Multimob Tanking – forget the theory and get going

So you’ve read all the advice about rotations, marking targets, kill order and how to use your abilities. Anyways you’re still struggling with more than one or two mobs at your hands? Then this article is for you.

Reading a book won’t teach you how to ride a bike

You didn’t know that, did you? Seriously, don’t get into theory too much. After all multimob tanking really is simple. You just have to learn it by doing it and you’re good. You can’t read how to do it. It doesn’t help. It will confuse you. Stop reading theory posts if you struggle with the basics. Here’s a short version of how to do it:

  • Pull & pop Bloodrage
  • Thunderclap
  • Domoralizing Shout
  • Sunder Armor the hell out of those bastards
  • Thunderclap. Over and over.

Start this way. And start. Ask a healer buddy to go try it out with you. Somewhere. Pull some outworld mob groups. Pull four mobs and have your buddy spam heal you as if there was no tomorrow. Do so until you overcome the state of “holy apeshit they’re running around and I have no fu**in idea what to do” (which every warrior tank knows. And if one claims he doesn’t, he’s lying).

Cheap things that make it easier

  • 3/3 Improved Thunderclap (way more aggro)
  • 2/2 Improved Bloodrage (way more initial rage)
  • A shield with a felsteel-spike (more aggro)

The idea

  1. Control the chaos
  2. Hold aggro

Basics – Tipps for the very first hours

  • Thunderclap whenever possible
  • Thunderclap even with CCd mobs in range, let the CC be reapplied. Don’t worry about moving them around unless you’re sure you can handle the group.
  • Have appropriate mitigation. If your healer has to throw out 5000 hp heals when the first mob approaches you (Heroic instances, anyone?) you’ll never ever get a chance to hold aggro on anything
  • Thunderclap
  • Try your TAB-key for target switching (and curse it for targeting the mob 50 ft away rather than the ones right in front of you)

Improving – Tipps for after getting the basics right

  • Cleave helps
  • Taunt is great
  • Concussion Blow can buy you the couple seconds you need

As you get a hang of tanking four mobs, get more. Try keeping up to eight on you, that’ll be really good training and groups of five or less will feel as easy as peeling bananas. Now go and do it.

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