Gearing your new tank (Plate Version) - Part 1

[Skaven]

Disclaimer and Credits
This guide was written by Skaven, proud member of MMOwned forums and would-be-main-tank Elfamaja in Hakkar-Eu server.

This guide can be shared and copied AS IS, without modifications and with this section included. If you feel like, you can give credits, and they are hoped for. If you feel like donating, choose a suitable charity near you.

Purpose
This guide has been written for new tanks who want to seriously delve into the wonderful world of tanking instances and raids in World of Warcraft. In this entire guide, the emphasis is for NEW tanks, so most if not all of the methods described below involve spending as less gold as possible, with as less randomness as possible. I will try and include alternative methods for players who have gold to spend, but buying your way to victory is NOT the purpose of this guide.

Also, because of the differences between feral druids and the other tanks, this guide is only for plate wearers. Sorry, my furry friends!
However, the general information and advice are valid for druids, too.

Your new level 80 character and tanking
So you've just levelled your tank (Warrior, Paladin, Druid, and Death Knight) and eagerly want to go in the first instance you see with your friends and raze it with all your green and blue equipment.

Tell me where you're going to, i'll bring the spoon to get your remains...

Seriously, tanking is a role that requires a lot of preparations. Most of the work goes towards building a gear suited to the role. A tank is really Gear-dependant, because you're getting hit... A LOT. You cannot wade through the mobs in blue-green scraps, you will get torn to shreds and your companions, too.

You need dedicated tank gear, and a dedicated talent spec too. You might "almost" tank in a dps in the easier instances, but you will soon find that your healer will be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of damage you receive. So, first advice: tank in dedicated spec and gear.

The relevant stats you're going to achieve can be divided in four types: AVOIDANCE, MITIGATION, STAMINA, and THREAT.

All are important, though in advancing through the game some will become slightly more important than others. Let's see them in detail.

AVOIDANCE:
The ability of to not get hit at all by your foes.

In World of Warcraft, this is divided in three values, MISS, DODGE and PARRY chance.

While the first is fixed at 5% and can be augmented only by special debuffs (like Scorpid Sting), the other two are gear dependant and highly sought after by the tanks.

Dodge and parry chances are influenced by talents, buffs/debuffs, and, most importantly, gear.

You will find that these chance in your gear is referenced as dodge (and parry) RATING, that is a value directly correlated to it. You can find more about dodge and parry rating on Wow Wiki, but in a few words, the more you advance in levels, the more dodge (and parry) rating you need for a 1% of chance.

Every 1% of AVOIDANCE translates in a 1% chance of NOT GETTING HIT AT ALL -> NO DAMAGE.

As you can see, this value is very important to a tank. However, avoidance has a serious drawback, the infamous DIMINISHING RETURN. That means, even at max level, the rating value you need for the next 1% is ever bigger as you increase it. More on Wow Wiki.

AVOIDANCE is directly related to Defense. DEFENSE is the primary means of raising avoidance and has a more direct correlation to avoiding critical hits. The mats are hard to explain here, suffice to say you need 540 DEFENSE MINIMUM. That is taken into consideration within the guide.

MITIGATION:
The ability to absorb most of the damage dealt by your foes.

In World of Warcraft, this is divided in ARMOR and BLOCK.

Mitigating incoming damage is extremely important for a tank, as the amount of damage dished out by elite mobs and bosses are so high to instantly one-shot anyone who is not protected by layer after layer of solid plate armor. The armor value is exactly this kind of mitigation, always active (except for magical damage) and always on.

The most relevant source of armor value (one third, more or less) is our trusty shield (not for DK and druids, though). Having a shield is twice important because of the other source of mitigation, BLOCK.

You can block only if you have a shield, and (as any other avoidance and mitigation except armor) only when your foe is in front of you.
Block absorbs a fair amount of damage from any blow, but is not active 100% of the time, it has a chance to activate, and a value absorbed, that is dependent by class and gear. Important as it is, Block is nevertheless not crucial in a tank role. Having a shield definitively IS.

