I’ve been looking for my main, and want to play a tank with a fun DPS spec. I like the self healing of veng and the movement. Havoc is fun to me as well.
I was also considering monk and warrior. However, when I read the forums on DHs, and the other two as well for the most part, there is a lot of negative feedback. I’m wanting to clear 20’s as a tank, and have some fun playing the occasional DPS in 15-20’s. Is DH okay for this?
Yes, it’s fine.
HP yo-yo 
is real.
You’d feel it on Monk too though.
DH is arguably the most fun thanks to great sfx, visuals, and, now with skills like retreat available, unmatched mobility.
DK is my favorite tank so I don’t mind the yoyo - at least with a class that has decent self heals. If I liked DK’s DPS spec I’d probably main it.
With monk… I dunno. I’ve tried more than once expansion to main it but I just can’t stick with it for whatever reason.
Not a fan of DH DPS rn. It’s not terrible just not my cuppa tea. Not my cuppa indeed.
Now with? I thought I had it on mine years ago. Haven’t they had it since launch?
DH is 100% okay for this. Vengeance really isnt that complicated to play, and playing havoc efficiently just takes some practice to get used to in keys. Its perfectly fine.
I think that was a Havoc only ability up until now, but I could be wrong.
Indeed! I forgot about the primary notion of looking for a tank spec. My b lol
I agree that sh tank is fun. I also love blood as wel.
Yup reason why I decided to transition my evoker to devastation
Here is a “serious casual” thought on the question:
the current take on prot warrior is that it “isn’t good”. I would argue that opinion is based upon prot pally being so good and their play style being so similar. the question would be “why play warrior tank when pally tank is superior?”
warrior can tank everything. playstyle and player fit is at least as important as utility. warrior has a complete kit. you can keep your health pretty steady through a lot of stuff. it is tough to ever feel panicked in almost any situation because you tend to have an asnwer.
monk is dodge tank. i haven’t played is as tank, so I can’t really express an experienced opinion. It seems to be gaining popularity in season 2.
I mostly ran as havoc in season 1. It looks like I might be doing more tanking in season 2. I like havoc as dps. it is fun because you are zipping around as part of your spec. fel rush and retreat mechanics take some getting used to so you don’t end up landing in the bad or in extra mobs. or going off platforms… I am getting used to vengeance and its cooldowns. as a parry tank, your health will yo yo. you have to think about how you will fill up your health bar. you will also have to kite more than probably any other tank. the good news is that you have jumps and retreats to get away when you need to. that playstyle is built into the vengeance kit. just accept that kiting is a thing for DH and use it when you need.
I would suggest tow youtubers: quazii and tactyks. both great tanking channels
It’s typically a bad idea to get advice off rando’s off the internet. Not just for wow, but in all things in life.
Every spec in the game can be viable in 90% of the difficulty content. There might be some extreme outlier examples (sorry but I haven’t seen a single frost dk since DF launched, mages have been pretty scarce too), but even those can get key stone hero (2500 io) relatively easy nowadays.
Just like any other spec, it comes down to personal preference. You will most likely sink a lot of time into the spec you main, so above all else be sure you dont mind playing it for 20+ hours a week.
My general perception of the specs:
Vengeance: mobile, high damage, super squishy. Not a community perceived “meta tank”, so you will be declined from most keys in lfg. Going beyond the meta though, they will be fine and you can do it if you get good and have the right talents, gear, etc for the given situation.
Havoc: DF is the first expansion ever where havoc takes significant skill to play. If you want to get the most out of the spec, you will need to get used to playing momentum. I personally love the playstyle, but the community absolutely detests it. Take it for what you will; it’s a high risk playstyle that can be frustrating sometimes but is also very fun and rewarding when you git gud.
Don’t listen to the haters, havoc is a great spec and has a damage profile that can pump in almost all situations. It is a top tier dps in m+, and as of this morning, sims the 4th highest single target damage in the game after their recent round of buffs, according to simcraft.
The only real problem with the spec? You’re not a ret pally 
ret pally is 1000x easier, has comparable if not better ST, and also pumps in aoe situations. It might not THEORETICALLY be the best melee spec, but community perception without a doubt says it is. A lot of m+'ers will decline you because they only have one melee dps spot and want it to be a ret pally.
tl;dr: havoc slaps, you’ll be fine if you play it, but at the end of the day it’s a video game and play what you think is FUN
Great reply, and I appreciate the information.