Am I a jerk for doing this...

[wadark]

Story time:

I leveled a paladin to 85 during cata as ret. I then decided I wanted to take advantage of the Call to Arms bonuses and switched her to prot to start tanking. I ran many dungeons and never had a problem.

Fast forward to Mists, I made a monk and decided I wanted to level it as a tank. So I specced Brewmaster at 10 and began running dungeons at 15. I leveled that monk to 38 exclusively through dungeons and noticed a very irritating trend. In about 80-90% of the dungeons I have tanked, I would have one or more DPS in the group who would run ahead and pull groups before I could.

Let me say a couple things here. Firstly, I've played a DPS main for 6 years now. I've made my share of mistakes and I always try to remember to apologize when I screw up. Secondly, I don't think I'm a slow tank. I do usually wait to pull a pack until the previous one is dead, but I also don't stop unless someone dies or the healer needs mana.

Anyway, when faced with these DPS players, I would ask them politely to let me be the one to pull as it is my job as the tank and its a lot easier for me and for the healer when I'm the one who pulls groups. Occasionally (maybe once or twice) the group would listen and stop running ahead. However, the majority of the time, they would either ignore me completely, or actively throw it back in my face with something along the lines of "omg quit whining". So, eventually, I adopted a policy, and I usually try to mention it at the start of a dungeon, that if DPS are intentionally pulling groups before me, I won't tank that group.

When I recently decided to server transfer, I didn't want to bother transferring a level 38 monk so I started a new one. Specced tank, queued for a dungeon at 15, and was immediately faced with a dps warrior who pulled groups and insulted me when I asked him to stop.

I realize that its just low level dungeons and not really a big deal, but I have grown so tired of questing over the past 8 years playing this game, that I prefer to level through dungeons, but I really get turned off of tanking by this behavior (even though I love monk tanking).

My question is, am I a jerk for refusing to tank groups when a DPS player intentionally pulls them before I can? Do I need to just suck it up and either learn to live with it, or respec dps or something?

[mixerii]

I can see what it maybe be annoying but those dungeons are so terribly easy that it really does not matter who pulls. I'd just stop looking at them as real dungeons, it's more like scenarios difficulty with heirlooms.

[icedwarrior]

I can see what it maybe be annoying but those dungeons are so terribly easy that it really does not matter who pulls. I'd just stop looking at them as real dungeons, it's more like scenarios difficulty with heirlooms.

If you don't correct this behavior now, they'll be in this mindset at 90. Oh wait, it pretty much is.

[Faesroll]

The vanilla dungeons are so easy it really doesn't matter, once you get to TBC dungeons you'll need a tank cause mobs start hitting noticeably harder.

[Demetrion]

Let them keep pulling. Sooner or later they'll pull one pack too much and you'll wipe where you can blame them. That's usually thing I do.

[Deleted]

Hello, *I had the same problem as you, & after 10 dung i just stopped tanking the grps that pulled before me, you will have to wait until the dungeons of cata and again there some start pulling before me so i let them die then i take the pack/mob/boss

[wadark]

I can see what it maybe be annoying but those dungeons are so terribly easy that it really does not matter who pulls. I'd just stop looking at them as real dungeons, it's more like scenarios difficulty with heirlooms.

That's why I made this thread, because I am very conflicted about it. I do realize that, practically speaking, the dungeons are very easy and don't really NECESSITATE a tank at all.

But on the other hand, I am using it as a learning experience to try and understand the class mechanics and whatnot. And then just personally, its irritating. Can't even say why, it just drives me nuts.

So I would love to hear more opinions.

[Okacz]

Nope, you're not a jerk. Got the same problem with my BM tank. This class is amazing at low levels when you know how to play it, but before every pull you wish to wait for Keg Smash to go off CD, or for additional Guard at start, even on low-level dungs. If your dps partner on dungeon cannot wait like 3 seconds between pulls he is the jerk, not you.

I usually just let them rush in, and in most cases, die. After being ressed they can whine all time they want, but they rather won't be so impatient anymore

[Avar ize]

i do the exact same thing lol i usually just starts to dance or sit down if the dps pulls ahead of me, maybe we are jerks for doing it, but i would consider the dps even bigger jerks

[wadark]

Nope, you're not a jerk. Got the same problem with my BM tank. This class is amazing at low levels when you know how to play it, but before every pull you wish to wait for Keg Smash to go off CD, or for additional Guard at start, even on low-level dungs. If your dps partner on dungeon cannot wait like 3 seconds between pulls he is the jerk, not you.

