How do high end raids and guild choose their tanks?

[Deleted]

Do they go with just the best geared do they pick one of each class or something? or just random?

[Kuniku]

my only high end guild experience was back in TBC, we had 1 of each of the 3 available tanks at the time iirc, tbh I'm not sure if that just worked out that way or if they had made sure they had one of each, I can't say we ever had to replace one while I was with the guild, so not sure if they would have tried to replace the class they lost or just gone for overall gear and experience.

These days I'm not sure if the high end guilds go as far as changing the class of tank to suit the encounter or if they roll like we used to and have a set main tank and some off tanks

[Alvito]

Obviously it changes from group to group, but high end world, continent and realm first groups have some sort of try out or previous experience with their tanks. It will almost never come down to gear since that is the easiest thing to fix if it is bad, more over if a tank does well in crap gear then they will shine in good gear. For some fights class will play into it, but if you are pushing for firsts then ppl reroll or DS and do whats best for the run.

[Zogarth]

Normally it depends on how long they have been on the guild or their guild rank. But sometimes tanks can get excluded because they have bad gear.

[Vaelorian]

You pick tanks very carefully. For trials: if their gear is good enough be it limited for current content (where the guild is at - not specifically the last progressboss) and picks things up quick or shows own initiative that works - we have a winner.

[Sansnom]

Do they go with just the best geared do they pick one of each class or something? or just random?

How high end? For example, world first guilds changes their raid makeup per fight if necessary. Heroic progression generally would not.

[KosuroKush]

Assume we're implying gear meant nothing..considering gearing is the easiest aspect of WoW. (Considering if you're in a high-end guild there are plenty of leveled/geared players to do runs, and assist with costs etc.)

Now I'm not Guild Master or even a high-end raider anymore, however I've gone through the phases and as a tank I know how it works. I was expected to know my class inside and out.

Such as, when to pop this CD over this CD. The basic class oriented physics apply no matter how you look at it. You could be the most well geared player on your server, yet without proper class knowledge you're useless. Am I right?

What should be looked for [IMO]:
-Ability to Communicate: Vent/Teamspeak/Skype etc - However I don't just mean be able to speak. I mean inform your group when you need to change a tactic, or when you advise you switch off with the other tank. Knowing what you can handle, and can't handle will make the roles and lives of your fellow raiders much easier.
-Intelligence: This is a personal reflection. You'd want your tank to know his role, and the fight to a pretty damn well good extent. (Practice can make perfect I guess) however going into a fight with your tank knowing what to watch for makes it 5x easier. (This also applies to everyone in the raid group.)
-Dependency: As in, do you trust your tank? Is he reliable? Does he make good efforts to succeed in guild events, functions, and normal dungeons/raids? Is he/she often late or early during raid times? It's crucial that your tank be online and prepared before raid time. (This also applies to every member, however replacing dps/healers in my past experiences is easier..than replacing a well geared, and knowledgeable tank.)

Then of course the gear aspect comes into place, but I covered that. This was simply my insight onto choosing your tanks. This little ramble can be applied to any class though if you think about it. It just comes down to the different variants of what you're going to need/use.