Why there are so few tanks - the grim truth.

[riq and snog]

I played a warrior for long time on vanilla gaming. I wanted to do pvp! so i made a 1 man guild, grinded to rank 14 and inbetween farmed content up to ubrs to get bis preraid tank gear.
I always tanked in pvp spec at that time. Tanking is not hard its just pulling that u need to learn. Rest is shifttarget sunder for the most part of trash. Marking up helps.
In the end i was raid tanking 3 - 4 days per week. Got full nature and fire resist gear rank 14 gear and defcap in prot gear. Anyway point is preraid tanking is possible in any spec:-)

[TheNIF]

Mostly what JeeTee said. I'm a bear tank, I love tanking, I'm good at it. But for the most part, I run with people I know.

On another note is that in vanilla, itemization for bear and paladins is somewhere between mediocre(but mostly shite) to nonexistant. Yes, you can build a good bear or pala set with some effort, but the vanilla game (pre-AQ) wasn't really made to have anything but warrior tanks, at least gearwise. At the later patches in vanilla, with ZG, BWL and AQ20/40 gear, Blizzard seemed to heave realized that people who play paladins and druids enjoy other things than innervating priests, blessing and healing.

Technically, since this is a private server, the admins could do something about the itemization. But of course that would impact some of that "vanilla experience" we all like and play here for. On the other hand, it could probably also increase the number of 5-man and lower-level raid viable tanks on the server.

Another way to address the problem could be to lower respec costs, I'm not saying make it free, but a ~3rd of what the cap is now still means you have to grind out >30 gold a day if you wish to constantly respec (15g to go tank, 15g to go back to heal or w/e).

Or maybe lower the amount of time it takes before the respec cost drops again to a few days, instead of a month? All these are proposals to how a tank issue *could* be addressed, I'm open to hearing other suggestions.

[Bioness]

Tanking isn't just the most demanded role, it is the most demanding. If you're a tank and you aren't taking charge of your group and letting the DPS and healers know if they are fucking up, you should not be a tank. One of the reasons people may not want to tank is because of this, you are held to higher standard and are expected to be knowledgeable about what a boss or mobs does.

Mostly what JeeTee said. I'm a bear tank, I love tanking, I'm good at it. But for the most part, I run with people I know.

On another note is that in vanilla, itemization for bear and paladins is somewhere between mediocre(but mostly shite) to nonexistant. Yes, you can build a good bear or pala set with some effort, but the vanilla game (pre-AQ) wasn't really made to have anything but warrior tanks, at least gearwise. At the later patches in vanilla, with ZG, BWL and AQ20/40 gear, Blizzard seemed to heave realized that people who play paladins and druids enjoy other things than innervating priests, blessing and healing.

Technically, since this is a private server, the admins could do something about the itemization. But of course that would impact some of that "vanilla experience" we all like and play here for. On the other hand, it could probably also increase the number of 5-man and lower-level raid viable tanks on the server.

Another way to address the problem could be to lower respec costs, I'm not saying make it free, but a ~3rd of what the cap is now still means you have to grind out >30 gold a day if you wish to constantly respec (15g to go tank, 15g to go back to heal or w/e).

Or maybe lower the amount of time it takes before the respec cost drops again to a few days, instead of a month? All these are proposals to how a tank issue *could* be addressed, I'm open to hearing other suggestions.

Here's a suggestion, Kronos is that way --->

[Neptunetitus]

The op and every other tank here speaks the truth. If the dps of this server actually learned to play their class, there might be more of us willing to tank in pugs. But as it stands, most of you are incompetent and know fuk all about threat and aggro management.

I'm sure many of us can tank under the worst circumstances, but tanking is hardly enjoyable when your grouped with a bunch of people that can't follow instructions and have the shiit retail mentality of rushing through the instances.

If you want tanks to actually WANT to tank for you, then learn to play your fking class. Otherwise, you'll be sol while leveling and even more sol when your trying to farm your pre-raid gear.

[Reines]

If you need to be prot spec to tank, you're bad.

