Ask WoW Insider: Do you tip your tank?
by Barb Dybwad 
Dec 28th 2007 at 8:00PM
Welcome to today's edition of Ask WoW Insider, in which we publish your questions for dissection by the peanut gallery. Last time we discussed identification with your virtual self, and this time we turn our attention once again to an issue of instance etiquette; James wants to know if it should be customary to tip your tank after a run: Hey guys,
I was wondering if there is some standard etiquette for tipping your main tank after instances. The repair bill for our much-loved meat shields is usually much higher than the bill for me and my clothy brethren, so I'm curious if most PUG's will throw the MT a few gold after a run. To be honest, I don't normally tip the MT (and in my experience, they don't expect one) but is this something we should do? If so, what's a good amount?
What's the verdict: do you tip your tanks, or do they not deserve the special treatment? Are there any circumstances in which you'd feel more likely to tip? What's a reasonable amount, and does it vary by instance?
Got questions? Don't wait! Send them to us at ask AT wowinsider DOT com and your query could be up in lights here next week.
Filed under: Instances, Ask WoW Insider
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
bakteria Feb 1st 2008 5:21PM
For once I'm not in a good position to complain... I specifically chose a warrior class to tank because good tanks are in big demand. I did my homework to be the best I could, reading every single post on every forum I could that cover the theme of good tanking, got my macros, add-ons etc. I’m still very enthusiastic about going on every run that I’m invited in (PUGs). Fast enough came the repairing bills… but then again… if you know how to tank and healers know how to play with their healing skill’s ranks… even if you’re not a protection warrior you’ll be able to run smoothly in any instance; what people should do is not to rely only in the tank’s knowledge of the game to prevent getting wipe… If ever I get a tip for tanking I’ll split it between the noob that chewed his balls and listened to the group leader, and the leader who took the time to well explained the raid tactics… about the repair bills; the only thing I have to say is that I usually have my best laughs when my repair bills hit the skies… If I’m having fun in a PUG, I don’t mind the repair bills, unexpected things happen, group hit snags etc. If I’m not having fun…I usually because nobody is listening to the leader, marks are not respect… healer is running all the time when ever he gets aggro, people are fearing, people mess up CC hitting what ever their targeting etc… I just leave then…sry… no tip will repair stupidity!
Araashan May 19th 2008 7:18AM
I play as a protection warrior. I've never gotten tips in the form of money, but I have been offered a blue no one needed that I can vendor, or a shard if an enchanter was in the group, to help pay my repair bill and thank me for my time. Now, granted, I do tank a lot of regular instances to help out friends, even though my warrior is fully in raid epics.
Caryn Bailey Aug 12th 2008 2:10PM
In the question of whether to tip the tank or not, generally I don't expect it. But I do wince every time I have a 20 to 30 gold repair bill and that is on top of the money I spend for reagents to give everyone choice blessings, etc. Obviously I'm a paladin tank and my guild insisted I make one because we were desperately short on tanks. In fact, from what I read, there is a general Wow shortage. It means learning a new class and character from scratch and tanking is far different from dps...makes dps seem like a lazy walk in the park...(since my main is dps).
What peeves me is the lack of gratitude. I mostly get yelled at to go faster. Pull faster when I'm trying to get mana back. And advised to do things by people who've never tanked in a critical way. Plus the blame I receive if something goes wrong. If a dps causes too much threat and I lose aggro and I have to switch targets and taunt and it takes a bit to generate threat and then the dps dies in the interim. Or well, the other day the healer and warlock feared a couple mob I did have aggro on directly into another mob causing a wipe and a druid who really wanted to complete with aggro with me and usurp my position searched for a rogue but found it right next to another mob that we weren't prepared for and we wiped again.
And then I get told I need better gear but not really anyone is willing to help with dailies, etc...and prot spec's don't do a lot of damage. We're not meant to. They expect you to run into heroics and then well, if the healer is not on the ball, you can die quickly. I was expected to tank heroics in less then a week after turning 70. Talk about stress.
So please have respect for your tanks. There are not many of us and it is rather thankless and we do get blamed a lot for things. It's easy to be a dps and sit back and judge but if you've never tanked before, well, don't want to hear it.
Mike Sep 16th 2008 11:38AM
haha reminds me of something in trade
[2. Trade][sometank]Epic Tank lfg....will do any for 50g.
[2. Trade][me]Epic mage lfg...will do any for 100g.
Tipping for tanking is a retarded idea. Healers and dps provide just as much usefulness as the tank. Gear costs? Well we should tip ret palys and dps wars then as well since they also wear plate. Mages too since they usually die in 1 shot and end up dying more than anyone else. But seriously....hunters should give everyone gold for repairs....
Arbarius Dec 28th 2007 8:06PM
I've never heard of anybody tipping the tank. Good mana users will be chugging potions anyway if it's at all a tough fight, which makes them spend about the same gold. Also I think rogues may spend some money on some stuff too like poisons, not sure how that adds up.
Stormlor Dec 29th 2007 2:39AM
Personally, if your going to tip tanks for their job well done you need to tip your healers and DPS as well. I play a Restoration Druid and I'm usually on Main Tank healing, and while I get praise for good healing, I never get tipped for my 15-20g repair bill. So unless healers and DPS are getting tips, then I don't think a tank should be getting a tip for a repair bill no matter how much the bill is.
hpavc Dec 28th 2007 8:11PM
A 150-250gp fee for a raiding level rent-a-tank is pretty standard for us. Makes things mind numbing easy to have a well geared tank than can actually do it.
token Dec 28th 2007 8:12PM
Because tanks don't use consumables? pshaw. The good ones will always be prepared with them and won't be afraid to use them if the situation merits it.
