The sin of Tab targeting
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 7th 2009 at 11:00AM
I'm not a keyboard turner -- my steady diet of FPS games growing up made sure of that. And while I do occasionally point-and-click abilities, for the most part, I do use hotkeys. But, just like Tank Like a Girl, there is one control-scheme sin that I'm definitely guilty of: I am definitely a Tab-targeter. I guess the issue is that sometimes you do have to use Tab to choose your different targets -- sometimes, you can't quite click on the thing you need to target, so instead you hit Tab to flip through all the available targets until you get to the one you need. But that's a no-no. Flipping through the targets takes more time than you should (if you happen to miss your target, you need to flip through all of them yet again), and, as I know from personal experience, Tab targeting often ends you up on the wrong target. Not that CC is so much of an issue anymore, but let me tell you: the first time you happen to pull that one dragon your group has cast sleep on, it'll be embarassing.So how to get it right? TLaG suggests this post from TankingTips, which hints at using the mouse instead of the keyboard to target (you can choose friendly targets easier that way), but doesn't offer any real suggestions of how to make the switch. Moving the camera back is one, getting your positioning right is probably another. And learning to use focus and macro targets is probably the best tip you can have: anything that's more specific or direct than either Tab or click targeting is probably better. Addons like Promixo will help in the Arenas as well.
No one's perfect, and no one way to do things is perfect either -- depending on your situation, Tab targeting might be better. But it's important to have as many tools as possible, so if you, like me, find yourself depending on the Tab key more often than not, it might be time to mix up your toolbag a bit.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Tricks, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Blizzard, PvP, Raiding, Hardware
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 5)
yiNXs Jul 7th 2009 12:10PM
Yes, I've always felt using TAB for tanking to be nasty too. Most of the time it's fine, but I've been in situations where it just keeps rotating over the same targets I DIDN'T want. As healer I don't care for Tab, as I have a nice grid of healthbars. As dps I usually simply use /assist on tank, but Tab is fine, in the worst case I might lose a little dps while checking if I got the right target. But as Tank it's just a pain, if a new add appears on the field, you need to it taunt asap, you don't have much time to browse randomly through a list of possible options, constantly checking if you finally got the right one.
I always wished for some sort of grid like tool, where I could simply click all available enemies (preferably with threat-amount and nr. of people attacking it on there), or hotkeys that could target based on raidmarks would also be a great help. Sometimes I click the mobs, but some hitboxes are so immense that I keep selecting the mob that's somewhere in between. Atm, I don't know a better way then Tab. It might be a sin to some, but it's still the best out of bad options.
What does help me a lot is my little spamming macro under "z":
/castrandom [target=mouseover] Growl, Faerie Fire (Feral)
Cyrus Jul 7th 2009 12:11PM
I think I've only used tab targetting in two situations. Now, when I want to pull the best dps I can (balance druid), and it's a pull of two or three mobs, then I'll tab target from my current target to the next one when my current target is about to die so I don't even have to take a finger off my casting rotation. I think this only comes up on trash mobs in heroics, maybe Anub'renkhan too but I haven't done him in a while now. Few bosses these days have adds that you need to kill ASAP but can't be aoe'd down. And in a raid I rarely care about maxing out my dps partly because I know I'm not going to beat the single-target dps of eight to 10 other people in my guild and partly because there's other stuff I have to be aware of.
The other time I used tab targetting was when I was feral and tanking instances like Shattered Halls. Druid aoe threat sucked in BC, so unless the group had three viable CC methods (and sometimes even then) I would need to tab-lacerate, tab-lacerate, tab-lacerate to hold on to all the mobs in those big pulls.
So basically, for me, it's for epeen-stroking min-maxing dps in two-to-three target situations, and for tanking when aoe threat generation is inadequate or unavailable. The former is almost never really necessary (Oh! I remember a boss encounter like that after all - King Dred, *if* you're going for the achievement.) and the second used to be a big deal for two out of three tanking classes, but I gather is much rarer these days.
Thyhammerr Jul 7th 2009 12:22PM
okay i didn't know about shift tab thing put DAYEM .. SHIFT TAB OWNS YOU !!
anyway..
i've been tanking through NAXX / OS3D and Ulduar Hardmode and i can say that best thing is Tabbing + Mouse Clicking.. in fights like OS3D you cannot rely on click tanking.. because of the reason that you have to move too much and there are more than one thing that if you taunt, you'll end up wiping the whole raid..
so best thing is.. Tab + Taunt and anything that you cannot tab (since it has a range) = click and voila ..