[BadDogEDN]

I agree with OP I've been trying to level my main (a warrior) on this server and its this most soul crushing experience I've ever had. My friends begged me to come play and tank for them. I've tanked in every major MMORPG and throughout my WoW time, (Started playing vanilla, quit and played seriously when BC was launched) but this is brutal. I'm leveling as arms so I can do quests and I used to love PvPing with arms in live wow. I know I can tank in ether spec but I feel it wouldn't be so tough if I was prot and I don't want to keep respecting due to cost. If they lowered the cost on respec I think it would fix alot of issues not to mention the amount of elitist basement dwellers out there that face roll their dps classes and complain about tanks.

Tanking in vanilla is a LOT HARDER than people seem to remember. I've had many an augment on how rage is generated and people are like "how do you not have rage? you are in combat, you are getting hit" then I have to explain to them that I don't just get rage, I have to hit them and they still disagree. But they will still pull when the party isn't ready, hit mobs the second we pull, and dps targets I haven't built threat on.

[Selkie]

Tanking isn't just the most demanded role, it is the most demanding. If you're a tank and you aren't taking charge of your group and letting the DPS and healers know if they are fucking up, you should not be a tank. One of the reasons people may not want to tank is because of this, you are held to higher standard and are expected to be knowledgeable about what a boss or mobs does.

This right here. I have been tanking since blizz vanilla and I always have. When I joined this server I knew as soon as I joined this server I would be a protection warrior knowing all too well what I was in for.

It is demanding but i love the aspect of being in charge of a group and having a lot of the leading responsibility of fights. DPS are a dime a dozen tanks not so much.

[Undertanker]

I am full T1, Def capped, In the 200s with fire resist, 170s in shadow, and I do not pug. I log on, put in guild, who needs what and from where.

I run about 3-4 5 mans a night. 2 if it is a raid night. My guildies understand threat, not all are perfect but reminders of what to do, what spell to cast is no prob.

Tanks are expected to know EVERY pat, EVERY pull kill priority, EVERY mob ability and best way to counter. Assign CC because god forbid a dps will get an idea of doing it on thier own.

The last part is this and healers are at fault too which is why I dont pug (BiS) now so dont care as much but when gearing it was this.....

Look at all of the viable tanking gear compared to healing and dps. What is the difference here.... BoE vs BoP. You want me to tank X instance for your 24% drops over and over, what upgrades do I get? World drop cjance. When it happens do you think dps are passing and healers as well? Nope. NEED, NEED, NEED, NEED. So I am waiting on 1/20,000 chance for a certain tanking items, and I lose it to money whores. Guild only runs ftw.

[TheNIF]

Here's a suggestion, Kronos is that way --->

True problem solver right here guys. Guild him, quick!

[St0rfan]

Mostly what JeeTee said. I'm a bear tank, I love tanking, I'm good at it. But for the most part, I run with people I know.

On another note is that in vanilla, itemization for bear and paladins is somewhere between mediocre(but mostly shite) to nonexistant. Yes, you can build a good bear or pala set with some effort, but the vanilla game (pre-AQ) wasn't really made to have anything but warrior tanks, at least gearwise. At the later patches in vanilla, with ZG, BWL and AQ20/40 gear, Blizzard seemed to heave realized that people who play paladins and druids enjoy other things than innervating priests, blessing and healing.

Technically, since this is a private server, the admins could do something about the itemization. But of course that would impact some of that "vanilla experience" we all like and play here for. On the other hand, it could probably also increase the number of 5-man and lower-level raid viable tanks on the server.

Another way to address the problem could be to lower respec costs, I'm not saying make it free, but a ~3rd of what the cap is now still means you have to grind out >30 gold a day if you wish to constantly respec (15g to go tank, 15g to go back to heal or w/e).

Or maybe lower the amount of time it takes before the respec cost drops again to a few days, instead of a month? All these are proposals to how a tank issue *could* be addressed, I'm open to hearing other suggestions.

1. I'm a prot warrior that also enjoy DPS and would also like to PvP but I stand firm when I say that nothing should change. Server is suppose to be true vanilla experience so lets keep it that way. Making small adjustments is a VERY slippery slope.

2. I cant speak for druids but a lvl60 paladin with consecrate can tank ANY 5man with ease and even UBRS. No matter if he's Holy, Prot or Retri so need for respec. Lack of taunt is kind-of a bother though I'll admit.