Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Warrior Tanking 101: Charge

What is the one ability Warriors have that other tanks would kill for? The answer is charge. Charge is an very interesting mechanic and fun to boot. It can be of great use in many situations. Just like with any ability, there is a time to use it, and a time not to.

Pulling Mobs: I am actually a big fan of the charge pull. It gets you in there before any overzealous dps can start their AOE spam, and it also generates you a bunch of rage to use your abilities. Just like in any tanking situation, you need to be aware of your surroundings when doing this. Lack of situational awareness can get your group killed. Make sure you survey what mobs are in the area. If they seem like they may get body pulled when you charge, then shoot or heroic throw would probably be a better option.

Saving Asses: An offshoot of our charge ability is Intervene. When you intervene somebody, you charge to them and take some hits that they would have otherwise taken, possibly saving their asses. As a bonus, the person you intervene has their threat lowered. Remeber this if there is ever a DPS riding you ass on the threat meters. When you intervene, make sure to have a taunt ready to pull that mob back into line.

Intercept....not just for PvP anymore: One of the biggest problems with intercept was that you had to be in Zerker Stance to use it. With Warbringer, that is no longer the case. You can charge after an enemy and stun them just as you would with your regular charge. This can be very helpful for tracking down that fleeing mob that is just aching to pull another group back to you.

Dont Drink and Charge: You should definately use common sense when charging. Dont do anything stupid that has the chance to wipe the rest of your group. Good use of the charge family abilities will make you look like a pro. Bad use will make you look like a complete noob. Master the charge and you are on your way to being a better Warrior tank.

4 comments:

Pangoria Fallstar said...

Intercept is in fury not battle stance, right?

Mookey said...

*Intercept is usable in Zerker stance if you don't have warbringer.

Beside that, having 3 "charges" at disposal is best mobility warrior could ever think about. Not sure if you mentioned that they also remove all movement impairing effects

Anonymous said...

Actually, what I like to do when there is a risk of body pulling other mobs after a charge is I shoot a mob then turn and run (I actually prefer strafe) behind my group (I let them know I'm doing this first) and charge the mobs when they get to where I want them.

I'd say just about all my pulls use charge/intercept now.

Darraxus said...

DOh...yeah zerker stance, not Battle.


@anonymous: I use charge pretty much every pull as well. It is too fun not too. Like I said, use it responsibly though :)