Lasso of Truth to at least level 80 makes a huge difference on Freeze & Zeus. The 'backup tank' should be a DPS who knows to stay at max range and run out of range if the tank dies, kiting in the opposite direction. All it does it makes rounds take forever, which means more time for wipes to happen. 26-30, a DPS has comparable survivability to a Tank in a pick-up kite scenario (if the group was positioning correctly in the first place) and they will always already be the next on the hate list since healing is infrequent. There's virtually no reason to 2-tank any round, especially from 26 onwards. Stats do matter for the unavoidable damage in some of the higher rounds of this season. Maximizing Tank eHP through every available means is as important as being able to properly dodge. Basically, having the right strategy is the most important thing but players still need to be properly geared/buffed and on top of their game. Someone isn't carrying their weight (most easily noticed on Tank/Heal but poor DPS performance draws rounds out and slower rounds means more time for mistakes). The tank needs to practice the dodge/counters more or 3. If a fight seems hard, one of three things is happening: 1. Robot Sidekick (and pets in general) is your best friend in here Don't think you can't do SM if you aren't maxed out yet. That said, the tank is the most important and beyond that there's a lot more flexibility. The supports, especially the tank, should be, as you really want the toughest shields you can get your hands on. The DPS doesn't need to be max CR/SP as long as they're good at the mechanics and can do good damage regardless. The better you do the mechanics, the easier your life is to the point you can completely trivialize most of the bosses. You don't need to be some meta DW flurry spam group to do well. I've found a balanced approach is best, with everyone performing their roles to their utmost potential.

More DPS = shorter fights = less time for mistakes to happen, but max DPS doesn't necessarily equate to cleanest/safest.

State of survival tips 2021