Want to live through that trash pull in Ulduar? Wondering why the unmarked mobs are always chasing you? Think that 6000 DPS for 10 seconds in a fight is cool when you're dead? Read on.
Even if you are not a tank, go read Shizuru's post on tanking and threat (http://hordedefenseleague.org/index.php/topic,1081.0.html) and then read all of the replies. You'll notice a common theme. It takes time for a tank to push threat through the roof.
I noticed last night in Ulduar that we had people not following kill order or dumping 10 kabillion points of damage into a mob as we LoS kited a pack around a corner. I also noticed people getting smashed into the ground. I was blowing taunts left and right which left me dry when I needed to taunt off of Tarnn.
You push a lot more damage when you are alive. Give the tanks a moment to push threat. This is especially important on LoS pulls where we spend the first seconds positioning the mobs. Death Grip, for example, is not so much a taunt but a positioning mechanism. Do not open up right away as a tank is trying to get mobs into position. You break up the plan and usually end up killing people in the raid.
Learn how to use Omen. When you pull threat off a tank since you can not follow kill order (http://hordedefenseleague.org/blog/2009/01/14/mmo-instances-things-to-know-for-dps/) and he has to blow a taunt, do not immediately open up on the mob again. That is just stupid.
As a Death Knight tank and with a LOS pull how much time do you actually need to get some good threat going. Just wondering so that I do not pull aggro off you. And just to make sure again of the kill order it is Skull, X.... and then I can't remember. Please set it in writing again so all us douchbags can pick it up and remember what we are supposed to do. ;D
I use a focus macro to assist a tank, rather then having to tab through or click on marked targets. I have it bound to my "F" key so I can just press F and then I'm targeting what the tank is.
It works well for when stuff is not marked, but you still have to be aware of your threat via omen as they could be switching targets (ie - pull mob x and then switch during the pull and be on mob y when the mobs are positioned). I find hitting it a few times just at the start of the fight usually makes sure you are on the right mob. Also if the mobs are marked, you'll know anyway.
This may not work for everyone as I know some people use the focus ability for different encounters, but it works for me. I know there are addons out there that will probably take care of this too, but I'm already running very addon heavy at the moment.
In general and barring any misses, as soon as a tank is within melee distance and swinging away at the mob, it's pretty safe to open up dps. These days most tanks can front-load upwards of 20k threat within a few seconds, so there is a bit of leeway.
Just use common sense. Every tank is different, it's up to you to learn their playstyle and see how they pull, what they use to pull and how fast they're able to generate threat. You can get a wealth of information just by looking at the playing field. Mobs won't always be marked, but there's a standard procedure of what things need to die when; most competent tanks know what needs to die first and usually most of their threat will be on these targets during a pull. It's so easy to glance at a threat meter (even the game has a meter built in), that there's usually little to no excuse for pulling aggro.
I'll try my best to hold aggro on things, but at a certain point, I'll let people die without a second thought.
If it has a blue bar, it usually dies first.
The important thing on marked adds is to be careful with assisting the tank. Since Vitandus is a singe target threat tank, I have to spread my Rune Strikes around during a fight. The threat load may not be on the target on which I am beating at any moment.
My primary threat is on the kill order and as Dave said, you can usually open up pretty quickly. That's different when I am kiting or pulling around a corner. If you intercept before the mob is at my feet, you will get hammered. That was the case several times last night on the causeway to Kologarn. The kill order was for the casters first, and people were pushing threat on other mobs. Next time I won't blow taunts to save those people since it meant my primary target was often peeled off me.
For all the squishies out there that has pulled threat off me while tanking i pretty much dont get annoyed....i LOL so hard that i almost fall out of my chair.....then realize that now i gotta work even more harder to kill the other squishies b4 they find out about my dark sinister plan ;D
This is one reason that I kinda hate recount/damage meters. While it's nice to see how you're doing and the like, too often it turns into a contest, which leads to much worse agro management. And then you've always got the odd DPSer that asks for the meters after every pull. I've noticed an incredible lack, mainly in pugs, of people using their threat dumps as well. I see myself fighting a warlock or hunter for threat, doing everything I can to stay on top, when all they need to do to make my life easier is dump their threat. If they catch back up to me after that, well then it's my fault. But for the love of god, feign death, soulshatter, invisibility, vanish, etc. are there for a reason folks!
If I have to tell a DPS player to dump threat more than once, I let them eat it. They are clearly focused on themselves, and not the success of the raid.