Why do you play tank... NOT?

[nwo]

I do play a tank because I get tired of playing DPS, and I have tried them all. I get sick of running with slow tanks, waiting in queues forever, fighting over gear, etc, etc. When I'm feeling lazy I just log onto my healer for a bit (or re-spec) so that I can watch TV and semi-afk the dungeons/raids.

[Ulaenyth]

I would, but I prefer PvP and I couldn't be bothered to level another character yet. Although my next character will probably be a tank. In PvE at the moment though, I prefer to play something that takes real skill, an arcane mage.

LOL mad 3 button skillz bro.

On a more serious not i've played pally tank found it enjoyable but i seem to feel more towards the healing side might be something to do with the holding of peoples lives in your hands making my epeen bigger, jks. much respect to a decent tank a healer is only as good as there tank i've had some crap tanks that just don't cut it and i've had pro tanks that hold threat like there just dpsing a mob no issues adds pickd up fast and there smart and don't break CC with Aoe now those are the tanks to respect

[anywherenotes]

I used to tank for two reasons:
1 - made me feel important+useful
2 - easy to get into groups
That's why I tanked in BC and for first 75% of WoTLK

But #1 is a shallow perspective ... to feel important based on a game.
#2 is valid, but isn't worth it to me

DPS is nice because it's pretty easy to see yourself in comparison to others. How often do you die? how many interrupts did you do? how much total damage did you do? Did you need more healing than other dps? Those are things I look at now.
As a tank, I felt good when an instance went well, however I later realized how much of it was healers or dps (CC, or just pure numbers) that made it easy.

I'm gathering a tanking set right now, but at present, am not planning on tanking. Currently playing DK, but I've tanked at least some raids on all 4 tanking classes.

[hiragana]

ive tried tanking a couple of times on both my paladins and while it was fun levelling and i was often told i was decent i just lost interest at 80. I dont have time to be in a raiding guild anymore so i would only be able to tank in pugs and i dont think id be comfortable with that. Also in hcs by the time i got to max level dps was insane and it was jst too stressful trying to keep agro with shit gear. I also think i just prefer dps, im a very competative person so having 2 other dps to compete against keeps me focused throughout instances, even when we outgear them. I also love healing, espcially when things go wrong/ are hectic. Cant afford cataclysm yet but il probably level my healer first this expansion having heard how hard it is now.
Having said all that i do still want to learn to tank and am going to level a tauren paladin and belf warrior.

[Kyou]

People just don't want any responsibility. thats why most of us are dps.

[Bloodsail the Orc]

While being a tank, you have one person to "Compete" with.
While being a DPS, you have 4/5 (I do 10 mans).

I really love being the best, and pushing myself to be the best, which is why I like to play a DPS. There is more work put into min maxing, and the results are far more obvious, so I really feel like my efforts are being well spent.

[Jahoota]

I always play a healer. I always have and I always will. I like the idea of helping out your team with heals. Every time I play as DPS (rarely) I'm always looking at green bars and critiquing the healer. That awareness helps as a DPS so you know when you need to step-up (my DPS are always off-spec of my healers). I think this expansion I'll level up a tank, so I am comfortable with it.

[Deleted]

- No pointless peenmeter race with other dps.

That is exactly why I am not playing a tank (anymore). Well, technically I was asked if I wanted to reroll when one of our old main tanks came back and I went back to my warlock in the process...

But it is an undeniable fact that healers and tanks are missing this certain "the sky is the limit" feeling. If you are doing your job well, everything will go smoothly but there is simply no room to improve yourself beyond a certain routine, not in ways that matter at least. Some situations will force you to be at the top of your game and react super fast but for the vast majority of your gameplay you will just have to do "enough to survive/make the group survive" You can put in a little extra effort, there is just no payoff after a certain quality of gameplay other than keeping you from being too bored.

Personally, dps (quality dps, not people getting carried) seems the most engaging and challenging task by far since everytime you do anything there will always be the chance to be better and being better will always have a noticeable impact on your raid.
You can do "enough" and be ok with that too, but for me personally it is a lot more difficult to accept that as DPS because of the competetive nature of dps classes.

Also tanking and healing have been pretty boring in the past, if we are being completely honest, ecounter design and class mechanics both (in all fairness, healing even more than tanking)

[carela]

in BC I really enjoyed playing the tank because I could control how easy the run went. I also like to play healer, and mage (another class that IMO has superior control of the pace and success of a dungeon), but good tanks really shine and people are far more likely to notice a great tank than a great healer or DPS.

