Tanking

Had a couple of interesting experiences tanking recently, and the difference between them pretty intense. Settled has got a fair bit of tanking gear (509 defence at the moment) but needs a better sword than a Nagrand quest reward... There isn't really a decent level 80 crafted 1 handed defence weapon for paladins, so running Utgarde (Keep or Pinnacle?) for the red sword is going to be a priority. However, I decided to go it solo through some Burning Crusade instances to get used to being a tank.

It's got me used to Judging Wisdom and keeping Divine Plea active to keep my mana topped off (5,000 mana isn't really a lot if there's no replenishment). I've practiced at turning mobs around, and keep my back to a wall to stop them getting behind me. I've practiced pulling groups away from patrols, and keeping things moving from one group to another.

Admittedly, they weren't done on Heroic difficulty, so I'm not blowing a trumpet or anything, but I think I did rather well to complete both Underbog and Slave Pens without any help whatsoever. To be fair, the bosses were easier than the trash once I got my rotation worked out, but I'm pulling with the single target taunt then throwing Avenger's Shield into the mix and using a Judgement, Hammer of the Righteous, Shield of Righteousness, Consecration and Holy Shield. Remembering to ensure Righteous Fury is on and keeping a Seal active is also something I need to concentrate on.

I'm sure when I'm def capped, it'll be a straightforward job tanking heroics, and gear up for raiding.

The other "tanking" experience was very different. Sticking Demon Armor on instead of Fel Armor and spamming high threat spells (Searing Pain) against Mimiron (phase 3) was fun. I got about 130,000 threat lead then started opening up with my "normal" rotation and kept a clear mile above the rest of the dps when the magnets brought it down. We tried a different approach last night, and got Phase 4 to 0% head, 0% body and 2% base. The closest we'd ever been to downing it. The base went to 0% as the head regenerated. Gutted. Thinking about extending the raid next week to have a clear blast at Mimiron and try to get through to the last couple of bosses.