Yet, I’m thinking about rerolling tank thanks to the demand
Yall have any tips for a first timer? Addons and everything?
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Any class preference? Warrior is a harder path, but will yield the best results if you’re willing and able to do it. Paladin is a lot easier. I don’t know enough about Druid to give a good opinion.
For tbc dungeons, normal and heroic, I would say it’s important to know what each if your dps and healer can do. Not in terms of dps, but utility.
If your having trouble keeping aggro on all the mobs, look to use CC, taking to much damage from casters? Tell your group to interrupts more. And if the dungeon has fear mobs, pull the groups back. Exc.
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If you go war, equip a ranged weapon early on to help you with pulls. You can train thrown weapons in Org.
Take your time. Tbc dungeons have lots of overlapping pats. Knowing when to pull is more important than knowing what each mob does. When in doubt, just wait.
Oh and a pro tip…face your back towards the rogues in mana tombs that gouge you. If you stand in their hit box, you can still hit them, but they can’t gouge you since it has a forward facing requirement
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- Communication is key. It is very important to have kill targets. Usually {skull} is 1st. {cross} (x) is second. This allows you to hold aggro easier and dump your threat abilities on the current target getting focused on.
- Tell them, “Hey, wait for a tick of consecrate. Wait for Sunder to start DPSing.”
- You can use your mains to beef up your tank you are leveling. Feed them potions, bandages, buff food, elixirs, good gear, etc. This will help your survivability and increase threat output.
- Always better to range pull. Use ranged weapon, bombs, moonfire, faerie fire, to pull them to you. To pull casters, hide behind LoS. Make sure to communicate for them to wait for the pack to come to you, etc. Some DPS will unload the moment you start combat.
- Mark Patrols. Sometimes its easy to get lost in the moment for anyone in your party, putting an uncommonly used Raid Marker on a patrol will keep eyes on it, and make sure they don’t cause a wipe.
(edit:) - MANA! Watch the healers mana, and secondly DPS’. If the healer is drinking or has no mana, they can’t heal you. If DPS is oom, the pull may go more slowly. Healer mana is #1 priority. Take care of your healer and your healer will take care of you.
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Don’t be afraid to line of sight packs of mobs and pull back to a safe spot to tank. Until you over gear the dungeon, you’re better safe than wiped. Omen and DBM and all you really need to tank.
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Don’t be afraid to learn. Most of the content is not hard but there are pulls/pats that can wipe you if you’re not aware of them.
Don’t be afraid to lead. If people don’t like it you can find another group very quickly.
Don’t be afraid to laugh at mistakes. Yours or others.
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This is the kind of stuff that makes it tough to be a good tank. Who else in the group needs to know this? I always tried to read up on an instance before I go, but a lot of people can get away without any pre-study. The tank really needs to memorize the map and mob special abilities and boss mechanics more than others. It can also be embarrassing if you didn’t do your homework…
Honestly I don’t think many tanks know this. Not knowing doesn’t make you a bad tank. But knowing it makes you a GOOD tank.
In fact, I’m 90% sure this is an unintended mechanic. They likely copy pasted the ability straight from player rogues and forgot to remove the forward facing requirement. Protip#2: this also works on the Moroes gouge in kara
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If your healer ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy… 
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There was a pretty decent starter tank guide on the forums early in WoW Classic that is still pretty relevant, though some of the warrior talent-specific stuff isn’t as relevant for TBC, the general ideas, macros, and group dynamics stuff makes it a good read, imo.
I’ve thought about taking my shelved 60 human Holy Paladin (or make a Draenei one) & try Protection tanking with her in TBC (Dungeons/Heroics/Kara play only, no serious raiding), I’m just not sure I want to deal with the abuse from random toxic players in our current PuG community atmosphere of 2021. I don’t enjoy speed-running content at hectic paces, so would have to make that clear to any groups that I would form to tank for.
Your the tank you set your own pace. Pull what you want and dont let any of your party members rush you if your not use to the dungeon.
I would say tend to make your own group as you are the leader and can just kick anyone who is annoying you. Its stupid fast to fill a dps spot.
Yes, but if your back is toward them you can’t block, dodge, or parry their attack, which takes away a big part of your damage mitigation, so typically you always want to be facing your mobs.
My generic tips are:
Have a skull marker keybound and Mark a skull in every trash pack.
Have your healer set to focus so you can watch his mana and try not to pull unless it’s 70%+.
Also mention you haven’t tanked a dungeon before so may need help on where to go. I’ve found if you set expectations up front it makes it go easier.
And dps will pull aggro. It’s just going to happen. Try your best and don’t get discouraged. In leveling dungeons it’s not really a big deal as long as a mob isn’t on your healer.
My first tip would be to mention which class you’re going because they are all quite different.
Laughing at mistakes is the best way to help improve upon them and reduce them! At least that’s how we operate with our groups in our guild.
No lol you never turn your back to the mobs as a tank. If you do that you have no mitigation other than Dodge.
Just takes practice like anything else.
One of the big things that sets a good tank apart in my eyes is understanding how mobs move in respect to you moving.
Being able to group up mobs, and position them to exactly how you want.
Or like if there is 2 casters, and 2 melee. Interrupting one and then positioning yourself so that all the mobs stack up on the caster that wasn’t interrupted ect.