Warrior tanking simplification (helpful macros)

[boazjuggalo]

I want to start this off by saying that I have been using this method since release of wrath. I'm sure I got the basic idea from a guide somewhere but have heavily modified to my liking. That being said, lets do this...

I'm not going to bother wasting time on telling you how to gear. If your having problems there then you have dozens of articles here already telling you. I'm simply going to tell how to simplify it. I'm currently in a casual guild and tank ToC 10 and ToC 25 regulars with this, so it is a viable choice for raiding as well as heroics or leveling.

Glyphs:
For this method it is not required, but I highly suggest Glyph of Cleaving, threat on 3 targets as opposed to 2 is great. Glyph of Revenge is not needed in my opinion. I've never had threat problems.

Talents:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft
is the spec I've had for months. I've been considering dropping Concussion Shot and Vigilance for 2 points in Armored to the Teeth or Improved Spell Reflection but never got around to testing it. 3% dmg reduction from vigilance is awesome for my OT, but not really needed with the simplicity of Wrath raiding. With my gear this puts me at roughly... (all unbuffed, no self buffs either)
33.3k Health
49% dodge/parry
25% block, blocking 1147 (unmodified by glyph or crit block)
61% armor
7% hit
25 expertise
2288 ap

Macros:
Shield Block - No hassle revenge with trinket activation and Bloodrage.
#showtooltip Shield Slam
/castrandom Revenge, Shield Slam
/use 13
/use 14
/cast Bloodrage
Devastate - Threat macro.
/castsequence reset=combat/target Cleave, Devastate

Thunder Clap - Shield Block in rotation without wasting toolbar space.
#showtooltip Thunder Clap
/cast Shield Block
/cast Thunder Clap

Charge - Charge, if cooldown then Intercept. If enemy has friendly targeted Intervene.
#showtooltip Charge
/castsequence reset=15 Charge, Intercept
/cast [help] Intervene; [target=targettarget, help] Intervene;

Last Stand - Let your healers know whats up.
#showtooltip Last Stand
/cast Last Stand
/yell Last Stand Activated! I'll lose 12.6k health in 20sec. Be ready healers!

Toolbars:
I use a self modified version of CaithUI (wowinterface.com) which you can see here...


I limit myself to 18 toolbar slots but it's all thats needed. I suggest Shield Slam macro on 1, Threat macro on 2, Thunderclap macro on 3, Shockwave on 4, and everything else where it's comfortable. My preference is Taunt on ctrl+1, Last Stand macro on ctrl+2, Shield Wall on ctrl+3, and Charge macro on ctrl+4 just to make things faster if something goes wrong.

Now what do I do?:
1.) Before every pull Bloodrage > Commanding Shout, you dont' want it to run out too early.
2.) Pull with Heroic Throw followed by an immediate Charge. (caster if there is one, if not go to center of group)
3.) Thunderclap macro asap. This gets your initial aoe agro as well as giving you Shield Block to smooth the healers into the pull.
4.) Take a few steps back to ensure all the mobs are in front of you and Shockwave.
5.) At this point, spam buttons 1 and 2 (Revenge and Threat macros), watch your cooldowns and Thunderclap and Shockwave every chance you get as well. This will keep Sunder up on your target, keep aoe threat with cleave, Shockwave, and Thunderclap, and it will keep your revenge firing off every cooldown along with Shield Slam.

Criticize if you like. But in all truth, wow has become a very dumbed down game and this method works great. Try it if you don't believe it. I'm hoping Cataclysm's talent rebuild will make things interesting again. But until then there's no point in over thinking, so be lazy.

[An7hrax]

So bad macros, i can see why you are a bad tank...

Shied Block is there to help, not to be wasted. It can save a tank or kill a tank.. Shield block stat is a pretty bad stat but the shield block rating you get with it can save you on hard fights.

With recent changes to devastate people should get the glyph for it for early on threat.

Rather Charge->Heroic Throw as it can be done and the boss usually starts of in a good place.

The current Prot Warrior Priority is: Shield Slam > Devastate > Shockwave > Concussion Blow > Revenge

But if you have spec in revenge it's still a solid skill and kinda goes before Devastate in longer fights but you should start with Devastate to build it up to 5 stacks as it does more damage per sunder stack. But if you have 2x t8 and t9 Devastate is far superior to revenge. But It's all about the damage in the long end but you still need to have good start TPS to be able to hold agro from good players.

