World of Warcraft Healers - Tactical Manual 201: Aggro Management - Teamwork, Assists, Healing, And Tanking (v2006.0601)

==(1) ==AGGRO vs. THREAT== 2006.0601== I use aggro in its common sense of having the mob on you. What Blizzard calls Threat (also called hate), is a cumulative total each mob builds up over time that determines who the mob aggroes on. Research shows that Threat is is generated only by persons the mob is “aware” of (by buffing, debuffing, doing damage or healing), is cumulative against each of those persons, and does not decay with time (tested over 8 minute time-frame). Threat from healing or events causing a “you gain” health or mana combat log messages is per HP or MP at half the rate of white damage, while “you gain rage” generates 5 Threat per point of Rage (see more on this and modifiers in Part 2 below). Overheals don’t count, though heals cast on a healthy player appeal to generate some untested minimum level of “buff Threat” (as does buffing in combat–be very careful about this in raid instances). Threat is from the healer, not the healed, though if you heal yourself you are the healer for that purpose. Testing shows aggro is sticky: mobs switch aggro to a new target that has 110% of the current target’s threat if in melee range and 130% if outside melee range, and although pulling itself generates no Threat, being the person who was first on a mob’s Threat list makes them pick you where Threat is otherwise equal. This suggests that pulls should be by tanks or feigning hunters to make it easier to pick up aggro. Most of the Threat testing data cited is from Kenco’s article, which I suggest all Warriors read (see the links below). Other data is from Remedy’s WOW Forum article in 2005, no longer available.

==(2)==WHAT “ASSIST” MEANS== 2006.0601== Confusingly, “Assist” is not only a common English word but a critical though unpublicized WOW game function. An “assist” is created on the currently targeted friendly player if you type “F” or you can use a macro in the format “/assist Wingman”. When you attack while assisting, your target is the one the assisted player targeted at the time you created the assist, so if he switches you stay on the same target. There is an option to automatically auto-attack on assist in the game interface options, and a Cosmos mod that lets a tank automatically call on you to assist, but you still need to punch the keys for spells and special attacks.

I previously cited test reports and anecdotal evidence suggesting that assisting itself affects the Threat of the Main Assist and the assisting player but at least in the current version of the game I can’t confirm this and believe it is not true. However, assists are valuable for the whole team in a multi-mob fight because assisted attacks bring the targeted mob down more quickly and players are competing for the aggro of only one mob, simplifying the Tank’s job.

You could think of assisting as as concentrating team aggro through the assisted player. Timing your assist is important - if the assisted player changes targets and you are still focusing on the old target (which happens unless you hit “assist” again to retarget). As explained below, however, players assisting a Tank should NOT be hitting the assist button again until the initial target is dead because the Tank temporarily switches among different mobs to “tap” them all and grab solid aggro. Players assisting on a Main Assist however can hit assist whenever desirable since they are supposed to hit whatever the Main Assist is hitting at the time.

==(3)==TEAMWORK vs. SOLO-STYLE DPS==2005.0702== Everyone trying to do maximum damage quickly as possible works for soloing but can compromise the success and survivability of a team. A good Tank gets the best armor and equipment he can to minimize damage, thus reducing his need for healing and reducing the potential for the healer to pull aggro with big heals. While the rest of the team beats down a single mob quickly the Tank both tries to hold the aggro of that mob and build Threat on the others to keep them from easily coming loose on other players.

The healer ramps up his heals over time to reduce the danger of aggro -- two healers working together and splitting aggro can reduce the danger greatly (e.g., Druid laying Rejuvenation on damaged players while a Priest supplements it with Renew or other Heals as he thinks appropriate). Druids, Shamans or Paladins are good for a secondary healer/Off-tank role. Everyone else assists the Main Assist on his target, limiting their aggro risk to that target. If the mob is a dangerous elite, it is important to keep aggro on the Tank and big DPSers need to ramp up damage from low to high (e.g., start with DOTs and combo builders, end with finishers).

The Tank’s tools are limited by Rage and cooldowns, so don’t make him waste them. Certain Warrior Threat skills are reactive and depend on being attacked (e.g., on a hit/dodge/block/parry) but can’t be used while a mob is aggroed on someone else. No matter the class, give the Tank a head start of 5-12 seconds to build Threat, depending on the mobs. The Tank needs to Tab and hit a lot of buttons to work on the mobs and it takes a little time; just chill and start on his signal or after 12 seconds and ramp up damage to keep your Threat lower than the Tank’s.

==(4)==THE MAIN ASSIST==2005.0609==
The job of the Main Assist (or “MA”) is to stay on a target and take it down, usually the target initially pulled and most damaged by the Tank (and which therefore hates the Tank most). The Tank normally gets a few hits on his initial target while the MA activates his assist, then switches targets to get a few hits on the others before cycling back to the MA’s target. The MA should “V” to enable overhead mob health bars that show which mobs are most damaged. While the Tank’ tries to hold aggro on the MA’s target as it gets pounded, this is not always possible, and it is even more important to hold the aggro of the other, fresher mobs since they are more dangerous if they come loose. Sometimes the Tank and MA flip aggro back and forth while the Tank works on multiple mobs. If the MA is a Warrior or Bear then it may be wise to let him have the mob’s aggro to gain rage from being hit, freeing the Tank to work on other mobs.

Having a melee player such as a Warrior, Bear or Rogue for MA makes sense because he has to be close to the target anyway and a mob aggroing on the MA only turns to face him instead of running off. This makes it easier for the Tank to pull back or a Rogue to feint off aggro. A melee Shaman can be a good MA as well, but a ranged MA such as a Hunter may require chasing a mob, which is harder for the Tank and thus riskier for the team. Note that a Hunter’s Mark on the MA’s target can help a great deal in avoiding confusion, especially in raid groups. Another tip: don’t crowd the mobs or the Tank - it is easier for the Tank (and off-Tank) to see which mob is on whom if the players are a yard or two apart (still in melee range).

==(5)==WHY NOT ASSIST THE TANK DIRECTLY?==2005.0623==
Reasons for using a separate MA rather than assisting the Tank directly when there are multiple mobs: (1) avoids scattering damage by people assisting on different mobs as the Tank cycles, (2) since mobs except the MA’s target have been tapped only by the Tank, it is easier to hold them if no one else taps them, allowing the Tank to cycle less and focus more on the target the Main Assist is working on killing, (3) a warrior Tank can, and against multiple mobs should, use a shield and 1H weapon in defensive stance, thereby reducing his damage and the need for Threat-generating healing, and they want the mobs hitting them to allow useful shield-based combos, and most importantly (4) only the healer and Main Assist are at high risk of pulling aggro. If the assist structure falls apart, the Tank’s job becomes much more difficult, damage increases and is scattered, and the healer is forced to heal more and risk pulling aggro. Tanking multiple mobs requires situational awareness of what both players and mobs are doing and constant use of a range of skills working on different timers. It is the toughest job in an instance group - help your Tank by assisting the Main Assist and not crowding closer to the tank and mobs than needed to fight.

