Tanking in World of Warcraft has become a strange matter. At least, that is what Cortyn thinks.
Anyone who currently enjoys experiencing the most challenging content in World of Warcraft with a small group dives into the various “Mythic+” dungeons of Battle for Azeroth. Here, the difficulty increases more and more depending on how strong the keystone is. While most keystones below “+10” can still be tackled with normal tactics, that is hardly possible later on.
I’m not talking about having to suddenly CC enemies again and freeing them in turn, no. That is cool, planned gameplay, as needed in Classic, Burning Crusade, and Cataclysm.
I’m talking about the fact that the playstyle of a tank eventually transforms into complete absurdity.
This is the problem with tanking: In almost all other PvE content of World of Warcraft, tanking works on a simple principle: The tank gathers the enemies, binds them to himself, and tries to avoid as much damage as possible. He does this by interrupting spells, stepping out of area effects, or timing his defensive cooldowns correctly.
However, from “Mythic+15” onwards, this is no longer the case. A tank does not “tank” there anymore. He only runs around the room in panic after having attacked the enemies for a few seconds using almost all of his cooldowns.
With Patch 8.1, new strategies are needed for the “Mythic+” dungeons.
Little planned gameplay: It’s no longer about the character being able to withstand the enemy due to his equipment, but rather about getting the enemies into a perpetual run. The goal is to ensure that the enemies can no longer reach the tank, leading to different “courses” through which you pull the enemies from dungeon to dungeon. Those who get hit lose.
A good example is the current record run of Mythic+22.
Departure from class fantasy: Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way, but this has very little to do with the desired playstyle of a tank for me. When I’m a warrior with a shield or a grim demon hunter, I don’t want to run around the dungeon panicking like the clichéd “little girl” in fear of being hit. I want to be able to resist enemies, to face them in melee combat, and fight them there.
I have nothing against kiting as such. Occasionally, it is a great mechanic and can certainly fit. But when every fight turns into such a silly back-and-forth, I lose the feeling that I am truly a tank.
How do you feel about the current situation as a tank? Do you enjoy this constant running? Or does it also disturb your class fantasy?
