So you've seen the fancy rings some folks are wearing. They got them mostly by farming trash in the first gated approach of ICC. Just like back in BC, you can earn reputation in ICC (as you did in Kara in BC) and at Friendly, you can claim a ring from a vendor *inside* the raid instance. Upgrade it at Honored and so on and so forth. Right. Now you want one, too.
If you're a phat-lewt-geared tank, you are likely already dialed into a rep farming group. If you're not, give your fellow raiders wearing the ring a firm look and remind them to invite you next time!
However, if you are not sporting the ICC goods yet, do not worry: you too can easily farm rep in ICC. The key minimums you want to have are:
- 35K health
- ~30K armor (bear)
- 40% avoidance
If your gear is really not up to snuff, farm emblems in Heroics until you are up to snuff. 'nuff said. Once you have cleared the 35/30/40 rule above, you are ready for some ICC trash farming - in small pulls.
Key tips to keep your raid from imploding due to tank death:
- Have two healers - one spec'd and skilled at keeping you, MT, alive; other raid heals.
- MARK the Servants for kill order. Remind the raid that no one is looking to be impressed with big dps aoe numbers if there is a skull up - single target those Servants until all gone. Then aoe.
- Each "level" you staircase up to has a doorway, with mobs front, left and right. Pull SMALL. Very small.
- Pull SMALL (yes, this is worth mentioning twice). These are NOT your heroics pulls and while we have all gotten used to huge pulls with huge aoe dps meter numbers, just don't.
- Remind your raid up front that the rogues (yes, you need a rogue) will find the hidden traps that let out the ginormous mob and that everyone needs to keep a small footprint in there. There are no mobs that will knock you back into other mobs, but you don't need to back your boomkin asp into a hidden trap and unleash death and destruction either.
- Clear the immediate center, left side (full to the back in multiple small pulls), right side, then the big group in the middle. If you have shackle (you brought a priest right? see tip #1), lock down one of those Servants or it will rip up your casters. After all visibles are down, you can trip the traps - don't send your rogues in to do it - they die and it makes for bad dinner table conversations later on.
- Remind your raid at the beginning and every time a newcomer rotates in, that you are doing small pulls and giving the tank a couple of rotations to get sufficient aggro in order to not wipe. If they don't like it, they can leave. Having a couple of rotations where only you and your healer are on the threat table will better assure that you stay ahead when the raid really drops the hammer.
- Since your priest is shackling (see tip #6), move the tanked mobs AWAY from the shackle - and I am not talking your normal "away" so that *you* do not break shackle - I am talking AWAY so that dumb asp [insert aoe dps class] here does not break it inadvertently.
- Should "it go bad" run back towards the entrance and the mobs will reset - if you are dead, tell your raid to do so.
- Do not engage the boss. That defeats the basic premise of farming trash and saves everyone preventing further farming should you down the boss.
The screen shot above actually is useful this time (!) as it has the map clearly showing the "Stepped areas" and the left and right side segmented areas from which you do the small pulls. It also gives you a good sense of how much ahead a tank can get on aggro if he gets at least one rotation head start. And why yes, we are 9- manning it with one healer! But that was not planned!! We lost a healer and were in the middle of replacing him. Again, you can get away with these things if you are doing small group pulls and are not triggering the traps carelessly.
Warriors are going to have a tougher time with preventing early aggro rips than others from what my pals are telling me (have not gotten mine up to that level yet) and from what I have seen, due to the large groups that also have mobs that tend to not cooperate well unless you have a strong aoe capability. Having said that, warriors are going to do equally well if the rest of the raid lets them get at least one rotation down on the mobs before reaching for their trinkets. Strong amount of physical damage in there - well mitigated by the warrior tank.
Paladins will fare the easiest in the run especially by dropping consecrate and moving it around to keep the mobs engaged and away from shackles. Again, great mitigation.
DKs - have not yet seen one brave enough to try it. = )~
Bear tanks are going to take some deep health plunges - good job they have lots of it. Bring a stong healer - a bear tank in low gear farming trash in ICC will not be for the healers with weak stomaches. There are going to be some deep-cutting cleaves and the damage sponge is going to grin and love it - but the healers will be close to cardiac arrest, more especially a paladin healer. Beacon and shield. Beacon and shield. Bears like to move it move it move it (shake it) when tanking - try to use small dance steps in there, remember, there are hidden twaps.
So go forth, and claim your ring.
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