Questions about tanking lowbie instances

Although I'm in a raiding guild, I really enjoy 5 man instances more than any other part of the game. If a raid isn't scheduled on any given night, I'm usually whispering friends and guildies LFG.

Like many people, I'm getting bored with running the same BC heroics over and over again.

So I plan to roll a Pally specifically for tanking pre BC instances. I plan to do as little questing as possible, and just focus on groups.

These forums have been very helpful so far, but I still have some questions.

I think at those low levels spec doesn't matter. If you can wear mail and carry a shield you should be fine for tanking.
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Well I did the very same thing with my paladin. I just don't like to be questing on my own.

Get some spelldamage even if you have to wear 1-2 cloth pieces for it.
Just get a decent healthpool and mail/plate will do the rest.

You will run into hunters with pets who do more dmg then you, who have more armor and more HP. And don't worry it will be cats and raptors.

As long as you know the instances you will be fine. Healers are way more important then tanks early on. Before SM you can go with just 4 DPS and 1 healer.

OK your questions...

3/3 RF for the threat

Threat and such mana will be your main issue. Your party won't like waiting for you to stop drinking.

There are no spell immu bosses in my knowledge so you can do it all.

Your profession choices are good.

pre 60 these should be the goals imho(it's what worked for me and never had probs) :

weapon : the fastest weapon the better and with as much stamina as possible, anyother stats are non factor

armor pieces except cloak : armor and stamina(leave out shields with avoidance and replace em with armor stamina ones)

jewelery and cloak : spell dmg and stamina where you can, intellect should be np.

- u would most of the times feel that trash is harder than bosses beeing that 99% are just tanknspank

- paramount imho : either get friends with a DPS class to lvl/aoe/quest with(mage/lock are the best) and add friends any healer u can find that lvls in instances and have the spec and gear to be a real healer.

- there is no such thing as "things impossible for pally", lvld prot from lvl 1 and tanked every instance up to Strat and Scholo, if fury warrior with duals and retridins with 2h can tank em, for you, that are specced and geared especially for tanking, all instances will be easy mode.

PS: just to get an idea on how easy mode Pre-TBC instaces are now i'll tell u as story, on my previous char that was a healer since lvl 1 i knew a guy, a prot warrior, and he was a roleplayer, he was roleplaying Leonidas(king of spartans, 300, etc.) and to make a realistic roleplay he was tanking in shorts(some cloth pants or mail i believe) w/o any chest no gloves, just helm, bracers boots and belt, and always a round shield, he had more survuvability than fury warriors at his lvl that were wearing plate at 40 lvl, as he was just litterally dragging us trough ZF.
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the main problem you will probably face in the lower lvl instances is with threat and mana since trash before the 50 instances doesn't do alot of damage and if u don't have threat then you don't get mana back.

also with ur profs u may want to take JC instead of enchanting because of the trinkets
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"Pally tanks don't die, They just stop to Regen"


http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Dreadmaul&n=Umio

- At what level am I a viable tank for Deadmines? Should I even bother tanking without 3/3 Righteous Fury?

Basically as soon as you got RF you can tank. You should however grab imp RF if you are going prot to level.

- What is the biggest problem at low levels: threat, survivability or mana?

Mana actually, paladin aggro is ridicolously high pre 60, you can basically hold everything with just consecration and SoW/JoW

- Are there any situations, bosses or instances that should be avoided since they are simply impossible for pally tanks?

Mmm no. Actually you'll make any istance simpler since you don't really need any CC

- Any advice on professions? Right now I'm thinking enchanting (for D/E) and engineering (bombs for ranged pulls).

The ones you like more honestly.
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Proud founder of the 40/21 club

Hmmm... I tanked as a pally leveling pretty much the same way I tank 5 mans now. Group 'em up and consecrate. If you make your DPS follow a kill order its really easy.

That being said most leveling instances are a joke to tank. When I leveled Erendis, Alphonse (my cat) tanked most every instance I walked into up through ZF.

One last thing. No one tanks Deadmines. You simply try to make sure your party members don't kill themselves (and you) with their stupidity.
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I tanked Deadmines.

I think it would be a LOT of fun if they had a 'heroic' mode for that place. I'd love to tank a level 70 version of it.

And I treated it just as I do when tanking Sethek Halls or Shadow Labs or etc. A lot of care, some LoS pulls, and getting the aggro onto me.

With a group that respects that, properly tanking it actually does seriously speed up the run. I got lucky on my second tank to go through it - everyone in the group was a raider leveling a new alt. We only had one wipe when the ret-pally walked ahead of me right at the end to get a look at the top of the boat, pulling that goblin captain down along with every single mob between us and him. We still got half of them before they got us.
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Yeah, I'd like a heroic version of Deadmines as well. The boss fights are actually interesting (for the most part) and to be able to do it well takes alot of good placement and timing.

I'd also like to see a heroic version of SFK. I have rarely run that instance but it has been tons of fun every time. Very cool instance that most Alliance don't ever get to see.
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Stupid Blizzard making all the Paladins go there. >_>
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5/6 SSC, 3/4 TK, 4/5 Hyjal

Funstrider, Vashjina and Archilol can go diaf