The holy trinity is the root of the problem. This is an archaic setup and devs could have innovated this system greatly a long time ago, and some have tried but failed pretty badly. One problem is the lines are way to distinct in most games. A class is chosen and that class's role is determined from day 1 with no gray area.
FFXI had a pretty cool setup due to having so many classes there were many viable party setups. Dragoon burn, Black Mage burn, Ninja blink tank, Paladin tank, Thief giving aggro, etc. Current class systems are too black and white, too pigeon holing, and they need to be innovated on going forward. Players should be able to adjust their roles, and content should not be made around the idea that the party must have 1 tank, 1 healer, 1 support, and 3 dps, or whatever variation there is.
Of the games coming out in the near future the Secret World and Guild Wars are both trying to do something different that eliminates this old school system. SWTOR of course, like almost every aspect of their game, is sticking to old school archaic design.
The lines need to be blurred. Players should not be pigeon holed into a single role. Games should not be made around the concept of going from point A to point B with one class and then rerolling for a different experience.
I knew there was going to be a post about this. I am sure the OP was hoping for this. The trinity works, the play base is a failure these days.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
Ive played L2, and let me tell you, tanking is hard enough that i cant just spam hate and chat on msn at the same time. Any idiot can spam skills or heal when the red bar is low, it takes skill and a person to actually manage to:
A) Lead the group
Fix any of the groups mistakes
C) Dont pull every single mob in a room
D) Take into account the MP of the healer (wich is more important than the hp of the tank, because in a way, the MP of the healer IS the HP of the tank. based on this make choices acording to what tipo of mob or mobs you are going to pull.
All of this things take some know how and a fair bit of judgment, you cant spam long cooldown skills every time you are in trouble, you have to decide if its the right time or if you can actually do without it and save it for when you are really screwed.
Dont get me wrong, i love healers, they keep me alive, and some of them can pull of some sick shit, especially in PvP. But you cant have a bad tank in a group and expect to live (bad tanks are as bad as having a lagged healer :P).
The fact that tanks are not popular is actually a plus tho, in any game, its easier to get gear in a group if no one else wants to use it. So i dont really see it as a problem.
The way i see it, if this was a movie, the tank would be the main character, the healer would be the girl that you are trying to save while she shouts your name... the rest of the characters (DPS in one way or another) are there only to take the villain down faster.
So after all this rant what i meant to say was: Being the tank is a pain, but its worth it if you can take it. And i dont think its a problem, being "one of the few" is way better than being "one of the bunch".
After reading some of the responses it appears city of heroes did tanking right. Lots of people play them because of their survivability and diverse abilities, and because they are well suited for their purpose it is actually hard to find a bad tank. Also in pvp until issue 13, tanks were the best class to use as a hero, especially willpower/energy melee tanks which could hit like a mule kick , regenerate their butts off and were immune to mental blasts which no other tanks were. Darn nerfbat swingin devs ruined that particular build but generally tankin is super fun in coh, and ultra effective for group and solo play. I use to sometimes recruit teams with 4 tanks (called it my tank battallion build), just to watch them smoosh the frig outta mobs hehe. Lotta fun. I guess thats why there are so many of them. I know thats why 5 of my 11 50s are tanks.
I love tanking. I am always driven to play a tank in any game I play. So as a tank I can provide some things that have annoyed me a bit over the years that I can completely understand why people would rather button mash as dps or play the hp bar game as a healer. Again this is just a small list of possible reasons.
1. We are slower to level. We have low dps and no heals or small amounts of heals.
2. Tanking is a pressure role. Miss aggro on one mob out of a group of five and someone may die.
3. Requires more thought and concentration. You have to check the mob types for tank order before pulls (casters will not come to you while melee will) and try to anticipate how they will react when you are in aggro range. You have to grab threat on each mob in the pull which requires accurate tab target system or clicking the mob in the mess then using the proper ability for each mob.
