Dk Tanking Need Advice

[Igneuss]

I have been silent for some time just doing my own research, asking a few questions here and there and gearing up.

But I can't take it any longer. I'm kind of sick of being out-tanked by Paladins, but I guess I can't help Blizzard's decisions.

So here I am... I have 2 tanking specs 1 frost, 1 blood. One I use for heroics and one I use for raids.

I'd like to know a good tanking rotation for both also if you guys don't mind; comment my gear and how I am gemmed: The World of Warcraft Armory

- Note I have recently changed my bracers for the swordbreakers. I also have a better ring, but I need the expertise for now so I don't have it equipped.

Thanks,

IG

[Tank]

Hi Igneuss, are you being out tanked in terms of survival or threat?

I have tanked 10/25 ToGC & ICC as MT and I think DK is perfectly fine except for Anub adds.

Other than having the right gear, enchant, gem, specs. DK is play style is slightly different from other tanks, it requires planning of cd and runes.

The best way to improve play style as a DK in my view is to practice arena. It is very hard to be a good DK as a clicker, so if you are a clicker you might want to change your playstyle.

Your gemming and enchant is ok, for rotation you can refer to Satorri http://www.tankspot.com/forums/f14/5...t-tanking.html

There are so many viable specs for DK so it is better to refer to the guide and find one that best suit you in terms of content and gear.

[Bovinity]

Yeah, unfortunately you'll have to be a little more descriptive on what you mean by "being out-tanked" before we can suggest too many things.

Your gear is currently at a level where you should be able to tank pretty much anything out there, that's about all I can say ATM.

[Jaeden]

Unless your weapon has 10 expertise(you have an argent lance equipped when I posted this), you need to gem for expertise, as you are 10 short of the cap. After that, it's minor things. I like armor to cloak for example.

Now your spec might also be an issue. Number crunchers on EJ have found that since Frost has been morphed into "the DW tree" 2H frost is not as viable. I never tanked 2H frost, so I cannot say how accurate this is.

You also take Lichborne and Hungering Cold. I can't think of anything you are missing immediately that would require you taking the points out, but these are not typically taken *shrug*.

[Igneuss]

Alright let me be more specific.... I just want to pull a constant 7k tps and never fall below a 5k tps threshhold. With my current rotation (especially frost) I will dip to 3k but back up to 8 which allows dps (especially a geared warrior or hunter) to pull aggro from me. Hence I was asking for rotation suggestions.

Edit: dwing as frost sucks because you would have to sacrifice about 6-8 thousand hp to have high enough expertise to hit constantly with your offhand (maintaining threat). It requires much more expertise and hit when dual wielding as a dk. I took lichborne and the other retarded cooldown for heroic dungeons. Most of the new icc 5 mans have bosses that fear and if you time them correctly it makes things much smoother. If all my other ae is down I can bust out hungering cold to just hold threat long enough for a rune or two to come back allowing for a quick howl or dnd for ae aggro.

As far as weapon goes I have a 251 quel.

[Wars]

Get more expertise, being 10 skill short is a bad thing.

You can't always stay above 5k tps. There are some times when you just will fall below that.


What are you hunters doing? No MD's? No tricks of the trade on cooldown? No hand of salvation on the warrior?

It's not your issue completely, it's a raid issue. Also, just as a point, during DW frost I am basically around 7-10k tps generall(got the 264 2.6 sword off of DBS this week) and I am now the highest tps generator in the guild minus our paladin and I even rival him some times.

[Igneuss]

I am currently 5 exp shy of what u have on your dk Wars. I may try dw tanking again if I get a good 1h wep such as yours. When I tank in blood (my main tank spec) I have 20-21 expertise and I also drink an elixir before boss fights (just a habbit). That's more or less why I was thinking it was my rotation - my friend Ordane (check him out on my server) just holds constant 7k threat as a paladin and I am trying to do the same on my dk.

Thanks again,

IG

[Tank]

Duel wield frost dk tank has the highest TPS.

Use slow/slow weapon. The easiest available weapon to start with is Black Icicle - Item - World of Warcraft x 2.

I can gen 8-10k TPS in DW frost for 25man raid.
30 expertise, 254 hit

I have 45.2k hp in Blood spec and 42.7k hp in Frost spec.

For aoe, paladin is still slightly better in threat but I think our threat will increase with the 2pc T10 bonus.

[Igneuss]

What kind of gear u rocking to have so much hp unbuffed?

[Jaeden]

Alright let me be more specific.... I just want to pull a constant 7k tps and never fall below a 5k tps threshhold. With my current rotation (especially frost) I will dip to 3k but back up to 8 which allows dps (especially a geared warrior or hunter) to pull aggro from me. Hence I was asking for rotation suggestions.

IT>PS>BS>BS>OB
OB>OB>OB

Add in Rime+KM procs or FS+KM if high on RP

Edit: dwing as frost sucks because you would have to sacrifice about 6-8 thousand hp to have high enough expertise to hit constantly with your offhand (maintaining threat).

Unless you have a weapon that is part of your expertise, it should be the same value on both hands and there is actually 3% required hit for DW frost, so 5% for specials instead of 8.

Most of the new icc 5 mans have bosses that fear and if you time them correctly it makes things much smoother.

AMS before the fear if there is worry. Many effects won't apply.

[Igneuss]

Jae so how much expertise would be needed to dw tank as frost? And if I were to stick to blood 2h tanking?

[Tank]

The World of Warcraft Armory

27 expertise slow/slow weapon should be about right but try your best to get 30 for dw frost tank.

2h blood is 26 expertise

[Wars]

You only really need 26 as frost DW.

The more you get will only decrease your parry rate, which in a previous thread we proved that DW frost was within 1% of every single other tank class/spec as far as parry rate.

Don't believe me? I will attempt to dig up the thread.

Can't find it, if Satorri is around later I'll ask him to dig it up. Was something about DW tanking demystified or something.

[Tank]

yup stick to Satorri guide, he has done the math.

the link is in 2nd thread