Since the introduction of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, its no secret that AoE (area of effect) damage has taken president over single target DPS.
With the addition of some form of AoE damage abilities for every class, and the introduction of the new Gods of AoE - the Deathknight - the way people run both dungeons as well as raids has changed.
This has introduced a new challenge for tanking classes, since rather than fighting for aggro on one mob they've got to stay high on multiple threat tables. Here are a few tips to help all those that have issues with AoE tanking -Initial Threat
The initial "hi I'm here, hit me" is the most important thing for tanks. If you wait too long before using a damaging ability that hits each mob in the particular pull, the mobs that aren't 'tagged' in this way will run straight for the first party/raid member that heals or uses a damaging spell, making it hard for you to control them.
The best way to grab aggro on multiple mobs is to use some form of AoE ability, even if it dishes out small amounts of damage.
A good example for such an ability is Death and Decay in the case of Deathknights, Shockwave (or Thunderclap) in the case of Warriors or Consecrate in the case of Paladins.
This is easy in the case of Deathknights and Paladins, since they start off with a full pool of Runic Power/ Runes, or Mana, but Warriors and Druids have to build Rage so it becomes a little tough on them; then again there are always abilities like Enrage and Charge to help build enough rage for that first AoE damage ability.Positioning
There's nothing more depressing than seeing a tank charge into a group of mobs, just to be pummeled into the ground within seconds.
Along with threat generation, it's also important for tanks to ensure that they survive (else what good are they, right?). Most tanks die quickly because they mess up with positioning mobs - they let mobs pound on them from the sides and their back, which are areas that cannot dodge, parry or block incoming blows, making them a complete punching bag.
The first thing you do after grabbing aggro is move about a bit so that all the mobs you need to tank are positioned in front of you.
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