Should there be Tanks in World of Warcraft?
by Matthew Rossi 
Oct 22nd 2007 at 2:30PM
Do we need tanks?Blizzard says we do, and it's an old standard of the MMO genre that someone stands up front and annoys the monster into hitting him, so that healing can be concentrated and DPS doesn't have to take a beating that would likely kill it. But do we really need tanks, or should the game move away from emphasis on the tanking/DPS/healing troika?
Everyone in the game can DPS and many choose to: DPS classes seem to be the most popular. We could debate why all day, but at the end whether it's 'big number syndrome' or it comes from a desire to feel more like you're actually hurting the monster than simply poking it with a sharp stick and calling it names (or any other reason) the facts remain clear. Now, removing tanking from the game would mean many, many changes. Healing would have to become much more dynamic and would need the ability to either switch targets more rapidly or more area of effect utility. DPSers would need to be able to take more of a beating, making the cloth DPSers more vulnerable. Raids encounters would in many cases have to be entirely rethought.
As someone who spends about 75% of my time in World of Warcraft tanking, it would be a big change for me. I'm PvPing more and more now than I used to (especially now that there's actual, honest to murgatroyd players standing in my way in AV... I spent an hour in one match today crawling up to that flag over hunter bodies, it felt like) but I still tank and frankly enjoy tanking when I'm with a good group. I don't think I would like to lose that role from the game, even if I do sometimes wish I'd rolled a mage or warlock instead.
Generally my answer to the question is yes. Not only do I personally like tanking, but I think the game has been designed and has evolved around the tanking idea: the paradigm shift would require too much alteration to the game at this point. What do you guys think? Should WoW move away from the three role mindset or should we keep on tanking?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Social Conventions, Odds and ends, Druid, Paladin, Warrior, Classes, Death Knight
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Chris Gardner Oct 22nd 2007 2:37PM
Tanking has its charm but they need to take away some of the penalties (e.g. not being able to do as much damage). The same goes for the shadow priests of the world. Why tank/heal when it's not as "fun"?
As a feral Druid, I appreciate the fact that I get to do multiple roles (tanking and dps) using the same spec. However, it took Blizzard a VERY long time to address this. I feel bad for my warrior brethren that can tank the fiercest monsters but can't solo grind for beans.
Buckshot Oct 22nd 2007 2:39PM
I was excited at first thinking it was siege weapons, but alas no. Personally, as a warrior, tanking needs to go. At the end of the day, it's DPS that matters and gets kills, let every class do thier part.
Todd Oct 22nd 2007 2:42PM
Think of this as war. Ground troops go in and occupy the attention of the enemy. While this is going on, the air strikes come (DPS) in and blow everything up. Medics are usually nearby to help support the ground troops.
Marcelo Abans Oct 22nd 2007 2:46PM
You need tanking because it builds the teamwork. That's like saying "What if a football consisted of all wide receivers and no blockers" who in that case are the tanks.
Duncan Nov 27th 2007 12:01PM
It'd probably be like real football, which most of the world cares about than your football.
Chilblain Oct 22nd 2007 5:29PM
It sure would be interesting... some kind of dynamic aggro where instead of one person bearing the brunt of the attack, it would shift between party members. You'd *have* to steal aggro to survive, and then healing would shift to you while the others DPS.
But yeah, I think it's too late. I like the idea of multiple parties being able to tank: Warrior, Paladin, Druid. I hope Blizzard does what they can to add Shaman to that list as well. I like the idea of being able to take a level 70 and respec for certain roles - like PvP'ing on the weekend, and raiding during the week.
But there is no getting around that the game needs more tanks, and in my experience, the author is in the minority. Furthermore, all it takes is a Main Tank to decide he's done with tanking and wants to roll a Warlock for a guild to come to a screeching halt. I'm leveling a Warrior and a Paladin for that very reason.
...and I don't exactly relish the idea. Quite frankly, I don't see why people like to be tanks, and I respect anyone who does it. If they are so necessary to the game, why isn't there a bigger incentive to be one?
simplehiker Oct 22nd 2007 2:47PM
I would love to see the preset group dynamics go. I do not "roleplay" but I would like to see more RPG mechanics then having to set up this predefined group to go adventuring in the world...
LF Tank
L2M Tank & Healer then GTG
LF1M Any, DPS would be nice
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to just get a group of people with out hunting down five exact rolls and be able to do some gaming as opposed to the same dynamics over and over?
