I don't agree with recap number 3, nor your supporting section for it.
A good tank will hold aggro all the time. A GREAT tank knows when to hold aggro and when to bleed it off.
Also, a link to Circeus's taunt guide would be great in the aggro section, as it's way more complicated than you make it out to be.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
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I don't agree with recap number 3, nor your supporting section for it.
A good tank will hold aggro all the time. A GREAT tank knows when to hold aggro and when to bleed it off.
Also, a link to Circeus's taunt guide would be great in the aggro section, as it's way more complicated than you make it out to be.
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Again as prefaced in the beginning:
What follows will be a short guide to the most basic concepts of tanking.
I actually agree with you 
However a new player to tanking will get themself killed more often then not trying to hold everything. That is an advanced step and a final goal. Thank you for the input however.
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
Juzam, while I agree that it is a more complicated trick, beginners don't need to learn that they need to maintain 100% of aggro all the time. Especially beginner tanks who could develop ulcers trying to do so. Invuln tankers could have problems up to level 18 if they're just relying on gauntlet. Stone tanks as well until the get mudpots.
Even Ice and Fire tanks, who get aggro auras early, need to understand that trying to hold 100% of the aggro will often get them killed. Bleeding off aggro may be complicated, but it's something every tank needs to learn, and learn early.
Also, I would have waited a bit for more feedback before putting this in the guides section, but that's just me.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
Well I knew as soon as I clicked "submit" there would be the camp that agrees with me. And then there would be the camp that agrees to disagree with me. However I still maintain that my little guide is a helpful beginners primer. There is plenty of areas on these forums discussing more advanced topics of tanking. So while I understand your precautionary statements I don't think I have done anything but be helpful by authoring this little guide.
Again thanks for the input
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
I would agree with that, I just kinda wonder if it's almost a bit too basic. It's a great little short read for newbie tankers. That's why I suggest putting links to more advanced guides in there. That way they could read the guide, and if there was anything they wanted to read more about, the link is right there, instead of having them have to go find something else.
I think that would help to dispell most of my dissatisfaction with it. I think it's fine as is, but a little more could go a long way.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
I added a link to all the existing goodies and guides 
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
Cool...even just having that I think helps a lot.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
Liked the guild..and it will help me on my way of beening a tanking god...(newbi to tanking so Im still full of vingar=))
One thing I would like to add from my 12+6+10 lvl of expreicane (tank/tank/brute) is that herding in a group may be dead (or at least put to pasture) but Im finding that herding is great in solo work. That being said there has been time when the only way to save the teeam was to herd the mob away from them (I died but the teams 2 defenders lived on). Im finding that a tanker is the flip side of a controller. Both must have control of the battle field, both need wide views bother are really busy in combat.
Thanks for the guild.
I have to disagree with the part about always switching targets.. This can lead to serious deaths on your team.. You have to realize that some of the players on your team will be targeting through you.. Now just say.. You hit mob a 1 time, then switch to mob 2.. Picture what happens to said teammate that is targeting through you.. He fires off a blast at mob 1 just as you switch targets.. Oops.. That agro you build up with your attack is now under the damage that you teammate dose.. What happens.. You loose the agro you just built up.. Mob 1 now walks over and punches out the lights of the person who was trying to play good by not getting extra agro with their attack..
Another bad thing about switching targets.. If you are going to do that.. Please make sure that the set of mobs you are fighting are close enough together that your agro field is still touching them all.. Otherwise when you switch targets you will run out of range and loose said agro on the first mobs..
I have a level 50 tanker so I do understand the dynamics of being a tank.. I learned from two of the best how to play a tank.. One of which being _Havoc_ the other being Glacial Ice.. At no time duiring my rise to 50 on my scrapper did I ever see either of them switch targets to hold agro.. Taunt was also sparingly used.. Mostly to hold a big herd together before the nerf to AOE's.. The best method was to rely on your agro field and your AOE's..
Another thing you might want to state.. This is something that I have seen a ton of.. Taunt is a good power.. But you have to be inside the group to use taunt.. You can't just run int a room see a set of mob's across the room and taunt.. Nemeis are the worst.. All this dose is get them to unleash their AOE's on you entire group standing behind you..
Now.. All this being said.. I do think your guide is nice.. Most of it I agree with.. But I just felt the need to state some of my experiences with your idea on the target switching..
