In cataclysm, should druids get a Spell tanking form? Panzerkins Return!

[GgMc]

I remember going into BT once or twice as a joke, and tank fights like Mother Shiraz or just the daily heroics, as panzerkin. If youve never ran with a panzerkin before you may not understand. A panzerkin is a Moonkin druid who is fully decked in PvP Resto and or moonkin gear.

Armor out the ass, and the dps to still hold moderate threat, panzerkin was a viable tank spec for heroics back in BC since mobs didn't one shot you, but it still took healers some time to pull you back up. Made all the better by new abilities such as http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=48393 (owlkin frenzy) and http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=61336 (Survival instincts) i thought they were going to bring in some ranged tanking fights, i know i know, they made it specifically for PvP but who knows. I was missing this a little bit, so i tryed out a cool spec http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc...00000000000000.
It worked sorta well, i got through all of the major heroics wearing my PvP gear without any major problems.

I understand that for fights like mimiron and things where you need a ranged tank, most people just resort to the usual "kite with a hunter/lock/shaman/mage" but thats not my point. Im thinking an actual Physical tanking sort of boss with a ranged aspect, that you just cant kite... you have to tank it.

but i do think... they could take this somewhere.

Why dont they give us a Panzerkin form, not boomkin, not bearform... but a talent that transforms bear form into say... Furblog form! Think about it, give us an extra 30% HP bonus while in it, maybe a little more armor than boomkin has, but all in all, your a spell casting bear. Of course they would have to reduce the spell power, possibly a http://www.wowwiki.com/Corrupted_Ashbringer effect could be set in place, at the risk of say 40% spell damage you gain 80+% threat per attack, just to even it out for PvP. Maybe they can make a fight i havent thought of with this idea. Or maybe they can just piggyback.

Please i want all of your ideas, am i stupid for thinking this, am i the only one still missing the old days where if you were good enough you could have fun with the hardest content in the game? I understand they went all out and gave us the Feral dps/tank tree, which works out quite well, but maybe if we could tweak a talent here and there, and throw in Furblog form as a tech from boomkin, would that be such a travesty? The ONLY ranged tank in game MIGHT be a bad thing, and possibly a little unbalanced at the start, but 1 thing is for sure.

It would be a freaking blast.


Edit: Nerf on spell damage

[rawrmonster]

sounds cool! like the idea ;D

[MushroomBomb]

I don't think they should. Mind you, I wouldn't mind if I could grab my Druid for a quick Panzerkin trip through HC Shadowfang Keep, but not as a serious choice of any sort. We already have a tank form, and I'd rather they focus on that (read: give us more interesting single-target tanking).

A ranged tank could prove an interesting Hero Class in the future, I just don't feel like it fits Druids... at all.

[GgMc]

I don't think they should. Mind you, I wouldn't mind if I could grab my Druid for a quick Panzerkin trip through HC Shadowfang Keep, but not as a serious choice of any sort. We already have a tank form, and I'd rather they focus on that (read: give us more interesting single-target tanking).

A ranged tank could prove an interesting Hero Class in the future, I just don't feel like it fits Druids... at all.

I understand what your saying with maybe making boomkin a little more tanking oriented if u wanna mess around with it, but what i NEVER, and i repeat NEVER EVER again want to see is a new hero class... Focusing on bear form though... its a pretty fun way to play im not gonna lie (loves tanking in general) but if you have ever tanked as panzerkin, you'll know what im talking about. its just so much more fun than the usual tanking strats.

[SirLancelittle]

I don't mean to stop on your idea because it sounds like a lot of fun and I would love to see some tank variety. However it just isn't possible because almost all bosses are melee.

Take a very basic fight like Attumen (in Kara), a perfect tank and spank boss. Now imagine your range tank starts tanking him, the boss immediately runs to the tank and suddenly you are aren't ranged tanking you are melee tanking with spells. Paladins all ready do this. Now maybe your spells have a cast time, but the fact that the boss is meleeing you is going to interrupt/slow your casts so you really wouldn't want this. What happens if you get interrupted, locked out of your school? I just don't know you could make this work.

