TankingTips.com - Podcast #7: Return of the MT

[ducduce]

So what do you think our second prot spec should look like

[etakerns]

whoa , whoa, everyone needs to take a step back and relax a little. I think what this podcast is saying ......w/o directly coming out and saying it is..........

1. If u'r a warr. MT for u'r guild u will have to take 2 tanking specs if u want to remain the MT,

(*note*) Not being arrogant here but it will HONESTLY take 2 diff. tanking builds to equal to a DK's standard tanking build. Now if u'r a warr. MT for u'r guild and want to remain the warr. MT for u'r guild then the 2 warr. prot spec. is something u will have to come to terms with, POINT BLANK!!!

2. The duel spec. is something blizz has to do in order to get Druids and pallys away from tanking and start healing!!!! Duel spec @ its core has to do with blizz trying to move what is needed for raids around more and having more of what is needed (which is healz and more dps), nothing do w/ warr. being/staying MT for there guilds although it could definitely help Warrs. to stay MT or even become MT. All realms need more healers, and w/ the influx w/ DK's,,,well tanks is the last thing that is needed.

3. If i was a warr. going into a new guild and they have a pally and Dk tank there, I would prolly take the fury/prot spec. b/c if its a new guild and they already have a DK then why even bother w/ a 2prot spec. warr. who can't switch to dps when needed, b/c a DK as of right now, is the only tank out there that can basically "DO IT ALL"!!!!!!!!

[veneretio]

So what do you think our second prot spec should look like

Addressed briefly in comment #26.

[aeg]

hellz yeah man

[ninjajuicer]

Therman -- "T.L.D.R. version: I'm a hardcore tank, but in this case the good of the raid > my individual desires."

I totally agree.

Those that run true dual specs for the sake of their raid are the real main tanks. They are the players willing to step outside the box and make the hard choices so the raid succeeds. So, my healing and dps gear sets are way better than my tank gear. However when I'm tanking, the experience in all three roles will combine to make me a better tank than I could have ever become by simply staring at feet for 2 hours three nights a week.

[Tyknight]

This is a great podcast! The part about confidence is amazing. Do you have any other podcasts regarding your thoughts on Death Knight tanks?

[Kavtor]

WTB D***T K****T podcast.
I can hear it now. I could play it while leveling my alt, and I would feel so much better every time I get ganked by a DK.

[Inaara]

Aye, 2 prot specs are the only way to go for me. I'll prolly end up going Frost/Unholy or Frost/Blood tanking for my dual specs.

[Tyknight]

I'm currently a frost dk tank with a 11/50/6 (lvl 76) and am holding aggro surprising extremely well. Would love to hear your thoughts on a recent podcast on what DK tanks could improve on, etc.

[veneretio]

This is a great podcast! The part about confidence is amazing. Do you have any other podcasts regarding your thoughts on Death Knight tanks?

I'm afraid that I'm a strictly Warrior tank with only a limited knowledge of DK tanks. (Just enough to tell them what to do in raids) Perhaps one day if I'm really ambitious though, I can find a DK to be a guest on the show.

[Exiledknight]

The dual spec system is not for one or two classes to go heals...yes every server is short on healers to run heroics etc..but the two servers I have raided on it has always been tanks/dps that were short on for raids. It's also another way for bliz to be able to throw more "gimic" fights at us and not have everyone complaining about raid balance(i.e. raz). n general the tanks and healers are more dedicated than DPS players in general because they know they are needed and more wipes result due to them than the dps, so in regards to raids that will be more of an emergency fill in than any other reason.

But enough there, the real purpose of the dual spec is simply to give blizz more flexibilty with encounters because they can now have more than require only 1 tank and not have to tune them any different because every other tank can switch dps/heals. Myself I will be going dual prot and was wondering prior to the podcast how many others would as well, just like warriors us P@!#@!*^$ (as the podcast states lol) can benefit greatly from having two builds as i am sure DK's can as well, not sure about druids. The main reason though is to give players more flexibility to enjoy the game and I am sure that we will see many more fights in 3.2 and beyond that will take advantage of it with raid balance.

[Thad]

But enough there, the real purpose of the dual spec is simply to give blizz more flexibilty with encounters because they can now have more than require only 1 tank and not have to tune them any different because every other tank can switch dps/heals. Myself I will be going dual prot and was wondering prior to the podcast how many others would as well, just like warriors us P@!#@!*^$ (as the podcast states lol) can benefit greatly from having two builds as i am sure DK's can as well, not sure about druids. The main reason though is to give players more flexibility to enjoy the game and I am sure that we will see many more fights in 3.2 and beyond that will take advantage of it with raid balance.

umm actually no. blizz has stated that when designing future encounters they are gonna pretend that dual specs don't exist. most likely so raiders don't feal obligated to have a tank/dps spec or a heal/tank spec. so don't look forward to fights that requre 8 tanks.

so if people just want to have a main spec and a pvp spec they can go right ahead.

