Is it just me or is the obvious solution to add a fourth spec to the one-trick-pony classes? Let the hunters and rogues tank, and the warlocks and mages heal.
Yes there would be more classes to create and balance, with all the associated headaches. However, I know that I, as a hunter main, would certainly like to experiment with other roles without having to completely re-level and re-gear and re-covenant-campaign a new toon. What do you think, fellow hunters, rogues, warlocks, and mages? Would you also like more options? Does anyone think this would alleviate the tank and healer shortage?
4 Likes
Weâve run tankless so many times I forgot the count in 5 man runs.
Just let players use VW or hunter pets to tank with. We do it anyway when we need to.
IF 5 geared DPS players want to run a dungeon, let them. stop the pointless restrictions.
2 Likes
The shortage is because less players want to play those roles.
23 Likes
Fully support this. I think more dps classes need access to the ability to tank-- especially ranged characters.
It didnt work when they added paladins to horde why would it work by adding another one now?
It also didnt work when they added death knights to both sides why would it work now?
It also also didnt work when they added monks to both sides why would it work now?
It also also also didnt work when they added DHs and let you go meta form and look like illidan so why would another tanking option work now?
18 Likes
Those are all new classes. Iâm talking about specs for existing classes so that no class has only one role.
Also, many players pick pure dps classes because they never want to be asked to tank or heal.
9 Likes
Tank/Healer shortages happen because most players donât want the added responsibility that comes with the roles. I have tanked and healed, but I only do so with people I know. I donât ever do so in pugs without at least someone else I know in the group to cut down on the bs that happens.
11 Likes
Itâs not a class problem. Itâs a responsibility problem. More tank / healer classes wonât solve the issue.
8 Likes
Yes adding tank/heal specs to pure dps is different than adding new classes with those specs but in general adding new tank specs to the game hasnât increased the number of tanks in the game in a meaningful way. And the hypothesis is that adding them to pure dps specs would have the same result.
1 Like
There is no tank shortage, apart from a specific shortage for 5-man pugs.
The Unwelcome Mat is out for tanks in all other content.
You want to PvP? Tank not needed. Well⌠maaaaaaybe 1 tank.
You want to raid? Nobody needs more tanks.
You want to do world content? Bring coffee, because it will take forever.
Thereâs also the massive hatred the playerbase has for tanks. EVERY TIME that tanks do respectable damage, the playerbase breaks out the torches and the pitchforks and demands changes.
Especially in arena. OMG there are a dozen tanks in the Top 1000 arena players - THEY MUST BE NERFED! And Blizzard immediately nerfs them. Itâs absurd.
Vengeance (the mechanic, not the spec) damage? Nerfed. Echoing Void? Nerfed. And these arenât Blizzard taking action by themselves, those were Blizzard catering to the MASSIVE OUTCRY from the playerbase that tanks were actually having fun.
Make playing a tank not a chore, and more people will tank. Treat tanks as something other than a Public Service Provider whoâs there for YOUR amusement, and more people will play tanks.
Like Ghostcrawler said when asked at Blizzcon years ago about the âtank shortageâ: âStop treating your tanks like crap.â
(P.S. And for the love of god, Blizzard, never do an affix like Prideful ever again.)
15 Likes
Increase the number of tanks and healer needed to complete content, and there will be more tanks and healers. Not saying this is a good idea.
5 Likes
No. It would not do much to improve it. Tanking and healing take a special sort of mentality. They also have more pressure. People especially in this community which is often harsh on mistakes donât want to play out of comfort zone.
What would be great though is multiple classes on one character. It might help a little with the OP issue, but it would help a lot with the âew grind stuff againâ issue.
2 Likes
BFA full tank runs was so much fun .
To add to what was included above, people are also very awful to tanks in five man content, especially low level five man content to the point that I think it turns people off to tanking.
11 Likes
Exactly. More tank variations wonât solve anything until the real problem with âtankingâ has been fixed and it wonât ever be, at least not in this game.
1 Like
Do you think itâs because they donât want to play them or because they donât know how?
I know as a new player (I mean I played vanilla but when I came back during BfA the game was so different I felt like a new player, and for all intents and purposes I was) it is crazy intimidating to try tanking or healing. If youâre a tank you need an encyclopaedic knowledge of the dungeon layout, and as a healer you just get yelled at half the time while you try to learn what youâre doing.
So maybe an additional issue is educational scaffolding. Aside from legion class hall content there is almost nothing that teaches you even the very minimal basics of how to tank or how to heal. When I got to legion content on my first character (pre-Chromie time) and had to play with other specs, I was so confused because they just expected you to know what you were doing. How? How the heck is a new player supposed to know about different specs and roles, let alone how to play them, if there is literally zero in-game information about how to do so?
So now that Iâve finished typing all that, I suppose we need to add a little more to the new-player levelling experience along with the new specsâŚ
1 Like
Doesnât matter if you add every class a healer and tank spec. Itâs easier to hide behind a dps spec than tank/healer. And alot of player hate that responsibility
7 Likes
This is a player created problem that adding more tanks doesnât fix.
3 Likes
Tanking at level 10 is just dps. So, it canât be that. And not knowing the way, or the meta route isnât an issue below starting mythic zeros. Someone in the group will point the way. Iâve done it for new tanks while leveling.
I would say it is more likely that tanking for those leveling dungeons is a bad experience. Since the mobs are no threat and can be tanked by dps the dps will pull for you and rush through. Basically tanks arenât needed.
If the mobs would just kill dps very quickly and you needed a tank to clear the content people would be more willing to teach.
If you look at classic wow or TBCC it takes a long time to form a group and get to the dungeon so kicking a tank and getting a new one takes longer then teaching a tank.
In addition to the above I would fix the tank shortage issue by increasing the dungeon group size. That way you get more dps per tank. Even of groups went to 6 man groups thatâs a 33% increase in dps per tank.