I usually just let them rush in, and in most cases, die. After being ressed they can whine all time they want, but they rather won't be so impatient anymore

This is how I feel about it, but it seems that others don't share that belief. I've been booted from a few dungeons because groups don't seem to like it.

[Mammoth]

I agree with the policy of leaving groups that pull ahead of you. If thats how they want to play, they can wait for another tank.

However, in the low level dungeons you're probably not going to get very far with that policy, everyone acts as a tank. Occasionally you can let a guy die, but most of the time the healer can heal them. At least rage generation is no longer based on damage taken. I would queue as dps/tank and just play whatever spec you feel more comfortable in.

This however doesn't giev the dps a right to be insulting when you ask him to stop. That's a whole different issue of the rudeness of players.

[silmarilen]

if im tanking and someone else pulls a group i just let them tank it, because apparently they think they can.
if im the healer and someone who isnt tank pulls a group i dont heal them because apparently they think they can succesfully tank the group by themself.

[Zeelot]

Not much of a jerk, just sort of stubborn in my opinion. In the low level dungeons, they're able to do it because they're so easy and healers can heal through it. Just wait til higher level dungeons when they start dying from it, and they'll eventually stop.

[Temp name]

If a dps pulls once, they get a warning (this goes for Death Grip / pet taunts aswell). If they do it again, they get to keep aggro and I just move on and pull the next pack. At some point they usually get the hint.. Right about the time the healer stops caring about them and lets them die.

[Wildtree]

OP you are not a jerk. You have my fullest support and sympathy. What you describe is the identical story why I stopped playing my tank toons. I'm fed up with the asshole behavior in this game.

[Deleted]

How can the dps even pull before you ?
Tanks are supposed to have enough aggro on the current pack and pull the next one while the current pack is still active, meaning that dps is still fighting while you pull.
This ensures a steady pace.

So no your not a jerk but probably just a slow tank.

[Deleted]

I have the same problem with dps pulling. Usually the die because i run with my girlfriend that is healer. The sad part is that they think they have the right to pull as much as they want and i should take the mobs from them and tank it. I want to learn how to tank but its very frustrating when dps pulls all the time. Sure sometimes we get good groups that let me do the pulling but that is very rare.

[Axelond]

It does not matter. If the healer is starting to go afk and tabbing out because you take no damage and just waiting on a mob to die from 10% health until you pull another mob its going to slow and you are just wasting time. If you pull fast and chain pulls multiple packs i bet you dps will stop pulling. Yes you might die a few times for being to greedy but the time you save from chain pulling makes up for it. Also even in 90 HCs i tanked bosses as a healers its really easy and there is hardly any damage.

Even in challenge modes it helps when a range pulls because it speeds up a run if you pull with miss direct or just a 40yd pull. and its also easier for dps to break cced mobs or pull next pack if you are still tanking the last two mobs

[wadark]

I neglected to mention that the first two dungeons I did on my new priest healer also found this behavior.

Again, I know that it shouldnt matter, given the ease of the dungeons, but for some reason, I just can't get there from here. Perhaps its a problem with the balance of the dungeons that they can be done this easily, but that's another argument. Realistically, it shouldn't bother me, but it just does.

[Rotted]

To be honest, because of heirloom and twink gear at higher levels, its not really a problem, it did used to annoy me on tank alts, but now I just go with the flow, and pull another group while the dps battle each other for aggro,

Above I mentioned twink gear for a reason, at 80 on my mage now, she can tank and take the damage from BRC and ToT and kill the mobs solo, same with my shadow priest buddy, and a dk, but meh even in normal gear thats no biggie,

Yes, shes twinked to farm JP a lot faster than going in bog standard gear, but unless its my twink mate dk, there no normal tank who can hold aggro from her, lets face it, 100% crit chance, with pyro blast hitting normal trash between 60-90k (yes my level 80) a normal tank in quest / instance gear isn't going to hold aggro, so when Im on that char, I do normally go ahead and pull and kill before the tank reacts, but not on boss's, but to be fair Ive only had one tank complain at me, but lets face it, I clear the dungeon in just over 10 minutes if that, thats faster than my 90 tank / dps does it, their more or less having a handful of exp free