Rift 1.2 Rogue Tanking Guide

[420MySTiC]

i see many threads asking about rogue tank guides and all i see is bad specs and bad practices...

as to all the ppl crying about imp guarded phase... heres some #'s for you

51rs my hp in tank spec self buffed is 11.6k
44rs my hp in tank spec self buffed is 11.3k

are you really trying to tell me that 300 hp is worth giving up, sprint, weapon barrage, 3%hit, and finally an aoe finisher in compound attack? really.. for 7 points? not to mention the 51point ability in rs just sucks for a 51 pt ability, 3 seconds of immunity.. big deal, thats nothing.

so anyway heres the build, 45rs 12b 9 bard

http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=1M...IuqdkkkR.xcd0z


i chose this build after many many many different specs. and heres why -
1. HUGE utility in this build.
2. 51rs ability not worth it
3. finally an aoe cp builder (twin strike)
4. AOE FINISHER! compound attack
5. sprint (usable in combat)
6. ranged INTERRUPT + 5s SILENCE!! absolutely irreplaceable.

thats just the main points of why this build is superior to 51rs builds..

ok, how im speced, dont i need like some macros or something? doesnt that make my life easier?

yes and no if yer new to rogue rs tanking prolly want to get to know each ability solo first, no macros.

if yer a bit more experienced with it, i do use a few that ill share with yall.
----------------------------------------
jump - no dmg

#show Shadow Shift
suppressmacrofailures
cast shadow warp
cast shadow shift
------------------------------------------
Rjump (jumps behind target)

#show Shadow Assault
suppressmacrofailures
cast Shadow Assault
cast Shadow Stalk
------------------------------------------
aoe jump

#show Shadow Blitz
suppressmacrofailures
cast Shadow Blitz
cast Rift Disturbance
------------------------------------------
planar taunt

#show Planar Strike
suppressmacrofailures
cast rift disturbance
cast instigate
cast planar strike
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ok, so first things first, the pull!
1. if at all possible (some pulls its not possible) pull with some kind of planar shift that does DAMAGE!, shadow assault, shadow blitz,

2.*situational* learn to love memory capture + flash back, so handy to go get that one boss and zap back to a pre-selected place with yer grp waiting for you all ready to go.

3. if you need to move em, this is the best time to do so. i use Planar Attraction to neaten up larger pulls, or just to pull that one pesky caster mob just off to the side being an *******!
*dont forget you also have a ranged silence w/ weapon barrage too*

4. hit em with rift disturbance (RD) and then stack Phantom Blow till you got 3 stacks,

5. depending on how well the healer is keeping up, you can either hit a GUARDED STEEL! now at 3 cp's if you are gettin worked and really need the armor, or hit planar strike till 5cp's then GS
*do not put rift guard up first, you get a minor RG from shifting that should still be on you by the time you get GS up, y waste a buff?*

6. keeping PB's stacks up, alternate PB's with PS and RD as needed (RD is an amazing threat builder, even on solo mobs). then once at 5cp stack #2 hit your Rift Guard! (shortest timer, keep an eye on it)

7. repeat 6, except at 5cp, throw down a False Blade.

8. GS and RG are the most important buffs you have, keep thoes up above all else, but once you get used to rotating the buffs its not hard to have all 3 going.

now i realize this isnt always how things go out there in the game. good thing you are fully equipped to handle just about anything. between Planar Attraction, Instigate, Weapon Barrage, Sprint, planar Switch (soooo nice), Rift Prison (better than it sounds) and your vast # of Shadow Steps. you should be able to get it with SOMETHING in there..

some may be thinkin rift prison? really use that?

hell ya! its a 6 second root basically. how many times have you wiped cuz healer was half way through heal cast, or dps was just a few seconds from killin that boss, but an add got them and everything went to hell? how clutch would 6 seconds be in one of thoes situations? could mean just rezing vs. rezing and fighting boss agian...

and planar switch, i know youve been fighting, and o **** that mob decides to go after yer caster or healer. yer all ****, i gotta get it but i have 4cp's up, you take tihe time to use a finisher? or just switch to the unruly mob and transfer the 4cp's you allready had to the new mob? thats a no brainer there. planar switch is awesome, know it love it USE IT!

buffs you should use
fanfare of vigor
anthem of glory
planebound resiliance
guardian phase
combat pose
endurance scrolls/food
chest piece crafted addon (120something physical resistance) not sure exactly what this equates out to actually be, but couldnt hurt right?

