Infraction for Jetter: Awful post

• Aldriana · 01/28/09, 2:52 PM

Post: DK Tanking Discussion
User: Jetter
Infraction: Awful post
Points: 2

Administrative Note:

Message to User:

1) All these questions have been asked and answered before. Please search before posting.
2) Your capitalization is sorely lacking.

See also: http://elitistjerks.com/f31/a34-forum_rules/, #1 and #7.

Original Post:

ive been reading through this thread for roughly 2 hours now to try to figure out some questions i have. 2 hours later and i stil havent really figured out what im trying to do yet. lots of valuable info for sure. anyway, heres the jist. im normally a blood dps DK but recently my GL asked me if i could come up with a spec to still be able to dps efficiently but be able to pinch tank should the need rise. here is my armory link with my current spec (its very odd, yes) and in my tank gear.

The World of Warcraft Armory

-things to note: i just started building this set about 2 weeks ago so i still have a couple craptacular items
-my legs are still missing a red gem as i cant decide what to put in them
-i have a pair of Callous-Hearted Gauntlets bagged atm (i suck at linking items in forums, sorry)
-i have an Amulet of Autopsy bagged
-i have a Repelling Charge bagged
-my tank wep is not what i want but it was the only 2h i had available to stick gargoyle on

my uuh confusion? (for lack of a better tem) lies here:

defense level: i know people say "540 minimum" defense and im staying away from the hideous saying "540 defense cap". after 540 defense, is raw defense still the best stat for us? should i swap out the items i have bagged for the ones im wearing now?

gemming: which gems should i be using? i loaded up on parry / sta because my parry was the lowest avoidance. is it worth it to use +16 str gems? i personally think no because forceful deflection only puts 25% to parry whereas raw defense adds dodge and parry both. should i keep gemming def / sta or pure sta in blue sockets? armory isnt accruate on my stats for some reason. in frost pressence, unbuffed, i have:
28,755 hp
29,228 armor
543 def
20.63 dodge
18.57 parry
21 expertise (+130 rating)
183 hit rating
3045 ap

mitigation level: ive heard people sayin 40% combined mitigation is a good "starting" point to be able to tank 25 man content, but these same people turn around and say anything over 22% is a waste because of dimishing returns. what is the deal with this? should i keep trying for more dodge / parry to a cetain % or the higher the better?

my spec: its hideous at best. i still manage to do ok dps with it. most fights i average about 2400 dps. the roatation i use:
IT > PS > HS > HS > OB > DUMP
IT > PS > HS > HS > HS > OB > DUMP

can this spec be tweaked a little better to allow me to pull a little more DPS while still being able to tank? i was thinking about dropping Anticipation and maybe a couple points from Black ice and putting them into Blood Gorged. ecspecially since i picked up 3 new peices in the last couple days and pushed my dodge almost 2% higher than it was when i did this spec.

tanking rotation: what rotation should i be using when i am tanking? i tend to stick to the same DPS rotation i use but throw in Runestrikes as they come.

any advice (or criticism) is greatly appreciated.