[Exiledknight]

umm actually no. blizz has stated that when designing future encounters they are gonna pretend that dual specs don't exist. most likely so raiders don't feal obligated to have a tank/dps spec or a heal/tank spec. so don't look forward to fights that requre 8 tanks.

so if people just want to have a main spec and a pvp spec they can go right ahead.

Yes they have stated that they are going to do that, but lets for a minute think of all the fights were you need only one tank...so then you are stuck with bad tank dps fromt he other tanks, dual specs will help minimize this, and give greater flexability. In naxx you can solo tank 7 of the fights, although maybe not necc. optimal you can handle the adds and bosses in GWF and Grob as logn as they are getting burned down, now I am talking 25 man here. So yes it does give them greater flexibilty in designing fights that may require one tank, and them being left to wonder how much will players complain that these are solo tank fights, and anyway how often does blizz stick to what they originally say?

[Thad]

Yes they have stated that they are going to do that, but lets for a minute think of all the fights were you need only one tank...so then you are stuck with bad tank dps fromt he other tanks, dual specs will help minimize this, and give greater flexability. In naxx you can solo tank 7 of the fights, although maybe not necc. optimal you can handle the adds and bosses in GWF and Grob as logn as they are getting burned down, now I am talking 25 man here. So yes it does give them greater flexibilty in designing fights that may require one tank, and them being left to wonder how much will players complain that these are solo tank fights, and anyway how often does blizz stick to what they originally say?

if you absolutely want to maximize dps go ahead. but its not necessary i mean only the hardcore guilds are gonna force players to use dual specs for raids otherwise i don't think it matters.

[Jalousie]

So I'm sloooow to catch on and have just started dipping into the podcast archives - gives me something to listen to when I'm running that doesn't mess with my pace. Really useful stuff and I especially liked this one as I was quite ambivalent about the idea of dual specs ("Get off my lawn, you young Fury kids!"). But please be making them either 40 or 70 minutes long to coincide with my runs

No, really. I'll let you off.

[NiNone]

How about the Everything Man... Pally Tank / Healers?
Its like useing both sides of your Brain.

[Barbarosa]

this guy must have TOTALLY zoned in on my brainwaves for this podcast lol. especially the last half of it. i also have been hounded for having my secondary spec a prot variant. but i am like him i am NOT satisfied with being a mediocre tank that is NOT why i spend several hours a week if not per day on tankspot reviewing raid vids. i want to be amazing.

I AM A MAIN TANK!!!

[Eraser]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Vene, this is an excellent podcast and while I didn't really gain anything from it - it did reaffirm what I currently thought.

As he posted, he's not directly saying you're bad if you're not prot/prot, but you're not a main tank. Now you can argue this is saying that he is calling you bad and alot of people have. But I dare a warrior to tell me how in tanking ulduar they haven't swap builds numerous times. I do - I have imp disc + sw + ls glyphs in one - dw in the other.

About being cocky, bossy, or arrogant, I think as the main tank you have to be - but at the same time you have to know your limits. Otherwise, and this has often happened to me when I was learning to tank, you'll have a cocky,bossy, or arrogant dps trying to do the tanks job. As a tank you really have to put your mark on the group/raid.

Also, another point is that if you are this main tank (which I believe I am - for my guild at least) then yeah you should be an elitist in the way that they should be on the look-out for any and all upgrades - both in gear and playstyle. When you're in a fight and 9-24 people are counting on you, if you're not at your best you're kind of letting them down. I made my tank on the back of being let down too many times (i.e. no one could stack sparks on malygos), I haven't looked back since, everyday I try and improve myself as a tank - do I consider myself an elitist? by all means no.

Lastly - if you're getting bent out of shape over this podcast, it's probably because your a tank, not a main tank, and there's nothing wrong with that. Tanks are as needed as healers, there is a small niche of us though that are main tanks - and we get this, this podcast speaks to us like the hot mexican pool cleaner talks to your wife.

Cheers for reading, I hope it's somewhat coherent.
Mega props for Vene.
Eraser

[Ontarin]

If you aren't always MTing, and the guild needs you as fury, do you really think it is beneficial to NOT have a dps offspec? Does hurting your raid, in actuality, help it? No, it doesn't. If the encounter calls for a different tank spec, hearth and and respec. Because when i have 3 tanks in a raid, and i say "Which of you can dps? This is a single tank fight." And the response i get is "I have two tank specs," from all of them, they are hurting the raid. If you are good enough at what you do, and people aren't noticing it, having a second tank spec isn't going to make realize.

[Ontarin]

Sorry, but this whole podcast, and quite a few responses sound like a big ego check. I MT every single fight for my guild, i did for my guild in BC, the only time i don't MT bosses is when another class is better suited for it (I play a warrior). You can say that "You just aren't the MT, and that's ok," but this isn't some sex addicts therapy. I have MTed for my guilds for the past 2 years, and having a second spec be dps, (which helps the raid) doesn't mean I'm not.