I’m looking to try and start tanking this expac. I’m gonna start with a Brewmaster Monk any advices? Addons? Please and thanks!
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Find your AoE abilities and damage mitigation, and keep mobs faced away from the group in general.
Starting there will get you pretty far.
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im learning tanking on my paladin. i got as far as low level mythics in bfa. not sure what its gonna look like in sl. I run dungeons now and im not sure how good or bad I am at it. I seem to get the job done. Pally tanking seems fairly straightword, although end game raiding and high level mythics will take a lot of practice im sure. I dont plan to raid tank as I have a healer. But Id like to do mythics. So we shall see! Its just neat being in the middle of it all after spending so many years as a healer
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Don’t be afraid to tell groups you’re new or ask for help.
Watch your healer’s mana.
Interrupts!
Use your defensive CDs, don’t just sit on them forever.
Blame the hunter if things go left.
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The best advice I have to give.
Keep a backup role of dps or heal so you can occasionally sit back and watch how other tanks handle certain dungeons or fights.
As far as M+ goes. There’s an add on called “Method Dungeon Tools”
Which allows you to look at a dungeon map and plan out each pull and calculate how much % you need, ect. Really solid add on.
Practice range pulls, los pulls, kiting as well.
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a thick skin
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Just Do It.
Go forth and tank.
Listen to good advice, ignore taunts and jeers.
As a general rule I like to round up the mobs, go through the mobs, and turn the pack away from the group. That way the mobs do splash damage in to the ranged, and the DPS can stupidly attack from the back, where they should.
If something runs away, taunt it.
If your health gets scary, burn a cooldown.
Don’t yell at your healer.
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Have you played a monk before? I used too and the amount of tools they have added to Monks is insane, perhaps a bit overwhelming. Like someone else said, getting familiar with your aoe and damage mitigation abilities is essential.
Brewmasters active mitigation is a bit strange compared to other tanks, because it is constantly on, but also does not actually mitigate damage so much as it spreads it out. You have one very high cd mitigation ability and then a couple of abilities that increase the amount of damage you can Stagger or clear the Stagger damage altogether. I’d highly recommend reading a guide on how to properly play BM and I would bet setting up a WeakAura to help manage stagger would be a good idea. Try Wowhead, they are a good starting point if nothing else.
Don’t let yourself get discouraged by a bad group or an off night either. Just be cool, learn from your mistakes, and don’t sweat the small stuff.
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My advice (assuming you are pugging):
- Never tell the group you are new to tanking. There’s a good chance this will get you kicked.
- Do the dungeon a few times on at least M0 difficulty as dps to get a feel for things.
- Read the dungeon journal.
- Set your loot spec as tank while you are a dps in a dungeon to start gearing up your tank spec.
- Outgear norm and heroic dungeons in your tank gear.
- Practice your rotation on training dummies.
- Read some online guides and watch some videos about your tank spec.
- Start tanking norm and heroics to get some practical experience. You will be overgeared for this but that’s ok. You’re not there for gear. You’re there for experience.
- Move into tanking M0.
- Never tank M+ as a pug. Thank me later.
Using this method, I now successfully tank on 3 different classes.
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Beginning tanking, dont do pugs
The key to tanking is to fake it until you make it. Confidence is key. Just practice in low level content (mythic+ 2-6) and normal raiding until you get enough confidence in your abilities.
Focus on improving, and controlling the fight. Don’t worry about whatever moronic healer or dps you get. The most toxic mythic+ bracket is 7-12 imo by far so don’t let it discourage you.
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Get ready to be blamed for everything
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Wait till you beat the first boss before you drop group because that hunter keeps pulling
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It is your job to set a pace your healer can keep up with. Not your healer’s job to keep up with whatever pace you set.
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Get drunk then tank , 
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Move at your own pace. A bunch of players have the energy of crack addicts and have a “Go Go” mindset, but going too fast can overexert party resources and cause wipes which will cost you both time and money.
This isn’t to say that you should RP walk the whole way of course; if the party is GTG and rolling in buff procs then pulling faster is probably a good idea.
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Get some practice with your rotation. Prioritize Keg Smash above all, then Flame Breath. Everything else is filler.
From there, situational awareness. Keep your eyes on the action. Remain serene like a monk.
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Good luck.
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This is some of the best overall advice in the thread. Stay focused, calm, and in control. Playing sloppy is how you pull too much or the wrong things. Panicking is what disrupts your rotation and makes you lose mitigation. Getting distracted is how you miss interrupts or stand in bad.
Play at a dungeon difficulty and pace that allows you to fire on all cylinders, to push all your buttons and do all the things, then work your way forward as you get comfortable. The patience of friends and guildies goes a long way while you take your first baby steps.
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Just queue up. However bad you think you are, you are more likely than not saving a group from somebody even worse. It’s something you learn by doing, for the most part you’re basically aoe dps. Worst case scenario you learn something you didn’t know before.
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