Tanks are suffering in World of Warcraft, as the game is simply too difficult. The fantasy of a steadfast hero who protects is at risk.
That in World of Warcraft not everyone is really satisfied with the balance is an old story by now. However, it’s rare for tanks to feel significantly weak in the dungeons of the MMORPG. But the current season is causing more and more tanks to throw in the towel and hope for drastic improvements.
What is the problem with the tanks? Until the end of Dragonflight, tanks were extremely resilient. In most dungeons, they could keep themselves alive and withstand groups and bosses for a long time, even if the healer had to attend to others or had already died. In some cases, tanks – given enough time – could finish the fights alone.
However, tanks are now significantly more threatened. Even at relatively low key levels, they rely on healers and can only survive alone for a short time.
Warriors currently form an exception, as they are still considered the mightiest tanks of the current season.
All other tank classes are rather dissatisfied with the current state, as the pressure has increased further. Besides the leader role in the group and the overall responsibility for the rate of progress, tanking often feels very “panicky”. The fantasy of a steadfast hero who endures the onslaught of enemies and protects their comrades is hardly fulfilled at present.
This situation has also led to more and more tanks and healers throwing in the towel and preferring to play something else.
Here’s what the community is discussing: In the World of Warcraft subreddit, the state of tanks is repeatedly discussed. In a relatively new post by Damnpudge, it is discussed how tanking has changed and how the health bars of tanks often feel like they are playing ping-pong.
The damage I take is not consistent. It’s exhausting that I jump between 1 HP, half health, and fully healed every few seconds. Reactive healers, like monks, can sometimes catch this, but otherwise, it’s just disgusting.
I actually enjoy tanking and healing, but damn, it’s just so sad to play.
Most reactions to this are understanding, as other tanks are also currently quite dissatisfied:
- “That’s just how tanking is this season. Tanking has become much harder, and you need a plan for every single pull regarding which cooldowns to use in which order, or you will get caught cold and become a victim of a oneshot.” – charging_chinchilla
- “It’s not your fault. The tank changes at the beginning of this expansion were a mistake.” – pbapolizzi300
- “A +9 is as hard as a +19 in the last expansion. It just hurts.
The system is too harsh for casuals.
Mental health simply feels bad when wiping on low keys like a +5 and having problems.” – Nemdraz
Will this improve in Patch 11.1? Currently, it doesn’t look like the situation for tanks will greatly improve in the second season. While there are some adjustments for most classes, the major tank changes are not included. Generally, the current season is considered one of the hardest ever. Therefore, one can at least hope that the overall difficulty of the dungeons in Patch 11.1 will be somewhat lower – at least Blizzard is also saying goodbye to the most annoying affix.