Kurdon Jul 7th 2009 12:28PM
Arguing against tab-targeting for tanks is the single most flawed stance I think I've ever heard. From a situational awareness perspective, you are doing yourself (and everyone that relies on you) a huge disservice by not relying on either left or right mouse button plus mouse-panning to either move or look as necessary while relying on (wherever applicable) macros and tab-targetting to get the job done. If I'm completely stationary, things are slow and completely under control, and the number of mobs you're having to worry about is pretty finite, then mouse-selecting is acceptable but far from required unless the target is outside your tab-targeting range. You should be prepared to use whichever method works best for the situation, and very rarely is mouse selection the best method.
For a while in the BC era, mouse-over sunders were the way to go, which required you to stand relatively still and never even have to select your target. Combined with the fact that they allowed you to control your tab-target distance, this was the most effective way for warrior tanks to maintain aggro on multiple mobs. With as much front-load threat as is required these days for a warrior to maintain multi-mob aggro against warlock/hunter/mage AoE spew, the idea that you're going to try and surgically select your next mob to shield slam (after TC and shockwave of course), then do the same again for the next target for a revenge, next for a conc blow, etc is delusional. Especially if you drew your targets into a cone in front of you for maximum shockwave effect.
Achtungg Jul 7th 2009 12:32PM
Terrible picture to use Mike. Where is the Tab soda can?
=)
Braundo Jul 7th 2009 1:09PM
Click targeting is completely impossible in heavy AOE situations. Sorry.
Jasp Jul 7th 2009 1:15PM
I just use my mouse scroll wheel to cycle through targets. It makes is very simple and I can just cycle through targets with ease and little time, same goes for going back to previous targets. I hope somebody find this useful as well!
Carcasshoof Jul 7th 2009 1:36PM
Well... O_o
I use mouse targeting for all the classes that i play.
When I'm tanking with my DK-noob... i can't imagine use tab for switch targets.
Damatastre Jul 7th 2009 1:48PM
I usually mouse target, but when it comes to fast moving enemies, I have to tab target. For instance, the feral defender on the auriaya fight moves too quickly to be able to mouse target.
Sleutel Jul 7th 2009 2:29PM
I haven't used tab targeting since I mapped Shield Slam to tab. Click to select target all the way, baby. (And I always have enemy health bars up.)
Mauddib Jul 7th 2009 2:53PM
Raiding Ulduar 10 last night on my Spriest (for the first time), on Thorim in the arena, the 'Dark Rune Evokers' were a real P.I.T.A!!! Tab targeting has them being targeted too slowly and not tab targeting means you're likely on the wrong guy. Setting up a /tar macro didn't help either since there are many around that aren't engaged yet. Any suggestions?
Oh, and from a tanking point of view, I would have to say that not using tab targeting is pretty rough on certain encounters, especially where the boss or group of mobs is quite large and in the way of the adds. How about it, OT's on Emalon or (worse still) Ignis? Tell me how many of you have not either taunted the boss off of the MT at least one time or came damn close to it?
I'm not saying it is broken and needs to be fixed - it's just that in my opinion this problem of mouse-over clicking comes down to having excellent visual acuity AND an ability to handle a mouse with high dpi - the same to things that drove me (and my aging eyes) away from FPS games. (Not that this is enough to drive me away, just making a comparison.)
Is there anything that can be done about this w/out making the game too simple?
Delsin Jul 7th 2009 5:42PM
Tab Targeting a sin? Its one of the most useful tools in a tank's arsenal. You just have to learn to use it right.
With practice, you can actually "aim" whist tabbing through targets via shifting your camera around slightly.
Eg. If there is a mob to the left of the pack, turn your camera slightly towards it and hit tab. After a while it becomes second nature.
Lemons Jul 7th 2009 11:38PM
God...tab targeting in arenas is a death sentence...especially when you've got a Shaman with 4 totems down. You'll spend so much time cycling through totems that by the time you've targeted the shaman their DK teammate (cause every healer is with a DK at this point) is ready to finish you with his final 10k Frost Strike crit.
Everyone seems to be yelling that you can just shift-tab to move back to your previous target if you happen to cycle past them...but in PvP that's just another second you wasted that could have been better spent DPSing or healing. Use Gladius (It's like Proximo...but without the suck) and just CLICK on your targets. Even better...bind your tab key to a /targetenemyplayer macro so that you don't end up targeting every single fracking totem before you reach the Shaman.
Tim Jul 8th 2009 12:20AM
Can you please stop referencing Proximo?
It hasn't been updated on Curse for 8 months now.