==(6)==HOW ASSIST WORKS AFTER A PULL==2005.0605==
After the Tank pulls, or picks up aggro if another class pulls, the Tank will do a few attacks on the first target to build Threat and give time for the Main Assist to select assist on it. Then he cycles as needed to build Threat from the other mobs. AOE aggro tools like shouts or roars also help lock in initial aggro. People forget that building aggro does not happen instantly - the best Tank still needs about 5-12 seconds to tap all the mobs and build aggro on the first target before other players start doing damage. This gives the MA time to target using assist and the other players to lock on to that target by assisting the MA and attacking when he attacks. The only mob that should be “aware” of them is the MA’s target. Against tough elites, the DPSers should ramp up damage from low to high intensity to give the Tank time to build Threat. Tarsh mobs are less dangerous and can be vaporized more swiftly.

==(7)==WHAT ABOUT AOE?==2005.0623==
AOE can be critically important, but it can also play havoc with aggro control and aggro-effective healing. It is a complex subject, but some things to keep in mind:
* As a rule of thumb, consider AOE only on 3 or more mobs that are non-Elite or grey to you. It can be used freely against easy mobs that die quickly. Dangerous mobs take more thought. Discuss AOE on elites beforehand.
* Mages (and other casters) please inform the group what AOE spells you have and will use and whether you have Threat-reduction talents for them.
* AOE should NOT be a surprise. Unless pre-planned before the specific combat, it should be used only when the Tank calls “AOE” or in an emergency. The Tank and Healer both want to know about AOE beforehand.
* Priests should shield the Mage either BEFORE combat to avoid drawing unnecessary Threat or AFTER the mobs have already firmly aggroed on the Mage.
* To minimize healing aggro, heal the AOEing caster enough to keep them alive and AOEing until the mobs are dead. Sometimes, if they are going to die OOM anyway, let them die rather than throw big heals so that the mobs run back to the Tank rather than to the healer. This is a tough judgment call and the strategy should be mentioned in advance to avoid angry Mages.
* If you AOE and pull aggro, either stay in place or move towards the Tank. Don’t run around or to the healer. The healer is already watching your health bar. If you pull a lot of mobs you should probably keep spamming AOE as long as you can. In non-AOE situations it helps to stop attacking to help an off-tank pull the mob off. The tradeoff between aggro and destruction can be a hard one.

PART 2: HEALING AGGRO

“The damage you do gets you aggro, the damage you take gets me aggro.”

==(8)==HEALING, HOTS and THREAT== 2005.0601==
Healing priority is based on who needs to stay alive to win or at least achieve easy wipe recovery. This usually means the Tank, self-Rezzer, healers and full-mana Mages tasked to AOE are high on the list. OOM (out of mana) Mages who overaggroed themselves are at the bottom of the list. Rogues and Hunters are constant DPS but can shake off aggro and bandage, so should not need that much help. Good Warlocks are resilient and more useful than OOM Mages. Special consideration goes to the Main Assist because of his key role. Note that it is safer and sometimes more effective to let a doomed Healer or Caster die and then Rebirth him rather than try to heal against mass aggro, because rebirth provides a large fraction of health and mana so he can get back in the fight while the mobs should be back on the Tank. Conversely, sometimes you can’t afford to stop healing a DPS class even if it sucks all your mana because your healing Threat has already put you second in line on the mobs’ aggro list and there is no offtank ready to pick up the load.

Testing shows Threat per HP healed in the recent versions of the game is half that of white damage. Threat meters such as KLH Threat Meter also currently use this factor and it provides valuable results in raid instances. . If you factor in a Warrior’s threat in Defensive stance with Defiance, the Warrior taking initial aggro, healing from out of melee distance and a 20% healer threat reduction, Threat from 1 HP of Warrior white damage equals Threat from 4.7 HP of healing (based on Kenco’s tested modifiers). The bigger the proportion, the greater the safety margin and the more important it is with multiple mobs where the Tank primarily has to build Threat on them individually while a heal on the Tank creates healing Threat by the healer from ALL the mobs at once (any heal or buff on the Tank cast in combat after the pull but before a mob has been tapped will send that mob directly for the healer). More mobs creates the need to balance concern over rapid damage on the Tank and the risk of losing him to a “perfect wave” of crits while at the same time you try to heal less and stabilize his health at a lower level. Healing the Main Assist is safer because ideally the only mob aware of the MA is the one the MA is killing, so it is unlikely to come loose.

In a good fight with well-controlled aggro, the only health bars that are fluctuating from damage are those of the Tank and to some extent the Main Assist. Wait to heal until the Tank has tapped all mobs to build some Threat, which should not take more than 5-12 seconds depending on the number of mobs (about 2-3 seconds per mob). Ramp up healing as the fight goes on to keep your Threat curve lower than the Tank. Start with Rejuvenation or Renew to stabilize the Tank’s health. If HOTs are not enough, follow with moderate heals to stabilize the Tank’s health at about 70-80% with a tough single boss or 2 mobs and about 40%-60% with many mobs - it depends on risk level. Whether to burst heal with long pauses to help regen mana or heal steadily is a tactical decision.

The implications of this for Tanking are simple. High armor, defensive stance, a shield and protection talents each improve mitigation and generate a lower ratio of healing required on the Tank divided by each mob’s total Threat from the Tank (the “Healing/Aggro Ratio”). Against a single non-boss mob, a berserk Arms/Fury Warrior with a 2-hander gets the job done faster and healing aggro should not be a big issue. The more mobs there are and the harder they hit, the worse the Healing/Aggro Ratio becomes and the more dangerous the situation for the healer, so by all means use Defensive Stance when tanking numerous mobs. Mitigation and protection become more important. Note that Druids are more predictable tanks in this regard since their mitigation is effectively fixed by their armor, 5/5 in Feral Instinct is a straight 15% Threat bonus in Bear form, and they don’t have a DPS tanking option. Also note that a Druid or Shaman tasked as Tank or offtank can use healing Threat to help pull aggro (e.g., a big heal on the embattled primary healer will help pull aggro off).

