This is from a developer post several months ago.
Taunt sets your threat a fixed percentage above the current highest threat-holder. So, if you use Taunt to initiate a fight, your initial threat will be rather low. I highly recommend initiating with other abilities or light and heavy attacks, and then use a taunt a few seconds into the fight.
I have no idea if they are intentionally taunting over one another but it has an impact on the threat lead your tanks can get ahead of the strongest DPS. Each taunt adds an additional “fixed percentage” of threat ahead of the previous threat leader. I’ve seen this tactic used in other games where the tank threat output was not as high as the best geared DPS. It allowed that DPS to go HAM, without fear of getting demolished from pulling aggro. With no threat meter in this game and no concept of being given a threat dump mid fight this is the only fall back threat mechanics you can do to achieve the same goal that I can think of.
I did some other compiling of data from the video for my own purposes I’ll share.
David (Creative Director) is playing a Life Staff / Void Guantlet build.
He runs Light’s Embrace, Sacred Ground, and Splash of Light with Orb of Decay, Essence Rupture, and Oblivion.
His attributes are 300 focus w/ 111 CON.
Zach (Game Designer) is playing a Life Staff and Void Guantlet build too.
Zach runs Beacon, Sacred Ground, and Divine Embrace with Orb of Decay, Essence Rupture, and Oblivion. (Note both are running the exact same VG skills.)
Zach’s portrait hides his stats so we don’t know his stat breakdown but we know that since his beacon is hitting for around 400 and he is in light that his FOC is likely around 300 as well.
Scot Lane (Game Director) is tanking with a SS and GA.
He’s running Sheild Rush, Shield Slam, and Defiant Defense w/ Charge, Gravity Well, and Maelstrom.
Scot’s GS is 508 w/ expertise average of 517.
Mike Willette (Senior Producer) is tanking with a SS and Spear.
He’s running Sheild Rush, Shield Slam, and Defiant Defense w/ Sweep, Javelin, and Cyclone.
Like Zach, his portrait covers his stats. His expertise is 516 1 point lower than Scot and his GS ends in an 8. That’s all we can see.
Both tanks are running 268 or 288 con its hard to tell from the video.
I mentioned this on discord I believe. The developers are wearing what looks like voidbent armor in their paperdoll but voidbent is orange not purple. I am not aware of any other armor set that shares that appearance. It might be a development build where expertise affects gear score but if that was the case those items would be 550 not 520s. I point this out because that means this gear is currently not attainable by players most likely and since they dont show the stats or perks we can’t take the video at face value.
You have individuals, who should be the absolute most knowledgeable about the state of the game mechanics and boss mechanics using gear that can’t be guaranteed to be an apples to apples comparison to what we have available.
Additionally, we know the expertise is showing on their UI so this run was done on a post NERF myrkguard at best.
The healers both have void gauntlets and both of them are running the same three abilities. Is that coincidence? Is there something we should take away from that as healers looking for the strongest META? Also both their healers are wearing LIGHT armor load outs.
Both thanks have the same loadout for SS skills but one uses a GA and the other uses a SPEAR. I think that is an amazing combo for CC for the tanks. One tank is able to do the single target CC knockdowns while the other has a lot of control over large packs of mobs.
We also have no idea how the DPS is geared since they don’t show us. The DPS may all be 600 gear score monsters for all we know. Which might explain the double taunts especially if their entire team is trying to optimize HPS and DPS via armor load outs. Some of those hits in there on Medium and Light will one shot you.
