Genie in a Bottle: Three things Guardians wished everyone knew.

Introduction

I play Lord of the Rings Online. My main character is a Guardian. I find that many people don't fully understand what a Guardian does. Sure, they all know that the Guardian is a tank. Most know that Guardians can do decent damage these days (thanks to Turbine for actively developing the class as something more than just a tank.)

But, here are three things that Guardians wished everyone knew about them:

Number One - Narcissism

If we are not getting hit, we can't generate threat. Most of our threat skills are reactive based. Sure, we get things like Vexing Blow, Engage, and Challenge, but those skills don't generate enough threat to be able to control the flow and pacing of a fight. We need to use things like Whirling Retaliation (in the parry chain), Litany of Defiance and Shield-Taunt. None of these are readily accessible without being attacked by something, and preferably multiple somethings.

One of the biggest pet peeves of mine is when I run in, hit Challenge, and then the Champion comes in right behind me and hits their horn. Sure, the stun is nice, but while the mobs are stunned, the Champion is happily throwing down massive aoe damage while the Guardian is sitting there with nothing hitting them. Then, the healer complains about why the Champion is taking so much damage. Obviously, it is because the Guardian was unable to generate threat due to an untimely stun.

Number Two - It all Boils Down to One

While I am all for balls-to-the-wall DPS in many situations, there are plenty of times when the DPS classes need to just chill the fuck out. This is especially true when there is only one mob to fight, be it a boss or the only mob in the area. If you remember from the first point, Guardians need things hitting them in order to generate threat. With large numbers of mobs, this is very easy. With only a single mob, it is much harder, as you have fewer block and parry responses. This means we generate less threat overall. A lot less. In fact, with fewer aggro generation skills against single targets, the Guardian is less effective at generating threat than a Warden against a single mob.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when the DPS classes decide they are going to just go all out against a single mob, and then complain about why the tank can't hold aggro.

Number Three - Taking the Bull by the Horns

Should we be moving faster? Should we be moving slower? This should be something the tank controls directly. While there are times when other people need to step up and take charge of pacing in an instance, most of the time, the Guardian's role is to make sure that he or she can hold aggro over not just the course of a single fight, but over the course of the entire instance. I can't speak for other Guardians, but I keep a close eye on the rest of my fellowship's morale and power. I know how much they are going through, and how quickly. I know when I have to take a break. I know when they have used skills which have a longer cooldown and we will need for future fights. I keep an eye on everything going on around me.

This generally means I do not stop unless I feel we need to. Sometimes, a fellow will tell me that they need to stop for something, be it a cooldown, some regen, or something outside of the game. I don't mind stopping if asked to, however, I do mind people just stopping because there is a lull in the action. Many times, I have a reason for not stopping. Maybe I got a lucky block at the end of a fight, and it gives me an advantage in threat generation in the next fight. Maybe my Guardian's Pledge is up and ready for use, and the healer doesn't have to work as hard. No matter the reason, it is important to let the tank lead and set the pace for the group. Successful groups let the tank do this. Sure, you can succeed when you take it nice and slow, but I love the action. The more the merrier.

Conclusion

I likely don't speak for all Guardians in Lord of the Rings Online. Maybe I don't speak for any of them. In my experience, however, I find these things to be important to the game, and important to the success of many a fellowship. Guardians need to be the center of attention. Guardians need time to generate threat against single targets. Guardians need to be able to set the pace. Well, maybe not the last one as much as the other two, but all three are valid points.