Simple(ish) Solution to Tank/Healer Shortage

Community General Discussion
101

The real affix for heals and tanks is the DPS party members. :rofl:

2 Likes
102

No. Two reasons:

  1. They’ve added tanks every time they’ve added a new class. The shortage has never improved.

  2. There have always been Retribution/Havoc/Windwalker/UH/Frost/Feral/Balance/Arms/Fury players unwilling to switch. So you would just add to that with more tank specs.

I do think some people that just don’t like plate/leather classes would try it out, and some would stick around, but not in the numbers to ‘fix’ the tank shortage. What’s likelier is that players that prefer to tank will find new mains. And then there would be the balancing nightmare.

103

There is no tank shortage only a pug tank shortage

3 Likes
104

True as I generally wont pug tank because the severity of pugs to tanks throws too much anxiety into the effort to make it worth the time.

1 Like
105

I stopped tanking back in BC because if I did it right, people shrugged, but if I made the tiniest mistake, they unloaded on me. I observed the same with healers.

1 Like
106

The reason for the tank shortage is very simple.

Guild groups and friend groups are fine for tanks, so no shortage exists there.

Tanking for pugs is basically setting yourself up to be treated like garbage by toxic players and no one wants to put up with that. And why should they?

I enjoy tanking on my Druid but I will never ever ever tank a PuG again.

2 Likes
107

I definitely thing that OP’s suggestion is one of the big things that the game needs to do in order to promote tanking and healing. Others include:

  1. Make sure all classes can either tank, heal, or both. This means players can fill these critical roles while playing the classes they love.
  2. Build in Role Quests in the game that new characters have to do while leveling up that teach them how to do this. Similar to the cool experience on Expedition’s Reach, but using class tools. WoW does an awful job of teaching players how to tank or heal, whereas players learn to DPS just by questing and playing the game.
  3. Make all classes available to all races. Some players prefer to play specific races, and currently some races can’t play more than one or two tank or healer specs. The most important part of playing any spec is finding one that jives with you, after all.
  4. A Sprout System similar to FF14. Basically, a system that encourages veterans to group up with new players.
108

True this.
Being a Druid, I have a tank spec; However, I do not ever consider using it in a p.u.g. because I don’t want any of that nonsense that comes with it.
The bag of gold offered as an incentive is not enticing to me.

If they made it a bit less stressful Id like to try, It feels good knowing that you helped a group out.
Not such a good feeling when the mechanics or the personalities/expectations in the run make for stress.

I have switched in the middle of a run if needed while waiting for a new tank to join (because last tank disconnected/pulled a Diva) but iʻd never think to queue in as a tank for a p.u.g.

109

I disagree that people should be incentivized to play a role that isn’t their first pick. They could make it more fun but I think offering gold/trade goods/mounts/etc isn’t what we should be doing.

Or increase the group size that’d work too.