4. People in the newer mmos are all about mass pulling at fast paces. This can be difficult for a lot of tanks without aoe abilities. Not a role problem but a class problem here.
5. People almost NEVER follow a kill order. Mark mobs 1 2 3 and someone will always be on 4 instead of 1 or 2. It as if they lose the ability to count or identify priority. There's a reason we mark a mob with a 1. It's because that the one we have threat built up on and have moved on to number 2 before you begin. Same goes for 3, 4, etc...
6. The DPS pullers. These people really get on my nerves personally. They are too hyperactive to wait for a pull and insist on moving out and pulling some mobs.
7. It's mostly the tanks fault. No matter what happens in the party, if it's not the fault of the healer it's the fault of the tank. The dps never does any wrong... or so they think.
8. A tank is a leader role and requires a leader personality. There are a lot of "lemming" personalities and very few leaders. A tank can't just sit at the entrance and wait for someone to get to work. They have to step up, ready check, and move out.
9. In most cases we suck at pvp. We have no burst dps and in most games you need that burst in pvp.
10. Our shit gets expensive to repair. This is a small one and varies game from game, but the repair bills of my tank in some games have been rediculous compared to my light or med armour toons.
There's a small list of ten things that can get annoying or just don't fit into what people want to worry about when playing a game.
I am not sure, maybe the holy triad finally lost it's popularity. Tanking is the one thing that really tells us have dumb the mobs are.
It isn't because it is hard, healing demands more from the player.
It can also be because tanks are so slow to solo.
Yes, soloing is harder, but no, healing doesn't demand more from a player. Healers (having played them for years), typically have a much easier time than a tank -- the good tanks, at least. This is because good tanks get to that point through experience more than anything else. If one player needs to know the dungeon inside and out for there to be a smooth run, it's the tank. So not only do they need to be good at their job, like any other role, but they are also expected to lead and set the pace.
From personal experience, you can bring someone on a run for the very first time and get by fine, provided they can pay attention and follow along sensibly. When the newb is your tank, is slows everything down to a crawl and every encounter becomes much more hazardous, even the trash.
The actual mechanics of play are simple enough, but it's the additional responsibility of overseeing most elements of a run that makes it tricky. I would prefer a great tank and average healer combo over the opposite any time. Being an average healer myself, I was always damned appreciative when a pro with a sword and board was at the front.
Tanks have a big spotlight on them -- I certainly never enjoyed being in the center of it. I don't blame anyone else from shying away from it either.
I would point to the changes in game mechanics over the years and not the role. When the "holy trinity" evolved it was actually 4 roles; tank, healer, dps and crowd control - every part of which had to function well and each role required different player skills (and each role *could* be filled at least to some degree by a different class depending on specialization and gear).
Over time, the trends towards more pvp, faster combats, easier soloing and more flexible characters have really left the "tank" a bit out n the cold. (although not as badly as the CC role which has mostly ceased to exist entirely)
I love tanking. Tanking and pulling are probably my two favorte roles in games. Some games don't really have the pulling role anymore but whatever I don't care, still love it.
For tanking it probably depends on the game more than anything, but it the games I played, tanks were hard to find because of the expectations of the role. If you lose aggro its your fault, not the jerkoff who spammed his most powerful spell or ability at the very beginning of the fight, it's yours and nobody ever understands anything different.
Also people love to say "look at how much damage I did" and you can't really do that when tanking. You can't say "look how much damage I took" cause people would just say yeah you're the tank so what?
I love tanking. Tanking and pulling are probably my two favorte roles in games. Some games don't really have the pulling role anymore but whatever I don't care, still love it.
For tanking it probably depends on the game more than anything, but it the games I played, tanks were hard to find because of the expectations of the role. If you lose aggro its your fault, not the jerkoff who spammed his most powerful spell or ability at the very beginning of the fight, it's yours and nobody ever understands anything different.