Reddeth Oct 22nd 2007 2:48PM
IMHO, the only reason for the aggro system in the game is because it makes for a simpler AI. The aggro system necessitates tanks.
Take a table-top role-playing game, for instance. A party of players encounters a group of baddies in the depths of some dungeon. As a cruel and evil GM, I don't send all the baddies at one player. I try and make things challenging, sending some to tie down the scarier-looking PCs whilst others sneak around back to get at the supporting PCs. Or, they set up an ambush. It makes for a more challenging scenario for both the players and the GM and plays out more like a boardgame.
Now, how would you translate that into a computer game? I dunno. I am a programmer, but have long since given up on any hopes of developing AI systems.
Matthew Rossi Oct 22nd 2007 2:56PM
Marcelo - it is kind of like asking that, but you can ask that: what if football didn't have blockers? How would the game change? Would it be better or worse?
Likewise, you can sit back and really ask "Why tanks? Why tanking roles? Does it help or hinder gameplay?" Blizzard took out death penalties, non-rested XP penalties became rested Xp bonuses... it's worth considering removing a role that's much less popular and emphasizing the roles people seem to enjoy.
Like I said, I personally enjoy tanking and don't want it taken out. But we can consider it: Fury, for instance, has taken the PvE entirely out of their model. Will it work? I don't know, but I know a lot of people are interested.
Delta Oct 22nd 2007 2:58PM
Agreed @5
Biggest problem on my server is low Horde population, and god it is hard sometimes to find tanks and healers, since almost everyone plays DPS, even with warriors and priests. I play DPS myself (rogue) and as much as I'd love to be able to pull and tank, I am quite squishy when doing so. I don't think they should take out tanks from the game, but maybe give them more DPS'ing ability while tanking, or let rogues wear plate... XD
rick gregory Oct 22nd 2007 3:09PM
Blizz could at least rethink the dynamics of threat. I always hear from our prot warriors how they can't dps. Now, this makes little sense. After all, as a DPS class, I build threat by doing damage. Healers build threat by healing classes that are percieved as a threat by the mob. But tanks... what? Taunt? I mean, if you're the mob, are you going to pay attention to the guy calling you bad names??
It would make more sense if tanks were the dps class that could do serious damage and was harder to kill. That, if the fights were like real life, would make sense - the most threatening person is the one doing damage to you AND who's hard to kill. As it is, if the mob were a real person they'd ignore the tank, go kill the healer and then mow down the dps... the tank's just not hurting them that much. But Blizz has various talents that treat threat as a separate variable rather than as a consequence of what the tank is doing to the mob.
Fuzzy Jan 1st 2008 8:40PM
a hard to kill class that , to generate the most threat, has more dps than any other class. wats overpowered mean?
Autumnbear Oct 22nd 2007 3:04PM
It would be interesting to have boss fights in dungeons that don't necessarily require tanks to defeat.
Possibly having a boss fight where bosses can be tricked by a clever group of spellcasters that 'kite' it back and forth could be developed. Right now all of our bosses immediately charge and start swinging at us. What if we had caster-type bosses, that could only be defeated by ranged dps? Immune to melee, with a deadly Thorns buff, there could be a truly terrifying boss one day with such features. Caster-only groups would certainly break away from the norm, even if it was just a novelty.
Also, what would a dungeon be like if it required no healers? Fast hitting mobs that die in a swing or two? Boss fights that require multiple tanks to take turns getting hit, while the others bandage?
baylow Oct 22nd 2007 3:06PM
ugh, no.
Tanking, healing, and DPSing are pretty much the building blocks of an MMO. Remove these blocks and the entire thing crumbles into a third person single player RPG.
Balance is one thing when you have to balance classes within their archtype. Balance tanks so that all "tank" classes fit in their role. Balance healers so that all "healer" types can fill their roll.. etc.. When you have everyone able to fill all roles you end up with FOTM like WoW has never seen. "Well, warriors do the most damage this week, so lets bring 25 warriors and go down illidan."
I hate this new mentality that is showing up in WoW. I see it on the forums daily now. It's the idea that healing and tanking are boring. They aren't, they are just for a certain personality type. I'll take the ability to support my group than the ability to kill the mob any day. In TF2 I tend to play a medic.. WHY? because keeping my team alive and shooting wins fights... I love that .
Pingmeister Oct 22nd 2007 3:09PM
**old man voice**
Back in MY day, we'd get a few adventurers together and go tackle whatever we chose to.
