Overview of Tanking and All Tank Specs

By Munkky Updated: 2021/03/05

Does your party need a tank for dungeons? Do you like having control over the pace of a 5 man? Looking to try out a new role, one that revolves around group utility and subjective decisions? Want faster queues? Then it might be time to give tanking a try! With these quick tips, you'll be the master of dungeons in no time.Introduction to TankingPicking up EnemiesSome examples of Aggroing Enemies

A protection warrior uses Intercept to charge into a group and hits Thunder Clap.

A brewmaster monk uses Keg Smash from range and Breath of Fire when the enemies get close.

A blood death knight drops Death and Decay on a group and follows up with Blood Boil.

Active MitigationSome examples of Active Mitigation

A vengeance demon hunter uses Demon Spikes at the beginning of a trash pull to smooth incoming damage.

A guardian druid builds up rage to use Ironfur before a boss finishes a deadly cast.

A protection paladin saves Word of Glory so that when their health drops low so they can quickly heal.

Controlling Enemies

Losing threat: If an enemy is out of your range and gets attacked by someone else, it’s likely that enemy will forget all about you. When this happens, taunt that enemy back to you and hit it with your strongest abilities.

Ranged Enemies: If an enemy that can attack from afar won’t come to you, you can either interrupt it, line-of-sight it, or, if neither of those work, throw your own ranged attacks on it to at least keep it from aggroing your party.

Large Groups: If there’s more than three or four enemies in a pull, you should consider crowd control. You might have to ask your party to help you out, or you could just depend on your own abilities. Some tanks have crowd control that can be used before the pull, like a demon hunter’s Sigil of Misery, and some tanks have abilities that can be used in the middle of combat, like a monk’s Leg Sweep. If no crowd control is available, use a strong defensive cooldown at the beginning of the pull.

Common Dungeon Mechanics

Check the Dungeon Journal! There's always a quick summary of each fight in the Dungeon Journal that will tell you the important things to watch out for.

Cleave: Some enemies can hit all targets in front of them. This is usually telegraphed by a pie-shaped ground effect or a slicing spell effect. To combat this, keep enemies facing away from your party.

Active Mitigation check: Some bosses have a special ability that is greatly reduced by using damage reduction before the ability lands. This mechanic is often telegraphed by a cast bar that can’t be interrupted. React to this by using your abilities that grant damage reduction.

Add pickup: Sometimes a group of trash or a boss will summon more enemies. Ensure your strong AoE abilities are available for these moments.

Ground effects: Most of the time, if there’s something on the ground, you should not step in it. Try to tank enemies outside of these effects so that both you and your party can attack them in relative safety.

Projections: Similar to ground effects, some enemies will cast a spell that marks the area of effect with a circle or pie-slice. Run out of the area before their cast finishes to avoid deadly damage.

Enrage: Some bosses hit progressively harder the longer the fight goes. Ensure your strongest defensive cooldowns, like Shield Wall or Fortifying Brew, are available for these moments.

Interrupts: Many enemies will try to hit you or your party with a casted spell. If a cast bar doesn’t have a shield on it, it can and probably should be interrupted.

Tank ClassesBlood Death Knight

Fantasy: Blood Death Knights wield the powers of the San'layn, using their abilities to control their blood and harness the life force of their enemies to sustain themselves.

Resources: Blood DKs use Runes and Runic Power as a resource. Using abilities such as Heart Strike to generate Runic Power, which is spent on Blood's main mitigation ability, Death Strike.

Damage Reduction The Blood Death Knight signature spells are Death Strike and Marrowrend, which applies Bone Shield. Using these spells and Mastery: Blood Shield allows them to mitigate damage and heal back the damage they have taken, making them more self-sufficient tanks.

Defensive Abilities: Blood Death Knights have several defensive cooldowns with tailored uses. Vampiric Blood is your main defensive cooldown. This increases your health as well as your healing received from all sources. You also have a unique defensive in Dancing Rune Weapon, which increases your parry chance and summons a rune weapon that duplicates your spells. Icebound Fortitude is your strongest defensive cooldown overall, and is often your last line of defense. Anti-Magic Shell is a strong cooldown against magical damage, and more significantly prevents the application of debuffs applied while it is active.

Unique Mount: DKs gain 3 unique mounts to their class. Acherus Deathcharger, Winged Steed of the Ebon Blade, and Decaying Reins of the Vilebrood Vanquisher.

Armor: Plate

Vengeance Demon Hunter

Fantasy: A demonic elf who uses the magic of the Legion against them. A vengeance demon hunter is an aggressive, fast-paced tank that rips souls from the enemy to use for their own benefit.

Resources: Pain, generated via attacks. Soul Fragments, which are minor healing orbs that spawn far from the demon hunter and are consumed by various abilities.

Damage Reduction: Demon Spikes, which increases your armor and increases your chance to avoid attacks.

Healing: Soul Cleave and Spirit Bomb, pain spenders that cleave enemies and heal you, as well as Soul Fragments.