“How can I HEAL you when I am DEAD?”

==(9)==THE HEALER’S JOB== 2005.0614==The primary healer’s job is to prevent a group wipe, not to keep everyone alive. Everyone else’s job is to keep the healer alive to heal and the rezzer (sometimes the same person) alive to rez. The Tank does this by trying to hold aggro. The offtank does this by picking up loose mobs (usually heading for the primary healer or Mage). The secondary healer does this by healing the primary healer when the primary healer is under attack (so the primary healer’s aggro is not made worse by healing himself), sometimes by casting some HOTs to reduce primary healing Threat, and by stepping in if the primary is OOM . With a soulstone or other self-rez available, sometimes the last-ditch priority is to eliminate some prowling mobs to enable a safe resurrection. These are often split-second decisions and we should be forgiving of mistakes.

==(10)==PRE-HOT TANK For the Win== 2005.0614== When healing as a Druid, I typically cast a pre-combat Regrowth and Rejuv on the Main Tank (Renew and if appropriate Power Word: Shield when playing a Priest) for any serious fight and quickly sit down to start drinking to replenish mana before combat begins, out of range of the mob’s area effects. As a Druid Tank I preHOT myself and cast to pull, then go Bear for regen and combat, which helps heal and helps build Threat. I think of a pre-combat Regrowth as the Druid’s substitute for Power Word: Shield.

Is it mana inefficient to waste hundreds of HP of healing with a pre-HOT? Yes to a Mana accountant who only track their HP healed/Mana Spent ratio and have to file Mana expense reports with their CPA Guild. Tactically it is efficient to get the mana back quickly and get aggro-free healing of initial damage - this helps the Tank maintain aggro. WARNING: Make sure no one starts combat before you start sitting to drink. If when your HOT lands the combat has already started, the mobs are likely to make a beeline for you. Another little remembered principle of mana efficiency is the principle of regeneration -- if you are not in combat and your mana is full then find something useful to cast now rather than later (e.g., buffs) so you can start mana regen and essentially have that cast for “free.” This is why I ask for 3-5 minutes of advance warning for rebuffs since it avoids last-minute situations.

PART 3: SHEDDING AGGRO

“I didn’t buy that spell since it does no damage.”

==(11)==LOSING AGGRO==2005.0602==As a member of a team, if you pull unwanted aggro then think before healing yourself or fighting that mob further, because it could make all the difference in whether the main Tank or Off-tank can pull that mob off you. Either way, don’t run away exposing your back, don’t aggro new adds - hit your HELP HELP shout and /emote helpme macros and move closer to the Tank or off Tank. To make it easy for team members to see which mob is going after which player, don’t crowd together more than tactically necessary.

==(12)==AGGRO REDUCTION TOOLS==2005.0802== It is surprising that some medium- and even high-level players don’t understand or sometimes don’t even buy their aggro reduction spells. Everyone should be aware of how the different classes can reduce Threat, shed aggro, or at least buy time through crowd control.

HUNTER: Disengage reduces threat and attempts to cancel combat, sending the mob to the next person on its aggro list (ideally this is the Tank). Feign Death is an excellent solo move to save your life but should be a last resort after a failed Disengage when grouped. At best your sudden death causes confusion with healing, combat resurrection, and tactically. Yes, Feign Death is funny - out of combat. Macro a /yell <Hunter’s Name> is FEIGNING DEATH! as the first step of the Feign to avoid more than momentary confusion.

One implication of this is that Hunters, especially when pulling but also when fighting, should not only fight at range but stand well clear of the other casters to avoid them picking up unnecessary aggro after a real or feigned death.

ROGUE: Feint reduces Threat - it is unclear whether this is a permanent reduction of some Threat or is temporary like Fade. I suspect it is temporary. Either way, it should be saved for when the Rogue pulls aggro, not used pre-emptively because of its timer and 20 energy cost. It usually flips the mob back to the Tank, but the mob can come right back to the Rogue if he follows up with burst damage rather than easing off with Rupture or other finishers than Eviscerate. The Rogue and Tank should understand one another - in order to conserve his Taunt for multiple mobs, the Tank will wait 2 seconds before taunting a mob back from a Rogue in order to see if Feint flips the mob back - unless you know the Rogue recently used it from the mob inexplicably flipping back to you. A good Rogue knows how to grab a loose mob as Off-tank and bring it back to the Tank to engage - when the Tank had hit the mob once or twice the Rogue can feint it off.

Burning a Vanish and facing a long cooldown is not a trivial decision, but if the Rogue is far enough away from the mobs and the vanish works then the Rogue sheds aggro and goes out of combat for aggro-free bandaging and restealthing if needed. With proper assists, the loose mob should go after the Tank. Like the Hunter, the Rogue has means of getting out of combat and should use them to help the team manage aggro and avoid unnecessary healing Threat. This means choose your vanish spot with regard to whom the mob will attack next - usually this means backing AWAY from other players before a vanish to give them space and time. Subtlety is the best Rogue tree for PVE grouping, offering Preparation (immediate refresh for all cooldowns) as well as Improved Sap and Hemo.

MAGE: Sheeping and Frost Nova actually increase Threat but substitute crowd control for aggro reduction, postponing the reckoning long enough for an off-Tank to step in or the Main Tank to pick up the mob if the Mage cooperates by refraining from piling on more damage. As often the case, solo reflexes can cause trouble, such as doing maximum burst damage, blinking, or sheeping a mob in the middle of a melee. A mob breaking away from the pack to attack the Mage is, however, a perfect candidate for crowd control with low risk of interruption. As a Mage, don’t stand too close to the healers - not only does it put them at more risk of picking up aggro if you die but it makes it harder for the rest of the team to see which of you loose mobs are heading for and make an appropriate response.

PRIEST: Priests have two panic buttons - Psychic Scream for soloing and Fade for groups. Psychic Scream is effective but does not reduce Threat and often brings fresh mobs to the party -- there are some instances where a timely Fear works well, but generally this panic button should be replaced by Fade while in an instance group.

Remedy’s research indicates that Fade subtracts a medium amount of Threat (about 2 small heals, less than a Greater Heal) for 10 seconds, then returns the Threat at the end of that period. Despite this, in some tests aggro did NOT return to the Priest after Fade expired unless some further action was taken by the Priest (this may be a bug and if so may be fixed). Note that if Threat is so high that Fade is not enough to flip the mob away, it does NOT appear to make the mob easier to pull off the Priest and if the spell fails it may actually make it harder (i.e., add Threat, but this needs careful testing). Tactically, the Priest should be standing well back from the center of combat, spot aggro early, stop damage and healing during this period, hit the Help macro, wait until the mobs get close (let them waste time running back and forth without doing damage), and then hit Fade to send them scurryinig back. Alternatively, you can lead the mobs back to the Tank before hitting Fade. Stop everything before Fade ends (including DOTs and HOTs) to try to avoid renewed aggro.