Switching targets is a great thing, and is useful to a team. If another player is targetting through a Tank, that is their fault. No player should be targeting through the main tank. It's a bad idea for debuffs and attacks. That's really what every other AT should learn, not us.
Tank should be switching targets throughout combat, and every other AT should not be targetting through the tanker.
I agree with you on taunt though. It is best to pick and choose your taunt target, if you do indeed pick up taunt. It is not wise to pick an opponent at max taunt range unless they are targeting a squishy, as that will usually bring AoE doom upon your team. But taunt ain't useless unless you're really good at using gauntlet and other punch-voke tactics.
While I have the utmost respect for _Havok_ and Galcial Ice, as I learned from them too, both have left before current situations came into effect. Things have changed since they departed, and while most of what is now was around since before they left, tactics have definitely changed from when they played extensively. _Havok_ is still one of my heroes in this game, and if he were to come back, I'd support him on pretty much everything. However, I'd want him to get reaquanted with the game before that happened.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
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Switching targets is a great thing, and is useful to a team. If another player is targetting through a Tank, that is their fault. No player should be targeting through the main tank. It's a bad idea for debuffs and attacks. That's really what every other AT should learn, not us.
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Huh? Others not targeting through a tank = unwanted aggro to the team. I've seen other ATs try to control the area (8 player teams on invincible) without waiting for the tank to grab the aggro and basically take themselves and half the team with them to debt-land.
Think of it in common sense terms, if everyone attacks the same target, the faster the target will go down. Who holds the aggro again?
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Switching targets is a great thing, and is useful to a team. If another player is targetting through a Tank, that is their fault. No player should be targeting through the main tank. It's a bad idea for debuffs and attacks. That's really what every other AT should learn, not us.
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It's also the easiest way for a Kinetic to heal the tank after the alpha strike... in addition to tons of other stuff when visibility is limited.
In some battles, it's easy to zoom way out for a large view of what's going on. But when fighting in hallways, caves, or those darn CoT mazes, there's no way to zoom out above the battle. Support toons in the back are unable to see anything past the first line of animation.
Should we just forget about whatever we can't see? Or go ahead and target through the tank, trusting that he's good at picking targets?
Also, thought the guide was a bit contradictory, in instructing to focus on the boss, while changing targets with every attack, and using as many AOE's as possible.
On the one hand, a goodly number of tank builds won't have a lot of AOE's. On the other hand, Scrappers have a faster boss-arresting attack chain, so let them tag the boss.
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Also, thought the guide was a bit contradictory, in instructing to focus on the boss, while changing targets with every attack, and using as many AOE's as possible.
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I respectfully disagree. A good tanker does all of those things constantly. Jump the boss(s) and get their attention when possible, switch targets (never did I say constantly) to pull baddies off your team mates when possible and lastly AOE to help kill the masses if you can.
Perhaps I was not artful enough in my choice of words for you? Either way positive or negative thanks for the feedback 
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
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Concentrate on that Boss.
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DO NOT get fixated on one target for the entire battle.
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I could see how people would find this confusing.
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While I have the utmost respect for _Havok_ and Galcial Ice, as I learned from them too, both have left before current situations came into effect. Things have changed since they departed, and while most of what is now was around since before they left, tactics have definitely changed from when they played extensively. _Havok_ is still one of my heroes in this game, and if he were to come back, I'd support him on pretty much everything. However, I'd want him to get reaquanted with the game before that happened.
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Actually.. Glacial Ice is still in the game.. I group with him almost every night..
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Concentrate on that Boss.
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DO NOT get fixated on one target for the entire battle.
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I could see how people would find this confusing.
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Yes during the start of the battle you should single out the boss. But when your team starts taking damage you should have the common sense not to stay target locked and peel for them. What is so hard to understand?
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
Hmmmm.....
Firstly & foremost this is a nice intro for Newbie tankers. Its general & short & about right for a newbie attention span (which is short). It frames some key issues that a tank needs to be aware of when first starting the game. So yes its a STARTING point. Nothing more, nothing less.
Thanks to the OP - your stated objective is achieved. In the current shambles that is newbie tanking in the i7 CoH world we should be seeing more of this both in game & in the forums. Dunno how else to get it across but there are loads of other posts on the topic....
