Welcome to Main Tank strategy.

I know that everyone knows what a Main Tank is and 99% of you know all of the below. The question is do you use it?

There are several types of tanks that are needed on big raids and can be applied to small. MT, ST and AT. Uber mob raids should have 55+ lvl warriors for these three spots. Regardless warriors with def disc should be used.

MT = Main Tank. Job: Taunt and hold the mob's attention while everyone else does dmg.

ST = Secondary Tank. Job: build enough Hate that when the MT defense disc runs out and dies argo will switch to ST and the mob wont run rampant through everyone else.

AT = Add Tank. Job: When unmezzable mob enters camp to tank that mob. This is critical in places like TOV where often 2 mobs are pulled each time. Note: Assist is often MT but does not have to be. It can be any melee class that can get a fast target and understands what the kill order is. MT and ST must understand Argo. Argo is how a mob chooses its target. Proximity and Hate are what influnces a mob in choosing its target. MT can often call out to announce they have focus so wizards and other casters know they can then 'control cast'. Proximity based means that those that are closest to me they will attack. Positioning for everyone else becomes key!!! This means that no one should be closer to the mob then then MT and ST are.

Find the 'max distance' to fight a mob at and stay there. Hate means the mob chooses its target on who is highest on its hate list. Proximity also plays a part for mobs that can not summon or can not summon the target that is highest on the list. Hate is built by hitting the mob, taunting the mob and spells cast on the mob. The MT should use all three of these to build hate. That means they should use fast and hard hitting weapons that idealy have a 'high hate generating' proc and be the closest one to the mob.

Taunt button. The taunt button = x amount of immediate added hate. This should be controlled and after the MT gains focus of the mob they dont need to 'mash' the taunt button but can use it to return the mob's focus to them. Trivia: warrior offhand epic proc(fire base) resisted or not builds 200pts of hate each proc, plus it builds hate from the dot if not resisted. Re-iteration: Ogre's make the best MT and ST. Why? They cant be stunned from the front and have more hps. No Stuns mean no interuption from keeping the mob's focus. This does not mean other races are bad or can not be used its just an observation. Any dmg a MT, ST, AT does is secondary to keeping focus of the mob. Doing the most dmg is not the point here. AC and HPs rule the life of these tanks (okay all tanks) 1400 ac and 5k boredering on 6k hps for full buffs with avatar for raids. AC steps are: 600, 800, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 and 1400 approx where the amount of dmg a given mob goes noticably down when the ac passes these marks.

A note on BOTS and the killing of the Sleeper. If you look at the screen shots you can see that BOTS use MT strategy. MT grp consist of MT and ST, 2 enchanters and a cleric (shaman i think last member). Cleric grp consist of 4 clerics and bard and necro? (or 5th cleric dont remember this either). Everyone else does dmg. edit: CLERICS i forgot Clerics. Too many times grouping with Tyndal I am sure is the problem. MT strategy means that the clerics can focus on healing 2 tanks instead of 60 people in a fight. This means the dot heals and CH can be constantly hitting the MT/ST as its no longer necissary to have a cleric per grp or for each groups cleric to only be concerened with the healing of the grp members. MT typical grp. MT 2 MT Clerics 1 Shaman 2 'others, not a bard as bard song does strange stuff with hate' ST grp 1 ST 1 Cleric 1 Shaman or druid 3 others, again not a bard. A note on Bards. Bards can be part of a MT/ST group. This is better left to the advice of bards as I dont have an understanding of how Bard song effects hate on the MT/ST. Next Mob Control or Insta Cast.

Newbie Warrior out.

Amul The Dark Lord