What about the top Holy talent, Holy Nova? It provides a 10 yard damage AOE combined with a Threat-free group heal and is on a 30 second timer. It is well worth using before a Fade if some low-health mobs are close by your Holy Priest.

DRUID: Subtlety is your only aggro reduction tool - for 5 high-tier Restoration talent points you reduce healing Threat by 20%. Druids have roots (outdoors only) and sleep for limited crowd control, but damage breaks sleep and helps break roots. The standard response when pulling serious aggro while healing is to go Bear without attacking and hit your HELP macro (or off-tank yourself if tactically preferable). If you still need to heal then instead then at higher levels you can use your weapon switch macro for Warden Staff or Unyielding Maul (+ defense = harder for them to hit you) and Barkskin to allow more heals or a last-ditch tranquility.

SHAMAN: Shaman have snares and Threat enhancers, not Threat reducers. Frost shock slows mobs and Stoneclaw Totem acts like a target dummy by distracting them, but can also aggro fresh adds. Aggro is what shields are for.

PALADIN: A Paladin healing himself or others generates very little Threat – this appears specifically intended to prevent use of healing as a Paladin tanking tool tool but also means Paladins can heal with less concern about aggro. Paladin aggro reduction tools primarily benefit other players. Blessing of Protection immunizes a party member from physical attack for up to 10 seconds and wipes aggro, sending the mob to the next person on its hate list. The Paladin’s personal immune shield or a 30-second Divine Intervention on another has a similar effect on aggro. A less dramatic tool is Blessing of Salvation, which reduces Threat caused by 30%.

WARRIOR: Aggro REDUCTION? Are you kidding? If you pull too many mobs and the rest of the team is not in combat, make sure you have all the mobs attention and find a good place for a rez without putting the team in danger. Even if some players are in combat, with proper assists often only one mob will be aware of the ranged assists and the healer should be out of combat until he heals, so with good teamwork you may be able to contain some mobs while others run off or have a partial rather than complete wipe.

PART 4: TANKING AND AGGRO TOOLS

“You’ve won Aggro! Your prize is death.”

==(13)==OFF-TANKING==2005.0625==
Tanking is holding the aggro of all the mobs, or at least all except the one being focused on by the group and any additional mob while it is being off-tanked. In some instances, such as Molten Core, the mobs are so dangerous that each needs its own dedicated Tank. Tanking is a full-time job that requires constant attention when you have multiple targets. Off-tanking is a part-time job but important. It involves grabbing aggro on a single mob (usually to save a caster from attack or to take substantial pressure off the Main Tank) and tanking it until:

     (a) you can pass it off to the Main Tank when feasible,
     (b) some damage dealers help you kill it, or
     (c) you kill it or die trying.

An Off-tank needs the ability to grab single target aggro, ability to hand off aggro to a Tank, and the ability to keep fighting and sustain or avoid damage for as long as it takes to do the job, which is first of all to keep the mob busy and second of all to kill it. For tactic (a), Rogues and Hunters have all 3 skill sets, with both basic and last-ditch aggro transfer tools that other classes lack and that can help a Main Tank pull back aggro. Warriors, Paladins, Bears and Shamans (all having good armor and health) are better at (b) and (c). The tactical challenge for an Off-tank is that, unlike a Main Tank, you goal is NOT to achieve an optimal Healing/Aggro Ratio (see Section 8 above) but to accomplish (a), (b) or (c). Skill and teamwork determine the best choice in each situation. Further aggro-vating the mob can make it hard to hand-off the mob to the Main Tank, so for (a) damage mitigation is more important than doing damage and you act quickly to pass the mob back, while for (b) and (c) the balance of damage done vs. received and timing are important.

Before you start out, agree who will off-tank to rescue the healer and other casters from aggro. In particular, determine if the Main Assist needs to act as off-Tank. If so, make sure those assisting him don’t switch from the mob they are currently killing. Kill, then switch. This gives time for the Main Assist to pass off the mob to the Main Tank if he chooses. If there is a Rogue plus a Druid, Shaman or Paladin I like the Rogue as Main Assist and the hybrid class to use its versatile skills to backstop various roles - assist in melee, buff the group, off-Tank as needed, and keep half mana in reserve for backup healing and emergencies.

==(14)==WARRIOR TANKING AND AGGRO TECHNIQUES==2005.0702==

“My shield is in the bank.”

*1. Character level does not prove tactical understanding. A level 10 alt may know better than a 60 about teamwork and aggro control. As Tank, you and the healer need to have an understanding and set expectations: explain how the assist function works to control aggro, tell the team to wait to attack, ramp up damage so as not to pull aggro, not crowd the Tank, making it hard to see what the mobs are doing, and that if aggroed the squishies should lead the mob close enough to you to taunt (or whoever is off-tanking).

*2. Tank and damage-dealer are different and conflicting roles for a Warrior. As a damage-dealer or solo, max damage on target is your goal. Arms/Fury Warriors make good damage dealers and Main Assists. But a Tank’s responsibility is not max damage but holding aggro from the mobs without exceeding a safe Healing/Aggro Ratio on any of them. When a Tank has to work on more mobs, the Threat he can put on each is lower so the Healing/Aggro Ratio goes up proportionately and damage mitigation becomes more and more important to hold down the healing side of the equation. Having 2 healers split healing on you helps reduce each healer’s Ratio from each mob. For a 10-man Raid, a Priest and Druid with stackable heals cross-healing the Tanks and AOEing casters is ideal for Healing/Aggro control. Watch your healers’ mana bars as a rough indicator of the healing Threat they’ve been building. The hits the non-Tanks are taking indicates how much of that Threat comes through you.

*3. Warriors love their quality 2H weapons, but they should generally be reserved for solo, PVP, and doing DPS as Main Assist, situations where damage and Rage are the priority. In group/instance tanking, if you can knock out a fight quickly with no or minimal healing (e.g., single targets or a few non-elite trash mobs), go ahead and weaponswap to speed things up, or go 2H when other options fail to pull back a loose mob aggroed on a healer. Otherwise, stick with sword-and-board and keep your healers alive and happy.