And then a comment on the many posts that followed: Are we all too experienced to really discuss newbie perspectives?
Before I start lets remember that a newbie tank is not always a lowbie tank & vice versa.
Imaging you are a lowbie/newbie reading the comments after the OP:
"what does AoE/CoT/AT etc. mean?"
"Kinetics? Transfusion? I dunno what that stuff is I am just trying to stay alive"
"Tactics? Like you mean kinda hitting stuff & staying alive? I am still getting my head around aggro!"
"How exactly do I change targets quickly? Tab?? Oh the Tab!!!!"
My 1st lvl 50 was a tanker & I remember how many levels it took me to sort out some of the answers As stoopid as I may look it was well past my 20's (maybe even early 30's). I got taught how to herd at about lvl 36 at the far end of creys - I bet you ALL know that 1 container.....
My point - lets dig deep & remember what it was like when we first started on CoH & tanking. Thats who this post is for.
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Yes during the start of the battle you should single out the boss. But when your team starts taking damage you should have the common sense not to stay target locked and peel for them. What is so hard to understand?
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The concept itself is not hard to understand. Your description of the concept in your guide could be hard to understand, especially for a beginning tanker.
Don't be offended, I am just offering a suggestion that you could do a little editting to make this more understandable to a noob. When I read it I could see a beginning tanker saying to himself, "Wait he says to concentrate on the Boss, but then he says NOT to get fixated?"
It was just a suggestion.
Maybe a rewording is needed. If you are constantly switching targets as you suggest you aren't concentrating on the boss. Maybe you could say, "Always keep your eye on the boss, even when switching targets." Or "Concentrate on the Boss until you have his undivided attention, then switch your focus to getting all the other baddies to hate you too by cycling through targets."
And I do agree with you about switching targets. A scrapper might be a better assist target, because they are allowed/supposed to get scrapper-lock and should be killing bosses. But IMO a tank needs to be switching targets often in order to make sure he has all the baddies attention. Auras work great, but aren't infallible.
Let the scrapper or controller or similar take out t hat boss. Few bosses do the level of damage an 8 man spawn of Lts and minions will do. Actually, I can think of none.
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Yes during the start of the battle you should single out the boss. But when your team starts taking damage you should have the common sense not to stay target locked and peel for them. What is so hard to understand?
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The concept itself is not hard to understand. Your description of the concept in your guide could be hard to understand, especially for a beginning tanker.
Don't be offended, I am just offering a suggestion that you could do a little editting to make this more understandable to a noob. When I read it I could see a beginning tanker saying to himself, "Wait he says to concentrate on the Boss, but then he says NOT to get fixated?"
It was just a suggestion.
Maybe a rewording is needed. If you are constantly switching targets as you suggest you aren't concentrating on the boss. Maybe you could say, "Always keep your eye on the boss, even when switching targets." Or "Concentrate on the Boss until you have his undivided attention, then switch your focus to getting all the other baddies to hate you too by cycling through targets."
And I do agree with you about switching targets. A scrapper might be a better assist target, because they are allowed/supposed to get scrapper-lock and should be killing bosses. But IMO a tank needs to be switching targets often in order to make sure he has all the baddies attention. Auras work great, but aren't infallible.
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You very artfully have offered a suggestion with this post. Before all you did was make a comparison with two items quoted out of context. Offended? I'm never offended by a thoughtful post or something that points out a better way of doing something. Simply quoting items of my guide to prove I have "contradicted myself" is nothing more then trolling in my mind. Thus far Aett_Thorn's posts have been in my opinion while slightly argumentative at times, the most helpful. I appreciate his objective contribution to my little guide. And now that you have actually made a post I also thank you for the ideas and joining our discussion on how to make this a better guide.
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
Looks fine for a starter guide, actually. Sure, there are a number of things to add, but they can wait abit. After the past year or so I do wonder about the role of a Tanker in teams, however, that is not the goal of your guide either. I would add my main piece of advice: Listen/read/ learn everything you can on Tanking and apply it to tactics that fit your playstyle.
At least until we can make Brutes in CoH.
"I never said thank you." - Lt. Gordon
"And you'll never have to." - the Dark Knight
nice little guide..
