Objetive Analysis/Guide of the Tank Role's Current State in PvP
This thread is also available in better format in /r/worldofpvp and /r/wow.
Back in 7.0, spurred by the inclusion of honor talents and stat templates, I decided to try my hand at some serious PvP as a Protection Paladin. I was less than impressed at how our most reliable tool was nerfed to the ground in the next patch(the taunt), but even then I managed to get to 1700-1900 in both arena categories until something shot me down:
Lack of willing partners.
It was extremely frustrating, because I knew that I could make it further with Protection as it was. I realized even if tanks were perfectly viable, it wouldn't matter if people just refused to play them, or with them, due to instantly dismissing their viability. So when season 2 started, I ignored it completely and started leveling all other tanks. During that process, Blizzard gave tanks much, much more attention, and compared to the start of legion where the taunt talent was all we had, each of the tanks is now a very distinct beast, with a very clearly defined potential. Well, except Brewmaster. I'll get to that.
So for the record, this is not actually meant to be on either side of the Tanks belong/don't belong in PvP debate. This is to be a purely informative discussion on how to play each tank, their basic talent choices, their synergies, their counters, and their overall efficiency in 2v2, 3v3, and RBGs, and my take on potential changes to their kits.
* **The Tank Role, in general**
...Currently, doesn't have much of an identity.
All 6 specs perform wildly different from each other in different areas, and there's still no universal function for a tank as there is for DPS or Healers.
This is a problem because it's hard to justify the inclusion of a role without a clear direction on what that role needs to do in combat. The first step should be to give tanks something that DPS and Healers can't do, and players will miss if they forgo having a tank in the group.
The taunt talent in 7.0 was a step in that direction, as it had 100% upkeep and meant that once you have a certain number of people hitting the same target, any tank will outperform any DPS's single target damage, based on that damage increase alone. But with the changes to it in 7.1, it's so extremely limited and difficult to maintain that there's nothing to really justify bringing "a tank", as in the role.
Right now, the tanks remain active entirely due to each spec's particular tools instead of any shared ones.
> Pros: Excellent peeling, High single-target damage, High Mobility, Raid-wide defensive utilities
> Cons: No real weak areas to speak of.
The Warrior currently stands tall as the most all-around useful tank, boasting sizeable benefits in every area, against every enemy, alongside every partner. Its role is primarily of a bruiser, being the first to get in the fight and ensuring to make the life of anyone trying to chase a different target absolutely miserable. It's also one of the two tanks boasting DPS-like single target damage, but also with high, passive cleave damage, making it the go-to option for assassinating called targets with the taunt talent in team fights, or peeling them off your own team mates.
**2v2 and 3v3:** You want to abuse your peeling capabilities as much as possible. Partner with kiters and punish anyone for trying to go after someone other than you. Being able to switch between Mass Spell Reflection or Bodyguard according to what you're facing is a godsend.
**RBGs:** Your place is in team fights. Protection is not a bad flag runner, but other tanks, and even non-tanks, are better. Same for solo guarding nodes. Instead, make sure to abuse your versatility (and 20% AoE damage reduction) by switching between leading charges on called targets and keeping melee off your healers with your roots and Shockwave.
**Proposed changes:** Nothing specific to the spec. It's working pretty well. But since it excels at everything, what the hell are you supposed to do against it? And if it gets a weakness for counterplay, what should the compensation be? Maybe give it the obviously tank-themed talent Arms got, for some reason.
> Pros: Very high cleave damage, Very high survivability, High mobility, Versatility through affinities
> Cons: Very Low single-target damage outside Incarnation
Extremely survivable cleave damage monster. Not as strong as most people seem to think, but still pretty good, assuming it doesn't get other thirty nerfs. Not much to say. Get in, spam AoE, use your utilities accordingly. All 3 affinity talents may see use depending on your situation. Default to Feral for the opener and (risky) single target damage.
**2v2:** Adequate. High cleave damage doesn't mean much when there's only two targets, and your low single target means pairing with a healer is out of the question. But be it melee or ranged, having a bear is pretty helpful for your other DPS. WOrks pretty well with Rogues and Mages.
**3v3:** Better. Grouping up in 3s against a Bear results in too much damage for any healer, and the bear can create too many opportunities for the DPS partner with stuns and roar to risk it. But it's still a slow burner, as the bear isn't focusing anyone down.
**RBGs:** Yet better. You're here for cleave damage, and Cleave damage is what you'll do. unlike arenas, Balance affinity is really good here just to hit 4+ targets consistently. When you also consider Protector of the Pack, all a bear has to do in a team fight is just be there.
**Proposed changes:** More like proposed un-changes: If cleave damage is all it'll have, stop cutting it back. If not, first give it something else.
> Pros: Excellent off-healing, Best Stun in the game and a ranged AoE silence, Lots of immunities, still works at range
> Cons: Nearly irrelevant damage outside of Seraphim, More fragile than other tanks, low mobility, can't peel
Plays like a healer. Like a reverse Holy Paladin, kind of. Your priority should always be to keep other people alive, but you're also the only tank who is a priority target. Most of the time in the arena, smart people'll target you first. That's where all your immunities come in, but you should only use Guardian of the Forgotten Queen in situations where it can't be neutralized by CC, otherwise stick to Judgments of the Pure. Your other saving grace is the stupid low cooldown on Hammer of Justice, to the point where if you use it as soon as possible in the same target, you'll hit your own DR by a good margin.
