MoP dereased the numer of Tanks and Healers, and WoD will do so even more ?

[Traveler Voltin]

before the healing change announcement. i was going to have a healer at max level in WoD. he went back to being benched after the announcement.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

IMO Prot Paladins need help the most in terms of tanking. At least IMO. On my DK I'm perfectly happy tanking. Unless I'm an off tank, then it gets difficult. By difficult I mean tanking becomes less fun.

[Seditian]

Considering that Blizzard has made dps specs mandatory, I do agree this will help and will, combined with other changes, help make sure tanks aren't that rare. I just don't think it'll help as much with healers because of other changes.

I really hope they don't screw up the secondary stats, though. Agility/Strength changing to Intellect alone won't be enough. Just look at the Shaman in MoP: Critical Strike is completely useless for Elemental/Enhancement Shamans in PvP, yet it's the most valuable stat (after a certain Spirit threshold) for Restoration.

Again, they said they'd make most secondary stats basically worth the same for all specs, but I have my doubts. If it stays the same as now, changing to a healer spec with DPS gear, will make you a shitty healer. Shitty as in, 60% of a properly geared healer at best.

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IMO Prot Paladins need help the most in terms of tanking. At least IMO. On my DK I'm perfectly happy tanking. Unless I'm an off tank, then it gets difficult. By difficult I mean tanking becomes less fun.

That might be you though, aren't Warrior/Paladin/Monk tanks by far the best ones? With Druids and DK's a lot further behind? Unless you're purely talking from a "having fun" perspective.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

What I mean is my Runic power generation slows down if I'm off tanking. Prot Paladins seem to rely on mitgation and self heals(Seriously? Self heals?). I rarely see Prot Paladins these days.

[Seditian]

What I mean is my Runic power generation slows down if I'm off tanking. Prot Paladins seem to rely on mitgation and self heals(Seriously? Self heals?). I rarely see Prot Paladins these days.

I honestly hope all self-heals on tanks disappear. Or at least 75% of their potency. Our DK healer (heh) can easily get to 300k HPS on Malkorok, it's ridiculous. DK tanks should be the only tanks that have really potent heals (300k HPS is too high, though), other ones shouldn't.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

DK Tanks with Death Strike have self heals but that's how they tank and such. I'm ok with them being their thing. My issue with Prot Paladins is they seem to just rely more on self heals and not on mitgation or any other mechanic. I find that very strange. Druids...well I liked them before MoP.

I just know my Tank is... well she can Death strike for a lot. I'm not sure if she can reach 300k. I don't pay attention that much.

[The Kao]

The gameplay of Mists of Pandaria had some influence on the decreasing number of Tanks and healers because:

The numbers are speaking against you. For the past 1 and a half years there's hardly ever been a time before midnight and after early morning that I had to wait more than 2 - 5 minutes for an invite as DPS in LFG. Used to be up to 30 minutes at times during Cata or WotLK. How do you explain that?

[Tntdruid]

I'm gonna tank in WoD for sure

[Deliverer]

If people doesn't feel like tanking in lfr cause they have target set on them they could simply get some preparation before entering a raid and not just think "it's lfr who cares". I have 4 tanking chars and I will most likely lvl up the last I miss which is Druid before wod comes out (not boosting it cause I like leveling a new character). I also think active mitigation is great and you now have to make a choice while fighting a boss about what is best for your survivability while also trying to max your damage. One thing I'm looking forward is tank dps in wod cause when vengeance is low you feel kinda weak. Since they almost removing vengeance I would buff damage but also nerf threat cause since tbc threat has almost never been an issue unless you tanking in 510 ilvl in a raid of 570+ people.

[Traveler Voltin]

If people doesn't feel like tanking in lfr cause they have target set on them they could simply get some preparation before entering a raid and not just think "it's lfr who cares". I have 4 tanking chars and I will most likely lvl up the last I miss which is Druid before wod comes out (not boosting it cause I like leveling a new character). I also think active mitigation is great and you now have to make a choice while fighting a boss about what is best for your survivability while also trying to max your damage. One thing I'm looking forward is tank dps in wod cause when vengeance is low you feel kinda weak. Since they almost removing vengeance I would buff damage but also nerf threat cause since tbc threat has almost never been an issue unless you tanking in 510 ilvl in a raid of 570+ people.

or you could be like some of us that have really shitty luck when it comes to getting tank gear.

[Seditian]

The numbers are speaking against you. For the past 1 and a half years there's hardly ever been a time before midnight and after early morning that I had to wait more than 2 - 5 minutes for an invite as DPS in LFG. Used to be up to 30 minutes at times during Cata or WotLK. How do you explain that?

LFR or LFG? Because LFR has 17 dps for 2 tanks, dungeons only have 3 dps for 1 tank. So obviously LFR's queues are a lot faster for DPS. If you're not talking about LFR in MoP, then disregard this. On EU I have to wait 10+ minutes as DPS though. Don't know about WotLK, never not healed there, same for Cataclysm.

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or you could be like some of us that have really shitty luck when it comes to getting tank gear.

Knowledge + bare minimum item level is enough for LFR. Having 496 item level + reading up on all the tactics of every boss is a lot better than 520 item level and not knowing anything about the bosses.