Also people love to say "look at how much damage I did" and you can't really do that when tanking. You can't say "look how much damage I took" cause people would just say yeah you're the tank so what?
Let the jerk die i say, and learn his lesson! i can tell you, once he losses the exp not only will he not blame you, he will respect you for teaching him to play properly.
Besides, as a tank is always interesting to find new ways to improve your DPS, being the tank and a half competent DPS is always a good goal.
I think another problem with tanking is something akin to the holy trinity of grouping - its the holy pyramid of raiding. At the top of that pyramid, a guild's Main Tank.
Problem is the history of most tanks is:
They level up with lots of grouping. Then they start raiding - only to find the guild already has an MT - you all of a sudden have no purpose in the raid.
And when the loot drops? Guess who often has the most dkp? The one main tank. Sometimes they won't even give loot drops to plate based on dkp - they just give the MT every piece of gear that upgrades him/her - 'fer the good of the guild'.
So I see the problem is that for raiding a guild needs lots of dps, lots of healers, lots of cc or support - but basically they only need and only equip one tank.
How would you like to play a toon that once you are max level, no one needs you, you won't perform your desired class function and you have a much harder time getting the good loot.
You know who ends up loving the tank class? The main tank - that's it.
I think that all three roles are fairly easy. Tanks just need to keep hitting mobs and taunt when appropriate. DPS just needs to keep hitting mobs. Healers don't even have to look at the main screen, they just watch health bars and heal when they get low.
The only thing that makes DPS popular is the fact that you get to do damage, and see big numbers that you can brag about. The only class role that I felt was fairly difficult was the "controller" archetype like EQ's enchanter. This was difficult because you really needed to coordinate your party well. ONE stray hit or AE on a mesmerized mob and you were toast!
I love tanking. Tanking and pulling are probably my two favorte roles in games. Some games don't really have the pulling role anymore but whatever I don't care, still love it.
This is a very good point. My favorite role is pulling and this has essentailly merged with the tank even if other classes are better suited to it. A lot of people here have pointed out correct that tanks have a lot of stuff to do including being the leader and managing the pulls. But, why? Have a class better suited to pulling lead that part of it. Hunters or Monks or similar classes are better suited to pulling and can easily pass the mobs to the Tanks when they bring back to the group.
And the fault isnt neccessary the designers. They should provide more options and tools for pulling, but mainly it is the playerbase. As a hunter in early WOW, I remeber being told by groups multiple times that it is better for just the warrior to pull. Raids with guild was different as I was the main puller and dicated the pace, etc. But, other raids just had the warriors pull most of time, xcept for a few pet pull situations. I have no idea what current state it, but probably tanks pull most. In EQ warriors never pulled. It was monks or Shadow Knights or Rangers.
Tanking is the most difficult thing in groups / on raids, then healing comes, then DPS. As a DD you just have to take a target and handle your dmg rota. As a tank you have to hold aggro, you have to chase bolters and you have to know every pat, dungeon and boss.
Tanking is the most difficult thing in groups / on raids, then healing comes, then DPS. As a DD you just have to take a target and handle your dmg rota. As a tank you have to hold aggro, you have to chase bolters and you have to now every pat, dungeon and boss.
Tanking is easy, nothing but mindless button spamming. It's boring as all hell, thats why no one wants to do it.
I can tell you why! BECAUSE EVERYONE'S A CRITIC these days! That's why!
Damn, I used to love being tank over many years in MMOs, but these days, I just play Dmg. The mentality just changed! Every wants super fast speedruns, gogogo, max efficiency and too many people play a MMO like a second job! There is just way too much pressure and haste and this mentality just makes me sick. So I play dmg and just fire around.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
It is unpopular because people bitch, and because games that employ trinity systems tend to be full of backseat support characters. People that are usually using a useless damage class and try to tell the important ones how to do their jobs.
That is the exact reason that some people like to tank though, I like having the power to break a group.
