How to be a jerk.

An intresting problem I have been having for the past couple of days: I feel I have been to nice while I have been tanking.

A fine example is my first taste of MgT today (I know I should have heroic on farm by now, but I have been busy here, and busy there and after we cleared kara today I thought it would be something nice to get out of the way) Now my group was not the best geared, relatively well skilled, and hey they could CC and didn't take my aggro. And truth be told they were the nicest people in mic. We cracked jokes, we talked a bit while someone went for a bathroom break, and so on.

The only problem was, I felt I had no control over the group. I know that tanks are suppose to call the shots in a group, but I am pretty laid back and open to suggestions, I don't mind practiceing a new strategy for a boss I have downed many times, espcially when it might be more effective.

The biggest problem I faced was the rouge, he was the nicest guy in the whole group, some crazy southerner, but he kept saying what I should do. It started off as "Oni, let my look ahead and see what is there" to "We should sap so and so and then attack so and so." Normally I would tough it out and override him, but every single pull he had to tell the group the best way to do something. And really it wasn't.

We never targeted the healers first, my kill orders where all out of place (my last mark dying first, and my skull dying last), we wiped so many times by pulling extra mobs, screwing up on a boss fight, and just not being focussed. I Am not the type to be a nazi, but at the same time I am not a push over, I have to qualms about putting a lousy group member in their place. Whether it be the aggroant healer, the selfish DPS or the ret pally who thinks he can tank better than be, I have no problems.

But the only thing that made this particular case hard was everyone was so darn nice. Usually the aggrorant idiots are jerks and I feel nothing by telling them to shut the hell up, listen to me, or go find themselves another tank.

But it's diffcult to be hard when everyone is so frinedly. It's espcially hard when I need to maintain some kind of control to get the group working right, and I have someone constantly trying to override me.


What do you guys do when it's hard to be a jerk? How do you get over being kind (if you are at all XD) and just tell people how it is straight. I know it's just a game, but I can't be a jerk to nice people. Call me werid, I just can't find it in me.
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Oniyoh- level 70-Lightbringer

Being a jerk is not the same as being assertive. I encourage the group and congratulate them on everything they do well, but even if a pull is successful and someone did something out of line, I ask them if they could watch it in the future. That way, when we get to the pulls where it makes a difference, they're doing the right thing already.

In the case of this rogue, I would have explained that I know my strengths and weaknesses as a tank and player, and I think it'll be easier on everyone if we do it this way. If he disagrees still, ask him to humor you and do it anyway. You can be nice while taking control - it's just another part of learning to be a great tank
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Yeah, at the start of a run, if I'm doing a PuG, I make it known that I'll be marking targets, doing kill orders, etc. If someone wants to defy my Iron Fist, then I politely tell them that I do things fast, and that they don't want to find another tank, do they?

I don't be mean about it, but at the same time, I don't like to go into a group and have some idiot wanting to CC melee mobs and leave healer mobs alive.
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Dark Serenity's tankadin for life.

"Before we start this I want to make a couple of things clear and I need you all to agree. I will mark the targets, I will make the pulls, you will attack skull first, star second. You pull it, you tank it is the thumb rule. Are we all clear to go?"

That's the way I make it, it's not about being nice - it's just about setting the rules. I even set these rules every time I play with my IRL friends, just in case someone has been rolling an alt and thinks he knows better.

Sure you should be open to suggestions, but it doesn't mean you have to go through with them, you are tanking, you are setting the rules, you are the leader - even if they are over friendly you have to keep your grip.
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I spell properly.
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Official thread killer

usually what I would do if I didnt know the people would just listen to what someone had to say and see if they knew what they were talking about.

If what they were saying made sense I would be like K coo....and then proceed to tanking...if however what they were saying was like wtf are you talking about...I would just be like okay dude I have done this instance 100 times on 5 different 70s so Ill take the lead and here is the kill order.....for most grps that works just fine...esp if you are well geared and seem to know what your doing. When your all decked out in pve epics and ur a tank most people will tend to follow along unless you mess up alot.

Other option is to kick the offender and find a new dps cause well dps is a dime a dozen...tanks and healers are the hard classes to find....I have found that If I dont like people in the party as long as the healer wants me to be the tank finding all new dps isnt hard to do.

Also if you play alot and tank alot of various people even outside your guid you'll start to build a reputation and people will be like dude come tank this, and you will have no problems......alot of people dont realize how paladin tanks play and somethimes have issues with the strats I used but after running thru part of the instance and smoking everything no prolbem they quickly come on board....

U dont know how many heroics Ive had clueless mages going wtf no sheep.....yet we still did fine with no wipes in record times....when I played alot we could blow thru all of botonica on heroic in like 40 mins....I did it almost every night for badge farming....

PUGs in general suck, I dont mind like 1 dps pug, but healer and you on the same page is a huge plus, is pretty much my experience.

There's one rogue in my raid group who is constantly telling other classes what to do, even if they're currently doing it.

I mock him mercilessly for it, my basic theory is they feel so useless most of the time they overcompensate. I am a jerk, btw.

You've gotta be assertive because if the pull goes wrong, it's the puller who'll take the blame, no-one else. Just say, simply "Look, I have the hat, I'll handle the pull. You just concentrate on stabbering things until I ask for a Sap, ok?" You're the quarterback, you set the play.

Of course, you may choose to phrase it slightly more diplomatically than that, but do so in a firm, even tone. Take no BS or backchat, and if he persists in being an arse, then suggest to the healer that they may not want to heal someone who deviates from the plan you set.
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Don't ask any more stupid questions / You already know the answers to
Armory : Gear Advice

Generally speaking, I've found that while I'm in a group of 5 players, especially a PuG group, I am usually the person who understands the most about how Tankadins work. I set out instructions on how things are going to flow, and I allow for ONE infraction. Once that infraction occurs, I stop, point the infraction out, politely ask that they stop doing it, explain that it is very important that they follow my lead, and then continue on. If they refuse to co-operate, within moments they are LF1M Tank.

You are a Tankadin, you are to be obeyed.
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your the tank, ironicly the one thats usually hardest to replace...
if they refuse to listen, warn them once, if they continue pull a room and bubble hearth(if you don't want to be truely evil warn the people that are listening so they can run too)... if your to nice to bubble hearth, then LET the offenders die but keep the rest alive(it's not hard to do if your clever)

diplomacy is NOT my strong point, nore is subtlety
people learn quick when they die, or they get pissy and leave, but DPS all but grow on trees

The Iron Fist... Use it. :p




... Think I'm gonna start using that term more often. It makes sense. Personally I don't take any shit from neither DPS'ers OR retarded healers. And I always know what to do even if what I'm doing is a new thing in the game, because I've made my studying beforehand then, as should everyone. (There'll be tactics out for every single 5-man and whatever before I've set foot in them, so yea, pretty easy to learn beforehand.)
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