[BirdLady68]

I have chosen to stop being a tank cause of the teeth grinding pressure. I know, dont allow others to control the flow ie "gogogogo" but I'd rather DPS...or <gulp> heal ( and I have seen the horrors of healing so maybe I'll switch back to tanking.

[Furbiscuit]

Been ret / prot for many years. I refuse to tank for pugs (or even do them anymore lol). Guildies and RL friends I've got no problems with tanking / leading for. Imo its also easier to lead from a dps standpoint (at least guildwise) due to being able to stand back a bit if needed and see what everyone else is doing. Tanking I find myself tunnel visioned on omen, taunt timing, positioning, and cd timing.

For guildy / RL friend stuff, we all prefer I stay ret unless absolutely needed since I'm not one of those rets who only does dps unless its a tank n spank. Support utilities are there for support, and I've got np looking bad on the meters if it means I saved the raid by healing / cleansing / etc. Also for pugs, being a tank meant I was going to die at some point if things went bad, as ret I got to choose who was saved a repair bill along with me.

[Deleted]

I don't play a Tank because Shamans can't Tank. That's all there really is to it.
I do have a Death Knight and an upcoming Warrior who will both have a Tank spec, though... But first I'll have to focus on getting my main some gear!

[4KhazModan]

I chose to be a tank originally back at level 33. I was using a 2h mace called the crowd pummeler. I received this quest for RFD that gave me a 1h with more dps. I bought a shield off the AH, and spec'd prot. I just love being the 1 in between the big boss and the rest of the group. I like being able to protect my allies. I also like the challenge when a really high dps player is competing for threat.

[TheGreatandMightyMe]

I tanked and only tanked for a good 10 months in mid wrath. Eventually I stopped tanking because I got tired of dieing every time I got a bad healer and I felt bad every time I lost a DPS or a healer to a tanking fail. Now I heal because at the time our guild was in need of healers. I fell in love with healing and now all I do is heal.

[Hellhammer]

People just don't want any responsibility. thats why most of us are dps.

correctamundo
that sums it up pretty well

the only thing i hate about tanking is that i constantly work my ass out in instances while most dps run around with one hand on their dicks
that really is not very motivating being the only one (besides the healer!) that has to concentrate and focus all the time

i think healers and tanks should somehow get better rewards because they contribute so much more to a successful dungeon run than lazy
dps bitches that can't even play their class properly
too damn stupid to cc properly, shamys that don't even know that they can cc elementals... damn frustrating

[bobberney]

Tanking is the real man's game.


Great thread please continue, I like it

[Deleted]

when i started playing wow, i wanted to play a tank, but my internet was bad so a dc was common.
but then my internet got better, and now i have a 81 tank dk.
i like playing as a tank because it´s usually u who decide where and how fast u will go (and insta queue )
but my main is a warlock because i know that if i tank all the time, it will get boring at some point.

[Spondoo]

Because everyone sucks at it, seriously I want to play arms I've always wanted to just play arms PvE and get gear to kickstart the season with some decent PvE gear so I can get PvP gear quickly. However I'm an arms PvP warrior before a PvE tank.

The tank role has just been forced upon me really. Sitting in queue for 40 minutes to get into a heroic with my DPS friends only to get 2 Bane of the fall turd wrath babies in the same guild Tank and Healer. The tank can't pick up mobs and lets his healer die and blames the DPS for not CCing even though they run in with consecrate or DnD or Tclap and break all the CC anyway. And ofc the 2 leave IMMEDIATELY after a wipe regardless of it being trash or a boss. And then waiting another 15 minutes for another pair of retards to fail again.

And as a tank if you're in my heroic I will roll on that strength trinket because its bullshit that I'm forced to play a spec to carry retards.

[Nissl]

I love tanking. Ever since the prot warrior revamp made them not painful solo I've spent 95% of my PVE time as one.

I get why people dps because I did it too when I started the game. Try out a few characters and get impressed with how quickly they blow things up. Tanking has the most responsibility and pressure. Subpar dps makes things slow, subpar tanking is a wipe. You also realize that not every tank is going to make it into raiding the way the numbers work out. You realize dps rotations are easy and feel great nailing them. You enjoy racing other dps on the meters. (Although I pride myself on beating all but the best dps on the meters as a low level tank).

I don't get why people heal. I tried it, and staring at bars playing whack-a-mole sucks. Sure you can pretend the rest of the party is your pets, but they're usually pets with bad AI. Sure every encounter basically boils down to your healing vs. the damage generated, and everyone else just determines how long it takes. But now that I'm in a tanking groove the lack of control drives me crazy. Not to mention how patronizing immature players get towards healers. Thank God there are people out there who like it though. It takes all kinds.

[Siika]

Becouse if I try to tank with my turtle the group will kick me.