Why are druid tanks so rare?

[exochaft]

I got to thinking and I think it may actually be RNG not being RNG.

I am grouped with Mages, Healing druids, Paladins and Hunters nearly always. Sometimes I see locks, DKs and Shaman. Never see feral druids or rogues... like 2 rogues in the last few weeks. I remember them because they are so rare. Not cats and no bears in the last few weeks.

Well, the match-making system does try to "spread the love" in terms of class/role/gear representation (as well as CC abilities). You can get the groups with doubles of certain classes, such as a Feral and Guardian in the same group... but it's usually a premade group if that happens. Also, since there are generally more DPS queuing than healers and tanks, sometimes you might get the same classes since the pool of tanks and/or healers is small.

I've seen a pretty even spread of all tanks in random heroics. In LFR, I personally do not see druid tanks that often... usually paladin/DK on my end, but that's just me and not an across-the-board fact. I will say, though, that the druid tanks I have come across really aren't that great, and I try to help them out when they take constructive criticism. The only tanks that I honestly haven't seen change much since 5.0 are DKs, but that's to be expected since they didn't change much at all.

Also, as a druid tank myself, I really only queue when I can get the Satchels. Otherwise, I'm learning my alts and figuring them out... takes a while to get through every class and master it.

[Volkkmar]

I think they are out there as much as any other tank, but again with 4 specs, we have options. Also I dont think many people like just seeing a bear ass all the time. We have that talent that puts armor on us for 30 seconds or whatever, but I could definitely see that being altered, and druids getting full time armor in any stance.

[Deleted]

I really like the glyphed regeneration atm...
With that + the mastery levels atm it's pretty hilarious.

[Aoyi]

It really could just be the RNG of dungeon finder not giving them to you. I see plenty of druid tanks at least on US. I don't know about other regions, but there doesn't appear to be a shortage of them here (in my experience).

[Deleted]

If I get druid in the group and he is kitty, I'l just tell him to take a real specc and kick him after. I never have and will accept a cat dps.

wow........... o.0

[Kaeth]

If I get druid in the group and he is kitty, I'l just tell him to take a real specc and kick him after. I never have and will accept a cat dps. It's just like with DK's, 9 out of 10 just plain out suck. And I just cba giving them the chance to proove themselves anymore as it ends up in me wasting time and gold.

Would you please do us a favor and post your battle.net ID so that all cat druids and DK's can blacklist you in advance to avoid possibly wasting their time and gold to your overinflated ego and unjustifiable prejudice? Thanks.

[Shifthappens]

I know off many people who were druid tank before but switched to cat dps...it's pretty sad to see almost all of them switch over. I'm not that known with the class to know weither or not Blizz fucked over the feral tank specc. (guardian blabla)

If I get druid in the group and he is kitty, I'l just tell him to take a real specc and kick him after. I never have and will accept a cat dps. It's just like with DK's, 9 out of 10 just plain out suck. And I just cba giving them the chance to proove themselves anymore as it ends up in me wasting time and gold.

Thats abit harsh, but cant blame you 9 out of 10 druids that reroled to cat just cant get used to the spec, but i tell you if you find a good cat (like myself) they will own most of your raids dpsers if not all.

47k DPs on ultra HM 10 before 5.0 and without being able to Shred all fight (our main filler)

It will only get worse in MoP with Bear becoming EXTREMELY boring spec (i cant even describe how much boring, boring as "im never gonna tank again"), and Cat dps is geting significally harder as well, especially if your pick Dream of Cenarius to maximise dps.

[Deleted]

I guess one of the reasons would be - it is easier to gear/play a resto/balance or balance/resto?
Most of the gear is compatible, so are enchants, gems and reforges, basically no competition for leather gear with int - from other resto and balance druids only.
Easier to collect it. With T13 main difference are trinks and weapons and set items, balance even takes heal chest for increased haste, further decreasing number of items you collect for your offspec.
That will change with MoP though, when monk heals will come and competition for leather int/spi gear and heal trinkets/weapons/offhands/rings will increase.
Cats and bears have a bit different gearing, reforging and gemming strategies, often forcing to collect second set of gear which might not be always possible because you can not always afford to have second set of the same gear - your group might have a different idea about that.

[hexaq]

I have a bear tank, geared it up in the HoT heroics a few days before the patch, and then tanked HoT a few days after patch.

