I am always very much enjoying playing a tank class role in PvP, mostly because not many people actually do it. I was looking at the WoD tank changes (tank damage not based on Resolve/Vengeance yay!) and I was wondering which tank would be most performant in PvP, arenas and BGs.
The two most valid choices seem either Protection warrior or Guardian druid:
- Guardian druid
- + Great mobility because of shapeshifting, travel form, feral charge and skull bash. Combined with stealth this is a very strong combo in arenas.
- + Passive mastery that reduces melee damage, so also works when stunned/feared/...
- + Reactive mitigation Frenzied regeneration to instantly recover lost health (reactive is better than pro-active is in PvP damage is not always easy to predict).
- - Thick Hide reduces magic damage by only 10%.
- Protection warrior
- + Great mobility because of Charge, Leap and Safeguard
- - Active mastery that increases chance to block, not usable when stunned/feared
- - Proactive mitigation Shield Barrier
- + Defensive stance reduces magic damage by 20%, which can be even improved to 25% with a talent.
What is my fellow PvP tank's take on these points? Which class do you reckon has the strongest PvP toolset? Or do you expect any of the other tank classes to perform well in PvP? Deathknight have typically performed well, but I fear they will be too vulnerable to casters, but that depends on the strength of casters.