How to be a good SK tank?

[Pilgrimzero]

So, Ive been playing my DE SK (Hesperax) and am now level 9, woo spells!

Problem is I still can't taunt for crap. And thats my roll in groups. To take the beating. no matter how much a hit them or taunt them they pretty much ignore me.

What can I do to better recieve threat? I have a nifty magic sword and shield. The sword doesn;t proc or anything. I've heard a good proc weapon helps keep aggro. I could maybe afford a Tentcle Whip if anyone ever sales one in EQ.

Any thoughts? Or weapons or advice I sure would appreciate it. I want to fill my role in the group...

Thanks!

[big mouth chew]

1) spam disease cloud
2) ????
3) profit

[Nikon]

Lower levels on the Shadowknight are difficult to keep aggro especially if other group members are just spamming down the mobs with spells. Your tools for keeping aggro aren't very well developed at such low levels. You'll be forced to use Disease Cloud's snap aggro a lot early on (and it still won't be 100% effective). Your snare line will also help keep aggro but you won't get your first snare until 15. If you get to about 20 or so and are still continually having problems keeping aggro, pay close attention to what's happening when you lose aggro and come back to us with details.

[Tikker]

you're level 9

i wouldn't even worry about it too much

aggro management is everyone's job, not just the tanks

[Danth]

Nonsense, if you're a hybrid tank, then aggro management is YOUR job. That's the fun in playing one. If you aren't teaching your damage-dealers horrible habits that'll get them killed the next time they group with a Warrior, you're not trying hard enough!

That being said, level 9 is a bit too low to accomplish that task, especially as a Shadow Knight. You don't have meditate until 12, so your mana will be pretty badly limited. Disease Cloud has a bit of a cooldown on it so you can't just spam it back to back, and it's rather less immediate aggro than your later aggro spells. Clinging Darkness at 15 gives you another good tool, but it'll be some levels after that before you also have the necessary mana pool and meditation rate to maintain such spell use for any length of time. Eventually, at 39, you'll also gain access to Shadow Vortex and (if you're really determined to make something stick) Heart Flutter. Proper use of your spells will allow you to tell the local Wizard to chain-cast Ice Comet upon pull and the mob will stick to you anyway, and you can bask in the delight of knowing the future deaths you're causing.

In general the Shadow Knight is something of a late bloomer class. It starts out slow and doesn't really come into its own until relatively late. Once it gets going though it keeps getting better as you level, basically all the way to 60.

Danth

[Malone88]

Disease Cloud/Darkness Spells/Shadow Vortex are your best taunts.
Don't really need to spam them too much. Pull with DC and when
you lose aggro, cast it again to get aggro back. You can throw
Darkness (Snare) on mob midfight to add aggro to yourself and
prevent runners. Taunt will work some of the time when mob turns
away from you, but your spells are more effective.

Also, if there is a bard/enchanter/necro mezzing in your group,
be careful using your DOTs for taunting adds. Once you get
Shadow Vortex, this can safely be used to pull adds away
from casters because it doesn't DOT the mob.

[Shaakglith12194]

Originally Posted by Malone88 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Disease Cloud/Darkness Spells/Shadow Vortex are your best taunts.
Don't really need to spam them too much. Pull with DC and when
you lose aggro, cast it again to get aggro back. You can throw
Darkness (Snare) on mob midfight to add aggro to yourself and
prevent runners. Taunt will work some of the time when mob turns
away from you, but your spells are more effective.

Also, if there is a bard/enchanter/necro mezzing in your group,
be careful using your DOTs for taunting adds. Once you get
Shadow Vortex, this can safely be used to pull adds away
from casters because it doesn't DOT the mob.

This. That's basically it. Disease cloud is crazy aggro. Shadow Vortex is great aggro once you get it, and you should cast it on every mezzed mob that you're about to attack. Hit em with some shadow vortex, taunt, hit em with that disease cloud. If that doesn't get its attention, your chanter must have done something to its mother. Once you can use blood ember gauntlets, it's nice to use that to maintain aggro. And the earlier poster who said it's everyone's job to control their aggro is right, but you won't see it work like that on this server. Can't say I've ever seen a monk FD to drop aggro; most rogues don't sneak/hide to drop aggro either.

[Cecily]

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

Nonsense, if you're a hybrid tank, then aggro management is YOUR job. That's the fun in playing one. If you aren't teaching your damage-dealers horrible habits that'll get them killed the next time they group with a Warrior, you're not trying hard enough!

LMAO! Every freaking time I group with a SK, I play absolutely awful for the first 10 mins with my next warrior.

[Potus]

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

1) spam disease cloud
2) ????
3) profit

This. Also snare runners.

[Tecmos Deception]

Originally Posted by Malone88 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Don't really need to spam them too much. Pull with DC and when
you lose aggro, cast it again to get aggro back.

I like pulling with siphon strength on my SK and then firing a DC so that the cap on initial aggro doesn't limit my DC and cause the rogue's first backstab/the shaman's slow/whatever to pull off of me. Not a big deal though, since DC is only on a short cooldown anyway and SV isn't too expensive to cast between DCs if you need extra threat.