I kinda gave up on druid tanking, least on pugs:
* having to fight to reach mobs first (wild charge is mandatory), each dps opens up single target rotations, each on a different mob, most of the times ignoring the skull icons I tend to put up. It's so fun to chase around gathering mobs.
* On trash, warrs esp popping cd's in the pack, when my AOE tank moves have 6 and 3 secs cd's on them... then complaining about taking aggro .. well yea ...duh, like 2 rather weak aoe threat moves with cd's attached will hold aggro vs a burst aoe of 80k dps when the warr charges ahead of the tank

non pug related:
* Bear aoe-ing has 'gaps', in this time both Thrash and swipe are on cd, if a new mob spawns it goes directly for the healer. The other tonks don't have this issue: warrs have a aoe taunt banner, DK's have the blood thingy on the ground, palas have consecration, monks .. dunno that class yet.
* Single target rotation is 'grainy'. If I don't fill the gaps by spamming faerie fire, all the other single target moves are on cd. This also prevents bears from glyphing faerie fire to get a ranged silence (glyphing puts a 15 sec cd on it). Other tanks have ranged silence as baseline
* Not enough rage, you can't do that yet,that ability requires more rage, not enough rage -> active mitigation, sounds like fun ?

[Balduvian]

Probably cause Cat/Bear got seperated now. Me, as a Cat Druid liked tanking HC's etc. once every while, but ever since I have to choose one of them, I can't be bothered as much.

[Senarx]

To me they just aren't as fun, or fluid as DKs, and Pallies(i've never played a prot warrior so...).

[Deleted]

Probably cause Cat/Bear got seperated now. Me, as a Cat Druid liked tanking HC's etc. once every while, but ever since I have to choose one of them, I can't be bothered as much.

I expect this will be true for a good amount of ferals (including me).

[Primernova]

Druid tanks are rare because they always recieve heavy nerfs, are left to fester for months or years, are buffed again and then are back to nerfed before they even get to enjoy it.

Bears are the most heavily nerfed class/spec in WoW, by a large margin. The sad part is, it was alywas because of PvP 'balance'...

[Deleted]

IMO Druid tank used to be pretty hard to play. Ive known a few and from what i hear it was very difficult a while ago, have no idea what its like nowadays though

[Grubjuice]

why are tanks in general so rare? It's because of Random Dungeon Finder being so anti-social and hard to control, i think it turns off a lot of potential tanks from leveling up as tanks.

Bears had a few specials problems namely with ranged casters and add threat. but some of these are better now:

1) even though it may lead to 'gaps' in the single target rotation, Glyph of Fae Silence is my favorite new Glyph, the most frustrating thing about bears for me was no ranged silence or interrupt.

Now glyph of Fae silence is not as awesome as Death Grip or Avenger's Shield, but it's better than nothing at all, which is what we had before. As for the rotation i have got into the habit of avoiding FF when i know an interruptable Mob is nearby or will occur and otherwise i use Mangle>Lac>Thrash>Lac for ST or Mangle>Swipe>Thrash>Swipe for AoE (and Cenarion Ward and FoN and Bear Hug fills in most gaps).

2) As pointed out, we still have no ground-based AoE pickup uility like Death and Decay or Consecration, which would be really really helpful when adds run throught my melee field faster than i can target them. (at least at higher levels we can Symbiotize(?) a Paladin for Consecration).

but on the plus side i am enjoying a new AoE disorient, a 5-target root, and a castable trio pocket tanks at range. which all help me control adds, runners and casters.

[Tahsou]

Strange, all the groups I have been in has a druid tank ;D

[Deleted]

im dropping my warrior,,, changing to a guardian.... had to tank with the warrior but i as like naaah... druid> warrior because of the stag form

[Deleted]

The druid tank is not an endangered specie, he's present as all other tanks.

[Deleted]

Because they're currently slightly less interesting versions of warrior tanks.

My Bear is pretty well geared, but after testing all tanks throughout beta.......I'm probably gonna go Resto & powerlevel a Prot Warrior, so I personally agree, I LOVE the way Warrior tanks feel right now....

Edit: As an aside, I think its due to the whole FR/SD thing, you either dodge or take the hit, & sometimes (Murozond springs to mind) its actually kinda confusing which to lean on at first.

[Deleted]

altho i dont like moaning, ive persistently avoided making an account on here cos i cant stand the emo/elitist bunch (they make me mad and i wanna smash face RARR)...
ive been a bear since i was a lil cub (like half way through vanilla i found god, i mean wow).. and to be brutally honest. YES they have ruined the way bears feel atm.

im not sure what they will be like in MoP contents but at the present time i find my bear BORING, WRONG, CONFUSING (even tho im not confused but it makes you feel like that. its like wtf i got everything on CD? rly? since god damn when? im waiting to whack a button? rly? i has not enough rage to use that?), more BORING and just generally as uninteresting as a tanking class can get... hopefully in MoP these things will right themselves with new content but i cant see it myself...... kitty also feels a bit shit...

so probably because bears play like a bag of shit atm you wont see many (probably only the die hard bears like me, or new bears, hoping for things to get better)