Few Questions about DK tanking heading for Heroic Progression

[smartiejoe 0]

Hi All,

 

My raid team comfortably gets through 13/14 normal bosses a week, and the majority of the team are 14/14 normal and 2/14 hc. I have just joined this team and heading towards a garrosh kill and then heroic progress I was wondering how I should go about optimising my character.

 

Here is the armory link: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/character/terokkar/Jo%C3%A9/simple

(I know there's some dps pieces, I used to be dps and have been unlucky with tank drops)

 

I wasn't sure whether to go for a higher mastery build, stay as I am, or less mastery and more parry.

 

 

Also another question, I struggle with AoE Aggro. On fights like Garrosh in the first phase and the waves of adds in Galakras and Spoils, I sometimes struggle to keep aggro on them all, any tips?

[Storm 426]

Your parry is impressively high for your item level, and your mastery isn't too bad either. I'd keep everything the way you have it now. The only thing I would recommend changing is your runeforge. I'd use Fallen Crusader over sword shattering. Sword shattering would be best if the parry contributed to riposte, but it doesn't. Fallen crusader gives you about 2.5% parry when it proc's, plus self healing and extra damage. You'll probably also want to eventually replace your Rook's talisman and keep it for situational fights where you can use it for aoe mitigation. double stam trinkets are sort of overkill. you'd be best with a Thok's tailtip or even Skeer's or Iron Juggernaut focusing crystal.

 

Aoe aggro is a problem for every tank on those fights. good dps can easily out threat us in the first 5 seconds. The best advice I can really give you is; Death and Decay, Dancing rune weapon whenever you can for initial threat, and spam blood boil until you know you have solid aggro on everything.

 

Typically it will be the same 2-3 people in your raid that are always pulling threat off you. for me it's been a few well geared shamans and warlocks that give me the biggest threat issues. If you're finding its always the same people you can also try making /assist macros for those people to make it easier to taunt off them. a Shaman for example will almost always pull the guy they're targeting while spamming chain lightning, not one of the ones being chained.

[smartiejoe 0]

Your parry is impressively high for your item level, and your mastery isn't too bad either. I'd keep everything the way you have it now. The only thing I would recommend changing is your runeforge. I'd use Fallen Crusader over sword shattering. Sword shattering would be best if the parry contributed to riposte, but it doesn't. Fallen crusader gives you about 2.5% parry when it proc's, plus self healing and extra damage. You'll probably also want to eventually replace your Rook's talisman and keep it for situational fights where you can use it for aoe mitigation. double stam trinkets are sort of overkill. you'd be best with a Thok's tailtip or even Skeer's or Iron Juggernaut focusing crystal.

 

Aoe aggro is a problem for every tank on those fights. good dps can easily out threat us in the first 5 seconds. The best advice I can really give you is; Death and Decay, Dancing rune weapon whenever you can for initial threat, and spam blood boil until you know you have solid aggro on everything.

 

Typically it will be the same 2-3 people in your raid that are always pulling threat off you. for me it's been a few well geared shamans and warlocks that give me the biggest threat issues. If you're finding its always the same people you can also try making /assist macros for those people to make it easier to taunt off them. a Shaman for example will almost always pull the guy they're targeting while spamming chain lightning, not one of the ones being chained.

 

Brilliant advice! Thank you! Yeah I'm still trying to get trinkets since switching from dps! So I'm kinda stuck with what I've got! :p 

 

It's always a warlock for me, and extremely skilled destro lock in 567ish gear, and a bit of a dps lover, he likes to top charts, even if it means snapping aggro :p

[Drtain 74]

Wow your parry is crazy for your ilvl it matchs my 573 blood deathknight almost 300 less. Yeah basicly what storm said i just wanted to comment more or less on how much parry you had for your ilvl

[Nestar 0]

Hi there!

I notice that you use full +320 parry Flashing Primordial Ruby gemming, thus the high parry rating.

 

I want to ask, not only you but the community generaly, is that a viable choice for our beloved mastery-hungry class, or you are just using it because - as you said - you feel uncomfortable with your gear?

 

I personally find the 160Parry/Mastery Fine Vermilion Onyx and the 160Mastery/120Stamina Puissant Wild Jade Gems a better choice.

I rouglhy can say that you can gain about 50% increase in Mastery rating, and a 50k boost in your HealthPool with that gemming.

[Drtain 74]

Health hardly matters once you break 800k and mastery just becomes useless at some points other then for like heroic thok is about the only case i can think of that mastery might be needed other was parry is fine and increases your dps a lot without losing hardly any survivability  

[Storm 426]

Most DK's I know or have talked to are using an avoidance build now instead of mastery because of the higher dps from riposte. damage taken by the tank is rarely a make or break issue on most fights, and the extra dps can make a positive difference in many cases.

[Nestar 0]

Very interesting points. Will put some thought on it. :)