Lack of tanks?

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
61

I PuG exclusively, and from time to time I’ll join a group as dps, however if I’m tanking, which mostly I do, I tend to form the group myself.

I’m not 60 yet, but my experience so far has been relatively similar for forming groups on my level 40 Warrior as tank or dps, as it has on my level 22 hunter (obviously only dps).

As I level I tend to add friends to my friend’s list, particularly healers who I have run several instances with where we seemed to have good affinity.

I can imagine though that from 40 to 60 the number of available tanks was likely much less, will start to increase somewhat now that the more casual players, like myself are in their 40s and 50s but also may not increase drastically for a couple of main reasons:

1.) As we get higher in level, talent choices start to have more of an effect on our ability to perform certain roles, and open world questing as a tank doesn’t seem like something anyone wants to do.

2.) Most guilds that I’ve seen seem to have low priority recruiting for tanks, as oftentimes (it seems to me) they have sorted that out prior to forming their guilds. There are a lot of spots available for DPS (warriors) in Raids, and only 1 or 2 for Tanks.

And this could be true! I was running SM Cath with an rdru, enh sham, another warrior, and a rogue and we were steamrolling it, without issue. Very fast, back-to-back resets, pulls, and runs.

Took a break, came back and reformed a group (different composition, different people), wiped like 4 times before even making it to the boss, 3 people left, and I again reformed the group, but this time put on a shield and one hander, and slowed things waaaay down.

Group composition makes a pretty big difference, but so do the individuals behind the characters, and it’s sort of easy to get used to a certain cadence, especially if you run the same instance 10 times with the same group.

62

I love the casters trying to get their big spells off right as you pull lol-been seeing it a lot as I’ve been healing. makes me think “dear god this is why tanking is not a good time”

4 Likes
63

I parked my Warrior in undercity and picked up a Warlock.

I’ll come back to the warrior at some point but im tried of getting yelled at all instance log. I wish i could say its because im a bad tank but its because of garbage DPS.

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64

I put together a low-level Classic Tanking Guide here, and would love your feedback on it!

65

There are tons of warriors on my server, but most of them only sign up for dps roles. Some of them don’t even know the basics of tanking and don’t bother to carry a shield. I’m a ret but I am happy to fill in healing role for my group. I don’t know but seeing such mindless dps warriors made me utterly sick.

66

A lot of the time, for lower level dungeons at least (~40+) a shield isn’t necessary. It does depend a lot on the group though.

67

It absolutely does. Check any population census. There are plenty warriors, paladins, and druids around. They just don’t want to tank for you.

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68

Don’t think there is a lack of them just that dungeon grinding isn’t the end all be all for leveling. If I want to run something my guild will go and do it with me pretty fast and a lot of the time when I’m in Org (or even in other dungeons) I’ll have people whispering me if I want to tank a dungeon so I have my pick of the litter.

69

Classic has 1 real tank class and there is a lack of tanks.

Retail has 6 real tank classes and there is a lack of tanks.

The reality is there is a lack of those willing to have the tank mindset in pugs.

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70

There is no point in tanking.

In party, there is only one slot for a tank.
In raid, there are only two slots for a tank.

Basically, you aren’t going to get invited in the long run.
Don’t play a tank, play a dps since there are 30+ slots for you to get gear.

If you don’t have a pre-made of 40 ppl to raid, don’t play a tank.
Just be a OT with a DPS spec.

71

I could tank, But I herd stooges all day at work… I have no desire to do so on my off time ether. Many feel the same way. This is why I want WoW to move into Everquest’s old 6 person group format. Yes it is another stooge to carry. But it does open the current bottle neck on DPS. And heck after a while the stooges hit themselves.

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72

Complete agreement. I can count on one hand the number of PUGs I’ve run. Have like a couple core pals that attached to me since like the 20’s, and then we pick up a couple of DPS and some heals each run. But almost always a core.

The simple fact is if you’re any good at this tanking thing, you’ll end up accumulating folks along the way like Josey Wales. People Will Find You. Its why I laugh at people who will ‘go prot when they’re 60’. This is where you actually meet people and build up a list of folks you know and who know you as a Tank.

If you have to go Arms because you can’t tank any instance that isn’t down-con with cleave… that aint going to change just because you hit 60. You don’t magically acquire a skill called Tanking because you’re 60. Its something you pick up on, and certainly something you refine along the way.

And the moment, the instant you know that you don’t have a WoW tank on your hands is if anybody says the words that they need the group to wait to ‘build threat’(and we’re assuming we’re not talking say MC bosses here /wink). That’s just a dog whistle that says they don’t know how to play the role or how the role is played. It is what it is, and its not going to change, if a person happens to be bad at it.

73

Only play with guild now, most pugs are just retail azzhats that go full nuke before I even get to the target.

1 Like
74

See… not a WoW tank.

WoW tank: The mage went ham and nuked that mob on inc… I hit Taunt just before it got to him then Sunder, and now have all his threat plus it’ll take 10% above all my new-found threat to pull it off me… and now have all the agro… plus the mob took a chunk of damage.

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75

You pop all your taunting abilities (there are more than one) before the target***s*** reach you? You are a very terrible player if so. What you do is let them all die. That is the correct way to handle that situation when 1-4 people go full nuke before tank has even one hit yet.

77

Why don’t you tank as a shaman if you’re having trouble finding tanks, they are the third best class for tanking. Its also quite nice to be able to be bubbled by priests without decreasing your threat.

78

LOL… you think i’m the bad tank when your tanking theory consists of, ‘let them all die’? YIKES.

If a mage goes ham on the mob I hit Taunt and Sunder as it reaches him. Now he doesn’t have agro and in return I have far more threat than if I had tried to Sunder him up and have everyone sit on their hands like this a boss in molten core.

Two keys.

2 Likes
79

suppose I could try, I have really just been loving healing on the shaman

80

I tank with 31 points in Arms while using a 2h weapon. Charge > WW > Demo > spread sunder/revenge > WW on CD/demo when it drops. I’m consistently top or 2nd DPS while tanking like this, my healer appreciates that I’m holding threat on 5-6 targets, and I don’t have to bork my questing by splitting points into Prot.
There’s nothing worse for warr tanking than skipping tactical mastery early. Every tank spec should start with 11 points in Arms just for tactical mastery and anger management; especially for dungeon spam/speed clearing.

81

Certain players on the LFG chat and even groups Scared Druids and paladins of ever going tanks in Westfall server.

said players also have their own Hugbox that is the World and Global Channel to talk shiet about everyone else who isn’t ton their internal circle of bullsheit.
FInding a new tank from the lvl range of 30 to 45/50 became a chore.