A Secondary Dissertation on PvP Tanking

[Fuklebark]

I've been delving a little more into the role of a tank in group dynamics, and realizing some new things. I figured I'd throw out some new ideas, taking into account some of the very valid points raised by other in response to my previous post. (Thanks for those, btw)

Preamble- A tank in PvP can have 3 main roles, and I feel that even though your class and spec can make you more suited to one role over another, that it is important to be able to switch as needed.

Role #1: Linebreaker - This is the most commonly understood role for a tank in PvP. With your high hit points and heavy armor it's your job to be at the front of the line. I feel that a sword and shield is most appropriate for this job as it adds increased resilience. This job takes a bit of balls though, since being the first one on the scene will almost undoubtedly get you tab-targeted by every order player and focus fired to death. However, as I'm sure people are noticing, even though death is far from final in this game, many people still are afraid to charge enemy lines until someone else does. Be that "somebody else", even if you gotta respawn.
It's a very rewarding feeling to drive the enemy before you, get focused down to death, and come back to find that your teammates have utterly routed their lines. You can look at that and say "I made that possible, go me!".

Role #2: Guardian - Your main job in this role is to be a buffer for the enemy. Not a buffer in the sense of "one who gives buffs" but a meat shield though which they have to pass to get at your squishiest teammates. MDPS such as Slayers or Choppas are your best friends, and you theirs.
Guard-switching is absolutely essential here, as a DPS that finds themselves unable to kill your guarded target will most likely move on to easier prey. Rather than focus on damage however, you should focus on debuffing, which tanks can do in spades. Snares, knockbacks (When appropriate!), -str, armor, toughness, crit chance, debuffs lay it all on.

The biggest issue with this role is defending your squishies from enemy linebreakers (see above) that often go right to the back lines and start attacking. All you can do here is again, start debuffing, focusing mainly on things that remove a tanks biggest defenses, using armor and toughness debuffs, and then use challenge to cut their already shitty dps down by 30%. You're not gonna DPS em down, so don't try.

Role #3: Support - As a heavily armored debuff machine, you can also aid your team by making it easier to kill your opponents. Your snares are 2x longer than any other classes, and you can debuff toughness, armor, and (sometimes) resists. This strategy is really only good if you're in a landslide win kind of scenario or skirmish, since roles #1 and 2 are by far more important.

Here you should focus on tactics that match your group's composition and strengths in symbiotic ways. For example, a Swordmaster's Spirit Resist debuff lends itself amazingly well to clearing out linebreakers from your Archmages, who primarily do just that. Or if you're a Black Orc in a melee train, focus on stealing stats and debuffing armor. Enemy casters can be smacked with +Cooldown and +Cast Time abilities and left alone if they flee.

Use your Grey Matter as your first weapon.

Addendum #1 - Balance!
A good balance between offense and defense is absolutely nessisary to do your job well. While survivability is fine and good, if you max it to the exclusion of effectiveness, you might as well be a moveable wall; unbreakable, but good only as an obstruction. The same goes for the reverse situation as well, maxing out your damage potential is great, but if you do so at the expense of your survivability you're wasting a spot that could be better utilized by a mdps who has abilities specifically designed to do the job you're trying to force out of your archetype.

Hope this helps, and more will be on the way as I think of it. Viva la Tanking!

[FlippantSausage]

#1 is probably one of my favorite things about being a tank in PVP. Its pretty sweet to be in the vanguard. On the other hand nothing incites chagrin as much as being the ONLY person to charge into melee XD.

[wos]

i like it. I play balance with my sm i think the class suites it. roaming from front lines to back line lending support to where its needed. oh a mdps made a brake for the heals switch guard and hinder them so your mdps or rdps can burn them. If your mdps brakes for there heals switch guard and help him get the job done

[Tesq]

you cannot really balance offense and defense if you aim to be a linebreaker from my experience, it also get uselss in those tank wall situation when you really want to be full def rather than balance off and def.

[Fuklebark]

Well, for situations like that, I tend to keep a defense-oriented gear set handy. Same way as being ready to witch from SnB to 2H.

[CarlistRieekan]

What a nice remark, Fuklebark!

I really appreciate you mentioned the offense / defense balance.

Your ideas are generally valid for oRvR warbands, PM groups can have some specific requirements (due to PM meta) ... but PM leader usually know what he wants from his tanks, so it should be relatively easy for a tank to learn his role.

[Tesq]

Well, for situations like that, I tend to keep a defense-oriented gear set handy. Same way as being ready to witch from SnB to 2H.

More than armor it depend from defense . So you really want have that block. parry ,dodge, disrupt at certain value.
Then as destru tank things get complicated cos some classes can ingore/lower your defense.

Like slayer/BW/sw/ engi(?) etc