Proof Survival should be a tank spec in Dragonflight

[Findalt]

This is where we are in Shadowlands:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 6
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 11

Dragonflight adds 1 healer class and 1 ranged class.

Dragonflight with Evoker:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 12

This is nearly balanced, but not quite. Survival can help re-balance it. If you consider the community response to Survival since it's melee change - most of current Survival players are only playing it because of it's damage output, not because the spec itself is good. Then things could look like this.

Dragonflight if Survival turns into a tank spec:

• Current tank specs: 7
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 12
• Current ranged specs: 12

This incidentally makes Tank and Healer specs be 18.4% of the available specs, close enough to the 20% they should be to have a healthy population to enable Dungeons.

So this is the statistical case to make Survival into a tank spec. Blizzard I believe in your come back, you can do it!

[zyx]

You almost got it. However, I think this is how it will pan out:

• Tank specs: 9
• Healer specs: 9
• Melee specs: 9
• Ranged specs: 9

Changed to Tank

• Frost Mage - Ice shield, Ice Block, etc
• Enhancement - Like the good old days
• Survival - It's pretty much in the name

Changed to Healer

• Shadow - Shadow Mend is already a thing
• Balance - Balancing your health

Specs that has been removed

• Frost DK - Frost is already taken by Mages
• Outlaw - They were all detained by being.. Well.. Outlaws

[XDurionX]

Bullshit, more tank specs don't make more tanks.

[Lochton]

specs that has been removed

• outlaw - they were all detained by being.. Well.. Outlaws

You can't do this to me! I have my rights! Where's my lawyer?!

[shadowmatrix]

You can't do this to me! I have my rights! Where's my lawyer?!

I'm your court appointed lawyer. Harvey Lightman, Paladin at Law.

[jeezusisacasual]

Tanking much like healing requires a different mindset to the game and its game modes. There is not as much OMG LOOK AT THE BIG NUMBERS for either tanks or healers which pushes some to play the top tier dps specs. I myself tank since i can plan the route, kick the important spells and direct the pace at which the dungeon goes me doing respectable dps is a bonus ( i wish tanks had some of their self healing lowered a fair bit excluding prot warriors or put the others on the same level as prot warrior except for Blood / Vengeance obviously ). I did a key as a Brewmaster a while back and the healer healed me for sub 25% of all heals which feels a bit off to me.

[melzas]

Very much this. Having more tank classes available has never translated into having more tanks in the player population.

Dunno, I main shaman since wotlk, if I could play tank I would (at least as an offspec). I'm sure there are more people like me.

[Kiria]

You can't do this to me! I have my rights! Where's my lawyer?!

Where was mine when they took ranged survival from me

[Sargasm]

Don't you ever say Shadow should be a Healer Spec.. Lul

[Lochton]

Where was mine when they took ranged survival from me

I like the new survival, though.

[Ashana Darkmoon]

Tanking much like healing requires a different mindset to the game and its game modes. There is not as much OMG LOOK AT THE BIG NUMBERS for either tanks or healers which pushes some to play the top tier dps specs. I myself tank since i can plan the route, kick the important spells and direct the pace at which the dungeon goes me doing respectable dps is a bonus ( i wish tanks had some of their self healing lowered a fair bit excluding prot warriors or put the others on the same level as prot warrior except for Blood / Vengeance obviously ). I did a key as a Brewmaster a while back and the healer healed me for sub 25% of all heals which feels a bit off to me.

I really enjoy tanks being able to do actual damage now. Just pulling normally I can do 12k+ in most dungeons with my prot pally and have pretty good burst on big packs!

Honestly I also like tanks being self-sufficient. Like if you aren't responsible for keeping yourself alive and maxing damage tanking is pretty boring imo.

Healing seems harder to make interesting unless they just add a ton of unavoidable damage back into dungeons. Right now on my holy priest I spend 80%+ of the time in 20s just dpsing and still can't beat the tank. Sad!

[Kiria]

I like the new survival, though.

And I loved Old SV, where was my justification for them removing/completely changing it

[Skirdus]

A hunter tank spec that doesn't involve their pet being the tank would feel like a missed opportunity imo

[RaoBurning]

Hello yes I would like to order one Shaman tank spec in the "Earthwarden" category, please. As one of the original two "faction exclusive" classes it's only fair and reasonable and balanced that they get a 4th spec like druids.

[Utrrabbit]

This is where we are in Shadowlands:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 6
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 11

Dragonflight adds 1 healer class and 1 ranged class.

