What tank requires the least amount of keybinds?

[TifaniaMGP]

I want to switch to a tanking class because 50 min queue times which usually end with no loot is not acceptable. I am getting older and although I have been playing MMOs since ultima online in '98 im starting to lose my gaming reflexes i think. I just dont think i can play having to use 30+ keybinds anymore which is another reason Im getting tired of my Demo/Afflic lock. Im not looking for something totally faceroll like pre 4.0 paladins where u could use 2 macros and still clear current content but I dont want to rely on tons of keybinds either. Does such a tanking class exist?

[Martie]

For my prot paladin, I use 6 keybinds for my main rotation (Hammer, shield, judgement, Avenger's shield, holy wrath and word of glory,) with another three or four buttons that I use rarely (cooldowns, pulling tools, etc.) I personally stopped relying on macros, but I think I could come up with a few macroes that would cut down the amount of buttons needed at an acceptable loss of performance.


There's a few other solutions to your issues, though.
The first would be to befriend a bunch of tanks and healers.
The second would be to hire them - simply offer them a decent amount of gold for their efforts in /trade.
The third would be to hire a tank simply to get you out of the queue. Once you are in the instance, you get priority on the queue, so he can leave once you are in.

[Symph]

Not really. All tanking requires a good amount of reaction time and good use of keybinds, especially now with how heroics are, you really need to make use of a lot of skills.

DK tanking is probably the slowest paced though.

[klausi]

Paladin? Don't forget about the hand spells, heals etc.
Feral? You can use same hotkeys for different abilities in different forms but there are still a ton around.
DK? Don't underestimate the sheer amount of cooldowns you want to hit every so often.
Warrior? I've never played a class where i had to hit more different buttons that frequently.

All those classes could be reduced to a regular few buttons tanking rotation - but those other utilty abilities and talents will help you survive on a bossfight an save the raid if used properly and on time (read: with a hotkey instead of clicking). If you want to learn tanking, go ahead. But please don't pick a class based on the amount of keybinds.

[Selene]

In my opinion not counting cool downs, a Paladin is probably the "easiest" tank to run.
For your "main" strike you use a Single-Target or AoE attack, you have 2 more AoEs, you have an ability that can be multi-target or single-target depending on how you glyph it. And with your Holy Power you have a Heal or Single-Target attack.

[Fetzie]

If you don't want to use utility stuff each tank needs about the same amount of buttons. When you start to use the stuff that is not critical to your rotation, but will still save people's lives the amount of keybinds that are necessary skyrockets.

paladin: CS, HotR, AS, Judge, ShoR
warrior: devastate, heroic strike, thunderclap, revenge, shield slam
druid: thrash, lacerate, mangle, faerie fire, bash
deathknight: rune strike, death strike, frost fever, plague strike, pestilence

these will "get you by". they will not make you the best tank in the world, and you will probably wipe quite a bit without other stuff macroed and/or bound.

[praetoria]

not warriors... roll a paladin

[Fetzie]

not warriors... roll a paladin

why not a druid or a deathknight? they "need" the same amount of buttons.

anyway i have a feeling that kaze might start thinking that this is a "my class is better than yours, /discuss" flamebait thread, so lets not start that.rubbish.

[squats]

A clicking tank.

GO!!

[Bovinity]

A clicking tank.

GO!!

I've tanked almost the entirety of H-HoO without once touching my keyboard - not even for movement - just to see if I could. (Any my left hand was in pain.)

I guess I'm a clicker now!

[praetoria]

please leave the clicker thread where it is... dead

[squats]

please leave the clicker thread where it is... dead

I don't see how it's off subject at all. A clicking tank needs no keybinds.

I don't condone this gameplay method.. It's just funny

[praetoria]

I don't see how it's off subject at all. A clicking tank needs no keybinds.

I don't condone this gameplay method.. It's just funny

no no.. sorry if i came off wrong.. i was making a joke about an old thread.. that was indeed, funny.

[Maèl]

This thread somehow hits home. The sheer amount of keybinds you need has become ridiculous.

Take for instance a warrior storming to an enemy. We got two of those on different cooldowns. Sure, you can macro those together and it somehow works. We got two short range AoE debuffs that reduce the enemy's ability to melee you and give different values of threat on separate cooldowns(demo shout and tclap). If you take it this way you can cut out a lot of dead wood.

On my healing priest I have 16 keybinds all tied to macros with 2-3 spells per keybind(switched with shift and alt) with the only shadow school spells remaining keybound being SW:P, MB, Fade and manahound. My warrior is worse and I don't even stance dance anymore. Add engi tinkers and trinkets and you are in a situation where it is easier to click some abilities.

IMHO the OP's question is totally valid.