Tanks need OS dps spec?

[Blaupunkt]

Is this really required in Cata? i got a question from one of the tanks in my guild "Are you gonna collect DPS gear & get an OS?"My answer was simply "NO, i wanna have 2tanks specs depending on the fight" and i got the answer "Do you really wanna sit out on the fights which only require 1tank" i guess he meant Magmaw as that is the only fight i can think of atm... i was sitting out last night cause they needed 1 more dps apparently! Is it this way Blizzard have designed the Raids?

[Deleted]

If you have 3 tanks and the raid only requires two, then it could be useful if one of them had a dps, or healing, off-spec.

EDIT: It's the way raids have been designed since VANILLA, it's nothing new.

[link064]

It has been this way forever. Tanks and healers have always needed off-specs.

Besides, why would you gimp yourself with 2 tank specs? Seems like a waste of an off-spec.

[ItachiZaku]

Heck, some tanks our DPS the DPS and should just drop aura or switch a couple pieces.

[Tharkkun]

Is this really required in Cata? i got a question from one of the tanks in my guild "Are you gonna collect DPS gear & get an OS?"My answer was simply "NO, i wanna have 2tanks specs depending on the fight" and i got the answer "Do you really wanna sit out on the fights which only require 1tank" i guess he meant Magmaw as that is the only fight i can think of atm... i was sitting out last night cause they needed 1 more dps apparently! Is it this way Blizzard have designed the Raids?

You should always have an offspec and be collecting gear for that secondary spec whether it's healing or dps. Learning to play it *well* would add a lot of value to your spot in a raid as well.

[Deleted]

Our raiding structure will always try to maximise potential configurations of our raid members.

Tanks with dps roles for 1 tank situations, 2 healers with dps offspecs so that we can swtich to 1 healer, 2 or 3 depending on encounter etc etc

If you are doing a boss that requires 1 tank and you are not tanking it, your going to be dps'ing. Why not maximise that?

[sally]

I agree with above posters. You don't really need dual tanking specs any more since all tank specs have pretty much the same base of talents, and the flavor talents are just that - flavor. You're better off having a DPS or healer offspec to suit your raid after each fight.

[Warhunt]

Heck, some tanks our DPS the DPS and should just drop aura or switch a couple pieces.

No idea what this means.

OT: You have two specs, you're not always going to be needed as a tank. DPS spec if you want to be viable for more than one situation.

[Deleted]

I completely understand you wanting to have two Tank speccs, especially since 5-mans are still challenging at the moment, so you'd pick a specc with good AoE threat and the other would be purely survivability for boss fights. Besides, surely one of those other tanks would have a dps OS, and if they both have Tank/Tank speccs, they can hardly judge you for it.

[Lackluster]

No idea what this means.

OT: You have two specs, you're not always going to be needed as a tank. DPS spec if you want to be viable for more than one situation.

He's saying some tanks (with vengeance) outDPS baddie dpsers and can just "dps" by changing stance (or whatever your class mechanic is for tanking) and using a couple of pieces of dps gear.

Only viable for warriors I'd say as they can use vigilance to get vengeance when not tanking.