[Traveler Voltin]

Knowledge + bare minimum item level is enough for LFR. Having 496 item level + reading up on all the tactics of every boss is a lot better than 520 item level and not knowing anything about the bosses.

i pay attention to fights. i get a somewhat understanding of whats going on as a dps but tanks have to deal with debuffs. that i have never really dealt with tanking in 5mans.
i try to slightly have better gear then the bare minimum so i dont die as fast. the only problem(outside fear of being yelled at) is i suck at raising money for chants and gems.

[Seditian]

i pay attention to fights. i get a somewhat understanding of whats going on as a dps but tanks have to deal with debuffs. that i have never really dealt with tanking in 5mans.
i try to slightly have better gear then the bare minimum so i dont die as fast. the only problem(outside fear of being yelled at) is i suck at raising money for chants and gems.

Well, as a healer I know mostly what tanks have to do, except for a few fights. Mostly because you need to know when you need to use your own cooldowns in order to keep the tanks up. That being said, reading up on it really helps a lot. DPS (in LFR) can get away with not reading up on anything at all and just see what happens. Healers/Tanks can't really do that, as you'll wipe over and over again if you as a healer or tank don't know what you have to do.

If you can't bring very good, enchanted and gemmed gear, definitely read up on tactics. There's loads of guides out there that can explain every single thing in a boss fight within 10 minutes. I recommend FatbossTV, they do guides for normal/heroic, though. Some mechanics aren't in LFR.

[Traveler Voltin]

Well, as a healer I know mostly what tanks have to do, except for a few fights. Mostly because you need to know when you need to use your own cooldowns in order to keep the tanks up. That being said, reading up on it really helps a lot. DPS (in LFR) can get away with not reading up on anything at all and just see what happens. Healers/Tanks can't really do that, as you'll wipe over and over again if you as a healer or tank don't know what you have to do.

If you can't bring very good, enchanted and gemmed gear, definitely read up on tactics. There's loads of guides out there who can explain every single thing in a boss fight within 10 minutes. I recommend FatbossTV, they do guides for normal/heroic, though. Some mechanics aren't in LFR.

the problem i use to have when i was healing was. pay attention more to peoples health bars then where i was standing. lol
after a wipe i tend to read up on things(i prefer learning by doing first) to see if i missed anything. usually i do just fine. its really fun raiding(counting LFR) when not using DBM.

let me link my most geared tank. sadly its out dated since i havent been subbed in a few months.(i hate job hunting.)
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...astburn/simple
had everything on par before 5.4 hit. had to change everything. hmm i thought i better gear then that.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Or people act like asshats in LFR and treat people like shit.

[Traveler Voltin]

Or people act like asshats in LFR and treat people like shit.

yeah thats another reason for feeling like there is a tank loss.

[angelflavor]

I really liked tanking in mop. I've been tanking since Classic for 5mans and raid tanking since BC and active mitigation really takes skill and not having ur gear do everything..... but you really have to know what ur doing other wise you just suck..... and wow community hates helping people through the learning pains of any role that's not dps.

Also you for got brawlers guild. Tanks can do many of them but you really need a DPS spec do complete them all.

[MetroStratics]

Any stats for this claim? Can't see how this is possible, especially given the things you have stated as potential detractors.
Dungeons between max levels aren't relevant to who plays tanks, unless we are talking about who is leveling as one.
Scenarios and dailies are no longer relevant to the game's progression, so nothing detracting. If you want to do them, its your choice.
There was an extremely important reason to do the 5 man heroics at the start of the expansion, and there still is now if you'd like to get some easy pieces for challenge modes.
LFR comment is also near irrelevant. If you are a noob, then perhaps you will be the target of issue in there, but a tank who has actually tanked before shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Even the stuff about WoD is wrong... There will be more dungeons in WoD than there were in MoP as there will be two levels of difficulty for each while getting ready for raiding.

I now tank on 4 specs, with the only purpose being Challenge Modes. This alone is enough to invalidate everything else that you list as a detractor. If you haven't tried them, especially as a tank, you are missing out on some of the best content that MoP contains.
Some other people saying 5 mans suck through out the post, same extension to you. Go do challenge modes. I find them to be the most fun thing to tank since bc heroics, and even there its a toss-up of which style is more fun.

Past all that, the changes to tanking this expansion have made things really interesting. No complaints at all.
If there are less tanks, its just less unskilled or noob tanks. Not less serious tanks.
Which is a good thing, so when you do find one, the chances are higher that he isn't eating a marker.

[Deleted]

Going to main healing in WoD for sure since I mostly played DPS in MoP and got really bored of it.

I've tanked for a bit and grown tired of mouthy DPS.

[Shamanberry]

Actually, I'm 100% positive that MoP increased the number of tanks - you only need to put yourself in a queue to prove that. Healers, I'd estimate remained about the same or increased slightly as well. Both can be attributed to the ease of gearing up, more focus on their DPS contribution, and the proliferation of the LFR and random-queue system, which makes people want to take the option that gives them the shortest queue time more often.

WoD will probably increase each further, because getting gear for the role is significantly easier without having to have specialized gear, and by making gear change primary stats such that those with DPS specs with different ones (Enhance, Ret, etc) will be able to gear up as easily as same-primary offspecs (Elemental, Balance, etc).

Maybe we have seen, and will continue to see fewer tanks and healers out in the world - because the same works the opposite way too (why quest as a Holy Paladin when you can just grab a 2h, keep your normal gear on, and the majority of your gearing for switching to Ret is done?) - but that doesn't mean there will be fewer tanks or healers for situations where tanks and healers are good to have.