STAMINA:
This ability raises the amount of hit you can sustain before passing out.

Being a tank means being dealt damage instead of your comrades, so having a large and healthy HP pool is mandatory for a self-respecting tank. As you can understand by yourself, stamina is always useful, and works every time.

However, you have to understand that as a tank, you have to max out avoidance and mitigation BEFORE raising stamina. To not get hit, or getting hit for less, is more important that having 50k HP and getting critted anytime.

THREAT:
The ability to get the attention of your foes and divert them from your group or raid.

A good threat generation is basilar for a tank. You can have all the avoidance, mitigation and stamina of the world, but if you're not able to get the mob to hit you, your tank value is next to nothing.

The most important stat for threat are HIT RATING (modify the chances to hit your foes), CRIT RATING (modify your chance to critically hit your foes, dealing more damage and generating more aggro) and EXPERTISE (lower the foes ability to parry and dodge, dealing more damage).

Generating aggro is extremely Class-dependant, so i won't delve much in this ability. For the sake of the guide, i suggest that ALL tanks look for their respective HIT RATING CAP and stop putting hit rating in their gear as soon as they have reached it. Anything over is basically wasted. Capping Hit rating is very important for "Taunting" mobs, so it should be looked after.

Getting your gear step by step

In the next chapter i'll describe the method of getting your optimal gear for the first of the four stages of your tank career:
- Basic gearing for the normal instances and first low level heroics;
- Medium gear for all heroics and first 10-man raids;
- Advanced gear for all 10-man raids (Ulduar included) and Naxxramas 25;
- Main tanking gear for Ulduar 25 and beyond.

I will try and leave out class specifics and professions from this guide, but as the four types of tanks are different from each other, some adjustments will be needed.

First step - Basic Gear

Level 80 and your achievement still flashes on the screen, and you're eager to respec and tank all that moves? Very well... stop in your tracks - you have some work to do, and you're much more suited to do it in your levelling build, that thrashing about in tank specs.

First of all, you have to get two reputations to revered. These reputations are Wyrmrest Temple and Argent Crusade.

You also have to get your Sons of Hodir reputation to honored.

You need Wyrmrest Temple for these objects:

- Breastplate of the Solemn Council - Item - World of Warcraft
- Sabatons of Draconic Vigor - Item - World of Warcraft
- Cloak of Peaceful Resolutions - Item - World of Warcraft
- Fang of Truth - Item - World of Warcraft

You need Argent Crusade for these objects:

- Special Issue Legplates - Item - World of Warcraft
- Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector - Item - World of Warcraft

You need Sons of Hodir for these enchant:

- Lesser Inscription of the Pinnacle - Item - World of Warcraft (if you have exalted with Aldors or Scryers, you can use the equivalent Greater Inscription)

All these objects cost a minimal amount of gold. Then you need some good crafters, and a fair amount of gold (i spent 400g for all). You can do them by yourself, but i don't recommend it, if you have to choose professions, you're much better with Mining and Jewelcrafting (more on this later).

These are the object you have to buy or craft:
- Tempered Saronite Helm - Item - World of Warcraft, Tempered Saronite Shoulders - Item - World of Warcraft , Tempered Saronite Bracers - Item - World of Warcraft , Tempered Saronite Belt - Item - World of Warcraft and Saronite Bulwark - Item - World of Warcraft. (BS basic set)
- Daunting Handguards - Item - World of Warcraft
- Ring of Earthen Might - Item - World of Warcraft
- Necklace of the Deep - Item - World of Warcraft (TBC item)

Then the crafts and enchants:
- Eternal Belt Buckle - Item - World of Warcraft (BS Belt Gem Socket)
- Heavy Borean Armor Kit - Spell - World of Warcraft (LW Chest)
- Frosthide Leg Armor - Spell - World of Warcraft
- Enchant Cloak - Titanweave - Spell - World of Warcraft
- Enchant Bracer - Major Defense - Spell - World of Warcraft
- Enchant Boots - Icewalker - Spell - World of Warcraft
- Enchant Shield - Major Stamina - Spell - World of Warcraft

