New Death Knight Tank Check List

It's intimidating learning how to tank and its even worse when learning to tank on a Death Knight. Throw in the fact that you are learning on Heroic level 80 dungeons and it makes for some heart pounding stress. But, if you like taking control, or if you are just sick and tired of DPSing from the cheap seats, jump right in.

The new LFG Tool makes joining dungeons a breeze and the fact that you will never see these people again should alleviate some of that noob tank stress. Every tank had to learn at some point, but not every tank who gloats in party chat had to learn in the circumstances surrounding Death Knights. Lastly, don't let that 2 button Druid Tank try to tell you how easy tanking is, it's much more complicated and involved to be a good Death Knight tank than a bear.

That being said, below is a check list I would recommend all Death Knights adhere to before jumping into your first Heroic tanking situation.

1. Reach Defense Cap - Yes, it is that important. Make sure you have at least 535 Defense before jumping into a Heroic Dungeon. I don't care that you've done it before without problems, you are a huge strain on your healer and a couple RNG crits will be the end of you and your group. So, go buy that cheap ilvl 200 tank gear, throw a Stoneskin Gargoyle Rune Forge on your weapon, and drink an Elixir of Mighty Defense if need be.
2. Watch A YouTube Video - I'm talking from experience, tanking an instance and dps'ing an instance are very different things. Watch a YouTube video of the fights in all of the Northrend Dungeons. You don't have to have them all memorized, but it will help in knowing the little tricks and odd mechanics of some of the boss fights from a tanking perspective.
3. Be Over Prepared - This means make sure you bring your own food buff, elixir, potion, or whatever. Minimum stats are just that, minimum requirements, be over prepared to alleviate healing and dps stress on others in your group. At this point, more often than not, your other party members will be over geared..so you should do everything you can to boost your stats.
4. Take Criticism - Even if you have a few flawless runs, ask at the end of the group what you could have done to improve. Most people are more tolerant of those willing to learn, than those that just assume they know everything. It also doesn't hurt to ask about an instance, if you have a question, while people are buffing at the beginning. And, don't get your feelings hurt if they point out your weaknesses during the run, use that input and take it all with a grain of salt. Knowledge is Power!

That's it for my checklist for now. It's important to not get discouraged and spread your tanking out over a few runs. If you see yourself starting to get angry, just step back, run as DPS for a few dungeons, and then come back to tackling the differences in tanking. It's ok to fail, despite what the WoW forums say.

Please chip in if you have any other tips for new Death Knight Tanks.