[GgMc]

Im not saying that Most if not... well atm all bosses are melee tank n spanks... but whos to say they cant come up with a brand new boss in the upcoming expansion, who knows it could be a kologarn type battle for ranged and thorim arena type of boss for melee, but instead of spell dps, the boss does 1 massive boulder throw or something cool like that. According to blizz, "a whole new era in the world of warcraft is about to begin" who knows what might unfold.

Edit: If you get locked out of your school, just start spamming the other lol, druids are half arcane and half nature.

[Degrador]

The only way to have a ranged tank viable is if it was a gimicky boss that actually required a ranged tank (which GC has already said they don't particularly like but they use as a way of adding variety). All the other tanks are melee tanks, and for Blizzard to spend a lot of time trying to make each boss capable of being tanked by both melee and ranged just for the purposes of one spec (not even the current intended purpose of that spec) of one class is just not practical.

[Leafre]

Ranged tanking makes kiting almost impossible, because you need a huge room to be efficient. Also I can't imagine AoE tanking, it's impossible if the mobs/bosses are not ranged.

[arel00]

While the idea of Panzerkins always makes me smile with memories, I admit I wouldn't want to see it return.
The problem is, we already have 4 possible roles as druids, and they are already more than enough troublesome to balance. Adding a fifth would just make things worse.

As much as Panzerkins sound fun, I don't want a screw up on the class just to have one more spec.

[Melonberry]

i NEVER, and i repeat NEVER EVER again want to see is a new hero class..

Good luck with that. Since a new hero class is planned for the expansion after Cataclysm.

And no. Having 2 tanks specs instantly leaves blizzard the "Oh bear is broken and boring? Well spec Panzerkin and we'll just never fix bears." Kind of like how they do with balance currently.

Then again I hate balance and don't really care that it's subpar.

[ethzero]

Since a new hero class is planned for the expansion after Cataclysm.

Wat.

[Martyris]

and http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=61336 (Survival instincts)

What is the use of this talent on a Panzerkin?

[Poldara]

I find it hard enough to support 3 roles on my druid currently I don't want a 4th and in my opinion I don't think this is a good idea. But keep up the enthusiasm

[Cardrels]

I played Panzerkin and tanked Gruul as it twice, but you have to understand something about Panzerkin that I don't think you realized yet. Blizz never intended on it being a viable tank form, players just happened to come across it while playing with gear/talents. Because of this Blizz will never allow it as a VIABLE tank in any raids. Yes, it would be awesome as hell, but no, it will never happen.

[FourofaKind]

@OP

Yes and no.

Take a good look at our tree.

1. Bliz already said they are removing many combat stats to simplify gearing and the game in general.

2. Bliz already said they are removing talents that mearly "Increase X by X"

Current talents that use to-be-obsolete variables

T1- Genesis
T2- All (Moonglow, Natures Majesty, Imp Moonfire
T3- Natures Splendor, Natures Reach
T4- Vengence (debateble) Celestrial Focus
T5- Lunar Guidence, Imp Insect swarm
T6- All (Dreamstate, Moonfury, Balance of Power)
T7- Imp Moonkin form (Debateble) Imp Faerie Fire
T8- Wrath of Cenarius
T9- Gale Winds

The new talent* trees are going to be quite interesting indeed, and it is looking very likely that Panzerkin will be making some form of return. (In the form of a SotF equiv T7 talent for moonkin form, this means uncritable from mobs).

[Alltat]

Trying to get four specs balanced for the same class (cat, bear, tree, owl) is bad enough. No point in making the job even harder by adding a fifth option. If you want to tank as a druid then go bear, and if you want a caster tank then roll a paladin.

[Inicharu]

No, they shoudn't. Already got 4 different ways to play in one char. Enough is enough.
The Moonkin alone is ugly enough, please don't add a plated version oo

[Goatonlb]

I agree it would be fun as shit, it's just too unlikely.

[SoulPoetry]

i know you've said you've tanked heroics but really, any class with reasonable amounts of armor can tank heroics these days to add some more "fun" into the class. as much as i loved watching pankerzin movies, as others have said, blizz won't encourage it in any shape or form.

[GgMc]

i know you've said you've tanked heroics but really, any class with reasonable amounts of armor can tank heroics these days to add some more "fun" into the class.

But my point is it wasnt just heroics, you were able to tank high level BT content.