Gem to socket in (gems are personal choices and probably would have to be adjusted by class):

1 Enduring Forest Emerald
2 Thick Autumn's Glow
1 Solid Sky Sapphire
1 Sovereign Twilight Opal (personal choice, you can choose another stamina stone)

The last step is doing a single quest in an instance: "For the posterity" in Gundrak normal, who requires you to kill the last boss. Nothing special, and will net you this object:

Solid Platinum Band - Item - World of Warcraft

If you don't want to do that quest, you can substitute easily with this green JC item:

Stoneguard Band - Item - World of Warcraft

with a defense stone in, but i strongly suggest doing the quest, it is easy and reward is guaranteed.

Now you're ready to go! You should show up more or less like this:

80 Blood Elf Paladin

You will notice that you have maxed defense (540) and a good hit rating chance (96,4%), that you can easily raise with trinkets or the Precision Enchant on the gloves. You have two trinket slots to fill, you can put in what you want, and I suggest stamina and strength items. You also have a decent avoidance (43,40%).

You are now ready to tank all normal instances. With 20k unbuffed that should be a breeze. You can also try going in Heroic Nexus and Utgarde Pinnacle, just bring a good healer and you should have no trouble at all.

In your normal instances forays, don't miss this item:

Seal of the Pantheon - Item - World of Warcraft (drops from Loken normal - Halls of Lightning).

You will find no better trinket till the final Ulduar bosses (or the lucky Thaddius one in Naxx).

Death Knight note:
With Frost Presence, you basically compensate the need for a shield. You only have to compensate for the little amount of defense that the shield provides (31) with the enchant on the chest (22 defense) and exchanging the stone on the belt for a pure defense one to get 540 defense skill.

End of the first part.

[Skaven]

As i am Italian and English is not my native language, if there are errors please tell me by PM so i will correct them in the original post.

Feel free to comment otherwise.

I Hope that the next part would be ready for the next week.

[killerrr70]

Are you sure you didn't copy paste?

[exe121]

:X if you are at 540 defense and UB ~21K hp you can tank easy tank all heroics and also naxxramas as 2nd tank.
+ as DK you got faster at 540 defense (weap enchant)

(sorry for my bad english , lol)

[Skaven]

Are you sure you didn't copy paste?

From where, please?

I wrote all by myself. I am writing the next part right now. Do you want something special written inside?

Tsk. :yuck:

[Skaven]

:X if you are at 540 defense and UB ~21K hp you can tank easy tank all heroics and also naxxramas as 2nd tank.
+ as DK you got faster at 540 defense (weap enchant)

(sorry for my bad english , lol)

Have to disagree. The hardest heroics (Utgarde Pinnacle, Oculus) will bring you down, especially if you are surrounded with no avoidance and only trusting in your measly stamina. If you have good healers you can go through some harder heroics at this level, but you are at risk.

Naxxramas Offtank? Uh, i have some doubt with regard to Faerlyna (offtanking the adds), Patchwerk (Hateful Strike) and the Four Horsemen (Meteor), but you can try.

I suggest you wait for the second part though (as i have written in the preface of the guide).

[lagbot]

Whoah, very nice guide. I'll use this later when I wanna tank

[Novalok]

Naxxramas Offtank? Uh, i have some doubt with regard to Faerlyna (offtanking the adds), Patchwerk (Hateful Strike) and the Four Horsemen (Meteor), but you can try.

Lol everyone knows on patchwerk, The OT, MTs the fight. Pshh :P

[Skaven]

Lol everyone knows on patchwerk, The OT, MTs the fight. Pshh :P

This leaves you, off tank with 20k unbuffed, to take on the normal attacks of Patchwerk (4,5k every 1.5 sec) till the soft enrage (where it will become 6k every sec). I admit you can try with good healers, but my point stands.

Other bosses are much more unforgiving.

Just to warn, nNext part of the guide is online.