*optional buffs/addons*
5%run speed to boots
5% mount speed to pants
Whetstones, (just use 9's if you choose to, 12's much to expensive to use on tanking)
armor bonus vial, or endurance vial.

always enchant your gear, get endurance, dodge, parry whatever you can get rune wise that is DEFENSIVE

stack end, dodge, and resists on your planar focus. i prefer 5 lessers w/ the 55to endurance on hit chance greater. you may liike something else. but go for end, dodge and resists. mainly fire and death, however if you know you are going to be in say CC alot, you will want some Air resist. so find out about the places you will be tanking, what kind of attacks does this boss do? all physical? or does he throw in some random life damage spell that hits you for 19k damage?

be aware of your surroundings, rogues since 1.2 have MUCH MUCH better aoe threat, but still need to watch out for strays. its ok, ppl die **** happens, but try to keep everything together.

PLEASE for the love of god, TURN MOBS THAT CLEAVE! AWAY FROM THE GROUP!!!.

any questions or comments please reply, i expect the trolls to crab over this or that, but if anyone has any serious questions, comments, or criticism. please leave them here and ill be happy to answer Q's or respond to comments (serious ones).

thanks for reading. late late (i know i havent covered EVERYTHING there is in tanking, some stuff you just gotta experience to learn fully)

**some fights willl be easier for a rogue to tank, some fights you may get dumped on til you get better gear, depends on the fight**

[D a n k]

are you really trying to tell me that 300 hp is worth giving up, sprint, weapon barrage, 3%hit, and finally an aoe finisher in compound attack? really.. for 7 points? not to mention the 51point ability in rs just sucks for a 51 pt ability, 3 seconds of immunity.. big deal, thats nothing.

You make some good points overall but the opening is ridiculously biased. You list one [maybe two] aspect of the 51RS build and compare it to all aspects of your build. If you're confident in your spec you shouldn't need to stack the deck in it's favor to convince people.

[Anomolis]

awsome. good info. i don't tank much on rogue but want to get into it. reading your post now. i like what you say about 51rs is not that big a deal. ya that 51 point sucks hard.

[Isila]

People asking about how to spec and how to tank are most likely not rocking T2/T3 gear and working with T2/T3 healers.

For them, 51 RS is much more useful than it is for you. Scatter can be a lifesaver to let the healer catch up, and the extra endurance and mitigation makes a difference.

Of course you can spec more for threat and utility when you're geared to the teeth.

[TJ74]

i had a thread on tanks too and there was a debate on going 51 or not
another poster from that thread says :

when you only put 44 points into RS you lose:
7% HP
35% rift guard absorb amount
3.5% mitigation ...math is prolly way off lol...but you get the idea
and the temporary immunity to all damage and effects

and you say that you gain:
1. HUGE utility in this build.
2. 51rs ability not worth it
3. finally an aoe cp builder (twin strike)
4. AOE FINISHER! compound attack
5. sprint (usable in combat)
6. ranged INTERRUPT + 5s SILENCE!! absolutely irreplaceable.

i really cant decide which to go for in that tradeoff
can anyone elaborate please?

[wingedarr0w]

comparing to 51/8/7 rs/bd/rn
1. you get sprint, fair enough, but you already have 2 blinks, 2 blink strikes and 1 target blink, also flashback blink, i have never run out of blinks yet, nor have i ever been too immobile.
2. ********, 3 seconds of immunity plus a complete cleanse, also its on a 2min cd. this has saved me many many times, it also buys enough time for a clerics cd heal, or a chloro's cd heal or nature touch (just as good as a full heal).
3. you get that normally, also 2 targets is not aoe and since they buffed rift disturbance, aoe threat shouldn't be a problem (remember to keep guarded steel up)
4. 3 targets is hardly aoe, also usually your finishers are rift guard>guarded steel>false blade>rift guard, its usually the 5th combo before you could use it, your caps pretty redundant.
3&4, if you have trouble holding threat with 3 targets, you have a problem, try changing targets after each finisher.
5. you said this already
6. silence doesnt work on bosses, but not denying the interrupt, its very good but IS replaceable by any other classes' interrupt.

aoe jump

#show Shadow Blitz
suppressmacrofailures
cast Shadow Blitz
cast Rift Disturbance

i very very very recommend taking rift disturbance off the macro, you should be using this practically every 8-10 seconds (when its not on cd)

rest cant complain and is a pretty good guide. Rogue tanks are all about buff maintenance and cd usage, its very hard to teach them, you just need to practise.