**2v2:** Great when paired with sturdy melee DPS. Brings enough damage to work alongside one other DPS to chew through a healer, enough healing to keep him alive for that. Use your immunities correctly and you're fine. Make sure your partner specs out of stuns.
**3v3:** A bit harder to make work than 2s. Can't peel for a healer, can't dish out damage like a second DPS would, and the increased incoming damage decreases the efficiency of your own healing. Seems to be directed more towards an ultra-agressive composition alongside 2 DPS, but I couldn't try it out.
**RBGs:** Not very good. Increasing the number of participants greatly hampers Protection's healing, and you're not contributing much damage. Your stun and silence also greatly decrease in value. Steed of Glory is no longer stupid good at running flags, but it can still do the job if you don't have a Guardian or Vengeance. It's hard to justify not simply giving the slot to a healer.
**Proposed changes:** Plays *too much* like a healer. Reduce the effectiveness of Hand of the Protector when targetting allies, increase stamina, ease up the damage restrictions on AS and SotR, and put the daze back on Avenger's Shield. Give it more healing as a result of attacking (like judgment of the pure) instead of pretending to be a healer with a single spell. Also, Holy's Ultimate Sacrifice transfer talent should absolutely have been Prot's.
> Pros: Very High single target damage, high mobility, shuts down casters
> Cons: No defensive support, can't peel, no significant cleave damage.
Vengeance is the other tank that has DPS-like single target damage, and also the one that plays the most like a DPS. Demon Spiked Fractures do ludicrous damage, and your 6s ranged silence, plus a ranged interrupt, make you an excellent killer that operates best when backed by ranged party members. Unfortunately, Vengeance is the tank with least defensive benefits to team mates. As in, it doesn't really bring any.
**2v2:** Very hard to make work, as the lack of defensive support means your partner will get blown up and there's nothing you can do about it. Pair with the specs that are extremely good at disengaging, like Rogue, Feral, Beast Mastery, and Mistweaver.
**3v3:** Much better. Your good DPS and caster shutdown tools really shine when there's an actual DPS working alongside you, but you still can't peel for your healer, so keep that in mind. If the second DPS is melee, don't run Solitude.
**RBGs:** The best flag runner, no contest. Demonic Trample is incredibly stupid. Also makes a great option to assassinate enemy flag carriers due to the ranged AoE silence and the taunt talent.
**Proposed changes:** Reduce movement speed increase from Demonic Trample, but allow the DH to use abilities during it, and allow it to knock down the same targets more than once on a 2s or 3s internal CD. It should have at least *something* to protect allies with to be a tank.
> Pros: Very High damage on up to 3 targets, Impossible to get away from, Self sufficient and extremely survivable, Shuts down melee
> Cons: Low single target damage, No mobility, Extremely limited defensive support
Almost entirely selfish, extremely survivable, limited AoE damage machine. With the nerfs to Guardian, should be the toughest spec in the game. Mark of Blood completely neuters Rogues or other specs with lots of white hits. Recently got a trait for 20% leech for 5 people on a 33% uptime, which eased up on the selfishness. Excels at controlling enemy positioning. Can't really focus anyone down, but Double Death Grip is a death sentence if you have back up. But the spec doesn't really work until you get Death Chain to generate ludicrous amount of cleave damage alongside other attackers.
**2v2 and 3v3:** Same as the Warrior. Pick partners to run away, and make sure they make it. If they group together, Death Chain will make them regret it.
**RBGs:** Blood is a menace in the midfield. No enemy flag carrier has a realistic chance of making it to safety if there's a Blood waiting for him, generating team fights which the Blood can easily turn favorable with Death Chain.
**Proposed changes:** Ease up on the range restriction on Death Chain. Also, develop decent alternatives to Death Chain. Maybe also give the spec a decrease healing effect to reinforce the rot angle.
* **On the Brewmaster Monk**
This is the single tank I have not played, and for a very simple reason. As mentioned, The Tank role doesn't actually have any common ground and the specs rely on their specific tools, and it only takes one look at Brewmaster's toolkit to see it doesn't actually bring anything beneficial other than combining Hot Trub and Guard. There's no discernible reason to ever bring Brewmaster over any other spec. This is not specific to being a Tank. Outlaw is in the exact same situation.
* **On the importance of toolkits over numbers**
One thing I can say Blizzard has been doing absolutely right since 7.1 is focusing more on giving tanks utility over bigger numbers. Such is the nature of increased complexity: When you have one role for negative numbers and one for positive, it's rather simple to view the whole picture. Adding a third role but maintaining the same fixation on numbers has been the mistake on tank implementation on every expansion before legion, and I don't think it's a stretch to say Overwatch's Tank role might have influenced this new approach.
It's all about presence.
The tank role is one that works by exerting a disruptive influence. Healers and DPS make a clear flow of damage, and the Tank is the one that throws a wrench on either side.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the more damage tanks do in PvP the less people play PvP. Probably because balancing tanks that do damage is near impossible to do and maintain a high level of fun engagement ...
I love what Rift and SWTOR did with tanks, tanks add value in all areas except damage ..
I'd like to see all the silly gimmicks removed from tanks and have them focus on two areas only:
1) Mitigation via Taunt and Guard
2) Harrasment via peeling power
Keep it simple .. Acti-Blizz always overturnes when they decide something has to happen .. that's never good for the game and players ..
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