*4. Tanking gear should emphasize Stamina and mitigation (high armor, + defense, good shield vs. melee mobs, resists vs. casters). Protection is the tanking Talent tree, but for many Warriors its added group value for tanking is personally outweighed by the advantages of other trees for PVP and damage-dealing. Even if focused elsewhere, consider talents including Defiance, Improved Taunt and also Improved Revenge.

*5. Defensive stance is the primary tanking stance, with 10% reduction of damage from ALL sources as well as a 30% Threat bonus even without Defiance. Berserk Stance actually increases damage suffered and reduces Threat generated = bad for tanking. This said, using Battle Stance to open the fight with a Charge and Berserk Stance with whirlwind to attract the attention of numerous trash mobs are favored by some. If planning to stance dance, get the Arms talent Tactical Mastery to save some Rage when shifting or burn it with Threat-builders before you switch.

*6. AOE skills include Demoralizing Shout, Thunderclap, Cleave, Whirlwind, and Challenging Shout. Battle Shout provide both AOE Threat and a terrific group melee buff. Shield Block reportedly has a small AOE effect. Snap-aggro tools are Taunt, Mocking Blow and Challenging Shout. Basic tanking skills are Sunder Armor, Shield Block/Revenge, and Shield Bash (for interrupts). Hamstring is needed rarely in instances because targeted mobs usually go down too quickly to run far and it saves Rage to to have a Rogue use Crippling Poison.

*7. Demo Shout is a Rage-efficient AOE Threat and debuff, more effective in Defensive Stance. Thunder Clap requires Battle Stance - it debuffs mob attack speed and builds Threat on 4 targets, but is low damage and expensive at 20 Rage. If your AOE is resisted you can attack or Taunt the loose mob. Sunder Armor remains the main Threat-builder. With multiple mobs, Sunder the initial target twice to give the MA time to lock on target, then TAB-Sunder the others. Sunder stacks 5x but 2-3 is enough against non-Bosses. Use Revenge when available for good Threat at only 5 Rage. It requires block, parry or dodge, so complements use of a Shield and Shield Block. Shield Bash is low damage but interrupts casters and can silence with talents (also use to build Threat while disarmed).

*8. Taunt is the most basic but misused aggro tool. It has no effect and wastes your timer if the mob is already aggroed on you. When a mob moves away to attack a squishy, taunt after that player fails to shed aggro (see Sec. 12 above), then hit, Sunder or Shield Block/Revenge it a few times to build Threat. Mocking Blow is your 10 Rage emergency backup if Taunt is on cool-down.

*9. Cooldown Skills: Many Warrior skills are on cooldowns and reward skillful timing. Challenging Shout puts all mobs in range on you for 6 seconds, restoring order to chaos, but you need to act quickly to firm up aggro with a fresh AOE followed by cycling Sunder on the formerly-loose mobs. Intimidating Shout fears all but your target, providing a brief respite (at the risk of adds). Retaliation is like Thorns or Retribution Aura and stacks with them, but on a 30 min cooldown. The Last Stand talent gives a bonus 30% of max health for 20 seconds and Shield Wall briefly cuts damage taken by 75%. These are usually saved for near-wipes and boss fights.

*10. Hellmount in his excellent tanking article (see link below) distinguishes “Rage Burner” skills which should be reserved for use of excess Rage or critical moments (e.g., taking down a boss or a mob about to kill a player). Most damage skills are Rage Burners, such as Mortal Strike, Heroic Strike, Overpower, Execute, and Cleave. Whirlwind is also expensive at 25 Rage but can be worth it if you have 3 or 4 targets you need to hit quickly.

*11. Pick a safe combat area with minimal risk of adds, runners and accidents (e.g., knockback into lava or off a ledge). Pull smart. If risky, use a Hunter or Rogue as needed and tell the crew to stay back out of combat until it is time to join in. It is better to die alone than wipe the party. Allow room for Hunters to shoot and for Rogues to attack the mobs from behind. To help with this and gain better situational awareness, try dragging the mobs aggroed on you in a small half circle so you end facing back towards your group, offering them the mobs’ backs. Charge mobs when you want to fight them where they stand. To bring them to the group, a Hunter, Rogue or sheeping can pull them to the combat area where you charge/intercept them. Use your gun or bow when needed for a precise pull. The group should stay out of aggro range until ready. Tell them you need 5-12 seconds to firm up aggro and to wait for your signal to attack (e.g., when they see the first Sunder Armor icon).

*12. Pre-combat Power Word: Shield prevents damage without healing Threat, but as patched it eliminates Rage generation from damage. Although Rage from doing damage exceeds Rage from being hit, in some situations the incremental Rage is still going to outweigh the value of reducing healing Threat. Talk with your Priest about initial PWS. Note that PreHOTs provide a safety margin without adversely affecting Rage.

*13. Example Single-Target Boss Combat Sequence: Battle stance 1H/Shield, Charge, (Thunderclap,) (Mortal Strike,) Defensive Stance, Demo Shout, Sunder up to 5x, Revenge when available, Shield Bash to interrrupt casts, refresh debuffs, add Rage Burners. Parentheses indicate optional moves.

*14. Example Multi-Target Sequence: Battle stance 1H/Shield, Charge, Thunderclap, Piercing Howl (Fury talent), (Berserk Stance & Whirlwind,) Defensive Stance, Demo Shout, Sunder or Revenge on primary target, TAB cycle Sunder on all nearby mobs, return to hit primary target, refresh Demo Shout, (Battle Stance + refresh Thunderclap, Defensive Stance,) start with primary and cycle Sunder/Revenge.

*15. A Warrior should be expected to handle 2 mobs with ease even if the group is sloppy with assists, 3-4 non-Boss mobs effectively with proper assists, and 5+ non-elites loosely (meaning healing or AOE is liable to strip some off) with skill and luck. The more numerous the mobs, the more important are crowd control and an alert off-Tank.

==(15)==BEAR TANKING AND AGGRO TECHNIQUES==2005.0702==
Warrior tanking concepts also apply to Bears, but Bears have a narrower set of aggro tools. In a common order of use these include Enrage, Faerie Fire (4th tier talent), Demoralizing Roar, Maul, Swipe (repeat, repeat), Growl, Bash, Feral Charge, and Challenging Roar. Talents in Sharpened Claws and Primal Fury boost crits and Rage, and Furor is valuable for initial rage entering Bear Form since Enrage takes time (though if Furor is nerfed as proposed these talents should go elsewhere). In Bear form you can body-pull normally or ranged-pull with the Faerie Fire armor debuff. I prefer to save Rage and do initial damage by pulling with Starfire, Moonfire and/or Faerie Fire in caster form before switching to Bear. A pre-HOT self-Regrowth is also a good idea for healing while a Rejuv cast after pulling but before going to Bear will build your aggro. Thorns should be continually refreshed.

