Questions on gemming for a Death Knight tank.

[Paperclip]

Our Holy Paladin for our hardmode group told me that I'm being hit way too hard on Rotface. I was told I shouldn't gem for stamina but avoidance.

To meet my socket bonuses I used the following:
10 Parry Rating + 15 Stamina
10 Defense Rating + 15 Stamina

Should I have switched to these gems? Or should I have gemmed for pure stamina except for my meta gems?

I'm confused whether it's just him or myself here. He also plays a Death Knight and tanks for our other hardmode group. He gems for avoidance.

WOWArmory: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-s...s&cn=Paperclip

[MellvarTank]

Generally, lookups belong in the Halp! Section.

Otherwise: Why is a paladin telling you how to gem a DK? Are you tanking Rotface or the add?

Gemming avoidance won't help you with getting hit hard, if anything it will make it so when you do get hit... it is far more noticeable.

[Paperclip]

Generally, lookups belong in the Halp! Section.

Otherwise: Why is a paladin telling you how to gem a DK? Are you tanking Rotface or the add?

Gemming avoidance won't help you with getting hit hard, if anything it will make it so when you do get hit... it is far more noticeable.

"I'm confused whether it's just him or myself here. He also plays a Death Knight and tanks for our other hardmode group. He gems for avoidance."

I'm tanking the boss, sorry I forgot to mention that.

[Edgewalker]

Your friend is pretty much bad. You never gem parry on a death knight, ever. There also aren't a whole lot of reasons to gem defense.
The best and most solid way to gem is straight stamina.

You aren't using a bonus armor chestpiece or legs (Cataclysmic Chestguard and Pillars of Might would help, and nullify the lost expertise, though you would lose hit). You also aren't using a bonus armor ring or wristguard or trinket... that would also add an additional 3K or so armor. If you made those changes you should see a difference in how hard you are getting hit.

THAT being said, I use only 2 armor pieces and have tanked everything in the game on hard mode. There is nothing that hits hard enough that proper cooldown management and healing can't overcome. Rotface is an especially easy boss that a lot of tanks switch to multiple pieces of DPS gear for. It's your friend, not you.

Edit - I would love to see his Death Knight also.

[Paperclip]

Your friend is pretty much bad. You never gem parry on a death knight, ever. There also aren't a whole lot of reasons to gem defense.
The best and most solid way to gem is straight stamina.

You aren't using a bonus armor chestpiece or legs (Cataclysmic Chestguard and Pillars of Might would help, and nullify the lost expertise, though you would lose hit). You also aren't using a bonus armor ring or wristguard or trinket... that would also add an additional 3K or so armor. If you made those changes you should see a difference in how hard you are getting hit.

THAT being said, I use only 2 armor pieces and have tanked everything in the game on hard mode. There is nothing that hits hard enough that proper cooldown management and healing can't overcome. Rotface is an especially easy boss that a lot of tanks switch to multiple pieces of DPS gear for. It's your friend, not you.

Edit - I would love to see his Death Knight also.

I have the chest piece in my bag but I was low on hit so I decided to use my current chest until I can get a piece to makeup for the hit I'd lose if I switched back.

I'd also use the trinket from Professor Putricide if I could get my hands on it but it doesn't seem to drop at all for our group. I recently lost on the bracers from heroic Saurfang because our leader doesn't know very much about tanking so he didn't see it as an upgrade for me even though I said it in vent/raid chat. The other tank gemmed it right away like a douchebag.

[Passive]

Yeah rotface is in fact one of the bosses I wear 2 set dps and a few dps off pieces. I'd be much more concerned about Festergut's damage at 3 stacks of inhale.

Dodge is always better for avoidance than parry, because of diminishing returns. The -20% dodge debuff in ICC is applied AFTER all your avoidance has been worked out, so although you have less dodge than parry, per point, dodge still increases avoidance more.