I can tell you why! BECAUSE EVERYONE'S A CRITIC these days! That's why!
Damn, I used to love being tank over many years in MMOs, but these days, I just play Dmg. The mentality just changed! Every wants super fast speedruns, gogogo, max efficiency and too many people play a MMO like a second job! There is just way too much pressure and haste and this mentality just makes me sick. So I play dmg and just fire around.
I don't blame people for not wanting to play tanks. It's a thankless job. This ultimately is a community problem regardless of trinity.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
I love tanking in DCU, Really enjoyed it in Final fantasy XI liked it in wow during TBC and early LK. Then came the age of entitlement and people whining and constantly bitching about everything while not accepting responsability for their own actions.
I still tank in DCU, people dont whine there partly because of the difficulty of getting groups and the small server population actually enforces a sense of community.
I would not want to be a tank in wow.... not a chance, Blizzard created their own monster with the dungeon finder, and I am more than happy not to be a part of that. Heres hoping ToR doesnt have an xrealm dungeon finder.
DPS doesnt matter, nobody cares what the dps does, it is an easy role because anyone can do it. and nobody cares if you do it well.
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I hate the tank role not because I hate the job, but I tend to hate the people. If you are not going fast enough DPS's start pulling stuff and expect you to pick it up...if you do not suddenly it is the tanks fault for not being a god in the game. DPS should only pull when told to. I mostly play healer and tell the DPS's flat out if they pull without tank permission I will not heal them and I hope they can solo it. Accidents I forgive, but idiots just wanting it faster I let them die.
Tanking and healing share something in common that annoys me...if something goes good rarely do the heals and tank get credit all people do is flash DPS. Never realizing that only the tank and heals made that possible. If it goes bad instantly it is the tank and heals fault. No respect.
I love tanking in DCU, Really enjoyed it in Final fantasy XI liked it in wow during TBC and early LK. Then came the age of entitlement and people whining and constantly bitching about everything while not accepting responsability for their own actions.
I still tank in DCU, people dont whine there partly because of the difficulty of getting groups and the small server population actually enforces a sense of community.
I would not want to be a tank in wow.... not a chance, Blizzard created their own monster with the dungeon finder, and I am more than happy not to be a part of that. Heres hoping ToR doesnt have an xrealm dungeon finder.
If ToR has a xrealm finder, I'll never ever use it. Not a deal breaker on the game, but, no way.
I think its because people tend to blame the tank or healer for everything.
Why put up with the BS from random strangers?
Also, tanking and healing are both pretty boring and lack flash.
from my years of tanking the main reason is really the slow lvling if not in a party, and for pvp games lack of burst or constant damage,
normally if random peeps start to annoy me I just kick him from the party or just leave it his loss not mine I can find another party fast anyway XD, but I feel more the lack of healers (good ones).
also if far too easy to just roll dps classes, just aim and shoot or cast spell don't need to old agro from peeps who just want to smash his keyboard for leet damage
I stopped playing tanks, not because of their obvious role in boss fights/dungeons but because I found that I wanted to enjoy playing alone sometimes and at some point it pis*ed me off hitting a mob 28 times for 100 damage...
Another point is that IMHO there is a discrepancy between survivability and damage output in pvp. As in certain classes would still be able to kick the sh*t out of you in few attacks while you would need 30 hits to take them down. Usually mages can kick your nuts without you ever touching them...
Give tanks the possiblity to change into a pvp or solo pve stance increasing their damage output while lowering defense/health a little.
I think its because people tend to blame the tank or healer for everything.
Why put up with the BS from random strangers?
Also, tanking and healing are both pretty boring and lack flash.
from my years of tanking the main reason is really the slow lvling if not in a party, and for pvp games lack of burst or constant damage,
normally if random peeps start to annoy me I just kick him from the party or just leave it his loss not mine I can find another party fast anyway XD, but I feel more the lack of healers (good ones).
also if far too easy to just roll dps classes, just aim and shoot or cast spell don't need to old agro from peeps who just want to smash his keyboard for leet damage
I agree, too. There appear to be a lot of issues that don't motivate players to take on that role.
