Anticipation

[Juh]

Hello Tankspot!

With my first post here, I would like to pose a question to the theorycrafters and generally knowledgeable people here at Tankspot.

I have heard a rumor that Anticipation, the Tier 1 protection talent, provides somewhat more of a benefit than a mere 20 defense. When this talent is taken, it adds 20 defense to a warrior's base defense, unlike gear, which adds it with a green +def modifier on the character sheet. Now, the rumor goes that Anticipation actually increases the warrior's effective level when facing mobs by 5, making him uncrushable mobs lower than 75, rather than the usual 70.

Can anyone comment on this, verify or refute it? As I think about it now, I think it would not have this benefit against "skull" mobs like bosses, because they'll still be calculated as +3 levels above the warrior.

[Armstrong]

I'm not aware of Anticipation having any effect that differenciates it from obtaining 20 defense skill from gear.

I think it's safe to say that the majority of warriors who spec for raid tanking will put points in Anticipation, at least for the first half of the BC raid content to remain crit-immune. Many of those warriors should also be able to show you screenshots of incoming crushing blows from raid bosses.


For what it's worth, these are screenshots I took when I first noticed that Hellfire Warders (http://www.wowhead.com/?search=Hellfire+Warder) in Magtheridon's Lair could land crushing blows. They are clearly an exception from the "accepted theory" that only mobs 3 levels above you can land crushings, so feel free to consider this as insufficient "proof". ;)

Some combat logs, along with my total Defense skill at the time:
http://ironfistclan.home.comcast.net/elysium/images/crushing72/crushing1.jpg
http://ironfistclan.home.comcast.net/elysium/images/crushing72/crushing2.jpg

CombatMonitorPL showing a roughly 15% chance, as normal. I was refraining from using Shield Block on those pulls in order not to alter the number of crushing blows:
http://ironfistclan.home.comcast.net/elysium/images/crushing72/combatmonitor.jpg

My Skills panel, showing 370 base Defense from 5/5 Anticipation.
http://ironfistclan.home.comcast.net/elysium/images/crushing72/maxdefense.jpg

[Atlantian]

defense also has nothing to do with crushes in addition to armstrong's demonstration of crushes and anticipation

[Crimsonstorm]

Crushes are based on the mob's attack skill vs your BASE defense skill before talents or items. Which is 350 for someone who has maxed it.

Basically, almost everyone will get crushed 15% of the time against a mob 3 levels above them, without shield block up or whatever.

But if some non-melee class has avoided being hit the whole time or whatever, and their base defense skill is under 350, they'll get extra crushes.

[Juh]

Thanks for the replies! I'll post more thoughts tomorrow when I'm coherent.