Thorns, Swipe, Demo Roar and Challenging Roar are the Bear’s multi-mob aggro tools. Swipe hits 3 opponents, Thorns hits everyone attacking you. Demo Roar keeps the mobs debuffed for 30 seconds, mitigating damage and is ideal for initial threat on a group of mobs once they are all nearby. Because of the cooldown, Challenging Roar is a last resort tool when you need to pull back multiple loose mobs. I use Enrage at every opportunity -- the armor reduction is greatly outweighed by the added Rage and Threat. Frenzied Regeneration should be properly timed.

Growl is a taunt that temporarily puts you on top of the Threat list - rather than adding permanent Threat. It has no effect on a mob already attacking you. If you want to keep the mob’s attention, have extra rage ready to Maul and get a few hits in after the Growl to get aggro. Researchers have reported that Demo Roar is equivalent to about 1/4th the attack power debuff amount in Bear form damage, thorns 1:1 with Bear damage. Faerie Fire is similar to Warrior Sunder (or Rogue Expose Armor) and stacks with these. It causes Threat -- how I don’t know. I also am not clear on the extent to which Bear Swipe and Maul generate additional aggro out of proportion to normal Bear damage, but it is generally believed they do.

With a little time to build Threat, some Rage-building talents, and FF Bear, a Bear can hold aggro against dps classes on any single boss or mob without an aggro-wiping knock-back (those are hard for Warriors as well). With 3-target Swipe as an AOE attack, Bears should be expected to hold 3 mobs easily with proper assists and 4 or 5 non-elites more loosely with skill and luck. To help round up loose mobs, Bears have Growl and Challenging Roar but not the range of aggro tools that a Warrior has. Properly equipped, talented and skilled Bears can and have Main Tanked all instances through Molten Core, but even Druids with healer spec and gear can off-tank. Particularly if pulling with Starfire and moonfire before going into Bear, a Druid with no Feral talents can readily maintain aggro off-tanking a boss or other single mob while the group focuses on its current target. Feral talents are valuable for tanking multiple mobs.

==(16)==TANKING BY OTHER CLASSES==2005.0825==

“Don’t worry, my pet will tank.”

Sometimes you don’t have a Warrior or Druid to tank, so that role falls upon other classes that can create Threat but lack special tanking-specific skills. They must rely on direct Threat generation through damage or healing as well as particular Threat-generating or reducing casts. With generally lower damage mitigation they require more heals, which creates more healing aggro, so this means they should try to tackle fewer mobs at a time, have the group be careful about always assisting, and that being a higher level in order to do more damage and sustain less damage (or soak up more before a heal is required) becomes particularly important. Just as Druids can use self-healing to enhance Threat, other healers can do the same to keep the mobs sticking to them (though Paladin healing creates reduced Threat). Note that both Shamans, and more so Paladins, rely on mana for aggro generation, and their mana pool may dry up in a long fight while Rage keeps Warriors and Bears going. Because of this, Shaman and Paladin tanks face a greater equipment challenge in balancing tanking stats (stamina, armor, strength, and defense) with sufficient intellect and spirit/mana regen.

Although DPS classes can be good at generating Threat and grabbing aggro and may be able to off-tank, because of damage mitigation the only other classes that should be considered for a Main Tank role when Warriors or Druids are not available (or when the class is substantially higher in level than the rest of the party) are Paladins and Shamans or, as a last expedient, either Voidwalkers or Hunter pets with high armor or health and tanking talents. Comparing Shamans and Paladins: Paladins have better damage mitigation; Paladins can reduce Threat on group members; Shaman healing creates more Threat; Shamans have higher DPS. Both can heal, have aggro-generating specials, and can choose talents more or less useful for tanking. Both classes have limitations on the use of multiple totems, seals or auras, which places a premium on appropriate tactics for the circumstances. Let me stress that tanking is not the best use of a Paladin or Shaman if there is a Warrior or Bear available, but sometimes neither is available. Both Shamans and Paladins can be effective Main Assists, but may be more valuable as a secondary melee assist while also supporting the group with their casts and acting as backup healer and off-tank while a Rogue acts as Main Assist. Shaman ability to act as a Main Tank substitute declines at higher levels and drops off dramatically after Sunken Temple (which is still easy if you are a 60). Paladins, with their greater mitigation, last somewhat longer, and have tanked all bosses up to UBRS and off-tanked in Molten Core. Some players have pointed out that engineering not only helps PVP but also provides AOE damage, crowd control and taunt toys that help tanking (as well as the ability to build repairbots, a plus when seeking entry to high-end instance groups).

--16A--SHAMAN TANKING--2005.0910--In addition to the relevant points above, following are additional useful points about Shaman tanking, most also applicable to off-tanking techniques.

*1. Shaman have Rockbiter, Earth Shock, and a variety of AOE shock, totems and attacks as well as potentially powerful melee, totem and AOE attacks (depending on spec), and their healing aggro is not reduced like Paladins (a benefit for tanking, though not if group healer). Many Enhancement talents are useful for tanking as well as melee in general, while Improved Lesser Healing Wave and Nature’s Swiftness in the Restoration tree are very useful for uninterrupted healing while tanking. Unlike a Druids, who needs to change into vulnerable caster form to cast a heal, a Shaman can simultaneously tank and build Threat through needed heals.

*2. Shamans can generate Threat but lack the tools Warriors and Bears have to handle multiple mobs, so zergs are more dangerous. Pull to a safe area and limit the mobs you tank to 3 at a time if you can. Sharing the burden between 2 Shaman tanks or with a pet is useful; the weaker tank should act as Main Assist on the group’s target while the stronger tanks all the other mobs. Shamans don’t have the taunts to fight over a mob’s aggro with the Main Assist or another player while tanking multiple others. If a mage/hunter/rogue won’t assist and insists on getting personal aggro you can’t stop him so don’t try. You can always rez him later. Focus on the loose mobs.

*3. For tanking or off-tanking swap in high-armor Tanking gear with a mix of STAM/AGI/STR as well as adequate INT for endurance and survivability. Add as much +Defense gear as you can manage without seriously affecting your stats (assuming you have Parry and a shield to Block with). Hitting 60 your set should have 4000-4500 health and 5000-6000 armor. Use a Shield + 1 Hander except against a small number of trash mobs. I use Wardrobe to switch outfits between mobs and Weaponswap to switch weapon/shield combos in combat.