Comments
Too much responsibility and pressure.
I knew there was going to be a post about this. I am sure the OP was hoping for this. The trinity works, the play base is a failure these days.
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Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Ive played L2, and let me tell you, tanking is hard enough that i cant just spam hate and chat on msn at the same time. Any idiot can spam skills or heal when the red bar is low, it takes skill and a person to actually manage to:
A) Lead the group
C) Dont pull every single mob in a room
D) Take into account the MP of the healer (wich is more important than the hp of the tank, because in a way, the MP of the healer IS the HP of the tank. based on this make choices acording to what tipo of mob or mobs you are going to pull.
All of this things take some know how and a fair bit of judgment, you cant spam long cooldown skills every time you are in trouble, you have to decide if its the right time or if you can actually do without it and save it for when you are really screwed.
Dont get me wrong, i love healers, they keep me alive, and some of them can pull of some sick shit, especially in PvP. But you cant have a bad tank in a group and expect to live (bad tanks are as bad as having a lagged healer :P).
The fact that tanks are not popular is actually a plus tho, in any game, its easier to get gear in a group if no one else wants to use it. So i dont really see it as a problem.
The way i see it, if this was a movie, the tank would be the main character, the healer would be the girl that you are trying to save while she shouts your name... the rest of the characters (DPS in one way or another) are there only to take the villain down faster.
So after all this rant what i meant to say was: Being the tank is a pain, but its worth it if you can take it. And i dont think its a problem, being "one of the few" is way better than being "one of the bunch".
After reading some of the responses it appears city of heroes did tanking right. Lots of people play them because of their survivability and diverse abilities, and because they are well suited for their purpose it is actually hard to find a bad tank. Also in pvp until issue 13, tanks were the best class to use as a hero, especially willpower/energy melee tanks which could hit like a mule kick , regenerate their butts off and were immune to mental blasts which no other tanks were. Darn nerfbat swingin devs ruined that particular build but generally tankin is super fun in coh, and ultra effective for group and solo play. I use to sometimes recruit teams with 4 tanks (called it my tank battallion build), just to watch them smoosh the frig outta mobs hehe. Lotta fun. I guess thats why there are so many of them. I know thats why 5 of my 11 50s are tanks.
I love tanking. I am always driven to play a tank in any game I play. So as a tank I can provide some things that have annoyed me a bit over the years that I can completely understand why people would rather button mash as dps or play the hp bar game as a healer. Again this is just a small list of possible reasons.
1. We are slower to level. We have low dps and no heals or small amounts of heals.
2. Tanking is a pressure role. Miss aggro on one mob out of a group of five and someone may die.
3. Requires more thought and concentration. You have to check the mob types for tank order before pulls (casters will not come to you while melee will) and try to anticipate how they will react when you are in aggro range. You have to grab threat on each mob in the pull which requires accurate tab target system or clicking the mob in the mess then using the proper ability for each mob.
4. People in the newer mmos are all about mass pulling at fast paces. This can be difficult for a lot of tanks without aoe abilities. Not a role problem but a class problem here.
5. People almost NEVER follow a kill order. Mark mobs 1 2 3 and someone will always be on 4 instead of 1 or 2. It as if they lose the ability to count or identify priority. There's a reason we mark a mob with a 1. It's because that the one we have threat built up on and have moved on to number 2 before you begin. Same goes for 3, 4, etc...
6. The DPS pullers. These people really get on my nerves personally. They are too hyperactive to wait for a pull and insist on moving out and pulling some mobs.
7. It's mostly the tanks fault. No matter what happens in the party, if it's not the fault of the healer it's the fault of the tank. The dps never does any wrong... or so they think.
