahead instead of using them to scout.
Anchoring
When your team is capturing a merc camp, or working on an objective, you want to make sure they are safe doing so, and that they won’t be caught out by an enemy invasion. A tank can provide this security by waiting in a location, generally a bush, somewhere along the most likely path the enemy team will be taking so they know what is coming ahead of time. This is known as “anchoring”. If the enemy team will have an advantage in the fight, you can tell your team to leave, as it is better to lose a camp that can be defended, than lose two people in an unnecessary fight. If your team will have an advantage, you can turn the anchor into an ambush, depending on timing and positioning.
In the following clip, my team had just taken down the front wall of their keep, and were backing off as we would not have been able to get any significant keep damage in. On the way out, we had a potential opportunity to take the bottom merc camp to keep pressure on the bottom lane, and to prevent them from taking it instead. I provided anchoring in the vent where I could see if they would try to invade either from the lane (which would have been the smart choice), or through the choke point.
Most of the time I prefer to anchor at a point slightly further away from whatever it is I am protecting so we have that much more time to make a decision on what we should do. You also want to anchor in a location where you can easily leave, or where your team can back you up, if the odds are not in your favor. Knowing what is coming before it hits your team is invaluable.
Engaging
In a team fight, it is generally your call when to engage, and when to stall. Things to keep in mind when making this decision include:
- Positioning. Seeing an enemy move into a vulnerable location is a good reason to punish them for it immediately.
- Resources. If their healer or tank is low on mana, or if you know key heroics are not available to the enemy team, take advantage of it.
- Talent tier or level differences. If you just got your heroics and they are still half a level behind, charge!
- Number/role advantages. Sometimes it will depend on which heroes are missing, but it is generally safe to engage when you have greater numbers, or when they are down a tank or healer.
Even if your DPS seem a little trigger happy, you don’t have to engage as soon as the enemy is spotted. Don’t be afraid to be a little patient and wait for a good opportunity. However, don’t wait too long as the longer you stall, the easier it is for them to spot an opening, too.
Disengaging
There are times when advancing in the opposite direction is the right call, as I have seen far too many comebacks start when one team overstays their welcome. A strategic retreat can set up a re-engagement if they overchase, and is always a good idea when your resources get low. When you are in an extended fight or chase, always keep an eye on your healer. If they are getting low on mana, or have everything on CD, that is a good time to pull back. If I am the one low on health, mana, or both, I will ping retreat, and then ping my resource bar(s) to let my team know I can’t protect them any more, and why. In addition, I will often call to fall back when something changes, such as an objective expiring, a talent tier being gained on the enemy team, or we accomplish something like bringing down a wall, but aren’t likely to get more than that, no matter how long we stay there.
Controlling Enemies
As the main tank, you will have a kit that allows you to CC, displace, or otherwise control an enemy’s position and actions. Because of this, you want to use your kit to put the enemy team at a disadvantage and set up your DPS for getting a pick. Although it is tempting to use something like Muradin’s Storm Bolt just for the quest stack, it is often better to hold it for a few more seconds to lock down the Qhira who just spiraled foolishly into your team. That way you get the quest stack and the kill! Always try to use your abilities and heroics strategically, not just because they are available.
In addition, an often overlooked part of a tank’s kit is the fine art of body blocking. Most tanks have a large hitbox, relative to the other roles, and you can use that to your advantage. Once you have an enemy out of position, keep them there. In the following clip, the enemy Diablo blows his entire kit trying to get at my healer, which leaves him out of position.
I had previously used Impale to peel him off my healer, so I still had Burrow Charge to reposition, and my chunky beetle self to keep him where my team could kill him. You can also use body blocking defensively to keep enemies away from vulnerable members of your team.
Protecting Allies
Although it is tempting to use the fact that you are hard to kill to go in hard and try to get a kill yourself, your team is relying on you to keep the enemy team from returning the favor. You should always be aware of where your squishier allies are, and what could threaten them. Sometimes you have to save them from a diver, and sometimes you have to save them from themselves. As a tank, don’t distinguish between the two, if you can help someone, do so. It is always a good idea to keep an ability available to peel for your team. In the following clip, the enemy team ambushed our Jaina and our Tyrande and I had the tools available to save her.
A few things to note is that any hero with CC can help peel, not just the tank. The Tyrande stun definitely made it such that when I did arrive, there was something to save. The other thing to note as a tank is to use your body as much as your abilities to help protect. I made sure to get myself between Jaina and the enemies trying to kill her, and since the Tracer was the biggest threat, and the most likely to finish her off, I used Overpower to peel her rather than the Taunt Varian who was less of a danger.
Communication
Although you don’t have to be the shot-caller as the tank, you should always communicate with your team, through pings if nothing else. Let them know which enemy you would like them to focus fire on, if your abilities or heroic are available or how much time is left on their CD, where you plan to go next, when to retreat, and similar things. Although having your team in voice chat is ideal as a tank, there is a lot of information you can share without it.
Conclusion
Hopefully this gives some people who are interested in tanking, but have never tried it themselves, some incentive to give it a go. If you are new to tanking, I strongly recommend starting with Johanna, as she is extremely forgiving, durable, and has a relatively straight-forward kit for a main tank. All of the tanks are currently viable, except Cho, but some are more comp dependent, or require a bit of practice or follow up to do well. Johanna is probably the best generalist tank on the roster at the moment, and will work well no matter what rank you are.
Because you played Warsong Johanna on a horde wolf. 
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