[Equis]

For T1 and T2s feel free to run utility specs with abilities such as sprint, interrupts, compound attack and an armor aura. It doesn't really matter, that slight amount of hp and absorption you are losing does mean jack ****.

For raiding, when I don't need to interrupt, where rift disturbance+shadow blitz is more than enough aoe threat(Since you never assign rogue tanks to add duty-we tank bosses!), I don't even need to pop sprint and my armor aura doesn't stack with the archon one... I'll stick with my "cookie cutter" spec. Scatter the shadows is an amazingly useful ability. Tank a Lord Greenscale and tell me it's worthless. The little bit of extra hp and absorption is also 10x more useful than the worthless utility(since it's a raid scenario).

[Sweatybetty]

as said above, for dungeons, you can get away with most builds....

for raids? you try tanking GS with 44 RS...good luck to you sir.


in general though, even for dungeons, with new buffed rift disturbance, all your AOE is not necessary to hold aggro, and if you need them, you are not doing it right. And all the AOE you speak of is not really aoe, like 2-3 targets....wouldnt depend on those to hold a buncha mob if i were you.

interrupt is nice ya....but doesnt work in most cases where you really need it


but the main reason to go 51 is for max mitigtion and survival....

[Dunharrow]

This is a freaking terrible guide and anyone who follows it will be hurting their tanking performance.

You lose raw mitigation, not just HP by going so deep into BD. You lose 3.5% mitigation along with several hundred hit points.

Scatter the Shadows is the best tanking cooldown in the game. If you don't understand how good it is, then you shouldn't be writing guides. Ask Cleric and Warrior tanks if they would like a 3 second immunity to all damage.

• You can pop it at any time to guarantee a heal will land to save your life.
• You can pop it any time to completely remove all your debuffs.
• You can pop it on Greenscale to completely offset a Noxious Breath.
• You can pop it to completely defeat several instant-kill or incapacitate boss mechanics in both raids and T2 that are otherwise unsurvivable or unavoidable.

You want to give all this up for 6% parry a spell interrupt and like 1% dodge? That's what your 14 wasted points in Bladedancer net you. Rogues already have the best spell mitigation in the game and if you're competent, the spells will be aimed at you. Whats the point? Interrupting the cleric boss in ITx? Want to build your whole spec around that?

As for the other crap you mentioned. Give me a break. Twin Strike is crap. It's FAR more threat to hit each mob once with with Planar Strike than to hit them both with 2 twin strikes. Compound Attack? Not only do you have more important finishers to use (you know, things that increase your threat and reduce your damage taken), but its complete garbage anyway. Even full Bladedancers don't use it on AOE pulls.

This entire thing is so mystifying that is almost seems like a troll. I don't understand how anyone could fail so badly at thinking.

Here's a spec: http://rift.zam.com/en/stc.html?t=0M...uqdRkkR.x0d.xb stop thinking.

[Antilli the Anteater]

I appreciate this guide, and when I hit fifty in... Oh.... An hour, I'll be sure to toy around with it.
Been running a dex-and-threat based bard/riftstalker/bladedancer spec from 20-49, and I have had no problem with it at all. I'm planning on re-specing once I hit the big five oh, but whenever I have to come to the harsh realization I might have to go 51 riftstalker. I'm not sure if it's worth it or if it's a waste of points that could be going into bladedancer for dex-dodge increases or bard for that nice armor anthem. I'm thinking about taking the 5 points I put in hit increase out and putting it into the ambidexritous trait, because that dex increase makes my soul sing, but I'm persuaded by both sides of the argument on the 300 hit points and damage mitigation. I've got the gear pre-prepared for t1s, but the plan for the spec is still debatable in my head. The 51-point cooldown is appealling. It's useful,but is it worth the potential dodge?
What I'm probably going to end up doing is buying the 5th slot and toy around for an expert/trash mob spec and a raiding/boss spec. Wish it wasn't nessecary, but I do so love tanking and I'm too stubborn to do anything else. :/

