But what can really be done to give people a reason to tank or heal?
Right now I done a quick napkin maths, ~100 keys listed, ~30 have a tank, healer, or both. The other day spamming my DFC runs I joined a DFC 2, waited about 10 minutes, with a tank, and the group disbanded because no healer
I tank, I run with randoms, I join random groups who have a tank or healer and do so as DPS if I can because why not. But then we get stuck with one of the two halves of the equation of how to start an M+ run.
Is there legit anything Blizzard can do to make whatever changes needed to get more people into dungeon runs?
Have a look at all the dungeon and raid mechanics this season, compare how many of them are tank or healer mechanics compared to even just last season. Currently about half the bosses in the current dungeons have mechanics that are either pure DPS or healer/DPS only with quite a number more having a bigger impact on the DPS than the tank or healer.
And it’s no real different in raid. This season in both dungeons and raids have been one of the more boring tanking seasons to date.
Which translates to “healer only”. If DPS are given the leeway to ignore anything, they will. Candles on Blazikon, riding Benk’s bees, handing off Gorren’s dot (which mostly ends up being tank responsibility after healer runs it to them).
No, I mean “this add spawns and only you can see it so nobody else can help, if you don’t hit it with a non-AOE attack within 5 seconds you die.” PUNISHING. And distinctly dps-only. That’s parity with healer responsibility; gotta be paying attention at all times and ready to respond fast. There are a bunch of dots that do severe damage and they aren’t always dispellable, but it’s exceptionally rare for DPS to deal with anything comparable. Failed Batch kegs in Cinderbrew are the closest thing. When mechanics like that do show up, one DPSer in the group with their head on straight can handle it while the other 2 continue to herp and derp, or if their cleave damage is high enough none of them have to notice that it appeared to destroy it in time.
Nothing can be done, DPS will always be the most popular out of the three. Unless they’re willing to break up the holy trinity and scale content so just DPS can do it, or whatever combo is available, then this will continue to be an issue as it always has.
The problem largely arises from a surplus of DPS, not a dearth of Tanks/Healers. The only real solution to this is designing WoW in such a way that DPS no longer becomes the default mindset, something difficult to accomplish when a large chunk of classes have neither the option to heal nor tank.
In addition to that you basically have to gigabuff tanks and healers so they’re extremely easy to play and do better than DPS at.
Whether you like the answer or not, this is more than likely the main answer you need.
People will probably also talk about how “tanks are too hard to play” and stuff like, “it’s just not forgiving.” and the DPS who are complaining are usually the people that are unwilling to play the role.
Sure, but OP choosing not to abuse tanks will not put more tanks in OP’s groups. That doesn’t resolve OP’s problem in the present, since it’s a solution that only works if every other person is also doing it, which they aren’t.
We’re looking for solutions that increase tank participation as a counterforce against the things that we can’t control that make tanks less willing to participate.
Ah so you do understand what it’s like when people try to compare behavior in leveling dungeons with actual tanking. Instant eyeroll.
Anyone who can’t handle someone in a different role stepping in and doing their job better is unfit to do any role in any level of M+ because they simply aren’t into learning.
There is no real immediate solution to be done by anyone other than the community itself. The answer is for MORE people to convert to tank and healer then pug… that’s it, that’s the answer… the quality tanks and healers are already locked up with groups.
The community won’t change unless something is done that bolsters that change.
The real answer people don’t want to hear is that tanks and healers should be rewarded better. More people will turn to tanking and healing groups. And the only downside would be that some players who are unwilling to tank/heal might get jealous of the players who are, but they’ll still benefit from groups being easier to fill with the necessary roles.
