Bears: Four Things That We Wish To Share

1. Bears + Caster Form = MOAR AGGRO

Depending on the group and/or the tank, some tanks may find it more beneficial to pull in caster form. A starfire on one, a moonfire on another, and go bear to mangle the third mob, for instance, will help multi-tanking (see below). It is hardly a mark of poor tanking, but rather helps the bear get greater initial aggro (especially useful if the DPS in the group tend to be either aggro-magnets due to no fault of their own, but a lucky series of crits, or if the DPS in the group tend to be DamageMeter competitors).

Redirect: Hurricane Pulls [ Will be in a subsequent article]

I won't touch too heavily on this, for I wish to cover it in another post, but if we tell you we're hurricane pulling, get ready to start a healing rotation early; Hurricane pulls make it easier to keep aggro on more than three mobs, and, while we may be hit once or twice, most of us are smart enough to go bear before the real damage is done. Trust us; it works, and the healer will be happier.

2. Multi-Tanking

It takes time to build up solid aggro on three mobs. We can do it, yes, but if you expect to be able to unload the moment we pull (which you shouldn't do in any occasion), good luck getting sympathy from your your tank. If you start to unload the moment they reach us... well. dI'm sorry, but a swipe isn't going to be enough for you to do so. Count to five slowly, let us get solid aggro on all three, and then go. It'll make sure that you aren't eating the nice tasty floor while everyone else is happily DPSing, healing, or tanking.

3. CC is Valued

Unlike with a paladin tank, we tend to like CC. The less we have to tank, the quicker the DPS can dig in. While bears handle multi-tanking fairly well (certainly better than warriors, and we have an easier time), and can take the damage fairly well as well, we love CC. Some of us (not all) don't mind pulling with a Hibernate or a Cyclone to give us a one-up. If you are a DPS class without a CC, we're a bit less likely to chose you. Sorry, folks.

4. Healing

Yes, healing. Depending on the bear, some of us are more than happy to pop up and help top everyone off after a fight in order for our healers to get their mana back faster so the whole group could proceed without too much delay. While this may save a minute or two, those minutes can stack up and make a run just a bit faster, especially after a wipe. If we offer, indulge us. We don't need mana usually, we'll be okay.

[ Inspired by Part Time Druid's Resto Druid: 5 Things You Should Know post. ]