The Raw Power of the Ulduar Offtank
It’s no secret anymore just how great Warriors are at adds on Sartharion + 3 drakes. So far though during my adventures in Ulduar, I’ve Main Tanked everything, but that hasn’t stopped me from observing the impact that a Warrior has played in offtanking this content. Since my last post on this topic, the tanking world has changed thanks to some new glyphs and as a result, I would recommend the following spec for an offtank.
It’s actually nearly identical to the spec the other Warrior tank in my guild uses except I recommend 2/2 Booming Voice over 2/5 Cruelty. Booming Voice is one of those talents that I never liked, but in a non-threat oriented spec, it’s really grown on me. There’s just so many times you’re moving around and having your shouts last that much longer and be that much easier to apply is such a blessing.
Why Offtanks rock Ulduar
Razorscale
In this high mobility fight, Warbringer is a god send allowing us to zip around the battle field with easy. (Remember to use “The Art of Warbringer” macro) Warriors have 2 interrupts in the form of Shield Bash and Heroic Throw not to mention 5 stuns (Charge, Intercept, Revenge procs, Concussion Blow and Shockwave) one of which is an AOE stun! Improve Spell Reflect can save a lightning bolt from zapping our team on occasion. The standard Shield Block, Demoralizing Shout and Thunder Clap make taking hits from numerous mobs a joke and the icing on the cake, Piercing Howl allows for us to kite the mobs around a bit during the landing phases.
Ignis
If you’re using 2 add tanks to handle the constructs like we do, make sure to Vigilance the other tank. The damage reduction is nice and occasionally the taunt refresh will save you from an unlucky taunt resist. All of our stuns come into play again here when we’re bathing the adds in fire. Intervene plays allows for quick exits when the mob is stunned in the water as well as helping to reduce the threat of the higher damage dpsers in your raid that may be surpassing the Main Tank’s threat.
XT-002
Pummeler duty is far from glorious, but once again Piercing Howl comes in big allowing you to Kite the mobs constantly. Save Shield Block for the boss’ tantrums and you’ll be taking so little damage that it’s laughable. Intervening ranged dps to get to a Pummeler that much faster doesn’t hurt either. 
Assembly of Iron
You’re definitely on the little man. You’ll be Shield Bashing constantly, but remember you can also stun him. In the 10 man especially, I like to save Revenge for when all of my other interrupts and stuns are down during his casts and hope that the 50% will stop him too. (which it often does) Heroic Throw is especially nice for moving him off Power runes and Charge/Intercept are perfect for stopping his casts after Overloads.
Kologarn
Shield Block takes a lot of the pain out of the hard hitting adds on this one. Vigilance helps reduce some extra damage for the Main Tank as threat is a non-issue. You’ll be able to keep Sunders up on the Right arm the entire time as well as Thunder Clap and Demoralizing Shout on the bosses himself. Don’t forget to Shattering Throw and this one’s a wrap.
Auriaya
Shockwave is worth it’s weight in gold to stun the little panthers that spawn throughout the fight. Vigilance up a Holy Paladin utilizing Righteous Fury and you’ll be able to keep taunting the Defender constantly. Also, make sure to Intervene that same pally too so that it’s you soaking up as many of the hits as possible. Finally, be on your game with fear escapes and no matter where you are, you should be able to charge the boss and interrupt his Sentinel Blast.
…and more.
Recognize the Power
While it’s true, AOE threat-wise we just don’t keep pace with the other classes, but in every other department, we are unbelievable. As tanks, there’s no class with more taunts, no class with more mobility, no class with more interrupts, no class with more stuns. Anything that’s vulnerable to our near endless list of survival tricks is completely at our mercy.
Which Begs the Question…
If there’s only 1 Warrior Tank in a guild, should that Warrior offtank?
May 15th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Personally I think Ulduar has blurred the lines even more between the concepts of Main-Tank and Off-Tank. I mean, a least on Sarth 3D you could argue that the guy on Sartharion was at least taking a lot of damage compared to the Drake tanks.
I mean, of the above, I’d say the roles of the “Off Tanks” on Razorscale and Assembly of Iron are questionably labeled as such. The same could be said for Thorim and Mimiron. It definitely feels like “Everyone Tanks” is at least a partial theme of what I have seen in the instance so far.
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Veneretio reply on May 15, 2009 7:50 am:
Oh agreed, there’s a lot of fights where “Everyone Tanks”, but frankly, that’s not new. Back in TBC, there was a lot of “Everyone Tanks” fights too.
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Tarsus reply on May 15, 2009 11:40 am:
I suppose I was mostly thinking that this is more common in Ulduar than it was in previous raid instances.
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May 15th, 2009 at 7:47 am
In a lot of cases you’re offtanking adds that aren’t being killed. The ability to kite them around the room, intervene off, stun them all when they get to you and charge away again gives you tons of time with control over the mobs yet hardly any damage taken.
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May 15th, 2009 at 7:55 am
“If there’s only 1 Warrior Tank in a guild, should that Warrior offtank?”
