[Coaltrain]

After returning from a short (1.5 month) hiatus from the game, I'm ready to start raiding full-time again. When I left, I was 3rd on my server (overall and among Prot Warriors, still a popular class!). My gear was great, my glyphs were right, and my enchants/gems were spot on. After trying to tank ToGC 25 the other night, I've decided that I'm getting hit too hard. There were a couple of times it seemed I died in an unhealable manner. My question is this: should I shoot for expertise hard cap?

In burning crusade, expertise was what I considered to be my 'end-game' stat. In other words, the one that I would LOVE to cap if I had the rest of the gear to do so. It was also a boon to surviveability back then, due to parry haste. Now not so much. Is it essentially a threat stat now? Should I be gemming for straight Stamina again with all the expertise on gear from ToC and ToGC?
Otherwise, I don't know how I can possibly hope to be a 'healable' tank.

Also, any guidelines on individual stat minimums for tanking ToGC would be greatly appreciated. I'll also include a link to my armory for all to see. This is my first effort to become viable again, so don't be too hard on my glyphs/enchants...the gemming/'statting' is what I'm really concerned about.

The World of Warcraft Armory

Thanks for any help!

[Karilyn]

ToGC, hard hitting bosses don't have parry haste. Also most of the mob's attacks ignore avoidance.

Gear more stamina is the singular solution. And when I say gear more, I mean NO SOCKET BONUSES, and start replacing defense enchants with "inferior" stamina enchants, as long as you are staying uncrittible. You should basically have 1 purple gem, and everything else Solids. Stamina on Hands, Stamina on Shield, Blood Draining on Weapon, Stamina on Shoulders, Stats on Chest, Armor on cloak. Anything you can sacrifice without becoming crittable.

EDIT: Looked at your Armory, your Stamina is impossibly low for ToGC. 32k HP? Wow. Also two of your items have no gems or enchants.

[WarTotem]

Source: Karilyn ToGC, hard hitting bosses don't have parry haste. Also most of the mob's attacks ignore avoidance. Gear more stamina is the singular solution. And when I say gear more, I mean NO SOCKET BONUSES, and start replacing defense enchants with "inferior" stamina enchants, as long as you are staying uncrittible. You should basically have 1 purple gem, and everything else Solids. Stamina on Hands, Stamina on Shield, Blood Draining on Weapon, Stamina on Shoulders, Stats on Chest, Armor on cloak. Anything you can sacrifice without becoming crittable. EDIT: Looked at your Armory, your Stamina is impossibly low for ToGC. 32k HP? Wow. Also two of your items have no gems or enchants.

QFT

At your level you can also drop Expertise without worries (unless I just caught you in a special hardcap Exertise set), so gem more Stamina is the only advice you'll get here. Most of ToGC tank-killers are unavoidable and/or not mitigated, and your gear should have enough avoidance already.

[Coaltrain]

Thanks for the input folks. Nice to hear I was still on the right track, much appreciated.

[Muffin Man]

Source: Karilyn ToGC, hard hitting bosses don't have parry haste. Also most of the mob's attacks ignore avoidance.

Granted there aren't a lot of bosses in ToGC, but so far only Gormok and Jaraxxus have parry haste off (Maintankadin • View topic - Comprehensive List of Bosses With Parry Haste Enabled).

I'd consider Icehowl hard hitting and the worms even before the enrage (although mostly from the breath + dot + melee). I can't find anything one way or the other on Anub or Twins though.

As a rule of thumb, parry haste is on unless the blues say so. I was surprised when they turned off parry hasting for Ignis, that's how rare turning it off seems to be. But I guess as an into-boss to Ulduar they didn't want him to be too nasty. Vezax however... game on.

[Aggathon]

Source: Muffin Man Granted there aren't a lot of bosses in ToGC, but so far only Gormok and Jaraxxus have parry haste off (Maintankadin • View topic - Comprehensive List of Bosses With Parry Haste Enabled). I'd consider Icehowl hard hitting and the worms even before the enrage (although mostly from the breath + dot + melee). I can't find anything one way or the other on Anub or Twins though. As a rule of thumb, parry haste is on unless the blues say so. I was surprised when they turned off parry hasting for Ignis, that's how rare turning it off seems to be. But I guess as an into-boss to Ulduar they didn't want him to be too nasty. Vezax however... game on.

While quite true... still gem stam, what the other guys said!