Basic Rotation: Sigil of Flame to pick up adds. Fill empty spots in your rotation with Shear (When not taking Fracture). Using souls on Spirit Bomb for damage and healing.

Mobility: Infernal Strike, which is a ground targeted leap on a short cooldown.

Defensive Cooldowns: Fiery Brand, a strong single target defensive ability on a short cooldown. Metamorphosis, an offensive and defensive ability that increases health and Pain generation.

Armor: Agility leather

Guardian Druid

Fantasy: A ferocious bear that wields the brutality of nature and claws to survive large amounts of damage. Very little can get through a guardian druid’s thick hide, and whatever does can be healed with nature magic.

Resources: Rage, generated via attacks (both auto-attacks and special attacks), used for active mitigation.

Damage Reduction: Ironfur, which increases armor to reduce most physical damage.

Healing: Frenzied Regeneration, heals you for a percentage of your maximum health.

Basic Rotation: Moonfire to pick up a single target. Thrash to pick up adds, use on cooldown. Mangle on cooldown. Fill empty spots in your rotation with Swipe.

Mobility: Skull Bash, a short-range charge and interrupt. Stampeding Roar, a group-wide sprint.

Defensive Cooldowns: Survival Instincts, a strong damage reduction on a moderate cooldown. Barkskin, a small damage reduction on a short cooldown.

Armor: Agility leather

Strengths: Strong physical damage reduction and healing capabilities. Can fill multiple roles, like healing and damage dealing, in a pinch.

Learn more in our guardian druid guide!

Brewmaster Monk

Fantasy: A master of martial arts who excels in smoothing damage. A brewmaster is always prepared, using the resources they have on hand to decide how to survive.

Resources: Energy, which is spent to generate Brews, a resource shared between their damage reduction abilities. Ox Orbs, which are a unique healing resource.

Damage Reduction: Ironskin Brew and Purifying Brew to smooth damage intake and to reduce damage taken.

Healing: Gift of the Ox drops healing spheres around the monk, providing a strong heal when walked over. They can also use Expel Harm to draw the Gift of the Ox orbs to them without walking over them.

Basic Rotation: Keg Smash on cooldown and to pick up adds, and spend extra energy on Tiger Palm. Both of these will generate brew resources for active mitigation. You can also use Breath of Fire to pick up adds, and fill empty places in your rotation with Blackout Kick.

Mobility: Roll, which provides a flexible and frequently usable quick burst of movement. Transcendence, which is a teleport that requires planning ahead for quick long-distance movement.

Defensive Cooldowns: Fortifying Brew, a particularly strong defensive ability on a long base cooldown, but can be greatly shortened through active play. Zen Meditation, a great tool to deal with damage on a long cooldown, but harder to time against instant abilities. Other options are available through talents.

Armor: Agility leather

Protection Paladin

Fantasy: A classic holy warrior who combines light magic and a shield to defend themselves and allies. A protection paladin excels at timing their defenses precisely, weaving in intricate rotation of spells to protect themselves and allies.

Resources: Protection paladin resources are unique in that while they have mana, it isn’t important for their primary spells. Instead, most of their abilities are cooldown limited, like Shield of the Righteous, and some of those cooldowns are reduced by other abilities, like Judgment.

Damage Reduction: Shield of the Righteous, which is a short-lasting but powerful damage reduction tool.

Healing: Word of Glory, which is a heal on a moderate cooldown that recovers more health the lower your current health is.

Basic Rotation: Consecration to pick up adds, repeat on cooldown. Judgment on cooldown. Fill empty spots in your rotation with Hammer of the Righteous and Avenger's Shield.

Mobility: Divine Steed, a very fast sprint on a moderate cooldown (where you ride a horse).

Defensive Cooldowns: Guardian of Ancient Kings, a powerful damage reduction ability. Ardent Defender, a moderate damage reduction cooldown combined with a life-saving element. Lay on Hands, a very strong healing ability with an exceptionally long cooldown.

Armor: Strength plate

Class Mounts: Paladins have special mounts--Argent Charger from the Argent Tournament, and two mounts for each race (Summon Exarch's Elekk and Summon Great Exarch's Elekk for Draenei, Summon Sunwalker Kodo and Summon Great Sunwalker Kodo for Tauren, Summon Thalassian Warhorse and Summon Thalassian Charger for Blood Elves, and Summon Warhorse and Summon Charger for Blood Elves and Humans).

Flavor: Divine Tome: Contemplation teaches Contemplation. Sold by Quartermaster Miranda Breechlock in Light's Hope. Horde paladins can also get Blood Knight Tabard from Weapons of Darkness.

Protection Warrior

Fantasy: A traditional plate-wearing knight who uses their sword and shield to block damage and control their enemies. A Prot warrior is a master of the shield, using it to prevent and inflict large amounts of damage.

Resources: Rage, generated via attacks and taking damage, used for active mitigation.

Damage Reduction: Shield Block, which reduces damage taken from autoattacks. Ignore Pain, which absorbs damage.