On Kologarn, AoI, and Freya? Absolutely. In any AoE tanking situation in which Control and Pickup are more valuable than raw sustained threat (for an example of the latter, see Thorim arena, tanking Champions, Malygos P2, etc.), I go to the Warrior.
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Kavtor reply on May 15, 2009 9:49 am:
I don’t think a warriors abilities stand out as much in the Thorim Arena as they do in the gauntlet. Lots of stuns and silences to control mobs, mobility to move through quickly. You can generally stun each DPS’d mob at 50% and leave it, moving on to build threat on the next while still having enough interupts to stop the healers.
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Feist reply on May 15, 2009 3:36 pm:
“for an example of the latter” - i.e. situations that call for raw, sustained threat, which is where a Warrior, while fine, isn’t the best - at least, not because of their AoE TPS in those situations.
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Balrok reply on June 18, 2009 8:23 am:
Sorry to come to the discussion after it’s over. Still, I feel it’s worth making the case for a warrior in the arena. While I agree that a warrior will do/does very well in the gauntlet, a warrior tank in the arena brings the following:
1) Vigilance on another arena tank means that Taunt is always available.
2) Warbringer get the tank to its tanking target immediately (I tank Champions myself).
3) By facing into the center of the circle, Shockwave, Thunder Clap, and Demoralizing Shout all have an effect on the rest of the adds.
Again, not saying the warrior is better in the arena; just making a case for being as useful/solid there as in the gauntlet.
P.S. In 10 man, I tank the gauntlet.
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May 15th, 2009 at 8:20 am
What glyphs do you suggest with this build? I really like how this looks and I would like to try it out in Uld tonight.
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Darath reply on May 15, 2009 8:22 am:
I’m an idiot… didn’t realize wowhead shows glyphs in tal calc. Please continue with the discussion and forgive my noobness. lol
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May 15th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Minor correction:
“Warriors have 2 interrupts in the form of Shield Bash and Heroic Throw not to mention 4 stuns (Charge, Revenge procs, Concussion Blow and Shockwave)”
Don’t forget Intercept - We actually now have 5 stuns that are easily accessible without even shifting stances.
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One of the things I’ve loved about Ulduar so far is the fact that the majority of the tanking (MT and OT, when those titles are even applicable) is interesting! Finally! Nothing worse than having all these mobility tools and being stuck in tank-n-spank fights of boredom.
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Veneretio reply on May 15, 2009 8:36 am:
Agreed, tanking is definitely very fun these days. Lots of stuff to pay attention to and lots of stuff to do. Also, thanks for pointing that out, fixed!
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Pzyclopz reply on May 22, 2009 2:22 am:
Tanking Freya is boring though Q.Q
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May 15th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I actually do the tank-kiting on Gluth for our guild 10 man Naxx run. We have our ferel Druid tank Gluth himself with our Pally Tank.
Same as you’ve listed above, charge, intercept, and intervene are amazing for keeping away from the zombies.
And it’s done without Piercing Howl.
The other benny is that as soon as Decimate happens a Warrior can turn around and Shockwave them, instant damage and stun. It’s great.
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May 15th, 2009 at 9:03 am
“If there’s only 1 Warrior Tank in a guild, should that Warrior offtank?”
Yeah, if you want them to burn out. I dunno…probably just me, but while I sometimes enjoy off tanking if I did it all the time I’d probably stop playing. I just don’t have any interest in doing it all the time. If that’s what my role ended up becoming. I wouldn’t stick around long…maybe if they addressed the aoe threat problem you alluded to I might feel a bit different.
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Rhoche reply on May 15, 2009 1:59 pm:
I agree with you 100%. Honestly because we have this skill set doesn’t mean we should be the add tank. Its always good to do different roles in each encounter. Your best geared/skilled Tank should be handling the hardest part of the fight and in some cases that is the boss in others that is the adds.
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Asase reply on May 17, 2009 6:42 am:
“Your best geared/skilled Tank should be handling the hardest part of the fight and in some cases that is the boss in others that is the adds.”
This.
While the terminology won’t change, it’d be interesting if we shifted mentalities from “main tank” and “off tank” to “boss tank” and “add tank.” I like the idea these take different skills and are not different tiers of responsibility.
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Meatgazer reply on May 18, 2009 10:46 am:
I think it’s important to note that this is for progression/cutting edge content. If you’re farming something, you can have anyone MT and anyone OT. But if you’re trying to get a boss down for the first time and one class is better suited for adds, you’d be hurting yourself and your guild not to step up.
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May 15th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Amen, we’re fantastic off tanks in Ulduar. I really feel it makes a difference when I’m there (I’m the only warrior tank we have). I am very tempted to try a piecing howl spec sometime.
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Veneretio reply on May 15, 2009 10:09 am:
If my offtank is any indication, once you spec into Piercing Howl, you’ll never be able to imagine a spec without it.
