Playerbot Tanking

'''Playerbot Tanking''' covers the use of Playerbots as tanks on the Shadowmourne Realm.

A tank is responsible for controlling enemies, maintaining Threat, surviving incoming damage and protecting other members of the group.

Tank Classes

Wrath of the Lich King tank-capable classes include:

Tank Responsibilities

A Playerbot tank should generally:

engage enemies first
generate threat
keep enemies facing away from the group
protect healers
control multiple targets
survive heavy incoming damage

Creating a Tank Bot

Using AddClass:

.playerbots bot addclass warrior

or:

.playerbots bot addclass paladin
.playerbots bot addclass druid
.playerbots bot addclass dk

See AddClass Bots.

Preparing the Tank

Before using the bot as a tank:

maintenance
autogear

Then verify:

specialization
armor
weapon
shield when appropriate
stamina
defensive statistics
combat strategies

Important Tank Statistics

Depending on class and level, tank gear may value:

stamina
armor
defense
dodge
parry
block
hit
expertise

Exact priorities vary by class and encounter.

Threat

Threat determines which character an enemy attacks.

The tank should establish threat before damage characters begin maximum damage.

A common mistake is attacking immediately before the tank has control.

A safer pull is:

tank engages
allow initial threat
healer stabilizes tank
damage bots begin attacking

Positioning

Tank positioning is extremely important.

Use movement controls such as:

follow
stay

when preparing for encounters.

Good positioning can prevent:

cleave damage hitting the party
bosses facing healers
accidental extra pulls
ranged characters moving too close

Multiple Enemies

Large pulls require stronger threat management.

The tank may need to hold several targets while damage bots use Area of Effect attacks.

Avoid excessive AoE before the tank establishes control.

Boss Encounters

Before a boss:

position the tank
place ranged bots
check healer mana
use stay where appropriate
begin the pull
wait for threat
start full damage

Tank Gear and Autogear

Playerbot Autogear can help select equipment, but tanks should still be inspected manually.

Check important slots such as:

weapon
shield
chest
head
legs
rings
trinkets

Warrior Tanks

Warrior tanks typically use:

plate armor
shield
defensive abilities
threat-generating attacks

Paladin Tanks

Paladin tanks combine:

plate armor
shield
defensive magic
strong multi-target threat

Druid Tanks

Druid tanks use Bear Form and generally rely on:

high health
armor
dodge

They do not use shields while tanking.

Death Knight Tanks

Death Knights can tank using:

plate armor
defensive cooldowns
rune abilities
diseases
strong magical mitigation options

Troubleshooting

Tank loses threat

Check:

specialization
tank strategy
equipment
weapon
whether DPS attacked too early

Tank dies quickly