Im with ya on the switching targets.. I constantly do it.. Grab the boss soo he is beating on me, then start switching to taunt in ranged guys, or stragllers,, targeting other bosses to help gather more on me.. All the while using AoE's If done right the end of the battle should be just the last few bosses. Its much easier for a troller too to hold just a couple bosses and the team can really just go nuts with AoE's And you should have no problems holding the agro as opossed to a boss less mob and then having blasters let AoE's rip.. It usually ends in dead blasters or empaths working over time.
One other thing, tank should definatly NOT be the targeter.. If you find you really need one use a scrapper.. To me all that means is the person needs to learn to target and control agro themselves. Not switching targets is one thing bad tanks do all the time.. Im gonna kill this boss.. forget about the other agro and then someone crys out we need a healer !! With a single good tank and a good troller, the need for healing even on an 8-man invinici spawn is very small if they know how to work together.
Happy tanking !!
My rules for tanking would be:
1. Generate aggro through auras, taunt, and AoEs -- don't rely on Gauntlet
2. Don't lock in on one target and ignore what's going on around you -- your role is to protect your teammates
3. Communicate constantly with your team and be the tactical leader, identifying targets and dangers.
4. Find a pace that suits the group and the difficulty of the mission.
5. Be flexible. Certain tactical situations require herding, pulling, and bleeding off aggro to others.
6. Have fun. This is a game. Don't be the aggro tyrant telling everyone what to do ... just lead and be clear about what you are doing.
7. Learn to assess the difficulty of the combat you are about to enter, and don't be afraid to ask nicely for a buff or spare defensive inspiration.
In sum: if you're not willing to generate aggro and otherwise protect your teammates, don't be a tank. Roll up a scrapper or brute instead.
SMASH!
oh wait sorry wrong section...
good write up Juzam
<--learned how to tank from Ring/Kilo/Briar/Mold that's why I um play brutes jk
Actually once one gets down the basics it's gets more interesting with positioning/placement.
@Deadboy
Juzam's Tao of Tanking for beginners
So you want to be a tanker? Well what follows will be a short guide to the most basic concepts of tanking. Just for background purposes I will include that the author has played tanks in various forms for years in online games. Therefore I feel qualified to express opinions and ideas in this guide which I deem to be helpful. But you as a tanker will have to decide what works best for you at the end of the day.
So what is the primary role of a tanker?
Tankers are the backbone of any group dynamic. They keep other teammates alive, not by healing or doing the most damage but by keeping the enemies attention off the rest of your team. Do this well, and groups will be lining up for your help.
Ok I understand what my basic role is now. So how do I accomplish it with success?
First I will answer with an old adage, "perfect practice makes perfect". It is literally the gospel once you enter the ream of tanking. The difference between an experienced and practiced tank and a player which is not is quite alarming. So the first rule to becoming a good tank is stick with it because your tanker instinct will not develop overnight.
In an MMO such as City of Heroes the baddies you fight have what is termed an "aggro rating". This term "aggro" is just MMO lingo for aggression which is generated in fights with damage. The more you damage an opponent the more "aggro" you generate from them and their attention is turned to you. This is a key aspect of MMO combat to prevent the massive damage dealing classes from never being in danger. It also teaches gamers that yes you can indeed bite off more then you can chew.
Enter the tanker. As a tanker we have the innate ability of Gauntlet. This inherent power makes all of our single target attacks "taunt" baddies. Taunting generates "aggro" which makes the baddies turn their attention to you. Now to avoid confusion tankers also have access to additional ways to taunt baddies. We have various aura powers which can be used which actually taunt enemies around us. We also can purchase a power called "taunt" which can grab up to five baddies attention from range. Both of the former can greatly help you maintain aggro and are just other possible tools for the tanker utility belt.
So lets recap what we have learned so far:
1) Tankers primary role is not healing or doing the most damage but keeping the enemies attention off the rest of the team.
2) This is accomplished by generating "aggro" from enemies by taunting them with attacks, auras and powers.
Ok so now that we have those two very basic concepts down just how the heck do we do this?
1) Tanks go in first !