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dirt reply on May 15, 2009 10:27 am:
It’s funny. I actually have been using it for Piercing Howl for a while now, decided to try it out to help tank adds in OS and now that I’m finally getting into Uldar its been invaluable thus far. Last night was my first attempt on Ignis and it really helped when the other OT went down. I was close enough to use it to slow his add down and pick him up.
I admit, going into Uldar I’ve been a bit down on warrior tanking in general. Seems like at times we are overlooked in what we bring to the table. But this is just one more example of what we have in our bag o’ tricks that can mean the difference between success and a wipe.
Great post Vene.
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May 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I am the only warrior tank in my guild and my main duties are off tanking. I don’t mind this at all as I really think the warrior class does an excellent job at off tanking. The duties of off tanking are also a little more fun than standing in one spot and absorbing blows.
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May 15th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Our guild runs with a tankadin, bear and a prot warrior (myself). Since I am the raid leader I appoint myself the roles that make me shine brightest
I love ignis kiting. I can solo it on 25man once I get set into the groove. Stormcaller is my B***H, I’ve let a total of 3 chain lighting and 1 whirl hit the raid last night with nobody assisting me.
Kologarn, we allow the pally to add-tank due to better aoe threat generation but I do help with a shockwave to keep ‘em in the consecrate long enough.
I love chasing that cat around, it reminds me of superman chasing the flash
and I gotta agree on Thorim, warriors rock on the gauntlet. I also throw on my block gear when tanking Freya as to be less of a burnen on the healers. Still working on mimi but thats a fun fight too.
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May 15th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
in most cases, I prefer being the OT. Often times it’s the more interesting job. In our guild, I think we’ve realized that there really isn’t that ONE person who’s the MT. We all take turns with different roles, not really out of design, but just to make it interesting for all of us. Works out pretty well since sometimes I want the excitement of really pushing my skills, and other times it’s nice to just stand there strumming a rotation.
While I was nervous as I started to tank the adds for Sarth 3D, I can appreciate now more than ever the skills I developed during our many attempts. Now there’s an entire menu of adds and bosses which allow tanks to work on our effective use of our wide range of talents. Now, if I can only figure out a way to reflect those skills on my resume
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May 15th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I’m fairly new to tanking, and I have not tried a spec with piercing howl yet. I’m going to re-spec to it tonight, it looks like it may be a lot of fun.
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May 16th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Well, in Ulduar the adds are mostly what kills the raid. Freya or Thorim once the adds are down are easy. The Mimiron P3 adds kill us. Even for the outside bosses and Kologarn the challenge is mainly dealing with the adds (although not only by tanking them).
I quite like the way this looks. Currently my warrior is dual-spec but only 74. I feel daunted by the task of gearing up to stellar levels of EH and avoidance, but if there’s less of an emphasis on that now, and more on being effective at the task, that’s good.
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May 17th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
So you skill Imp. Demo - Has someone finally done the tests to show its impact on bosses? I’m looking for these numbers on EJ-forum for months now, but all I could find was one little test on Maexxna …
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May 17th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I changed mains at 3.1 to Resto shaman due to our guild’s abundance of (especially warrior-) tanks and lack of healers(and me having already geared my shaman alt), but should I ever tank on my warrior again on serious progression fights, I would probably spec for the add/stunnable mob/mobility style than the MT meatwall. I am loving how Ulduar requires some real mobility and use of clever ability usage on the fights.
I am still our prot warrior class lead due to me being the only volunteer for it at the time, so I will definitely be suggesting this article to our Warrior meatwalls
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May 18th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Kudos to you, I do enjoy reading your blogs. I’m in a small 10man guild who are 8 bosess deep in Ulduar content. I offtank somefights, ignis, XT, and AoI. And ‘main tank’ the rest, over a paladin, this is because (at the risk of sounding up myself) I fancy myself as the better tank. I have better gear, and better skills behind the keyboard.
So, while I agree that we may have a better skillset for off-tanking. If the warrior is a better main tank, let him main tank I say!
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May 18th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Great article, Vene. I typically handle the MT duties but we have another warrior tank as an OT. Piercing Howl is a great idea as well as a lot of other things you mention.
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May 18th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I agree that we are really good at off-tanking now. I do wonder how we are supposed to survive the trash on Razorscale. The Sentinels drop me in seconds so I spend the whole time just running away from them. That’s not really tanking.
And yes I have good gear - mostly full T7.5 (except helm)
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Sephirawth reply on May 18, 2009 1:02 pm:
Your healers are failing you, it is not your fault…
I normally tank the Sents and a group or 2 of the watchers/guardians.
We run 3 tanks on that fight while several of my friends in other guilds run 4.
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June 11th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Regarding Cat Lady…
Don’t the new diminishing returns on taunt prevent you from “Constantly taunting” anything?
That sort of kills the taunt refresh idea, unless I’m mistaken.
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Vivilros reply on June 15, 2009 6:53 am:
Diminishing returns don’t take effect if you get resisted
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