NOWADAYS these young whippersnappers won't even START a hunting group unless they have a perfect set of classes/talents and even GEAR!
Honestly, I am SO sick of a group disbanding because it doesn't have a "perfect" class setup so the dimwitted group members can hunt without doing ANY kind of thinking.
Remember how much FUN those lowbie pickup groups were when you were hunting in Duskwood or Barrens? Just three Mages...NO PROBLEM! All Rogues?...GO FOR IT!
Bearback Oct 22nd 2007 3:17PM
@ 10 /agree
IMO it seems as blizz subscriber base dwindles and they prepare to lose hardcore players to the next big MMO. They are altering the game to be more "accomidating" to "casuals" or at least wow lifers that wont be going off to the next big thing.
How many standard long held and defended wow gameplay philosophys have we scene come tumbling down recently. Scroll of resurrection anyone?
I want to DPS, i dont want to heal or tank. Why should it be hard for me to find groups?
Answer: Eliminate tanking or EVEN healing!!!
plz, WTB next MMO, leave wow to the scrubs.
Urthona Oct 22nd 2007 3:22PM
There's a lot of creative ways to solve 5's problem, but I'm not sure the gaming public is willing to explore or allow creative solutions.
Would tanking specs be angry if there was a flask or device that converted any player into a temporary tank? Or temporary healer? Think of the Teron Gorefeind questline, and the "possession" ending.
Similarly Warlock and Hunter pets could be given a temporary boost to stats and stamina, allowing them to effectively tank.
The loss of a healer could be offset by "employing" an AI NPC that pulses with Prayer of Healing. Unreliable, ofc, but you get what you pay for.
Those solutions could help in lower dungeons, but I agree that there's a place for a dungeon or event that doesn't necessarily require "Maintainance" classes.
**************
Back when there was still speculation over the next expansion (Meaning WOTLK, not the speculation of what follows THAT.) I had mused that The Great Sea might have entire outdoor dungeons that take place on the open ocean, and a party of five boards a ship to play.
Mobs are other ships, sea creatures, and the seascape. The ship itself is your tank, which any class can drive. Any class can heal, as goblin technology saps mana or health to repair boat damage. And any class can DPS, cause battleships have CANNONS.
Bearback Oct 22nd 2007 3:25PM
@ 11
It depends. In my experience ally side most of the players are functionally retarded children.
That said sometimes I have seen poorly geared but incredible skilled players shoot holes in the so called "requirements" for CC and healing in a instance.
The "perfect group" is insurance on possiblity of suck. If you have pugged enough, its better to be certain that to slam your head against the wall.
Forgive us if we don't take you on your word that you are one of the minority of players that actually can play their class relatively well.
I have no doubt I have sometimes bailed on pugs that could have pulled it off. But I have easily endured many times that number of painful and idiotic wipes.
rihahn Oct 22nd 2007 3:31PM
As a professional tank, I'd hate to be taken out of the game just because folks can't get a decent group together. While this is mostly to do with game mechanics, there's also the prevalence of protards in WoW that make PUGs *SUCK* and that kills a lot of the random grouping potential of the game.
And in my opinion that's the crux of the problem - it's HARD to be a dedicated healing priest or a dedicated prot warrior if you can't continually find folks to play with. No friends on the server? Playing a hunter or warlock are your only real choices.
Even my shaman drops 50 gold most days to respec from elemental for "daily quest dps" to resoration for the nightly raid because all of the guild priests are shadow for soloability... We all can't live in a raid instance and a healing priest outside of a raid is as slow as molasses in January in PVE, or free epics for the opposing team in PVP.
As a full-on Prot Warrior I can still PVP a bit - I tend to stick with AV where I have a purpose though. I've tried to like Warsong, but even completely epic'd out to the point I can tank the biggest, baddest MOBs in the game - I am unable to solo the Horde... Now if the Alliance were to suddenly age about 5 years across the board and develop just a smidgeon of team play, I might be able to stomach Warsong... Arathi is even worse as it is all about team work and EotS is just plain bad.
So, yeah, tanks are really great to have around and it's even fun to be a tank - as long as you're in a decent guild or have lots of friends who play on the same server. Elsewise, there's no real need for 'em outside of raiding.
Hollywood Ron Oct 22nd 2007 3:46PM
11, I don't see why two hunters with tank pets, or a couple of locks with blueberries couldn't run a normal instance.