Problem with Threat, Need Advice

[Dark Circuit]

Hey all,

Been scouring the internet for information about my problem with threat and I am really struggling to find up to date information to help me. From what I've read I should not be having problems with threat in my current build, but I'm afraid I am and its driving me crazy (been thrown out of raids and insulted in dungeons because of it).

My build is as follows, which was advertised as a 1.6 average mitigation build Click Here

My gear is pretty decent for pre-raid stuff and I have easily surpassed the requirements (unbuffed) for T1 raiding:

Health: 13904
Dexterity: 211
Armor: 9436
Strength: 345
Endurance: 590
Toughness: 184
Hit: 253
Dodge: 282
Parry: 429
Block: 635

The tactic I am using is starting the fight spamming the following macro until I see Necrotic Wounds applied to the target :

#show Necrotic Wounds
suppressmacrofailures
cast Plague Bringer
cast Soul Sickness
cast Infestation
cast Necrotic Wounds

Then depending on the scenario I spam either:

Single Target Builder

#show Ravaging Strike
suppressmacrofailures
cast Aggressive Block
cast Pacifying Strike
cast Pin Target
cast Vicious Cleave
cast Ravaging Strike
cast Retaliation

or:

AoE Builder:

#show Blood Fever
suppressmacrofailures
cast Cyclone Strike
cast Creeping Death
cast Blood Fever
cast Retaliation

Then once I have built up some attack points I use:

Single Target Finisher:

#show Dire Blow
suppressmacrofailures
cast Dire Blow
cast Retaliation

or:

AoE Finisher

#show Spotter's Order
suppressmacrofailures
cast Master of the Abyss
cast Call to Entrench
cast Spotter's Order
cast Retaliation

Throwing in a:

#show Cracking Skulls
suppressmacrofailures
cast Incite
cast Cracking Skulls

If I feel I am losing agro.

However, I am finding that I am mostly losing agro within the first few seconds of the fight. I open with the DoT spam and by the time I have got Necrotic Wounds on them I have lost agro. I will then taunt back and the taunt lasts about 1 second and generally I will lose agro again. Its infurating, does anyone have any advice about what I'm doing wrong?

P.S. I'd prefer to stay with a Reaver build as that is what I'm used to playing with, however if a Reaver build is causing my problem then I will of course be willing to change that.

[intrinsc]

I open up with both AOE cleaves(promise and cyclone), apply dots, apply single target debuffs/buffs, then spam blood fever. Put blood fever in your single target spam. For aoe holding just refresh plague bringer and keep spamming blood fever. It's that simple.

[Dark Circuit]

Thanks for your reply

I don't actually have Promise as I dont have 20 points in Warlord, are you suggesting I use Sweeping Strike instead?

[Dark Circuit]

I am wondering if I should remove 1 point from Martial Shield and Defender and put the 2 points in Aggressive Guardian, which in theory should give me +20% threat. What do you guys think?

[intrinsc]

Thanks for your reply

I don't actually have Promise as I dont have 20 points in Warlord, are you suggesting I use Sweeping Strike instead?

Yes, whichever cleave(s) you have should be used first since they provide the most thread(from what I have experienced).

[Nemrud]

Yes, whichever cleave(s) you have should be used first since they provide the most thread(from what I have experienced).

I suggest giving 51 VK 9 Paladin 6 Warlord a try.

[intrinsc]

I suggest giving 51 VK 9 Paladin 6 Warlord a try.

I hold threat in an HK raid just fine with my build.

[Repster]

#show Ravaging Strike
suppressmacrofailures
cast Aggressive Block
cast Pacifying Strike
cast Pin Target
cast Vicious Cleave
cast Ravaging Strike
cast Retaliation

This is a horrid macro. The only thing that would go off is aggressive, pacify, and retaliation, since pacifying strike has no cooldown.

But yeah, the key to keeping threat, is Sweeping strike, cyclone, and keeping your reaver dots up.

Sweep and cyclone are massive threat. Either single or AoE it does not matter.