Dragonflight with Evoker:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 12

This is nearly balanced, but not quite. Survival can help re-balance it. If you consider the community response to Survival since it's melee change - most of current Survival players are only playing it because of it's damage output, not because the spec itself is good. Then things could look like this.

Dragonflight if Survival turns into a tank spec:

• Current tank specs: 7
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 12
• Current ranged specs: 12

This incidentally makes Tank and Healer specs be 18.4% of the available specs, close enough to the 20% they should be to have a healthy population to enable Dungeons.

So this is the statistical case to make Survival into a tank spec. Blizzard I believe in your come back, you can do it!

Ummm literally every person I know who plays survival does not care about the dmg it does and prefer the playstyle.

[Julmara]

survival is already an atrocity to look at i dont want to see it as tank

[Khaza-R]

A hunter tank spec that doesn't involve their pet being the tank would feel like a missed opportunity imo

Sounds cool but it would have to have you able to directly assume control of the pet or else positioning would be a complete nightmare

[huth]

So where is this supposed proof? All you've shown is that it would create an arbitrary sort of balance between the number of specs, which is pretty much irrelevant for all practical purposes and has nothing to do with Survival in particular. As long as you change any DPS spec into a tank it would still work out.

[Accendor]

This is where we are in Shadowlands:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 6
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 11

Dragonflight adds 1 healer class and 1 ranged class.

Dragonflight with Evoker:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 12

This is nearly balanced, but not quite. Survival can help re-balance it. If you consider the community response to Survival since it's melee change - most of current Survival players are only playing it because of it's damage output, not because the spec itself is good. Then things could look like this.

Dragonflight if Survival turns into a tank spec:

• Current tank specs: 7
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 12
• Current ranged specs: 12

This incidentally makes Tank and Healer specs be 18.4% of the available specs, close enough to the 20% they should be to have a healthy population to enable Dungeons.

So this is the statistical case to make Survival into a tank spec. Blizzard I believe in your come back, you can do it!

As someone who disliked Survival before: Its not just the insane Damage it does right now, it's the gameplay in general. 4set and Leggo simply made it much more fun to play. Throwing infinite bombs as you buddy munched away of them is much more entertaining than monitoring boring tip of the spear or mongoose bite stacks. Just remove all other talents, make the current gameplay baseline and then add new stuff on top of it.
Balance Damage accordingly.

[Kharli]

This is where we are in Shadowlands:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 6
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 11

Dragonflight adds 1 healer class and 1 ranged class.

Dragonflight with Evoker:

• Current tank specs: 6
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 13
• Current ranged specs: 12

This is nearly balanced, but not quite. Survival can help re-balance it. If you consider the community response to Survival since it's melee change - most of current Survival players are only playing it because of it's damage output, not because the spec itself is good. Then things could look like this.

Dragonflight if Survival turns into a tank spec:

• Current tank specs: 7
• Current healer specs: 7
• Current melee specs: 12
• Current ranged specs: 12

This incidentally makes Tank and Healer specs be 18.4% of the available specs, close enough to the 20% they should be to have a healthy population to enable Dungeons.

So this is the statistical case to make Survival into a tank spec. Blizzard I believe in your come back, you can do it!

TLDR: NO

Long to read version: No we don't need more tanks, just because there is more tanks does not mean people will play tank. pure and simple.

Example A: ALL NEW CLASSES that has been taken in has had Tankspecs, ALL OF THEM except for, you guess it, Evokers.

I have a really hard time understanding, why people seem to think that adding tank specs to other classes will help.

How many tanks do you need?

in a Dungeon you need 1 Tank and 1 Healer, you need 3 DPS

in a Raid you need 2 tanks 3 healers, 5 DPS(10m)/ 2 Tanks 6 healers 12 DPS (20m)

The only reason you would bring more tanks, is because of some gimick blizzard decied to put into the fight, and at that point, that would be one of the melee who plays tank as a Offspec who would be taken into that roll, because generally speaking you DO NOT want to add more melee to the mix, with how a raid fight is designed.

also When considering Survival for tanking spec.

1. do they still use their pet, if so what does the pet do for them?
2. If they dont use the pet, then what abilities do they have?
3. What kind of defensive abilties would they have?

sadly you can't just flip a switch. (well, you can but that is crazy idea and it would just piss people off, see when they changed survial into melee, that pissed a lot of hunters off)