8. A tank is a leader role and requires a leader personality. There are a lot of "lemming" personalities and very few leaders. A tank can't just sit at the entrance and wait for someone to get to work. They have to step up, ready check, and move out.
9. In most cases we suck at pvp. We have no burst dps and in most games you need that burst in pvp.
10. Our shit gets expensive to repair. This is a small one and varies game from game, but the repair bills of my tank in some games have been rediculous compared to my light or med armour toons.
There's a small list of ten things that can get annoying or just don't fit into what people want to worry about when playing a game.
Yes, soloing is harder, but no, healing doesn't demand more from a player. Healers (having played them for years), typically have a much easier time than a tank -- the good tanks, at least. This is because good tanks get to that point through experience more than anything else. If one player needs to know the dungeon inside and out for there to be a smooth run, it's the tank. So not only do they need to be good at their job, like any other role, but they are also expected to lead and set the pace.
From personal experience, you can bring someone on a run for the very first time and get by fine, provided they can pay attention and follow along sensibly. When the newb is your tank, is slows everything down to a crawl and every encounter becomes much more hazardous, even the trash.
The actual mechanics of play are simple enough, but it's the additional responsibility of overseeing most elements of a run that makes it tricky. I would prefer a great tank and average healer combo over the opposite any time. Being an average healer myself, I was always damned appreciative when a pro with a sword and board was at the front.
Tanks have a big spotlight on them -- I certainly never enjoyed being in the center of it. I don't blame anyone else from shying away from it either.
I would point to the changes in game mechanics over the years and not the role. When the "holy trinity" evolved it was actually 4 roles; tank, healer, dps and crowd control - every part of which had to function well and each role required different player skills (and each role *could* be filled at least to some degree by a different class depending on specialization and gear).
Over time, the trends towards more pvp, faster combats, easier soloing and more flexible characters have really left the "tank" a bit out n the cold. (although not as badly as the CC role which has mostly ceased to exist entirely)
I love tanking. Tanking and pulling are probably my two favorte roles in games. Some games don't really have the pulling role anymore but whatever I don't care, still love it.
For tanking it probably depends on the game more than anything, but it the games I played, tanks were hard to find because of the expectations of the role. If you lose aggro its your fault, not the jerkoff who spammed his most powerful spell or ability at the very beginning of the fight, it's yours and nobody ever understands anything different.
Also people love to say "look at how much damage I did" and you can't really do that when tanking. You can't say "look how much damage I took" cause people would just say yeah you're the tank so what?
Let the jerk die i say, and learn his lesson! i can tell you, once he losses the exp not only will he not blame you, he will respect you for teaching him to play properly.
Besides, as a tank is always interesting to find new ways to improve your DPS, being the tank and a half competent DPS is always a good goal.
I think another problem with tanking is something akin to the holy trinity of grouping - its the holy pyramid of raiding. At the top of that pyramid, a guild's Main Tank.
Problem is the history of most tanks is:
They level up with lots of grouping. Then they start raiding - only to find the guild already has an MT - you all of a sudden have no purpose in the raid.
And when the loot drops? Guess who often has the most dkp? The one main tank. Sometimes they won't even give loot drops to plate based on dkp - they just give the MT every piece of gear that upgrades him/her - 'fer the good of the guild'.
So I see the problem is that for raiding a guild needs lots of dps, lots of healers, lots of cc or support - but basically they only need and only equip one tank.
How would you like to play a toon that once you are max level, no one needs you, you won't perform your desired class function and you have a much harder time getting the good loot.
You know who ends up loving the tank class? The main tank - that's it.
To be honest...
I think that all three roles are fairly easy. Tanks just need to keep hitting mobs and taunt when appropriate. DPS just needs to keep hitting mobs. Healers don't even have to look at the main screen, they just watch health bars and heal when they get low.