As a tank, I do not expect a tip. I've turned them down in plenty though..both from guildies and from puggers.
epsilon343 Dec 28th 2007 8:13PM
I know when I was playing my warrior I never got tipped for armor repairs or anything like that. I hardly got a thanks either.
Verit Dec 28th 2007 11:53PM
Every job in this game is thankless - I've tanked dps'd and healed through raids as well.
Chilblain Dec 28th 2007 8:16PM
I'll start tipping a tank the day people pay me for food & water.
You picked your class -- not me. Suck it up, meat-shield.
schwonga Dec 28th 2007 8:18PM
I feel almost like a spoiled child reading this article and thinking to myself "what a dumb idea! what did they ever do for... oh yeah." But no, can't say i have ever tipped a tank tho. However I have thrown some gold their way if the group is suuuuucking and wipes galore is upon us, especially if i do something completely dumb.
goodgrief Dec 28th 2007 8:19PM
I never tip the tank, I never pay for the reagents of mages for their table, I don't pay hunters to use better bullets or for food to keep their pets at top happiness levels, i don't pay rogues for applying poisons, I don't pay any class to use their reagents for the group buffs, I don't tip warlocks for stones, I don't ...
Need I go on? All classes have something that costs them money or time. Why one class deserves a tip over another (implying that they are more worthy) is beyond me.
matrix_dragon Dec 29th 2007 5:17AM
On thing I don't agree on is that a tank can be either of the 3 classes. Warrior, Paladin and Druid. Tank refer to a position not a class. So the last statement simply doesn't apply.
Dave Dec 28th 2007 8:22PM
I have never been tipped as a tank, ever.
Generally, you're gonna get loot or something from just running it right?
I dunno. I've never heard of this, but I'd definitely run a lot more PUG's if I knew that the rest of the group was going to help on my 15-30g+ repair bill if we wipe a lot. Probably more of a raid PUG thing rather than a 5-man thing, but heroics can go sour really quick too. I only run the heroic daliy quest, because I know that as long as we don't wipe more than 7 times, I'm going to have my repair bill covered by the daily quest cash. Raids, I figure that I'm at least going to get one drop over the course of the raid (and as a tank, you can usually assume that loot will go your way before most other classes, if only because you are a tank and on most servers you're in high demand and short supply).
I think tipping in this game is a bit absurd in general anyway.
Lazarnat Dec 28th 2007 8:32PM
Depends. I would never expect anything from guildies in the form of tips while tanking an instance. But if you PST me at 3am and plead for a tank for your pickup group, then I'm going to fully play the role of mercenary and ask "What's in it for me?". A lot of times people will ask you to OT because their guild is one short for an instance and you totally get stiffed on drops and other fat loot. So if you're not even going to say thanks, at least have the courtesy to say it with gold. Especially if I saved your butts often. For the most part, even in PuG situations it isn't expected but it is always appreciated, just like it is in other professions. This seldom happens and I agree with epsilon343 that in those situations you hardly ever even get a simple thank you. Which is why many tanks when asked to be mercenaries in PuGs "just say no".
Platnex Dec 28th 2007 8:33PM
I play Tank myself (Pally tank) and I have never come accross anyone that has ever tipped (or been tipped) as a tank.
Now yes I used to tip for water now and again (however since the table of refreshment I havent shelled out a copper) and now and again I will tip rouges for opening lock boxes for me if I get anything good but I dont see the point in tipping or expecting a tip as a tank.
Usually when im in a run im 90% of the time going to get a large prismatic shard out of it (I have a team I usually go with and we devided the shards as even as we can one each roll for any extra or if theres not enough roll and the higest gets them (aka 3 shards higest 3 rolls win one each) which sells for an easy 25G so that covers the repair
Sean C Dec 30th 2007 8:48AM
Usually tip? If you get anything good? Please. I am a 350 LP and this is why I don't pick locks. You're always getting a green, every time. Minimum tip for end game lock boxes should be 1g.
graxlos Dec 28th 2007 8:37PM
I think this is a relevant issue, especially when seeing how modern pvp works.
A warrior has to be prot to tank and he has to be arms/fury to do anything in arenas.
So a warrior that wants to do both spends tons of cash respeccing. I think most raiding warriors are at the respeccing cap and using it at least a few days weekly.
Instances like ZA sets quite high requirements for the MT for it to go smoothly, so paying a t6 geared warrior to respec prot might save you a lot of gold on repairs compared to bringing a tank with only t4 for example :)
But do we want tanks to start acting like mercenaries benefitting from the fact that there is always too few of them?
I think instead blizzard should make repaircosts the same on all armortypes and perhaps nerf the costs of respeccing. And perhaps even make some pvpfriendly tanking builds :)
Dro Dec 28th 2007 9:03PM
This man speaks the truth.
If you're protection in Arena, they just kind of stare and you and kill the warlock.
It's 100g to spec into your PvP spec and then back to your tanking if you've hit the ceiling, and good luck farming that back as Protection.
As for the tipping thing...meh. I don't really feel it's necessary.
However, if you or guildies/friends are causing wipe after wipe, don't be afraid to kick the tank a little gold.
I think someone also mentioned that everyone has costs. That's fair. But it's a bit harder for Warrior tanks (Feral Druids-Cat Form, Paladins-Multi tank beat down, amirite?) and healing specced classes to farm things to cover those costs.
In closing, just throw your support classes a little love. If you don't want to offer them cash, help them with dailies. You might just end up with someone reliable to fill that empty raid or 5-man spot.