Most stress filled position to play.

[Hecow]

So for me it's healing.
I like tanking and even dps when it's going right is fun.
I feel it's healing>dps>tanking for stress in playing.

[Drakonis7]

Disagree.
I've played most aspects, and I somehow feel the Tank job as well as the Healer job are more stressing than DPS.
But that could just be me

[Deleted]

Id have to say Healing > Tanking > DPS. Im not saying that DPS is easy lolololol but every time I join a raid with people I havent raided with before, I have to prove them that Im good and that makes me nervous, because, Im a tank and if I fail just a bit, that often results in a huge fail..

[Deleted]

I generally play tank, which I think alot of people consider stressful, the short queues when pugging would follow that logic a bit too. However, I would definitely say healing is alot more stressful.

[Tykus]

What helped me decide between healer or tank is, which is it easeir to raid lead for?

In my experience tanking is easier to raid lead from, which means I'm having to focus less.

[Deleted]

Healer>tank>Dps is how i would put it.

if healer and tank are bad then its raid wipe worthy and queues depend on these too. You can always find a dps to queue with.

[Deleted]

DPS. Tanking is a snorefest after you've done the encounter once, especially with vengeance. Healing is "stressful" if you find playing whack-a-mole stressful... so not really, and again after one kill you know when to step up healing and what things to look out for. But when you DPS, you have to really push it to perform the best you can. You need to line up cooldowns, pot every pull (2x if you're lolHC) and be ready to adjust to all sorts of events. You could just half-ass it for 10k and go "well we downed the boss so w/e lolol" but that's not acceptable if everyone is expected to do their job properly.

[Vetis]

in good groups all are fine but healing having to cover slack movement, interrupt fails etc seems harder to me

[snaek]

I'd say it's rather Tank -> Healer -> DPS for my part. Could just be that I'm so comfortable in the healing role after five years of doing it as my main role, but I find tanking a lot more stressful than healing. So stressful that I avoid it unless I have to, or I'm in a severely masochistic mood.

[Doonarion]

Well healing in arenas is the most nerve recking thing ive ever done.

[Glad]

Going by the job that needs to be done, Healing > Tanking > DPS.

However, having played all roles, I find the most stressful to be DPS for one reason: You absolutely HAVE to play 110% ALL THE TIME. My guild is chock-full of DPS, if I under preform in any way I will be booted from my raid/rated BG slot far more quickly than any other role. Tanks and healers we have far less of, so the under preforming ones get to stay unless we recruit better ones.
So, I feel DPS is indirectly more stressful if you are in a similar position.

[Qwell]

Healing is intense, but it is most rewarding. I feel like we are the quiet dude in the party that came with group of friends, all stone-faced and perceptive. We are the reason why our friends feel safe to get rowdy and start shit up. Because they know we won't push, we won't shove, we won't say "stop, let's talk things through", we won't question why; we will just take off our jacket and square-up, ready to to handle. We are the reason our friends feel safe to get rowdy and start shit up. In other words, we allow others to do what they need to do to get shit done. We are the backbone, the pulse and life-force of a raid or party.
It is tough to heal if you are not willing to put the effort in for the greater reward. If you are open and willing, you'll love the fuck outta healing, no doubt.

[Ron Burgundy]

Wrath was Tank > Healer > DPS, now it's Healer > Tank > DPS

[Deleted]

It really depends on the fight, but in the majority of the raids I would probably say healing is stressful..

[Greendog]

Tank>Healer>DPS imo

[Tehfred]

DPS. Tanking is a snorefest after you've done the encounter once, especially with vengeance. Healing is "stressful" if you find playing whack-a-mole stressful... so not really, and again after one kill you know when to step up healing and what things to look out for. But when you DPS, you have to really push it to perform the best you can. You need to line up cooldowns, pot every pull (2x if you're lolHC) and be ready to adjust to all sorts of events. You could just half-ass it for 10k and go "well we downed the boss so w/e lolol" but that's not acceptable if everyone is expected to do their job properly.

Memorizing a rotation and not standing in stuff sure is stressful. Hey, I can over-generalize other roles in the game too!

[Hecow]

So I think healing is top cause of cata but seems dps think because of competition and numbers there stress filled and tanks because of what rides on them being solid. I have always played tank classes first and all others 2nd but in cata I find dps boring as my dk tank can go dps and hold his own so my 85 hunter and Mage just sit there. Healing I have not tried on the Druid but on the pally I have. Healer wins for me.

[Qwell]

Going by the job that needs to be done, Healing > Tanking > DPS.

However, having played all roles, I find the most stressful to be DPS for one reason: You absolutely HAVE to play 110% ALL THE TIME. My guild is chock-full of DPS, if I under preform in any way I will be booted from my raid/rated BG slot far more quickly than any other role. Tanks and healers we have far less of, so the under preforming ones get to stay unless we recruit better ones.
So, I feel DPS is indirectly more stressful if you are in a similar position.

Interesting point. It's interesting to think that actual, real-life-applicable situations effect in game performance; in other words, outside pressure to perform at maximum+ performance (as heals is more precise decision making, not blunt force of perfect rotation) or supplying off heals/tank while still expected to push limits of dps, comes down to player cognition. Bring the player, not the class...and spec, no?

---------- Post added 2011-02-27 at 09:36 AM ----------

Memorizing a rotation and not standing in stuff sure is stressful. Hey, I can over-generalize other roles in the game too!

Read above. It's not without some merit.

[itsthemoops]

healing>tanking>dps

[Deleted]

Wrath was Tank > Healer > DPS, now it's Healer > Tank > DPS

actually in Wrath it was more like Tank>DPS>healing (you could just spam your most efficient heal - Chain Heal I miss you soo much - and keep everyone up no problem, not worrying about mana)... I mean I was just spaming the aforementioned Chain Heal with right mouse click and drank coffee with my other hand most of the time

BUT THIS IS CATA and the jig is up.... healing is definitely more stressful than tanking or dd, in a way.... with the higher health pools you dont have to worry about people being insta killed, that's a good thing.... but topping people off before then next ability that would otherwise kill them can really get you stressed out a great deal (for this reason I both love AND hate Chimaeron encounter)