A good way to begin your career as a tanker is to become the point person for the team. Being point is a lot more then running ahead of the group. It means you must keep up with your team members and make sure no one is straggling or lost. Go slow, it's not a race. Teams die fast when foolish tanks charge around every corner. If some Rambo wants to constantly run ahead of you (this WILL happen) calmly warn them its a very bad idea. As point person you want to do a little recon and see what you are up against. Usually it is a good idea once you have engaged the enemy for the tanker to target the toughest, baddest, enemy there. Concentrate on that Boss. When you attack the Boss it can aggro the henchman surrounding them. Once the toughest baddie is out of the picture, remove the remainder of the baddies methodically.
2) Aggro management
Tanks MUST obtain and hold enemy aggro.
The following are the most basic ways to initiate combat and develop aggro:
Charge into middle of mob group, let loose a AoE attack then begin taunting. Continue to fight with steady stream of AoE and taunt until all mobs defeated. This is my go-to strategy and is usually effective for obtaining and sustaining aggro.
Herd (term for taunting a group of mobs and then running, bringing said group to a new location) the mobs around a corner or other good ambush point. This is effective when you are up against mobs who are more likely to use range to attack your team rather than melee. Stacking them up and making them close within melee range makes your aggro holding job a whole lot easier. Be aware however not just Tanks, but all ATs should understand the mechanics of herding. Especially the part about dragging mobs around corners. Foes that use ranged attacks are unpullable unless the Tanker ducks behind cover, forcing the baddies to follow. Tanks and teammates should recognize the optimum corners where a herd is likely to end up -- and be patient while the herding is underway. If non-Tanks attract too much attention, the herding can be spoiled.
Pulling method uses a ranged attack user pull to team location. I use this tactic when there are multiple mob groups close to each other and if I charge in, it is likely I'll set off both groups. This is also good for groups that contain multiple purples and reds or is just one HUGE group. If your puller is any good or she he can whittle it down some so you and your team can revert to one of the other two options listed above.
2) Damage sponging
Damage sponging is the hardest part of your job but, done correctly you make your team a success. Sure every tank has their limitations but in the end of the day us tankers are the best suited for taking a beating. Just remember that everyone else is a squishy, cream puffs. Do not drag them into dangerous conflicts expecting them to take damage like you can.
A good tanker is always busy switching targets to maintain aggro when needed. DO NOT get fixated on one target for the entire battle. You must be dynamic and control the fight which includes knowing when to call a retreat. Learn to use your body position to direct AoE and cone attacks (i.e. flamethrowers, etc) away from your team. In other words, you should be facing your team while the foes are sandwiched between. The biggest difference between the good tanks and the bad tanks is what I call the "defensive instinct". You really need to play zoomed out and observe the flow of the battle. Remember aside from fighting or anything else your most important team role is to keep the attention of those baddies on you.
Having said that most other ATs are not helpless at all. Especially if they are being driven by excellent players. That aside though never underestimate the potential for the life bar of a team mate to suddenly drop. Don't bite off more then you can chew ever because a dead tank is of no help to the team. Just be prepared to slap a baddie in the back of the head to give teammates breathing room when needed. If you are paying attention to the flow of the battle they should almost never need to ask for the former.
The classic role of tanker as damage sponge is still alive and well in COH. But the days of reading a book while tanking are over, at least as far as COH is concerned. Tanking is a very active and intense activity. And although the COH tank is a linear descendant of his MMO predecessors, the specific mechanics of tanking in COH mark a major change in a fundamental mechanic of aggro management by beginning to change the tank from a passive aggro-generator who parks baddies to an active and reactive protector of his team members, making for increasingly complex combat. Tanking in COH is a very fun and engaging experience.
So our final recap:
1) Practice makes perfect literally. Don't let the late blooming nature of your shiny new tanker discourage you. Get on teams and tank !!
2) Tankers primary role is not healing or doing the most damage but keeping the enemies attention off the rest of the team.
3) Tanks MUST obtain and hold enemy aggro. A good tanker is always busy switching targets to maintain aggro when needed.
4) Do not drag your team into dangerous conflicts expecting them to take damage like you can.
5) Tanking in COH is a very fun and engaging experience.
In conclusion I hope this little guide was informative and helpful in your new tanking career. Good tanks are not developed overnight nor is good tanking skills. However if you stick with it the basic groundwork for tanking excellence it will never leave you. It is akin to riding a bicycle...you never forget.
Tank on !
For more advanced guides and build specific information please check here:
Advanced Tanking Guides
Juzam
Tanker aficionado
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.