I tend to mark Skull on pretty much every big'ish trash pull. Might be more of a habit rather than necessity nowadays, but I see it as me saying "I may not be able to instantly grab everything's aggro decently, but I can guarantee that this mob (skulled) won't get away from me" - espiecelly when I'm playing one of my baby tanks.

But it seems as most of the time, people see it as me saying "That skull is precious to me, it must be last to die" XD

i always am sure to THANK the tank for marking things. it helps me SO MUCH, mainly because i frequently don't know the kill order on my own. i wish all tanks would mark so we in the DPS peanut gallery would know what to do.

I second this message.

The important corollary here is that the tank should be the one to mark. Unless the tank is marking nothing, don't mark for the tank.

I can't tell you how annoying it is to be in a dungeon and set up CC markers, only to have some control-freak DPS or healer start changing my marks. I have learned these pulls like the back of my hand. I know exactly what order I want the mobs to die, I know which mobs I can pull together easily, and I know which mobs need to stay out of my way. Please don't pretend you can make those decisions for me. As you should be able to tell from my gear, I'm not new to this tanking thing. And even if I was, give me the chance to figure it out.

I, too, have an amendment I'd make. With regards to rule 4 mostly. DPS: your threat-wipes are to be used IN CONJUNCTION WITH running to the tank, NOT in exchange for. The worst thing thing you can do when a tank has no threat on the mob that's eating you is to fade(/invis/vanish/etc) and cause the healer that's been trying to keep you alive get one shotted.
Also, adding to what sentinel said: if an 'X' is marked in addition to the skull, this is typically supposed to be second to die. It amazes me how so often this is ignored (yellow goos tend to die first, even though shadow and cobalt are X and skull, respectively).

Hi. I'm sometimes a healer or a DPS, and I mark mobs. Usually I tank, so it's a bit of a throwover from that, but if the tank's not marking and there's a dangerous or annoying mob, you better believe I'm Skull-marking it. Yes, that incudes sometimes changing the tank's marks. Last night in H Stonecore the tank kept marking Milhouse with a skull and twice the Earthshaper proceeded to transform and wreck face. So on the final trash pull, after begging the tank to either Skull, CC or interrupt the Earthshaper I just said "screw it" and marked it myself with a Skull. The pull went much smoother.

Usually I give the tank the benefit of the doubt with marking, but it he proves he doesn't know what he's doing or can't handle the strat priority he's using, I will change marks if it makes my job harder.

@Snuzzle

Your example is exactly why I hate when people change marks. I always mark Millhouse skull there as well, why? because I will interrupt/stun the earth shaper myself. Millhouse can aoe fear/stun and it's much more annoying to deal with then an easily interrupted spell from one mob.

I play all three roles as well, and I would never dream of changing marks on a tank. If I see they are struggling and marking odd targets a simple suggestion in party can go a long way. Granted, have to be careful with those suggestions, too often I see some jerk face start telling the party how 'my main is a tank and I'm amazing everyone listen to me now' despite the fact the group is doing fine. All this really only applies to new tanks anyway, and at least in my experience they are quick to let the group know they are new and accept friendly advice.

So, yeah, don't change marks. Ask if you want, but don't change them. :P

@ Snuzzle

Actually, I find his method of getting Milhouse out of the group greatly reduces the damage to the group. However, with that said, I do keep in mind when I tank those fights that the earthshaper is CCd, stunned or interrupted. Which it sounds like your tank wasn't doing. So I find what you did understandable for the situation.

Unfortunately, there is no one single strategy for every pull. Nor is there even one way to always dps, tank or heal a boss fight. The ability to think on your feet is required for each instance. Sadly, too many want to coast through everything and complain when they can't.

As for tanking low level dungeons, I am on my second warrior (I didn't learn tanking with my pally and DK while lvling), and after the first I have learned to just not worry about it. As long as people don't die, then it's all good. Are they learning bad habits? Yes. Will reality hit them in the face when they max out? Only partially, from my experience. Many just cannot seem to understand that they are playing with other human beings. In the end, I remember that it's a game and while I continue to compl....... "comment" on others doing foolish things (mostly to myself or w/e poor sap is in mumble with me), I also just laugh and move on. ;)

@Mork, I gave the tank two pulls to show me he knows what he's doing s much as you do. He didn't. So I changed the marks to something that wouldn't cause me to have to panic and start throwing out mana-gulping heals.

So yes, if I'm healing, and your marks are making my job much harder than it has to be because you're being lazy or don't want to listen to my progressive suggesting-asking-telling-pleading, then I will change the marks and have no qualms about it.

I should also add, too often I get told "we're fine" just because. What we did didn't cause a wipe because the healer/dps are awesome and can quickly do what needs to be done to turn a messy pull inside out. Because guess what, I just used every trick I had to keep us alive and now I won't have them for the next horrible pull. All I ask is the tank to listen to the healer, especially if ther actions are affecting me in a negative way. The last thing I want to hear when I ask for CC is "you're doing fine." :\

I love it when the mobs are marked. Especially if it's the 1 in a billion time that my healer gets in as dps. I have 3 healers, I may have run the dungeon/raid 100 times, but I couldn't tell you kill order if my life depended on it. I can however tell you which pulls are going to end in a wipe if I'm on my baby healer and the mobs aren't marked or the marks aren't followed.