warlock tanking?

[Chireru93]

ok so I've thought of this for awhile and I posted it on the main forums and (surprisingly) it didn't get flamed too badly.

I'd like to see what you guys think of allowing demo warlocks to tank. The setup would not be unbalancing via talents, but just adding in new glyphs (perhaps for next xpack? if they even did it, and if they even did it this way). And the main thing would be trading pure damage for pure threat (aka damage for a higher threat modifier, or vengeance).

Warlock Tanking

-Pet used is Voidwalker.

GLYPHS

- Major - Glyph of Tormented Void ~ Your Voidwalker's Torment ability now gives all threat to you.
- Major - Glyph of Voidless Suffering ~ Your Voidwalker's Suffering ability now taunt creatures onto you.

- Prime - Glyph of Eternal Demons ~ Your Metamorphosis ability now lasts forever and has no cooldown. Damage is decreased by 30% instead of increased.
- Prime - Glyph of Armored Skin ~ While in Metamorphosis, your armor is increased by an additional 15%.
- Prime - Glph of Intense Horror ~ While in Metamorphosis, your threat is increased by 30%.

NEW ABILITIES (only useable in Metamorphosis form)

- Demonic Command - Taunts your target. 8 second cooldown.
- Demonic Shield - Creates a shield of demonic energy around you, making it very difficult to be struck. Increases dodge by 10% and reduces damage received by 10% for 10 seconds. 1 minute cooldown.
- Rage of the Demons - Sacrifice your current demon to create an almost impenetrable force of darkness around yourself. Reduces incoming damage by 60% for 12 seconds. 3 minute cooldown.

Why Warlock tanking? Well mostly because Warlocks can already tank! We have the capabilities to tank some smaller stuff, and for short periods of time which is due to our long Metamorphosis cooldown. I think if we were to remove the cooldown and make it permanent, it can be made into a kind of "tanking form", at least when combined with the voidwalker for extra threat and survivability through Sacrifice. However this would be incredibly unbalanced, so we decrease the Warlock's damage done instead of increasing it, while in Metamorphosis. Could this make it unbalanced for pvp in the sense that "tanking warlock" can't pvp? Possibly. But then again this setup is a choice, nobody is forced to tank as a warlock, just like nobody can be forced to tank as a druid or a warrior. The only people who will even use the setup are those who truly enjoy tanking as a Warlock, or those who want to give it a try and then many of them will probably just switch out the glyphs.

As for the abilities, they're pretty self-explanatory I think. Demonic Command is a taunt. Demonic shield is to be your "on-use" cooldown for basic survival, or to be used at certian points in a fight to reduce incoming damage for the healers. Not anything major but still good. I say 10% dodge 10% reduced damage incoming because while I could easily say 20% reduced damage incoming, that's just like the druid's barkskin and we can do something slightly different. Now for Rage of the Demons, you would sacrifice your current demon for a shield that's similar to survival instincts or shield wall. You can easily get another back by using Soulburn and summoning another demon (your voidwalker probably, hopefully). Kind of like how the dk's Death Pact mechanic works where you sacrifice your minion for health, but this time it's for reduced damage incoming.

These basic abilities are all warlocks would need to be an "effective" tank I'd think, of course I could still be wrong.

Also there would be some modifiers added in if you have the perma-meta glyph and the intense horror glyph (+30% threat, or maybe a spellcaster version of vengeance). For example, 15% of your intellect gets turned into dodge (think of it, you have high intellect, so you judge where your opponent will hit, makes sense for dodging I think), and 15% of your intellect gets turned into parry (again, makes sense I think). So if I have 1000 intellect, I have 150 points of parry and dodge. Probably would need more the way those stats scale (I have a tank at lvl cap, dk, use to tank with my 85 druid, and have a pally and warr I tanked with in wrath and for a little bit in cata but neither is 85 yet), but oh well.

none of the numbers are really what'd be in just making an estimate, something that's not too high but not too low either.

also, as for your pet dying easily due to soul link, maybe make a major glyph that transfers 100% of overhealing done to you to your pet. There'd be a balance between using your health funnel (which reduces pets dmg taken by 30% anyways) to keep him alive when healers aren't overhealing you much and using threat-based moves.

[drinoff]

Against....
We are a pure DPS class and i like to stay like that.... no need to get a Tanking form/abilities ....But that is me.
Cheers

[Tasttey]

For example, 15% of your intellect gets turned into dodge (think of it, you have high intellect, so you judge where your opponent will hit, makes sense for dodging I think), and 15% of your intellect gets turned into parry (again, makes sense I think).

Here's the problem with that concept, you cannot dodge/parry/block while casting. So having any "int->dodge" talents are a null point unless you use only instant cast spells or add in some actually melee abilities, but then your melee will still hit like a wet noodle unless you add in conversions for AP and expertise. However once you start mixing melee and casting you end up in a whole new world of pain, just ask the enhancement shaman about the tribulations they've had this expac, hell any expac.

