This would be for tanks who I don't generally run with since both our guild tanks are pretty freaking awesome (provided our shadow has a shield a not a focus equipped. ).

Flashpoints

The big one here is pace. I really don't mind if one takes a little longer due to random wipes, or people messing up fights or the accidental pulling of a few groups, but it can be really frustrating when the thing is doubled because there is a ready check and cc marks before every pull.

Which brings me to ccs. CCs are great if it's been proven that they're needed, but when every single pull is started by stunning the majority of enemies, it is really boring for me. If I'm doing a flashpoint I want to heal things, and it's really hard to do that when there is only one active enemy at a time. If you don't think you can handle all of them that's fine, but you won't get any better without practice, and while I know I don't speak for everyone, personally, I don't mind getting attacked or having to heal the DPS if it means that I can have fun, and don't have the urge to respec to scrapper. This also means that you don't need to cheese or LoS every single pull. It just make things longer than they have to be.

Know whee your group is. xD Sometimes extra pulls happen. When they do it's best not to go running ahead and starting another fight while everyone else is a room behind dealing with the last one.

It's a flashpoint. Your gear does not have to be stellar or even good, but some basic mitigation stats are nice. If you misqued as a tank, or just didn't want to wait in line forever and thought that you could respec and use DPS gear that's cool. Just PLEASE let me know ahead of time so I know to focus on you, and not have a panic attack when your health bar is obliterated. In this case I will reserve all right to whipe my hands clean of at least some of the wipes.

I'll normally laugh if you put the guard on me, unless it's clear that the DPS won't pull off of you and you&re just putting it on someone to have it out there. Most fights don't require a healer guard (Though some ops bosses will), if you're unsure just pick the best geared DPS unless proven otherwise.

Don't be a diva. Tanks are rare, and can take a long time to replace but that doesn't mean that it's your group. Be polite.

TLDR: See what your healer feels comfortable with and have faith in them.

Operations

Honestly I'm at a complete loss as to what tanks to the majority of the time. I'm off healing and they're doing something magical that keeps people from dying.

If you don't know what you're doing, that's fine but be open to advice from those that know (it probably won't be from me since I have huge gaps in operations knowledge), but if someone is willing/able to teach be open to learn. That goes for everyone.

For the defensive cooldown discussion, I think our raid tanks normally save them for when they either took an surprising amount of damage and a rightfully worried that we might let them die, for scripted parts of a fight, and (I could be wrong), for when it seems like the healers are falling behind on raid damage and need a few seconds to get caught up and regen resources. Our shadow normally calls out when he uses one anyhow so we know we can take a breath.

Overall

I don't have much preference to class or anything like that. I don't have nearly as much experience healing guardians, but all three classes seem to be fairly comparable. :-\

I'll heal anyone who wants to try and tank.....so long as they ~

*snip*

4) will make sure I'm actually present & within healing range before they make a boss pull.

5) will give me time to regen before a boss pull if I want it.

Reasons #4 and #5 are why I stopped using Group Finder with my Healers. I only have experience with story mode Flashpoints. When I did use GF with my Healers, far too often the Tank was oblivious to my position, and health level, before doing a pull. I'd heal the Tank through a big fight, and need to regen. The Tank needs to regen. I'll be doing my regen, and my screen goes red because the Tank has pulled. I have to find the Tank, get within range, and try to keep the Tank and myself alive just because the Tank did not take a few seconds for regen. And, taking a moment before pulling to see where I was located.

And, do use taunts. Get that powerful NPC away from me. As a Tank (properly quipped), you have the mitigation to take the damage. As a Healer who isn't having to defend myself because you won't use taunts, I will keep you alive.

When I did GF with my Healers, I did keep myself and such Tanks alive. Not fun, just tiresome and frustrating.

If you are on a tanking learning curve, that's okay. Say so. Everyone is new at some point. If you make a mistake and we wipe, that's okay. Everybody messes up at some point. Learn from the mistake.

I'm relatively new to healing and only have done Black Talon/Esselles and the orbital superweapon thingy (Forgot name) and I've noticed that most Tanks are stereotypical muscle men. 'Me have big big power but no smarty-smart-smarts.' You need to let me regen. You need to let me catch up. You need to stop the damn bosses and grapple/heavy from targeting me and either :

a) Wiping me out

b) Interrupting my heals with knockbacks or grapples.

The only reliable tanks are those I've known since Korriban/Tython/Ord Mantell/Hutta.

I expect nothing when I step to my most typical activity, PuG FPs and Ops. I have spent plenty to gear up my toon, because that way it's easier to carry newer players especially Flashpoints I am glad if tank has tankstance on. But I don't expect it. If tank is actually DPS then I figure out something... Nice healing check at least

If tank happens to be a god who doesn't let me get beaten I am amused and usually /w them special thanks after run. (or DPS if they are good)

But I mentally prepare to be healertank before every run, that way I won't get disappointed

I am not wonderful player myself either, so I won't expect tank to be

One of the best things you can do as a tank, is to play a healer. I used to do almost only tanking, but once I got a few more 55s, I started doing other roles some. There are people better than you, and you can pick up tricks from them. I hit 50 back when LI Hm was fairly tough in group finder. Watching others tank the fights, I saw what I was doing differently, and what they were doing wrong. For instance sometimes standing in a certain spot can cause a healer to have to move or is just annoying in some way, but you will not know that until you try to heal that fight.

Other things, always build shield and absorb over endurance, endurance is pointless in most fights. Learn the fights before you try them, and look for tips to make the fights easier. As a tank, I would almost never have a mic step up with my guild when raiding and doing tfb hm before 2.0, but was still able to preform due to watching the fights, and doing the lower raids many times before. You are often expected to be the leader as a tank, so dont get angry, you can almost always take a group through a raid if they want to learn.

Basically, just know your stuff and watch others doing it, and make the fight as easy as possible for everyone else.

What do you want from tanks in the party?

What do you expect them to do or don't do?

- To not guard me.

- To pick get and hold aggro.

- Not to stand in bad stuff.

- To keep an eye on stray mobs the derps managed to miss with their "GO BIG NUMBERS GO BIG NUMBERS" mentality.

- How to play.

- Know that communication is key.

 

 

As someone that's been main tanking for over two years now, I find it rather easy to heal. It just easier to recognise what kind of tank I'm playing with. This is invaluable in flashpoints and many a wipe has been averted by me engaging and killing or cc'ing mobs that would otherwise gank me since everyone else was tunnel-visioning.

When on my healer (Sorc), I like it when my tank is fast. Not recklessly fast, just not wasting time. See your group is there, couple of notes on the fight, pull. It is annoying when there are unnecessary pauses or tank going AFK all the time. I also like it when the tank is a nice person. Because of shortage of tanks, they often become spoilt, intolerant and big-headed.

When on my tank (PT), it is not really important which class my healer is. If all are kept alive, what else one could ask for : ) I respect people who devote themselves to healing. They sacrifice the fun of DPSing, and are real team players.

P.S. Assassin tanks - I am always suspicious when I group with one. Been playing for some time, but only 2 or 3 sin tanks were good. IMHO it is the most difficult tank class to play (and to heal), very few people know the class well.