Debate it all we want. As streamers and content creators do as well. There is, and has been a tank and healer shortage in WoW. I dabble in both roles, generally more tanking than healing. And I have been playing continuously since launch. I feel like I have a decent idea of the eb and flow of the tank and healer issue.
For my opinion on the matter, you see more tanks and healers when each role is a little OP. And it is a tough thing to try and find the butter zone on. How much is too much? Where is a good feeling to land?
For healing, I think it is having total control of the survivability of the group. And it is less about the spikey damage that is a one shot unless the player getting hit pops a defensive. It isnt about failing a healing check, because you used a Healing CD, at the wrong time. It is about feeling comfortable keeping the group alive through damage. Not relying on a interrupt and stop rotation from the group to prevent the damage, as the damage will wipe you.
Healing is decent right now, but it just feels like, there are too many instances where, if the group isnt popping defensives, and constantly knocking and interrupting packs, that you will wipe. And while the healer can be pumping heals, they rely on the group preventing the damage, as it is too much for them to heal.
I think reducing the need for interrupts, stops and defensives to live, and more so relying on the healer to heal the damage felt better. But, it went too far and healers were able to heal 10% to full in one or two globals, which left the healer DPSing more and healing less.
Tanking went the other way. They reduced the survivability of them which doesnt feel like it worked, as tanks feel pretty sturdy right now within their CDs. Tanks feel a bit better when they do better damage. I will say that. They also feel better, when they can largely sustain themselves through good play. Which is somewhat true right now.
The issue with tanking is the knowledge barrier to entry. Always has been. Tanks are the default leaders. They are expected to go into a group with a knowledge of what to do and where to go. Healers and DPS dont. They can fumble through the lower key ranks, even up through KSM easily, without really learning the routes or pulls. Tanks cant.
It begs the question of why would I want a role where I am responsible for the groups success more so than anyone else in the group? And I will be the first to receive the criticism?
If you ask a lot of tanks, about when tanking was the best, they will say MoP. Because in MoP, through vengeance, tanks could crank DPS if they were good. Also they could sustain themselves while doing that, if they played well.
Right now, tanking is all of the tanking responsibility that comes with the role, plus the layers that have been added over the years, but with less rewarding gameplay.
