Look obviously we've already decided that there isn't a piece of content in the game now that requires a guard for competent players. So if you really want to guard that dps, well then it's better than not using a guard in the first place.

 

I would merely argue that almost every possible situation in this game is better addressed by guarding healers or exceptionally squishy dps. Those that are squishy and aoe bursty are especially more suited as guard targets LIGHTNING SORCERERS I'M STARING RIGHT AT YOU!!!! (well you and me in a mirror 'cause I play/leveled one)

 

Way to win: (in no order)

1. Keep ops/group frames red. (H2F)

2. Don't stand in stupid. (L2P)

3. Kill stuff. (Make them Pay)

 

#WINNING

1. I've been tanking forever. I've found that for this game, Guard is an extraneous tool that is a novelty for anyone with real experience playing truly difficult content from older, harder games with less room for failure. Games that didn't have to include "hard mode" in their content, because everything was already pretty frickin' hard, thanks very much.

2. Novelty or not, Guard is obviously intended to be used to dampen threat from damage dealers. The facts are out about healing threat in this game: It's got long range but it is MINISCULE. That being said, the presence of guard does nothing to reduce the RANGE of healed threat. Meaning anything that spawns in and isn't immediately tanked or damaged will zoom towards your preciously guarded healers regardless of how much putting a guard on them means you aren't a mediocre tank, or whatever your insane troll logic is trying to say.

3. Using guard as an assignation over whether or not a tank is "skilled" is silly, and has been rightfully refuted by the majority of people people who've read this claim. It is the equivalent of saying that people who pronounce their vowels without slurring are incapable of eating baked potatoes. What?

Lowbie healers DO need guard, because they are effectively in DPS gear. Healing abilities have a threat multiplier attached so that they draw aggro when using alacrity gear, to make things more difficult. In lowbie gear, where alacrity is a lot more rare than say Surge, Power, and Crit, they are putting out a lot of threat. This goes down as healers start to stack Alacrity, and their other stats go down in comparison to their DPS counterparts, so it works out that they put out less threat than most DPS.

 

In lowbies, guard the healer. In endgame, guard healers that are tardic enough to wear DPS gear. They need the threat reduction that Guard provides.

So many bads...

Your "facts" are made-up. Heals draw 50% of the threat that a similar attack would do, unless the attack is a melee one, in which case heals generate even less threat. Alacrity, if anything, causes a healer to generate slightly more threat because it will cause their HPS to rise. It is not a threat multiplier either way. Mobs have to simply be un-engaged by anyone to agro a healer who is doing his job.

Guard the melee DPS, or lacking that, the DPS most likely to pull agro. If the healer (or other group members) whine about it, educate them. If they refuse to be educated, that's fine (some people have short times to play and want to get things done), but don't just capitulate because they whine. Make sure you educate DPS on proper kill order while you're at it!

And this advice doesn't go for top-end elite raiders. They know what to do with Guard. I'm giving advice to tanks for leveling FPs (and HM FPs, for that matter).

As a healer i am producing aggro on ALL mobs that are involved in a fight. So now explain why guarding the healer will not at least give the healer little more time until these other mobs are starting to attack the healer ?

Because half of something (your threat to the mob) is still more than zero of something else (threat from other players who are ignoring said mob).

Guard the melee DPS, or lacking that, the DPS most likely to pull agro. If the healer (or other group members) whine about it, educate them. If they refuse to be educated, that's fine (some people have short times to play and want to get things done), but don't just capitulate because they whine. Make sure you educate DPS on proper kill order while you're at it!

You know it to be true when Fidelicatessen and I agree on something. EOD

When I tank KDY, I put guard on the healer, since it is a free for all. When the healer sees I guard him, he has always followed me, in which case the other two fall in line (usually).

In a real flashpoint.... yeah, almost never on a healer.