Saying that, the above advice is solid, you should just gem as much stamina as you can. The only stat that is actually going to reduce the size of the hits you take is armor. Your gear isn't bad though and you have absolutely no problem staying alive in anything 10 man heroic except for maybe lich king. Its more likely your healers are bad, and your paladin guildy is most definitely wrong.

[blbbax]

As a bear tank, I swap to full DPS gear for rotface on 10 or 25. He hits like a pansy.

I know blood tanks are supposed to be very active in their cooldown use, maybe this is your problem, if any?

Gemming for avoidance just doesn't make sense anymore. Even when it comes to the one red gem for your meta, I go stam+expertise rather than dodge or agi.

[Kazeyonoma]

Moved to HALP!

[Paperclip]

As a bear tank, I swap to full DPS gear for rotface on 10 or 25. He hits like a pansy.

I know blood tanks are supposed to be very active in their cooldown use, maybe this is your problem, if any?

Gemming for avoidance just doesn't make sense anymore. Even when it comes to the one red gem for your meta, I go stam+expertise rather than dodge or agi.

I'm using my cooldowns as much as possible at the right times.

It could be just him. I was also told the same thing for Festergut.

I'm actually working on getting the Pillars of Might and my tier chest. Hit is a problem for me though with switching out the chest, which has made us fail at times.

[Selene]

I'm using my cooldowns as much as possible at the right times.

It could be just him. I was also told the same thing for Festergut.

I'm actually working on getting the Pillars of Might and my tier chest. Hit is a problem for me though with switching out the chest, which has made us fail at times.

I'm not an advocate for it, but something to do is carry extra glyphs and for those fights where Taunt matters use the taunt glyph.

[Paperclip]

I eventually changed all my gems back to +30 Stamina.

[Selene]

General rule for Gems for a Tank.

Gems to use:
Red Socket: Dodge/Stam, Agi/Stam is acceptable, Expertise/Stam.
Yellow Socket: Hit/Stam, Def/Stam.
Blue: Stam

If your socket bonus is +6 Stam for 1 non-blue gem, ignore the bonus and socket for Stam only.
If your socket bonus is +9 for 1 non-blue gem, it is acceptable to gem for the bonus, but Stam is the general rule still.
If your socket bonus is +12 for 1 non-blue gem, then socket for the bonus. Since you are losing only 3 Stamina for a +10 increase in something else.

[Edgewalker]

General rule for Gems for a Tank.

Gems to use:
Red Socket: Dodge/Stam, Agi/Stam is acceptable, Expertise/Stam.
Yellow Socket: Hit/Stam, Def/Stam.
Blue: Stam

If your socket bonus is +6 Stam for 1 non-blue gem, ignore the bonus and socket for Stam only.
If your socket bonus is +9 for 1 non-blue gem, it is acceptable to gem for the bonus, but Stam is the general rule still.
If your socket bonus is +12 for 1 non-blue gem, then socket for the bonus. Since you are losing only 3 Stamina for a +10 increase in something else.

Mind If I copy/paste this when trying to explain it elsewhere?

[Selene]

lol knock yourself out, just restating what many others have said before. Even though I myself don't always follow it... >.>

[Paperclip]

General rule for Gems for a Tank.

Gems to use:
Red Socket: Dodge/Stam, Agi/Stam is acceptable, Expertise/Stam.
Yellow Socket: Hit/Stam, Def/Stam.
Blue: Stam

If your socket bonus is +6 Stam for 1 non-blue gem, ignore the bonus and socket for Stam only.
If your socket bonus is +9 for 1 non-blue gem, it is acceptable to gem for the bonus, but Stam is the general rule still.
If your socket bonus is +12 for 1 non-blue gem, then socket for the bonus. Since you are losing only 3 Stamina for a +10 increase in something else.

Thanks. I will actually look at my socket bonuses when the game comes back up. Even though I could use my Armory to do it I'd rather not right now. xD.