Eruadan Wrote:1. Multiple Mob Tanking...how do you accomplish this as a Warrior? How do you know which mob is the most dangerous and needs to be CC'd or killed first? Is there a Particular site that you know of that has guides for tanking each instance? Do you Tab target or just spam Thunderclap/Shockwave on cooldown with Cleaves thrown in? Is there a particular Mod that you use to accomplish this easier without sacrificing the current UI?
Okay, this is pretty much the most complex thing we do, and luckily blizzard made things a lot easier on us in this expansion. I will try to break it down.
Your primary tools will be thunderclap, shockwave, cleave, and shield slam. Expect to have to hold aggro through your allies AEing.
As far as target assignments, kill priority goes to anything that AE's first, anything that disables your ability to tank second, and everything else third. Healers depend on the severity of their healing, your groups damage output, and your available CC. In essence, your target priorities will change depending on your group composition, so you need to be aware of what your allies are capable of.
I use no mods for this and there are few tricks outside of a great deal of practice. Keep a particular eye on the current kill target and get a feel for how long you can hold it with a single shield slam. Beyond that, tab target, use your AE abilities, and build threat on every opponent you can. It is also best to keep the mobs away from the group so that if one of them breaks for the ranged/healers, it's easy to notice and buys you time to taunt it back.
Quote:2. Single Mob Tanking...Is there a particular "rotation" of abilities you use to ensure your threat remains the highest? If not, what abilities should I focus on using (aside from Shield Slam) once 5 sunders are up? Same about mods, is there one that would help me accomplish this easier without sacrificing the current UI?
No mods for this either other than Omen. Keep refreshing heroic strike whenever you can, sunder, shield slam and revenge primarily. Be sure to maintain your own shouts and, if it is a boss, keep thunderclap and demoralizing shout on it.
Quote:3. What about defensive abilities? Should I use Shield Block on cooldown or should I be saving it for the "Oh Sh!t" situations? Should I consider Shockwave/Concussive Blow as part of my Defensive abilities? Do you use Beserker Rage often? Or is that another shaiza button? Are ALL defensive abilities only for emergencies?
Defensive abilities are generally for emergencies and depend largely on the fight. You will find that you use them most often when you want to free up healing for the rest of the group. Always announce that you're using shield wall or last stand so the healers know they have a second to catch up where it's needed. Shield block should be considered a minor version of those abilities... I use it most often right after a boss AE's, as I expect healing to be light for a few seconds.
Shockwave should be used much like thunderclap, and isn't really defensive. It gives a lot of threat. Concussion blow I save for when taunt it on cooldown, so it can buy extra time to get aggro back. Consider it like a secondary melee range taunt. As for berserker rage, you will find you have so much rage that you rarely need to use it other than against fear-causing opponents. There are rare exceptions however, but you'll get a feel for them with a little experience against certain bosses.
Quote:4. Gear...I wont go too much into it because its pretty much self explanitory but...I have reached Defensive cap...now what? Most gear I see in Naxx actually has LESS defense on it than the blue I crafted? Will I be spending a fortune re-organizing gems/enchants whenever I find an "upgrade" to accomodate for sacrificing such an important stat? Should I not worry about dodge/parry/block/hit/expertise on items and just focus on Defense and Stamina and take what else is there as an added bonus?
Basically, that last sentence is correct. Focus on defense and stamina, and you'll find that purple tanking gear fills in the rest of the gaps on its own. Dodge tends to be more valuable than parry simply because of how the rating system works. Block rating is tertiary since bosses don't do crushing blows any more. When it comes to enchants and gems, the bottom line is to keep yourself at the defense cap while building as much stamina as you can.