Question: Is there a dodge cap?
I come from the Aion framepoint where no, rogues CANNOT be unhittable, and it's too bad rogues have the ability to PvP because if they didn't, we'd have no reason to destroy any worth they have. Seriously... The devs hated us in that game....

[Sweatybetty]

like we said....non-51 pt build is perfectly fine for toying in T1-2 dungeons, especially now they're so flipping easy post-patch.

but step foot in raid, and you'll be that much worse than any adequate warrior tank, your raid will be stupid for choosing you over a warrior.....smart raids will insist you respec....


so yea, got whatever spec you want for dungeon crawling, doesnt matter....but for raids, i suggest you have your 51 pt spec ready.

[420MySTiC]

so heres the exact difference between the absorb from 51 points in RS vs 45 points in RS that you get form Rift guard, its not very much... not 6 points worth imo... also included is hp diff

45 rs - 11,196 hp, rift guard absorbs 15100 hp w/ 5 cps...
51rs - 11,453 hp, rift guard absorbs 17100 hp W/ 5CPS...

so ~250 hp... thats nothing... 2k absorb, ya ok you could make the argument for that, but realalistically thats not much at all, also with less hp the difference would be lower.. so please do some research b4 you guys spout a bunch of %'s n sh*t w/o testing anything or even trying to do some math...

[420MySTiC]

like we said....non-51 pt build is perfectly fine for toying in T1-2 dungeons, especially now they're so flipping easy post-patch.

but step foot in raid, and you'll be that much worse than any adequate warrior tank, your raid will be stupid for choosing you over a warrior.....smart raids will insist you respec....


so yea, got whatever spec you want for dungeon crawling, doesnt matter....but for raids, i suggest you have your 51 pt spec ready.

lol i tank greenscale, w/ this spec, 51 point is not needed.... my above post is proof.

[Loatheme]

so heres the exact difference between the absorb from 51 points in RS vs 45 points in RS that you get form Rift guard, its not very much... not 6 points worth imo... also included is hp diff

45 rs - 11,196 hp, rift guard absorbs 15100 hp w/ 5 cps...
51rs - 11,453 hp, rift guard absorbs 17100 hp W/ 5CPS...

so ~250 hp... thats nothing... 2k absorb, ya ok you could make the argument for that, but realalistically thats not much at all, also with less hp the difference would be lower.. so please do some research b4 you guys spout a bunch of %'s n sh*t w/o testing anything or even trying to do some math...

Sigh you still don't get it, it has nothing to do with the amount of hp it absorbs total, but rather the amount it absorbs per hit, and the difference between 51 pt and 45 pt is 3% mitigation of ANY type of damage - physical and magical (if you really need me to spell it out for you).

No one said it is impossible to tank GS without a 51 pt spec - in fact i'm sure it is possible - it's just this particular spec has the least stress on your healers (as you take less damage, again I'm spelling it out for you).

Also if you really think the 51 point talent is useless, then it seems that you haven't really had any raiding experience in this game at all and you're just trying to troll us/lie. One of the more recent examples is the 2nd boss in the new 10man raid instance which does a roughly ~8.5k nuke to the tank with which you can mitigate entirely with Scatter.

Oh well believe what you want, I already knew the posts by you in here were going to be uneducated and quite droll by your name.

[Dunharrow]

You can tank Greenscale with a Greater Razorbeast. That doesn't make it the best option. If you want to make it harder on your healers, go for some bizarre 22 Riftstalker spec. Who cares? We're talking about being the best spec for tanking to make it as easy as possible for your healers for progression fights. 22 BD is not that and never will be and if you look at parses on damage taken, you'll find that the spec that has been repeatedly outlined in this thread by people who know what they're talking about, is 51 Rift. It's not even debatable unless you ignore math.