Getting aggressive guardian is a good idea, and moving point from armor to magic mit might be something if you run into that issue as well. (Honestly, magic will most likely be the threat to you compared to phys.)

I find that Infestetation is best used as a debuff instead of damage/threat. 15% less damage for 8 secs. Pretty much the only defensive cooldown you have in that build.

#show Plague Bringer
suppressmacrofailures
cast Aggressive Block
cast Plague Bringer
cast Soul Sickness
cast Cyclone Strike
cast Blood Fever
cast Retaliation

Is what I use when I feeling lazy and just want to spam the one macro, and hit Necrotic wounds by itself. Keeping Sweep/Promise as an aside for adds and such.

Master of the abyss should not be on top of your finisher macro, Call to Entrench should. That extra 6% (11 if you don't have a bard) mitigation should be up at all times. It also should be your main single target finisher as well. AND what you should have as you #show so you can watch it's cooldown. Spotter's does not Trigger BA and in raids so it's a threat loss, and archon can keep it up a lot easier then you.

Drop a point from Enthropic embrace/shadow of dread (I'd get rid of the fear) For 3/3 wasting away. It's a net gain on dps, therefore threat, as well. Slight, but it's there.

[Unicornpower]

A glaring issue to me is your pull. In the first three globals you cast 3 dots so by about 5 seconds into a fight you have had 3 dot ticks. Reaver dots are great threat but they are backloaded as you will not get the full threat benefit until they are finished. Pulling with soul sickness is fine but after that you need to use up-front high threat abilities like our cleaves as already stated.

And yeah your st macro doesn't really work as you should know by now.

[Soulsurfing]

One additional thing is that I've found without power regen (Living Energy or Fervor) as a tank I can go starved, and if I have no power I can't use threat abilities.

My threat is terrible in a 5 man like MDD because you rarely get the luxury of LE or Fervor... but in a raid, I never have issues. In fact I have so much threat other tanks may have trouble pulling off me... and I don't usually even have to taunt unless tank switching, lmao. I use a very power hungry threat high rotation.... so the LE/Fervor is a necessity. Next time you start having aggro issues you might wanna check your power bar.

And I agree w/Unicorn about opening with 3 dots... it's taking up too many globals... and possibly not doing enough threat. Look into using other stuff and then getting all 3 dots rolling. Infestation shouldn't be in your macros, use it when needed as a damage reduction cooldown.

[thak]

i normally open with spreading soul sickness, then sweeping strike/cyclone and then bf. ur aoe's do amazing threat, and i normally just use my aoe macro to tank everything, just put up empowering seperately.

here is my aoe macro

cast sweeping strikes
cast cyclone strike
cast plague bringer
cast soul sickness
cast blood fever


for most things i just mash that all day long =P

[Stippling]

Please consult my guide in my signature. It reviews why you are losing threat on initial pulls and will clean up the macros which, as stated before me, are ineffective.

[Ancient]

38/28 Reaver Vk will hold aggro all month with no issues with a lot of toys to play with. damn good mitigation as well

[Maauro]

38/28 Reaver Vk will hold aggro all month with no issues with a lot of toys to play with. damn good mitigation as well

Agree.
I have both 38rv/20wl/8pl and 38rv/28vk/0pl.

38/28/0 I use when I really do not feel like tanking but have to (T2 que for Greater Mark, mDD PUG etc.) so I play lazy.
Nothing in world can take aggro from it so OP can try it if he have issues with threat.

http://forums.riftgame.com/rift-gene...-rv-28-vk.html

[Dark Circuit]

Thanks for all the great replies guys really appreciate the time you all spent getting back to me

Please consult my guide in my signature. It reviews why you are losing threat on initial pulls and will clean up the macros which, as stated before me, are ineffective.

This is probably the most help as it provides me with a comprehensive explanation of what I'm doing wrong as well as helping me write the most comprehensive macros so thank you massively Only problem is that I can't see the two trees you suggest at the start of your post as Rift Zam is currently down Is there an alternate site you could put them on and link me?

Thanks in expectation