The only thing that makes DPS popular is the fact that you get to do damage, and see big numbers that you can brag about. The only class role that I felt was fairly difficult was the "controller" archetype like EQ's enchanter. This was difficult because you really needed to coordinate your party well. ONE stray hit or AE on a mesmerized mob and you were toast!
Are you team Azeroth, team Tyria, or team Jacob?
Tanking is the most difficult thing in groups / on raids, then healing comes, then DPS. As a DD you just have to take a target and handle your dmg rota. As a tank you have to hold aggro, you have to chase bolters and you have to know every pat, dungeon and boss.
Tanking is easy, nothing but mindless button spamming. It's boring as all hell, thats why no one wants to do it.
I can tell you why! BECAUSE EVERYONE'S A CRITIC these days! That's why!
Damn, I used to love being tank over many years in MMOs, but these days, I just play Dmg. The mentality just changed! Every wants super fast speedruns, gogogo, max efficiency and too many people play a MMO like a second job! There is just way too much pressure and haste and this mentality just makes me sick. So I play dmg and just fire around.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
It is unpopular because people bitch, and because games that employ trinity systems tend to be full of backseat support characters. People that are usually using a useless damage class and try to tell the important ones how to do their jobs.
That is the exact reason that some people like to tank though, I like having the power to break a group.
I don't blame people for not wanting to play tanks. It's a thankless job. This ultimately is a community problem regardless of trinity.
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I love tanking in DCU, Really enjoyed it in Final fantasy XI liked it in wow during TBC and early LK. Then came the age of entitlement and people whining and constantly bitching about everything while not accepting responsability for their own actions.
I still tank in DCU, people dont whine there partly because of the difficulty of getting groups and the small server population actually enforces a sense of community.
I would not want to be a tank in wow.... not a chance, Blizzard created their own monster with the dungeon finder, and I am more than happy not to be a part of that. Heres hoping ToR doesnt have an xrealm dungeon finder.
Sums it up, for both healing and tanking.
DPS doesnt matter, nobody cares what the dps does, it is an easy role because anyone can do it. and nobody cares if you do it well.
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I hate the tank role not because I hate the job, but I tend to hate the people. If you are not going fast enough DPS's start pulling stuff and expect you to pick it up...if you do not suddenly it is the tanks fault for not being a god in the game. DPS should only pull when told to. I mostly play healer and tell the DPS's flat out if they pull without tank permission I will not heal them and I hope they can solo it. Accidents I forgive, but idiots just wanting it faster I let them die.
Tanking and healing share something in common that annoys me...if something goes good rarely do the heals and tank get credit all people do is flash DPS. Never realizing that only the tank and heals made that possible. If it goes bad instantly it is the tank and heals fault. No respect.
If ToR has a xrealm finder, I'll never ever use it. Not a deal breaker on the game, but, no way.
I think its because people tend to blame the tank or healer for everything.
Why put up with the BS from random strangers?
Also, tanking and healing are both pretty boring and lack flash.
from my years of tanking the main reason is really the slow lvling if not in a party, and for pvp games lack of burst or constant damage,
normally if random peeps start to annoy me I just kick him from the party or just leave it his loss not mine I can find another party fast anyway XD, but I feel more the lack of healers (good ones).
also if far too easy to just roll dps classes, just aim and shoot or cast spell don't need to old agro from peeps who just want to smash his keyboard for leet damage
I stopped playing tanks, not because of their obvious role in boss fights/dungeons but because I found that I wanted to enjoy playing alone sometimes and at some point it pis*ed me off hitting a mob 28 times for 100 damage...
Another point is that IMHO there is a discrepancy between survivability and damage output in pvp. As in certain classes would still be able to kick the sh*t out of you in few attacks while you would need 30 hits to take them down. Usually mages can kick your nuts without you ever touching them...
Give tanks the possiblity to change into a pvp or solo pve stance increasing their damage output while lowering defense/health a little.
Maybe I played the wrong games for this class...
I agree, too. There appear to be a lot of issues that don't motivate players to take on that role.