45 min LFR queue as DPS. Yes, it's about tanks...

[mgs]

All right my friends, I'm sure some of you will say that everything is fine, roll a tank, or make some other highly useful remark, but I came here to share my thoughts on what I believe should be Blizzard's priority #1 problem to solve. And no, it's not adding more vanity pets or mounts to the game.

I've spent 45 mins in LFR queue last night as DPS. Then I got in, just to see a demoralized raid with 1 tank and a bunch of peeps jumping around on their mounts, one of whom was sharing a heart-breaking story about how he had to save 75k to buy an engineering rocket, and how he bought it in the end. Touching, truly.

I've played this game for many years and I'm a big fan of Blizzard-drug, generally.

I have 5 tanks and a bunch of other chars I like to casually play; I'm not a hardcore raider, in case it matters. I like LFR, when it's playable. I don't listen to idiots too much and zone out, doing my job, which I do very well.

Understand that solving tanks problem is easier said than done (please save your breath trying to explain it to me, I'm with you on this one), but I still believe that Blizzard needs to:

1. Allow warlocks to tank. They've given us a glyph, we are half-way there.
2. Allow shamans to tank. They've given us shield and Rockbiter, we are half-way there.
3. Allow hunters to tank. Probably a bit harder due to indirect pet control, but would be awesome.

The only way to "solve the problem" is generate more interest for people to tank. That can be achieved through letting us explore one of our old dusty classes in a new capacity.

I also believe the above would be easier to do for Blizz than invent a completely new class, and smarter in terms of player-base retention than ignoring the problem fully.

Discuss if you want, I'm going to grab a coffee.

[Sinndra]

so you want to homogenize classes even more by adding tank specs for a few classes.. ignoring two pure classes rogues and mages. did it occur to you that people playing certain classes love them BECAUSE they cant tank? soloing some stuff is one thing, but pure dps classes are fun in spite of not being able to heal/tank. so no, we dont need to open up classes to tanking roles just to attempt to lower your queue times.

edit: they actually added a new tank class.. monks. no real time decrease was felt. my guess, its not a desirable role no matter how many classes can tank. change the way the players treat everybody and our times might go down.

[Kharli]

The problem mgs, it's the players, not blizzard.

example number 1.

Death Knights
All specs was able to tank

that was scrapped because people refused to tank, even in the tanking spec(frost) mostly because the dps was way to good.

Example number 2.
Monks, blizzarad clearly wanted people do go tanks with these, but the high curve of learning on a monk is a complete clusster end for a new player to learn to tank with a monk, in most peoples heads.(i still have problem sometimes, because the healers I get through out the LFR's /dungeons don't understand how a brewmaster tank works most of the time)

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Adding more tanks doesn't make more people tank.

If people wanted to tank, they'd roll a tank.


It's a matter of people not wanting to tank at all. Because, even with the updates to active tanking, it's still the most boring and often times the most hostile role to play.

[Gimlix]

Adding more tanks doesn't make more people tank.

If people wanted to tank, they'd roll a tank.


It's a matter of people not wanting to tank at all. Because, even with the updates to active tanking, it's still the most boring and often times the most hostile role to play.

Not everyone loves to be a melee x)
If i could tank as a hunter, i would tank for shizz! =D

[lunchbox2042]

If I'm new to tanking then why would I step into LFR when as a dps I've seen so many tanks bashed on when things go bad even if it's note their fault? If I'm geared and experienced then why would I want to carry a bunch of rude, undeserving dps who have nothing better to do then whine about their 45 minute queue time while doing subpar dps?

[Raintola]

More bad tanks? Do not want.

[Byne]

I loved tanking from BC all the way to Cata, but the changes to pally tanking in MoP really made me dislike it. I still consider my tank my main, and if you were to ask me my favorite role in WoW, it'd be tank, yet I havent tanked in months. Tanking (at least for me) is very stressful, and I dont think simply increasing the amount of classes that CAN tank would increase the amount of people that DO tank.

Also last I checked tanks had a pretty long wait in LFR queue as well.

[melodramocracy]

The only way to "solve the problem" is generate more interest for people to tank. That can be achieved through letting us explore one of our old dusty classes in a new capacity.

You can make every class have a tank spec, but if folks actually enjoy dpsing more (which they seem to, based on queue times), nothing changes.

The correct answer is, as always, 'go do something else while in queue'.

[Darsithis]

More tank classes won't change that the people don't wanna tank. I have every tanking class at 90 except monk and I rarely tank LFR...it's just a nightmare unless I'm tanking with a friend or a guildmate...which further makes the queue longer because I can only tank if they're around.

[SpineCloud]

No way to "fix" this. This is just an aspect of the game. I enjoy tanking, and find it just as active as when I've dps'd.

The easiest way to solve this, is for dps'ers just go tank for lfr and keep their loot specialization for their damage roll. This is always what I used to do as dps.

Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

[Deleted]

There's enough tanks. I just think there's fewer players willing to sit through LFR on their tank because:

1) your performance is more visible
2) you require more knowledge of the encounter
3) your mistakes are punished harder
4) players are more likely to blame you for the wipe

than the DPS.

I'm not kidding. I've seen the most bullshit reasons ever to blame the tank for things. Best example was 2 dps blaming the tank for getting knocked off the Galakras tower because "you're not supposed to face the mob our way, retard tank". And sure, ofcourse there are bad tanks and they need to l2p and all that. But more often than not there are also 5 dps in that raid that are worse and can just get carried anonymously. And why not? As long as the boss dies.

My solution is to nerf LFR further and make stuff that is dependant on tank skill almost completely harmless. If they're not happy with their queues, let them have the free epic mode. Flex has arrived anyway.

[Deletedaccount1]

ikr tanks in LFR are really something

Tanking isn't even hard lol

[Aquamonkey]

Even if they added tanking to every class in the game, there'd still be a shortage of tanks in LFR.

[Airwaves]

Why not rogue tanks? A lot of other mmos have them and they work fine.

[Ahraa]

Or you could just low the item level requirement for more crucial roles such as tanks.

When's the last time you wiped because the tank was too undergeared?

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Or you could just low the item level requirement for more crucial roles such as tanks.

When's the last time you wiped because the tank was too undergeared?

Or you could just lower the requirement for everyone, remove all special abilities from bosses, and up the drop rate on the gear.

But that's just another day in the life of LFR.

[nightfalls]

There is a big distinction between adding new tank classes by adding new classes (monk, DK) which require a re-roll to play any spec of at all, and adding a new spec to an existing class that would only require a re-spec, setting up some bars, and maybe getting a minimum of some extra gear.

The former is very unlikely to increase tank/heal population, but the latter has a lot more potential because, ironically, you don't have to re-roll to play the new role (think about this, adding a new class, let's say, "Tinker" would mean that to tank on it, I'd have to re-roll, but that's no different than the status quo).

---

That said I also think that tri-spec would help get more tanks. Personally I do not tank because I do not have tri-spec, and while there is some reward to tanking (I prefer doing that for LFR groups over the other two roles just for expedience) I cannot be assed to spend 100 gold, time to fly around, respec, reglyph, retalent, and change my bars, and have to fly back to the class trainer to change back later, potentially forget to change something back, for LFR.

[docterfreeze]

Give all classes all 3 roles. That way people can play what class they love and also play the role they love.

[Darsithis]

ikr tanks in LFR are really something

Tanking isn't even hard lol

I don't think anyone is saying it is. However, the dearth of competent tanks to run with is the issue.