[Rio]

I for one would like to stay a DPS class.

.
/Inc nerfedhybriddps

[Deleted]

It's a good idea on paper, but like communism - I doubt it'd work when and if they actually try it.

[leorana]

personaly , I think giving demo lock the ability to tank would be great . it's also quite easy to implement that .

make demo form perm and add a tanking stance (Aura of suffering) that boost threat .
give us a taunt (compelling command) .
make soullink shared damage a higher % and make all healing applied to the lock given to the demon as well . this would be our mitigation mechanic without dodge/parry/block etc .

other than that helffire would be great for AoE tanking, CoT should act as an interrupt and that's it .

locks can allready tank stuff for 36 secs , why not making it a viable tanking solution ?

[kushlol]

As fun as tanking in a few niche encounters go in the past that was all fun and cool However, I didn't roll a pure dps class to tank......

[yurano]

Your idea is still lacking some crucial points.

1. Warlocks have no threat. The current tank threat modifier is 500% in addition to vengeance for damage.
2. Warlocks have no interrupt protection from the vast amount of interrupt capable melee mobs.
3. Ranged tank. Imba

[Harsesis]

Ranged tanking would also mean if someone were to pull off of you then you would have to pass 130% threat to get it back.

[Tokas]

Against....
We are a pure DPS class and i like to stay like that.... no need to get a Tanking form/abilities ....But that is me.
Cheers

me too, leave all nonsense to other classes and let us be pure dps

[Kzilla]

you cannot dodge/parry/block while casting.

/thread :3

User was infracted for this post. ~Prozac

[Sorrior]

Here's the problem with that concept, you cannot dodge/parry/block while casting. So having any "int->dodge" talents are a null point unless you use only instant cast spells or add in some actually melee abilities, but then your melee will still hit like a wet noodle unless you add in conversions for AP and expertise. However once you start mixing melee and casting you end up in a whole new world of pain, just ask the enhancement shaman about the tribulations they've had this expac, hell any expac.

As an ENH shammie I can attest to this. Blizz is just now getting the Jane of our "battle Mage" playstyle. Notonly that but if ANYONE should be given a tank spec it's us I mean we WERE originally intended to be OT at least but nowadays ehh anyways yeah trust me it opens a pretty big can o' worms.

[MuskiER]

It would be awesome if that we could tank, but instead of just tanking bosses or mob with physical damage; how about those magicial bosses ? it just never really make senses to see warrior/paladin n etc tanking boss with just magicial attacks. just my 2 cents

[Cyner]

Pass on tanking, I already have to cover enough for other people in raids Ie. Interrupts and spider caves >.<

[allex]

are you idiot or what? warlock tank omfg^^

Don't call people idiots

[Deleted]

are you idiot or what? warlock tank omfg^^

Warlocks've tanked quite a few bosses already.
And I don't mean the few we had to but also those "normal" tanks used to tank.
There's been a lot of warlocks who loved tanking, me included.

Also:

- Prime - Glyph of Armored Skin ~ While in Metamorphosis, your armor is increased by an additional 15%.
would be pretty much useless.
Metamorphosis = Armor Hardcap (75%) reduced physical damage.
If it were all damage decreased by 15% it'd be okay.
Also we'd need a few cooldowns.

[ComputerNerd]

Most of our abilities have cast-times, being hardly conducive to a tanking role.
Spell casting also suffering from pushback when taking damage.
Meta is a dps/oh s*** button, a blow things up or survival button. It is meant to be a choice, not a permanant fixture.
Warlock tanking in the past has been a niche, and an awful one that that.
We excel at being a range dps, and we should stick to that. Demo and its reliance on melee range shows exactly what is wrong with melee casters.

[Deleted]

"I rolled a pure dps class, so no I don't want to tank"

Comments like this are so annoying. Yes YOU may of rolled the class for pure DPS, but others might want the option to be able to do more than just dps. The world doesn't revolve around you. If there was a way to make this possible, while keeping Demonology a viable DPS spec, than who are you to tell others that they arn't able to do what they want to do in the game?

[Penguin FTW]

"I rolled a pure dps class, so no I don't want to tank"

Comments like this are so annoying. Yes YOU may of rolled the class for pure DPS, but others might want the option to be able to do more than just dps. The world doesn't revolve around you. If there was a way to make this possible, while keeping Demonology a viable DPS spec, than who are you to tell others that they arn't able to do what they want to do in the game?

Then they shouldn't have rolled a warlock

[Oshkoshbgosh]

It's a little late in the game to be adding a whole new role for a class. If Blizzards want to add another fight in the vein of Four Horsemen or Illidan in which a warlock can off-tank, fine, but regular tanking for locks? No thanks.