*4. Tanking is greatly aided by Enhancement talents. The tree up to Parry is commonly recommended for all Shamans while leveling up, usually combined with Restoration. Thundering Strikes, 2 Handers, Improved Lightning Shield, Flurry, and Parry are useful for both DPS and tanking. Shield Spec, Anticipation and Toughness are more useful if tanking/off-tanking often or focusing on a melee build but can be substituted for with better gear.

*5. You can’t handle sloppy situations like a Warrior nor do Earth Shock cooldowns let you pick up solid aggro against a large number of mobs as quickly. When tanking, pay extra attention to coordinating crowd control, the effect of your AOEs, maintaining proper Main Assist/Secondary Assist roles, and having the team ramp up damage over time rather than fire their heavy artillery right away.

*6. Apply Rockbiter and Lightning Shield before the fight. Get Thorns or Fire Shield to help build incremental Threat on mobs you are not hitting. Lay down totems (e.g., Grace of Air and either Stoneskin or Strength of Earth) and then pull with Chain Lighting for multi-mob initial aggro. Your mana priority is having Earth Shocks available for Threat. If you decide to use fire totems for damage rather than initial AOE threat against multiple mobs, use them only if you have already tagged all mobs so they won’t pull aggro and be immediately destroyed.

*7. Use your highest Earth Shock (enhances Threat) on the first target mob as early as possible in the pull and then hit and ES the next one to get solid Threat on both of them. Cycling hits with Rockbiter and using an Earthshock against each mob in the pull will build good aggro. Once cycled, you may decide to conserve ES for use like a taunt on any loose mobs rather than burn it to build further aggro - it depends on the situation. In any case, keep Rockbiting.

*8. Selective and well-timed use of Improved Lesser Healing Wave and Nature’s Swiftness can help improve your survivability, build aggro, and reduce the primary healer’s healing aggro risk. If a sapping rogue or other player pulls initial aggro and takes damage, a quick heal on him will create Threat on all mobs aware of him and pull them to you. Do your own first heal if you can. If the healer pulls aggro, throwing a big heal on him can help pull the mobs back. But remember you are the tank, not the healer - conserve your mana for keeping the mobs on you.

*9. Frost shock runners. Tauren can War Stomp to buy time to throw a tactical heal or stop a mob from killing the healer.

*10. Of course, when Shamans in a group are NOT tanking or off-tanking tactics change. They should avoid unnecessary aggro by ramping up damage over time, avoiding Rockbiter, and using Earth Shocks only for interrupts at level 1. Flameshock has more mana-efficient shock damage. If off-tanking part-time, Rockbiter can be applied to one weapon and Windfury to another and a weaponswap macro used to wield either at need.

--16B--PALADIN TANKING-- 2006.0206--In addition to relevant points above, following are some additional points about Paladin tanking:

*1. The weakness of a Paladin compared with a Warrior or Bear is handling numerous mobs. Lack of a taunt or other snap-aggro tool after a mob knockback wipes aggro (it is even more important to fight with your back to a corner or wall to limit knockbacks) or recovering other loose mobs aggroed on other players makes it even more important to get proper /assists from the team and have them give you 10-15 seconds of personal time with the mobs before unleashing DPS. Shamans beat Paladins in aggro, Paladins beat Shamans in survivability. It is this high armor mitigation, self-healing, and effective tools to build Threat over time that make Paladins good off-tanks and viable single-target tanks even in the endgame.

* 2. Properly specced Paladins can do considerable damage, but focusing on boosting damage rather than Threat can be a fatal error. Patch 1.9 replaced the old Seal of Fury/Judgement of Fury combo with the Righteous Fury (RF) self-buff (also available at level 16), which generates 60% increased Threat from ALL of the Paladin’s Holy attacks. Fully Improved Righteous Fury (requiring a minimum of 13pts in Protection) increases Fury-related Threat by 90%. Paladins report that RF generates less single-target Threat than SOF did, but it applies to ALL Holy attacks so increases tanking ability against multiple mobs using Consecration/Holy Wrath AOEs. Seal of Righteousness (SOR) remains the basic tanking seal, as it creates additional Holy damage in melee. Holy Shock can be useful for Paladin ranged pulling and trying to recover aggro, but as a 31pt Holy talent is not part of a normal tanking build.

*3. Unlike a Shaman, a Paladin needs to use talents to have access to key tanking tools. Consecration is an essential talent and provides an 8-second Holy damage AOE for the 11th pt in Holy (for a tank the preceding talents would be Divine Strength and Improved Seal of Righteousness). Improved Righteous Fury (tps 11-13 in Protection) is also important, however, which with Consecration leaves 27tps for use in the Protection or Retribution trees. Once you have mobs hitting you, Consecration combines well with Holy Shield (the 31 TP Protection talent), which increases block rate and inflicts Holy damage for up to 4 shield blocks, and increased blocking from Redoubt and Shield Specialization. However, Protection in 1.9 is generally viewed as a weak primary tree overall compared with Retribution, which has a variety of talents that increase damage generation. Unfortunately, you can’t fit Holy Shield, Consecration and Seal of Command into 51tps. [To be checked: Righteous Fury effect on Threat from blocks and retribution aura?]

*4. Single target tanking is simple - keep Improved Righteous Fury on, judge Crusader on the mob, and do as much damage as possible, focusing on Holy damage. Use Holy Shield early if you have it in order to build Threat. Retribution Aura and Consecration are primarily multi-mob tools, but can also help keep aggro on a single target (as can Thorns). Against multiple mobs, you can begin with Consecration to pull initial aggro and Retribution Aura to build Threat, hit Holy Shield if you have it, judge Crusader and hit with SOR on the initial group target a few times, and then cycle a few hits through the other mobs while spamming Consecration every 8 seconds. Because Consecration can break crowd control, sapping followed by a sheep or hunter pull to your consecrated area will help. To conserve mana in longer multi-mob fights, use lower ranks of Consecration and Holy Shield to keep them active as much as possible. Against Undead, pulling with Holy Wrath will get their attention, but your Priest should know to shackle only after the pull.

*5. To help forestall difficulties in recovering aggro lost to healer or DPS classes, Blessing of Salvation can be cast on them for 30% Threat reduction. If that fails, Blessing of Protection can be cast to immunize the teammate from assault and help pull aggro back, but even improved it has a 3 minute timer so should be saved for emergencies. Hammer of Justice can stun loose mobs and creates Threat, but due to the timer should also be saved for dangerous runners or saving your healer. Never bubble when tanking as the mobs will turn on your group.

