So I’m TRYING to figure out what tank I want to make part of my Warband for the War Within. And part of what scratches my nerd brain is magic users. I don’t know why, I just love the fantasy aesthetic of magic wielders, you know? That being said… I have played all tanks pretty in-depth. The only one I have only lightly tested out are Brewmaster monks, which is fine for me because that class really isn’t my jam anyway.
Anywhosers, what tank do y’all think use the most magic? I am pretty torn between Druid, Death Knight, and Paladin. Death Knights essentially ARE dark magic, with all of the edgy teenage angst that goes with it, but they’re still cool. Paladins use holy magic, but I also don’t necessarily like the whole “worship” aspect of their class. And druids use nature magic, but are mostly physical (for now), but though the Elune’s Chosen makes them more arcane based, I also don’t like the idea of “worship” with Elune either.
Don’t ask my why my brain is the way it is, but I am just trying to figure out what tanking class uses the MOST magic, you know? Lol
Vengeance Demon Hunter uses a lot of magic, too. Probably one of the most magic-using tanks. Paladins probably second, tied with DK. Then guardians. Then Monks. Then Warriors.
I feel like DK, Pally, and DH are all pretty much fully magic based tanks. Maybe moreso DH a little bit because they don’t rely on physical armor like DK/Pally. But I’d say whichever of those 3 appeal to you more.
Elune’s Chosen can turn all of a Guardians swipe/bleed abilities into arcane damage abilities as well… But Guardian can also be boring at times, though they DO quite a bit of damage.
Sounds like DH is your answer, it uses a lot of Fel magic.
By the way, I wouldn’t say all Guardians worships Elune. Night Elves are probably the only one who worships Elune. But then again, Guardians are mostly physical.
Not to mention the description for their yoink ability, Death Grip, is “Harnesses the energy that surrounds and binds all matter, drawing the target toward you and forcing the enemy to attack you.”
I think DH and DKs are neck and neck for the amount of magic use. DH are twisted by the demon hearts they consume, using fel magic exclusively. DKs are risen by dark magic, they’re immortal because of it, and use both necrotic, blood, runes, and void spells in their abilities.
Visually, Pld (consecration, blessed hammer, hammer of wrath, avengers shield, judgment, heals, dispels, avengers shield). It’s very caster-y on the visuals.
Dk is up there, but aside from grip and dnd, all of bloods kit isn’t visually appealing. It’s a lot of heart strike and blood boil. BB doesn’t have a cool visual. AMS does feel like a caster shield though.
DHs throw out sigils a lot, but that’s the only thing that screams magic visually to me. Fiery brand, immolation aura, spirit bomb all get lost in the sauce.
If you want to dps on any of those classes, frost DK has a very visually appealing kit and great sound effects.
Objectively, its probably Druid. The act alone of taking on another form is about as magical as it gets. DHs have plenty of magical aspects as well, infused with fel energies.
So lore wise, Druid me thinks.
But feel wise, its unquestiinably DK or Pali. DKs have magical runes inscribed in weapons , can summon a multitude of magical barriers and generally have a lot of “attacks” that magical in nature. While Blood seems to have more focus on “martial” prowess than Frost and especially Unholy, its not at all lacking when it comes to the aesthethic.
Palis use even more magic than DKs. I believe Prots description even eludes to usage of Holy magic as its primary form of defending its allies. The amount of “martial” abilities a Pali tank uses is shockingly limited, and it really isn’t a large part of their identity. Heck, Paladin tanks used to rely on Spell Power, not AP and weapon damage, for the majority of their threat. In TBC Tankadins used caster weapon before they were eventually given talents that would give them spell power based on strength to make gearing more practical.
With that being said, a lot of people don’t really consider “Holy magic” as something that captures of the magical fantasy and I tend to agree. It is magic of course, but “the light” almost feels like its own branch, seperate from both physical prowdss and magic usage.
TLDR: Druid is probably the most magic heavy from a lore perspective, with Paladins being a close 2nd. DHs use plenty of fel magic as well. With that being said, DEATH KNIGHTS capture the battle mage aesthetic the best. They were designed to also capture the theme of a Runemaster from WC lore, a magical melee fighter in its own right.
Not going to lie, I wasn’t anticipating this amount of replies (though this isn’t exactly popping off). But I am LOVING how many thoughtful replies I’ve gotten. All of y’all have put serious thought behind your answers and I love it!