And if people should use any macro it should be:
If you have glyph of revenge
#showtooltip
/cast Revenge
/cast !Heroic Strike

# show Intervene
/cast [nostance:2] Defensive Stance; [help] Intervene; [target=targettarget, help] Intervene

#showtooltip
/startattack
/cast Devastate

dont spam this one or it wont work. and intercept works in all stance with the right spec
#showtooltip
/castsequence reset=15 Charge, Intercept






I probably forgot a lot but I'm currently Tanking 2nd boss in TOTGC25

[silent_asailant]

yea i wouldn't want to use that shield block macro either, only time you should really spam it is in trash fights, you should be using it strategically in boss fights.

[Pari4h]

The current Prot Warrior Priority is: Shield Slam > Devastate > Shockwave > Concussion Blow > Revenge

Please stop posting.

[DisturbingEffect]

Pretty nice, good work. (:

[boazjuggalo]

So Anthrax, you read or just troll? Your right, the method i use is not what tanks are meant to do. But as I said, WoW has become such a dumbed down, overly simplified game over this expansion that there is no reason to. I mt ToC10/25 on a weekly basis and never heard a complaint and have never had problems, got a guild behind me saying the same thing.

What my title says is "Warrior tanking simplification" which is all thats needed. If you want to stare at tool bars and watch cooldowns then good for you, have at it. I'll just do a very easy method and have the same success that you do.

Our normal 25man ToC has an 8.2k rogue with a couple lessers, 3 hunters that hit 7.4 on a regular basis, 6.5 and up pallies... so i'm competing for threat, but never lose agro. My method works, regardless if it "should" or not.

[An7hrax]

Please stop posting.

TPS revisited | Tank like a girl
Devistate is all better now Tanking for Dummies
DPS > TPS. Why nothing and something has changed. - Warriors - TankingTips.com

please learn to read up

[An7hrax]

So Anthrax, you read or just troll? Your right, the method i use is not what tanks are meant to do. But as I said, WoW has become such a dumbed down, overly simplified game over this expansion that there is no reason to. I mt ToC10/25 on a weekly basis and never heard a complaint and have never had problems, got a guild behind me saying the same thing.

What my title says is "Warrior tanking simplification" which is all thats needed. If you want to stare at tool bars and watch cooldowns then good for you, have at it. I'll just do a very easy method and have the same success that you do.

Our normal 25man ToC has an 8.2k rogue with a couple lessers, 3 hunters that hit 7.4 on a regular basis, 6.5 and up pallies... so i'm competing for threat, but never lose agro. My method works, regardless if it "should" or not.

Stare at bars? you must be kidding me, i don't even need to look on my bars. What i mean is that you should save CDs for when they are needed and not waste them just because you can.

[boazjuggalo]

Stare at bars? you must be kidding me, i don't even need to look on my bars. What i mean is that you should save CDs for when they are needed and not waste them just because you can.

My point is that I'd rather give my healer(s) a smooth ease into a pull than save it for that situation that will never come. I admit I have no tanked ToGC and I don't plan to. I'm casual, and don't care to farm heroic raids.

But look at ToC/Ulduar/Naxx... what would I be waiting to use it for? Only thing that crosses my mind is patchwerk... Every other boss that has something that I would need to watch for is either non-mitable or spell damage. I admit it is used in alot of situations where it's not needed, but it also prevents alot more damage and heals than it would have sitting on my bar waiting.

Quick run down of ToC to me...
Gormok = staggering stomp and impale, block dont' help
Worms = fire/nature damage, block don't help
Icehowl = Frost, if he enrages shield isn't going to help
Lord Jaraxxas = only spike damage is fel fireball
Champions = save it for what?
Twins = spell dmg again
AN = frost damage big hits, nature aoe. any melee is better than saving it.

[boazjuggalo]

btw macro you mentioned...
/cast Shield Slam
/cast !Heroic Strike

whats up with the ! , always seen it, never heard it mentioned.

[DisturbingEffect]

btw macro you mentioned...
/cast Shield Slam
/cast !Heroic Strike

whats up with the ! , always seen it, never heard it mentioned.

Indeed, whats the "!" For? :P

[An7hrax]

You can spam the button and the heroic strike wont be toggled, so it will only be toggled it on but not off.

boazjuggalo i wont waste any more of your time, you do what you want to

[desimous]

The aforementioned "!" makes the macro cast that move if it is available, IIRC.

[Pietje]

But as I said, WoW has become such a dumbed down, overly simplified game over this expansion that there is no reason to.

Our normal 25man ToC has an 8.2k rogue with a couple lessers, 3 hunters that hit 7.4 on a regular basis, 6.5 and up pallies...

1: Yes there is, to keep it fun. I don't macro or sequence anything, I use it on the go, use what is appropriate at the time. I would bore myself to death with your method.

2: Both rogues and hunters can, and should be, giving you misdirects, so yeah.

[boazjuggalo]

Meh, simple may be boring. But thats the title of the post.