Healing: Very little baseline healing, limited to Victory Rush, which is a large heal only usable soon after killing a target.

Basic Rotation: Shield Slam to pick up a single target, continue to use on cooldown. Thunder Clap on cooldown. Revenge to spend excess Rage. Fill empty spots in your rotation with Devastate. Some of these attacks can directly grant Rage, and all of them can reset the cooldown on Shield Slam.

Mobility: Intercept, your standard charge to an enemy or friend. Heroic Leap, a ground-targeted leap on a longer cooldown.

Defensive Cooldowns: Shield Wall, your the ultimate damage reduction tool. Last Stand to increase your health. Demoralizing Shout, an AoE defense on a moderate cooldown.

Armor: Strength Plate

Flavor Effects: Glyph of the Blazing Trail to burst into flames, Glyph of Thunder Strike to make your Thunder Clap call down lightning from the heavens, and Glyph of Gushing Wound to look bloody.

About the AuthorSunnier's Art of WarTankCast

Website: Sunnier's Art of War

Podcast: TankCast

Twitter: @SunnierBrew

Tags: PvE

Comments

Comment by RanLive

On my DK, I've been able to tank heroics all to easy (I heard they were going to be hard? lol) I haven't tried lfr (maybe I should) but blood DKs seem really easy and I love to play one.

Comment by Kelborn

With regards to Protection Warriors "Holding Aggro", you've got it wrong on one point, and a bit misleading on another. While Revenge and Shield Slam are key abilities, it's Devastate and Revenge that will hold your Single Target threat and Thunder Clap (Deep Wounds) for any sustained AoE.

Revenge is good burst damage and threat, but what's really going to hold mobs on you in AoE is the Deep Wounds bleed applied by Thunder Clap, which should be used on all multi-target encounters - not just "large groups". Basically, don't just use Revenge on small groups, which is what you're seeming to say. In addition, Heroic Strike with Glyph of Cleave should be woven in as well whenever you have extra Rage to dump (if you have it Glyphed, of course).

Shield Slam actually does pitiful damage. It's Devastate combined with Revenge and Heroic Strike, plus the Deep Wounds bleed that it applies, that do your ST damage and threat. Not to mention Execute if Sudden Death is talented. Shield Slam is NOT for damage/threat; it's for generating Rage to use with other abilities.

I know this isn't a full guide and just intended as a "primer" for new and returning tanks, but you might as well have the info be accurate if you're going to tell people ability usage and priority.

So, here's a "Fix'd" version of your Holding Aggro section:

Use Shield Slam and Revenge on cooldown to generate Rage, and whenever their cooldown gets reset. Use Devastate and Execute, when available, along with Heroic Strike between those cooldowns on Single Target. For AoE, use Thunder Clap on cooldown to keep the Deep Wounds Bleed on all targets, and Heroic Strike if Glyph of Cleave is taken.

You could probably make that a bit more consicse, but it's far more accurate than what the guide currently has.

For some odd reason the Markup Tag doesn't work for Heroic Strike, Devastate, Execute, Deeps Wounds, and Glyph of Cleave... but works for Shield Slam, Revenge, and Thunder Clap? Weird.

Comment by Alonon

New blood dk is such a disappointment. I guess they couldn't be on top forever.

Comment by honorshammer

"A protection paladin saves Light of the Protector so that when their health drops low so they can quickly heal."

A Tankadin wants to use LotP on cooldown. Over typical 5 minute boss fight, you can get a potential of 20 LotP casts (more if you talent Righteous Protector). I know the temptation is to save it for when you are low because it heals for a percentage of lost health, but we still have Lay On Hands for that big emergency heal.

In addition, once you get your Artifact, the major trait Light of the Titans adds a small HoT to the LotP which you will want to keep rolling by frequent casts.

"Excellent group utility, like blessings,"

Protection and Holy Paladins no longer have access to group buff Blessings, but do have situational Blessings (Freedom, Spellwarding, Protection).

Consecration is an important element to your Active mitgation as your ShotR is 20% stronger when you are standing in your Consecration.

Comment by Outzyder

Great read. Also been following your blog for a while now.
Only thing I am missing is "Tank positioning" in relation to everyone else.
Turning mobs/bosses away from the rest of the group seems to have gotten lost more and more since they "removed" hitrating and expertise.
Also taunting a boss and then positioning yourself (or not), has found his way into even some of the Mythic raids I have been in.
The whole "Stack on top of your co-tank & then taunt off" seems to slowly disappear.
Which has caused personal annoyances I have to admit. Specially on Tyrant Velhari, with the contantly moving of the boss and the add everytime there was a taunt swap. When all they need to do is stand on top of eachother and do the swap.
Anyways, enough ranting.
Looking forward to reading more on your blog!

Comment by Bogdanov89

Nice guide, good and fast read.
Minor suggestions: if you can write the advantages (and weaknesses) of each tank spec, even just a few words is great.
And under prot paladin healing there seems to be a broken wowhead link leading to some healing themed spell.

Overview of Tanking and All Tank Specs

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