Greatest Tanking Moment Entry #2 - zberyn
Qvic, a place we went four times a day, one day each week in hopes of earning our molds for shiny new pieces of armor. Friday’s started earlier because of this zone and ended much later than most people would consider sane, all because of three M’shas and our need for what they had. Once the M’shas became more trivial, it wasn’t uncommon for the raid leader to goof around by allowing classes other than the warrior and knights to tank an M’sha, especially on the late, late night run when we were all a bit tired. I had been healing tanks for five years by that time, watching as they stood toe to toe with just about every mob, often times wondering just what it would be like to be on their side of the mob, rather than behind them always.
I finally got my chance to see just that when my name was called to be the next ‘tank’ for an M’sha. Being a Cleric was never anything worth getting nervous about, seeing as the class was pretty straight up, we did the healing so the tank could stand up to the big guy beating on him. The seasoned warriors seemed to simply have faith that we healers would keep them up, something at this point I figured had to be learned, seeing as I was quite worried that I’d take a few hits then be pounded into the ground. Mind you, I was probably much more worried than I needed to be, seeing as I’d equipped myself pretty well by this point, but the most ‘tanking’ I’d done before this was soloing green and light blue mobs in the Plane of Hate for fun and gems while passing time.
Fortunately, I had a clue about stuns and agro, and plenty of support from the more seasoned tanks in the guild who were hanging out with us that night, and when the incoming call came, I was ready to face whatever was ahead for me. Looking back now, I laugh at myself for shuffling around like a goof trying to figure out where I had to be so that I could hit the mob without getting so close I got the message that I couldn’t see it. Once that point was found, I hit that sucker with every stun I could find, bashing and nuking in hopes that no poor wizard or rogue would pull the M’sha off of me, and I succeeded. It was a rush for a Cleric like me, though I’m quite sure no warrior who had earned their place in Qvic would even be excited over tanking a mob like an M’sha, but it definitely will stick around as one of those things that added a bit of spice to my Everquest life.
Now, as I look forward to Vanguard, I find myself eagerly awaiting the chance to tank anything put before me; however, this time around I’ll do it as a real tank.