Author: Brimstone Titan
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4 Comments
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This is written because there are many people out there that play the tank, but they just plain suck at it. So Brim is here to tell you how you can tank without sucking, and better yet, how you can be good at it!
Ok, first of all, what DOESN'T make you a good tank:
1. Your damage resistance. So what if 300 bad guys can attack you all at once and you can sit there and laugh at them? You may be saying, "What the heck does he mean by this?" Just pay attention and follow me on this, ok?
2. Your defense. Yeah, so you may be a super slick ice tank that never gets slowed, or an invuln that dances like crazy and never gets hurt. I don't give a crap, and neither does your team. Keep paying attention.
3. Your "sick" damage. Yeah, you guys that have energy as your secondary, I'm really impressed... Or you fire tanks that burn everything down. That's just great. Blasters can usually do it way better. This DOESN'T make you a good tank.
4. Your ability to herd. This one pisses me off the most. I don't give a crap whether you call it herding or stacking; this does NOT make you a good tank! While this can be done well, I keep running into tanks that just herd because they must have really small... um, you know, and herding must make them feel big or something. HERDING doesn't make you a good tank.
5. Taunting. Yes, taunting is good, and I think taunt is an excellent power for a tank to have. It's not necessary for him to be a good tank, but it's not a bad thing - it's good. But this whole "run up to a group and stand far far away from it and taunt half the group to come after you while the other half decimates the squishies in one AoE they fire at you" thing just 'ain't happenin'.
6. Being a fraidy cat. Hello.... you're supposed to be the tough guy... act like it! You don't have to say, "Ok, everybody ready?" before each and every single group! I can understand if you can't kill the whole group by yourself, but you should be able to survive the whole group for a few seconds, heck a few minutes, and the team will follow you into the fray. It's actually better if you charge in ahead of time to build up some extra aggro.
Ok, now, I will explain the 1 and only thing that makes a tank a great tank, and I don't care what type of tank you are:
Drum roll please
The thing that makes you a good tank is your ability to PROTECT the other members of your team!!!
PERIOD.
END OF CONVERSATION.
NO IFS, ANDS, or BUTS about it!!!!!!
That means everyone that can attack should be attacking you at every given chance they can! You can be a granite tank, and if the whole team gets killed because you couldn't keep the baddies from attacking you - then you SUCK as a tank, I don't care if 300 bad guys attack you all at once and you just laugh at them!
I know bad things happen, but 9 times out of 10, you, as the tank, should protect the team! If there is a team wipe, it should be that you did everything you could to keep ANYONE else from dying and you wound up going down heroically.
It’s SO RIDICULOUS when some stupid invuln tank goes out and herds 5 groups together and while he's running by to get them in a corner somewhere 1 whole group splits off and takes out half the team!
Then the tank blames the people who just got wasted!
Then we have to stand around for 30 seconds until he's "built up enough aggro" then we are "allowed" to attack. So we start attacking and half of the 300 baddies fire back at the poor blaster and he goes down.
The tank then cusses and starts lecturing us on what we need to do.
When I tank, I make the game fun for everyone that is playing with me. I treat people with respect and don't lecture them (especially when we're talking about players that are high levelers), and most of all:
I PROTECT THE TEAM
That means when I see a single lone freak swiper split off, I taunt him, throw something at him, do WHATEVER I CAN to make sure he "picks on someone his own size" instead of the cute little blaster in a miniskirt who will get one-shotted if I don't!
That means IF I HERD - I make sure they all stay on me! Yes, herding is good, damage resistance is good, defense is good, taunting is good, the sick damage that a fire tank or whatever you can provide in that area is GOOD! But it is not what makes you a great tank.
It is the protection of others that makes you a great tank, and everyone will agree that a great tank is a hero to the heroes.
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