Am I doing it right?

[Hojimachong]

So I haven't played much since BC, and I understand there have been some large-ish changes to tanking mechanics. I think I understand most of them, but just want to make sure I'm not making any critical mistakes. Specifically,

• Can I begin 25-mans, and if so, which ones?
• What gear should I focus on updating first?
• Specifically, where can I get nice bracers?
• What do I socket for?

The World of Warcraft Armory <-- mah profile, Hojimachong of Bladefist US

P.S. I know my def is only at 538, but the 33 resil on bracers caps me. I'm getting Titanweave tomorrow, and that will push me past 540, so please disregard this mortal sin.

P.P.S. It seems like all my blues have more defense than the epics that are dropping in 10-mans. Is there a general "rule" to use when trying to decide when to drop defense for raw avoidance and/or stam?

Thanks Tanks!

[law90026]

Can I begin 25-mans, and if so, which ones?

Yeah probably. Your gear looks ok though maybe MT'ing the whole of Naxx might be a little taxing. You can definitely MT VoA and MT most of Naxx I think but it'll depend on your healers.

What gear should I focus on updating first?

1) Get the Armored Plated Shotgun. It's THE best tanking ranged right now and it's crafted by engineers. There's absolutely no reason for you not to have one.

2) Also, I'm not a fan of your bracers. Yeah I know RNG sucks but try to get the epic bracers from Heroic AK or the trash drop bracers from 10-man Naxx.

3) The gloves and chest can be replaced by T7 once you run enough heroics (or 10-man Naxx), something you should look to do.

4) Your belt can also be replaced either by the badge epic or by running Heroic AN for the epic belt off the last boss.

5) You can see if you can get a Signet of the Accord off the AH, it's a BoE drop off 10-man Sarth. Alternatively, try and get the epic ring off the last boss of Heroic DTK.

As you can see, running Heroic AK, AN and DTK everyday (if you have time) will eventually lead to you getting your T7 badge gear. But get the gun ASAP.

Specifically, where can I get nice bracers?

See above.

What do I socket for?

It really depends on your existing stats and your healers. If your healers are complaining they can't keep you up, then sta and avoidance stats are always good. If that's not an issue, then +exp/sta and +hit/sta gems are good for building threat.

P.P.S. It seems like all my blues have more defense than the epics that are dropping in 10-mans. Is there a general "rule" to use when trying to decide when to drop defense for raw avoidance and/or stam?

It's a problem you will face as you start to upgrade from the blue gear to epic gear. When I first started getting Naxx drops, I had to constantly regem for +def to make up for the +def loss. My target was always to make sure I was at 540.

One very useful item to pick up is Repelling Charge in Naxx 10. It packs a lot of +def to it can be used to make up for the shortfall in defence. Don't be afraid to enchant for +def as well (my cloak and chest still have it).