Tank - agility to dodge and strength to block

grimjack · 08/08/06, 2:15 PM

I want to build a tank heavy with agility to dodge and strength to block. So I'll be going more for the Strength/Agi items over the Stam/Defense items.

So, frankly, am I wasting my time?

Thanks

Sticks · 08/08/06, 2:21 PM

Yes, especially with the strength. There is plenty of written info on tanking gear/info/priorities, the evil empire warrior guide being one of the better ones.

subscience · 08/08/06, 2:24 PM

Strength adds only a very, very slight amount to block (20 Str = 1(?) block value). Agility is a bit better since it directly affects your AC as well as your dodge rate (20 Agi = 1% dodge, roughly 2 AC per 1 Agi).

It really comes down to your current gear- If you feel comfortable with your current Defense (440 Defense means you cannot be crit by mobs level 63 or lower I believe) and HP (honestly, you can never have enough), it may be feasable to persue Agility (though Strength doesn't seem wholly worth it).

Though, I personally would put Stamina above Defense above Agility for most of the encounters I've done so far.

Edit- For fights with heavy non-physical damage, Stamina always seems to be the preferred tanking stat.

Mashonawen · 08/08/06, 2:25 PM

You are wasting your time. Things like chance to dodge and block value are the icing on the cake. The key stats to focus on are defense (at 440 or something you cannot be crit by level 63 mobs, i.e. bosses and a lot of raid trash), chance to block (because those same level 63's have a 15% chance to hit you with a crushing blow even at 440 defense, yet you can wipe crushing blows off the combat table when using the shield block skill with a chance to block of at least 25%), and, of course, stamina (no explanation necessary).

Rachel · 08/08/06, 2:27 PM

It is definitely a waste of time to try to stack up on strength for blocking. Getting 9 STR on bracers, for instance, is only .45 block value added, which is horrible compared to 90 health.

Agility is very nice for tanking, but relying heavily on the randomness of dodge while having very low HP, armor, and defense is not very reasonable.

• frmorrison · 08/08/06, 2:28 PM

Stamina and Defense are the two most important tanking stats.

I recommend reading the stickies on the WoW warrior forum or Evil Empire's site.

♦ Oggie · 08/08/06, 2:38 PM

One thing I honestly dont' get for enchants- why in the world dont' tanks like +block% to shield?

I just can't find any tank who wants it over the +stam enchant....are they nuts or am I?

• frmorrison · 08/08/06, 2:40 PM

+Stamina is always useful, block is situational.

I have seen quite a few tanks use block over stam (still stam is more common), personally I would go for stam, since it always helps.

subscience · 08/08/06, 2:43 PM

I have +block% on my Aegis of the Blood God since it's an amazing pyshical mitigation shield. I tend to use that on trash (2% from shield, 2% from enchant, 2% from Rage of Mugamba and 2% Vindicator's Set bonus with Grilek's Charm of Might or Vidicator's BP) since it'll give me a lot of Revenge procs. I also tend to use it on very melee heavy fights (Ossirian, Hakkar, Garr, etc.).

I use an Earthen Guard with +sta for everything else usually.

Mippo · 08/08/06, 2:57 PM

Your best bet is to just follow the best bang for the buck. There is a point where one stat is better then another stat, but it depends on the amounts.

A Stamina = B Agility = C Defense etc

Certain encounters require a certain stat cut-off, but after that you want the best bang for the buck. There is a point where stamina has diminishing returns, so if you focus primarily on stamina, you will gimp yourself. The same holds true for basically any stat that isn't limited in quantity.

For example, the Wrath Breastplate has more stamina and defense then the Conqueror's Breastplate, so most tanks think it is better, when the Conqueror's Breastplate is vastly superior for tanking. Arguably the biggest upgrade a tank could get in AQ 40. It comes down to the fact that the levels of stamina / defense are relatively similar, only slightly better for Wrath, but the Conqueror's Breastplate has tons of additional stats that more then make-up the difference.

Your best bet is to just compare every tanking item, and get the overall best quality out of each and every item.

♦ Praetorian · 08/08/06, 3:02 PM

Originally Posted by Mippo

For example, the Wrath Breastplate has more stamina and defense then the Conqueror's Breastplate, so most tanks think it is better, when the Conqueror's Breastplate is vastly superior for tanking. Arguably the biggest upgrade a tank could get in AQ 40. It comes down to the fact that the levels of stamina / defense are relatively similar, only slightly better for Wrath, but the Conqueror's Breastplate has tons of additional stats that more then make-up the difference.

Your best bet is to just compare every tanking item, and get the overall best quality out of each and every item.

Again, depending on the fight. Conq BP is awesome, once you have a couple of Dreadnaught in other slots (bracers are great for this) so that you can swap in Conq BP without becoming crittable. If Maexxna or Patchwerk crits you at a bad time, you're dead.

In my view, you want Defense until 440, first off.
Then, you want a combination of Stamina and mitigation, setting aside avoidance entirely, that will maximize your effective HP pool.
Finally, you want avoidance to increase the chances of lucky escapes and to conserve healer mana, but not at the expensive of stamina/armor.

With consumables, healer mana is very, very rarely the limiting factor. Even on Patchwerk. When tanks die it's due to a spike that catches healers off-guard. Give me a 14000hp tank with 10k base armor, 0% parry and 0% dodge, and he'll never die.

Ultramax · 08/08/06, 3:09 PM

Because of shield block mechanics 440 def is not that significant Gurgthock. (Except Maexxna) I'm not sure Hateful Strike can crit either.

• Fogbug · 08/08/06, 3:12 PM

Originally Posted by Ultramax

Because of shield block mechanics 440 def is not that significant Gurgthock. (Except Maexxna) I'm not sure Hateful Strike can crit either.

nah, there's no way hateful strike could crit. that would just be awful

I think gurg means for the MT on patchwerk, since our healing setup is so structured

♦ Praetorian · 08/08/06, 3:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ultramax

Because of shield block mechanics 440 def is not that significant Gurgthock. (Except Maexxna) I'm not sure Hateful Strike can crit either.

Of course it can't. I'm talking about the MT, not OTs, on Patchwerk. And you can't have shield block up all the time against a mob with an 0.8sec attack speed (Patchwerk). Patchwerk cannot do crushing autoattacks in order to keep the DPS on the MT relatively constant (albeit high). If he could throw a 4600pt crit or two into his rapid series of attacks, the MT would be in serious trouble.

I'm obviously focusing on fights where the MT's survival is a major component to the fight. You don't need 440 defense to tank Heigan or whatever, but on just about every fight where I'm seriously concerned with maximizing the tanks survivability, 440 defense is a given.

subscience · 08/08/06, 3:19 PM

How does block rate interact with the hit table? If block does in fact replace (or push off?) crit on the table, then would 440 defense be redundant (and I *think* this is what Rambar may be implying, but I could be way off) even without having Shield Block up (and simply factoring in your innate blocking rate without Shield Block)?

Edit- I promise to use less parenthesis next time..