*6. Paladin self-healing in combat benefits greatly from the Spiritual Focus Holy talent, giving up to 70% non-interruptability. Lacking this, a Hammer of Justice stun or Concentration Aura can be used to help heal, but neither are suitable for this purpose while tanking, and tanking is mana-intensive, leaving less mana for heals. Threat from Paladin healing was recently increased, but still generates less Threat per HP than other classes’ heals. This makes Paladins better healers and more survivable tanks but makes healing aggro a weak tool. This is OK because the Paladin should be healed by the group healers in order to conserve mana for tanking. For a long fight, keep Blessing of Wisdom on yourself and carry mana potions.

*7. Retribution Aura inflicts Holy damage on every mob attacking any person with the Aura and can be improved for TPs 16-17 in Retribution. Like thorns, it is useful for tanking multiple mobs, but because it works on ALL members of your party any aggro they pull becomes more sticky. When the number of mobs is manageably few and you have a lot of casters, Concentration Aura uninterruptability may be more worthwhile. For 21 TPs in Retribution, Sanctity Aura provides a nice boost to Holy damage.

*8. Choosing Paladin gear is always a tradeoff. Tanking does not simplify the decision because your need for +defense gear, stamina, and AC increases but you still need mana. Mana regen gear and BOWisdom remain important for long fights. With Wisdom judged on your target you will gain mana from both the normal hits and the “phantom hit” from Righteous Fury. Even with only Redoubt, you will block a lot and always get the best shield spike you can. Consider armor or trinkets that proc damage against anyone attacking you or have another useful AOE effect against multiple mobs.

--16C--PETS--2005.0605--Pets can be actively managed to aggro multiple mobs with growl and an attack or two each to build light aggro, but this process is relatively slow compared with the speed with which multiple mobs will aggro on party members. Keep in mind that pets are built to grab single target aggro and hold it reasonably well in the face of a controlled level of DPS from the Hunter or Warlock - i.e., they are designed as off Tanks and expecting them to Tank two or more mobs for a group in the face of concentrated damage or healing Threat generation is unrealistic. They can, however, keep one or two mobs busy for a time and sacrifice themselves so the party members can get the job done.

Although the Voidwalker is the most effective for this purpose with the multi-mob Suffering taunt (especially if improved with Demonology talents), in instances the stamina buff and ranged damage of the Imp or the crowd control of the Succubus are usually more useful. Use the Hunter’s pet if available. With the pet tanking, the Hunter is Main Assist and everyone should assist on him. As always, all Pets should be on passive, controlled via the pet bar. If the pet has to tank, it should be sorted out in advance whether the Hunter will be responsible for healing his pet. Since it is tanking, the primary healer is normally going to heal the pet. This is easier now that pet portraits are in the game.

Although greater customization is promised by Blizzard, currently Hunter pets are fairly generic, varying to some degree in three key attributes: armor, health, and dps. Pets are either high in one, medium in another and low in the third, or somewhere in the middle on all three like boars, vultures, hyenas, and wolves. Pets also vary in attack speed, with DPS pets usually faster. Pets with high armor have the most physical damage mitigation, but with multiple mobs, and magic attacks that are not affected by armor, they going to take considerable damage and may require chain healing, so high health, medium armor, low dps (i.e., bears) would be my first choice for a pet tank.

Conversely, where a pet is not needed as a Tank or durable Off-tank, a high-dps pet (cat, bat, owl, raptor, or spider) may help the group the most by assisting the Hunter.

==(17)==RESERVED==

PART 5: SPECIAL TOPICS

==(18)==RESERVED==

==(19)==OF DOTS AND WARLOCKS==2005.0802==DOTs are a perfect tool for ramping up damage and curses like curse of weakness for weakening or otherwise hindering mobs (I suggest the primary healer save their mana for healing and not build additional Threat with DOTs). In theory, warlocks should be perfect for cycling through the mobs the Tank has aggroed but the main assist is not working on and laying first a curse of weakness to reduce their damage to the Tank and then rounds of damage DOTs, before moving to more damaging casts to help the Main Assist while staying below the Threat curve.

Doing a direct assist on the Tank while the Tank cycles would maximize safety (ideally the warlock would cycle with the Tank by hitting assist before casting). Curse of recklessness on the Main Assist’s target when it gets low on health both reduces its armor and keeps it from running, although the mob does additional damage as well. What I am not clear on is to what extent curses build Threat beyond normal Threat from damage or debuffs. Warlocks also often have high HP and the ability to in effect heal themselves by sucking the life from their foes, something which can inadvertently waste valuable healing mana when the Warlock does not really need a heal. What I suggest is that the Warlock talk with the Tank and healer about some things other than just soulstones, fear, crowd control and passing out healthstones to everyone (Tank first so he can self-heal, building Threat, then Main Assist, healer and others). Should the Warlock DOT all the mobs or focus on helping the Main Assist? If so, the warrior needs to take more care to build Threat from the mobs. Will the Warlock be his own off Tank/crowd control if he pulls aggro? An experienced Tank will have some definite views on what would work best.

How does the healer feel about life tap? It is good practice for a Warlock to life tap if at full health but low mana in order to benefit from both health and mana regen, but excessive life tapping looks like severe damage and may draw a heal away from another player who needs it. Life tapping combined with healing to replenish the health bar is an effective way to keep the Warlock doing damage in a long fight. (When healing, it is surprising how many Warlocks don’t listen when I tell them they should life tap to get needed mana in combat, and that they need to make room on their health bar before I can land a heal there.) A Warlock and healer should have an understanding -should the healer not feel obligated to heal the Warlock until the Warlock is dipping low in both health and mana, AOEing or sends a HELP HELP message?

(20)==RESERVED==

PART 6: LINKS AND CITATIONS

==(21)==LINKS (interesting, but no guarantees) =2006.0601==
Healing Aggro FAQ and research results by Remedy from mid 2005 (technical and long, no longer on forums):
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-priest&t=68148&p=1&tmp=1#post68148

Kenco’s “Threat Values and Formula” dated 24 January 2006.
http://www.evilempireguild.org/guides/threat.html (several other substantive guides on site)

Hellmount’s Guide to Tanking Warriors
http://strategy.worldofwar.net/news.php?id=39

==(22)==OTHER CITATIONS (threads no longer available)

This content relies heavily on extensive review and analysis of comments by WOW players too numerous to name and threads which are unfortunately now no longer available to link. Thanks to you all.

==(23)==Q & A==