General rant for the tanks out there who are being driven off the server.

[Haynar]

If you have "rant" in the subject of your post, it probably belongs in the Rant and Flames section.

Haynar

[runlvlzero]

Fair enough =)

[frefaln]

Nice post OP, and as someone who tanked for years on Live I'm always encouraged to see people understanding/sharing the basic mechanics of an EQ group. And you are spot on.

I joined P99 a few weeks ago and was about 18 levels into a paladin, and I was quickly reminded of why I got burnt out on tanking on Live back in the day. Simply put, there is an engregious amount of ignorance, impatience, and immaturity out there. If you want to be a truly successful tank on P99 you're going to have to 1) simply accept the chaos that goes on around you, or 2) be an outspoken instruction-giver and risk getting a rep for being "bossy". Either way, you not only have to deal with your weighted workload but you often have to work against your own group members. You're screwed two different ways.

Since I don't have the energy for 50+ levels of that nonsense, I scrapped the pally and rolled a rogue. As luck would have it, my tanking experience has already made me a much better rogue than I would've been — because I know exactly what the tank's going through. For instance, when a paladin's tanking I actually wait to see that Flash of Light has landed before I go ape-shit with backstab. In other words, I actually pay attention to messages and group mechanics. Novel idea, eh?

The OP mentioned a tank pulling "occasionally", but I was always expected to pull since joining P99. And that's fine, I kinda like it. But I'll say this, I cannot believe how many people on P99 simply cannot sit still for one moment. If there aren't sparkles and battle spam they start going emo/schizophrenic. It's not just impatience but also ignorance, for it never seems to dawn on people that chaotic chain-pulling is not a guarantee that XP rate will increase. In fact, unless the group is just the right mixture and they're working together beautifully, it'll often have the opposite result. Think about it... if you're pulling DPS off the mob to chain-pull, the current mob dies later, the tank takes more damage, the healer's mana drains faster, and the tank will need to work harder to engulf aggro. And for what? A .04% increase in XP rate, if that? And all that's negated when the healer finally screams for a med break. Oh, the irony of impatience resulting in slower XP.

As much as I bashed SoE in the past, the original devs knew what they were doing. The dynamics of a group are very well designed and implemented, it's up to the players to not be impatient jackasses and actually let the well-oiled machine function as intended. If DPS classes would learn that pulling aggro isn't an accomplishment on their part (it's not hard) and would actually let the tank be the healer's sole target, they'd see that everything, including XP rate, goes so much more smoothly.

[jilena]

Is this another QQ let me hold aggro I'm a warrior thread?

[frefaln]

^ Exhibit A.

[hueylewis187]

Just my opinion << only an opinion.

Tanks are shyt especially warriors. I have a warr, and a sk. my sk holds aggro wayyy better. So if you are yelling at people to control aggro better. Either boot them out of the group or make an sk/pal.

Pets tank better and hold aggro just fine plus don't need to be heal, can just resummon them. If a pet is taking aggro it is a good thing for xp, unless it is a mezed healing mob. But those should be killed off first anyways. Sometimes in the heat of battle it happens that a pet will already be attacking a mezed mob than the pet will not stop and will keep breaking mez's. It's impossible to send the pet on a mez'd mob. It says can not attack target master. "also must remember they are messing with the pet ai. A lot of what is happening is nothing to do with the pet owner."

The group should have some common sense. But don't get all bent when someone breaks a mez or gets aggro. It's JUST A GAME and shit happens. If it keeps happening over and over maybe give them a tip. But don't get all yelly and maddy.

You act as if a tank has more right to tell people what to do. Or that a healer has more of a right to tell the group what to do. When everyone in the group has a brain and should see what is going on. Just my opinion, but if someone keeps telling me what to do I leave the group. You are not my dad or boss. This is not a job. This is for fun. If you don't like the way I play than kick me from group don't yell at me. Most the time the tank pulls like 12 mobs than yells at everyone. Telling them Why didn't you heal? Why didn't you mez ? why did you not assist me!!! lol


Xp groups are so longgg. You shouldn't make the situation seem like work with a ton of rules. Pull what you can handle or less. Than just burn it down for xp groups.

A Raid situation is different. "Warriors shine on the hardest hitting mobs with their slightly higher ac and berserker buff. They just can't hold aggro off the first complete heal a lot of the time" Time for the runes... But still not good to be bossy allllll the time. Unless the same dude keeps wiping out over and over.

Sorry for ranting but it just seems to me like some classes have power trips in groups. I don't group for this very reason. I don't want others to tell me how to play the game. I am open for advice on strategies but don't tell me what to do please. Unless I wipe the group twice or more.

Enjoy the Weekend! Kick ass in game and try to relax and just have fun. At least right now you can get a rez for 7 days. Soon it will be 2 hours and people are gonna be real upset when they die... Plust Rez prices will go up!

Lol I suck ass there I said it , back to the discussion and sorry for my incoherent ramblings.

[jilena]

Well I'm just curious. Is this a thread started by a warrior where people aren't listening to him QQing about everyone else in the group having to sit around with their thumbs up their asses so he can feel like he has aggro? Or is this an SK who legitimately has some chance to pull and hold aggro in a decent exp making group that is just having a really bad experience?!?

[frefaln]

Originally Posted by hueylewis187 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Just my opinion, but if someone keeps telling me what to do I leave the group. You are not my dad or boss. This is not a job. This is for fun.

Yeah, I don't put up with arrogant/bossy players either and tone is key. But let's look at the above quote. You're right. This isn't a job, so there's no reason to 1) go crazy when the XP bar isn't moving at quite the rate you want, or 2) make the game feel like a job for the tank.

If the game/class mechanics are actually respected by everyone in the group, things go very smoothly for everyone a majority of the time. It's only when someone gets impatient and/or feels they need to prove they're contributing that tempers flare and things break down.

But to your credit, you bring up an interesting point. Perhaps it's just inevitable that, for some players, chaos IS fun and making the XP bar move as quickly as possible is the end-all game. And you know what? That's fine for them. That's not my definition of fun, and I prefer a social group that can enjoy each other's company while grinding at a reasonable rate. Nobody's wrong in their definition of fun, I guess the trick is finding those people who share your particular philosophy.

[Dantes]

I don't boss people around, I just get annoyed when people are obviously not paying attention... or when they boss ME around by complaining about the rate I'm pulling. I haven't seen the insides of some of these dungeons for 8 years, never hurts to be careful. I'd rather be cautious than dead.

[jilena]

Pull faster nubs.