Goldilock's Catharsis: It only took me three attempts

I started playing WoW on May 2009. I've already established that. And I took to tanking rather well, I feel. Or rather, It's what I preferred doing. I started on a pally, which is considered by most 'Easymode' tanking. Since then, I leveled a DK tank to 80, I'm currently leveling a warrior (almost at Northrend) and I plan to level a druid when the next expansion hits. All in all, I expect to have a closet of tanks some day. Because I am that OCD.

It's kind of bittersweet that I've left the druid for last, because at this point I kind of expect to like it the least of all the four tanking classes. I'm extrapolating possibilities from what I've heard vis-á-vis what I already know I like and dislike from other classes.

I had a long rundown of how each class works, but blogspot did not save it for me, so I have to rewrite a lot of it...=/


in a nutshell:

Paladins - are like beating your smaller sibling at any sport, if they were not already athletes: it's easy to look good on a pally, it's like driving on automatic. It's a nice loop. The only time it's kinda loopy and odd is when offtanking, and Paladins seem to have a button for everything. Mage is getting chewed out 20 yds away? There's THIS button to make them INVINCIBLE!!!! Healer is getting shot in the face? There's THIS button to make YOU get shot in the face FOR them! Is the entire raid retarded and standing in fire (And fire sadly does not give you the "awesomeness buff")???? You have THIS button to make you take damage FOR THEM!!!! WOOO!!!!! All in all, the hard part about paladins is gearing them, and later on taking shit for A. Having leveled a pally instead of a warrior and B. For sucking at single target tanking in some specific bosses.


Druids- I don't have one, but I can't wait to have one. I'll have you know though, from what I hear I can gear them however I want, and I'd only have three buttons. Three buttons!?!?!? Wtf! It's like staring at fish in a buckett!!!

DK- DK is said to be a convoluted tanking class, and IT IS!!! Basically, as of now, you can do a dk tank...however you want. Could be ANY spec, and it's still feasible. It's like freeform poetry: It sucks, and you can't do anything about it except order another beer to make it go down smoother. Basically, I went with blood tank, because I dislike not having a shield, but I like being slightly independent of a healer as a tradeoff. I didn't know it was gonna be THE tank spec for Cataclysm, the upcoming expansion. Basically a DK tank goes as follows: it's a gimped paladin that makes up for getting hit harder than any other tank class, and not dodging ENOUGH by doing a LOT of damage. The reason why people say it's complicated? Because A. you don't have mana, you have runes, which work in a weird gimicky way B. all the damage you do is based on ilnesses you pass on (Like a Typhoid Mary Tank) C. They have a rotation VERY MUCH like a paladin....except the rotation ....has a few seconds of hang time while you wait for a rune or two to come off it's cooldown D. It's hard to gear with one less item to enchant (shield, I mourn you) and E. Nobody can make up their mind so far which spec is better. All in all, Dks are much maligned in general, so whenever you tank somewhat passable as a DK, it's a bit of a miracle, but everyone expects you to screw up. They do make good tanks though, very flashy. And eventually, very very laid back. Their lack of 'OH SHIT' buttons bothers me though. They have a few, yes, but all for self preservation, not many to save other very important people, like maybe the healer? Hmm.


Warriors- So far, I've only leveled a warrior to 70, and working, but I LOVE THIS CLASS. Here's the deal with warriors: It's hard to gear them, they have too many specs for too many kinds of tanking, they have issues with rage, people take advantage of them at the beginning of pulls, tanking groups is stressful enough to give you a headache, they have very few abilities to save other party members (compared to pallies) and they have NO SET rotation, but rather a priority system....it's like going from a laptop to a clickey clackey typewriter. BUT THEY ARE SOOOOOO overpowered. I haven't had this much fun in so long. This was the class I was meant to play on. The few abilities they DO have to save other party members simply make them shine as heroes, and the group tanking mechanics are so incredibly hands on, it's hard not to feel like you're actually skilled when it works! Not to mention that warriors are loaded with abilities meant to hinder and humiliate your opponent (Pvper running away? How's about a mad dash to them that does damage and stuns them? Then you can lower their armor by 8% in one fell swoop while doing damage and have the chance to hit them in the face with a big plank of iron you tote around to cover your ass. It is GLORIOUS)

So it took me three journeys to level 80 to get a taste of what I really loved to do. It's sad I left the druid for last, seeing as how I will probably not like it as much, and the experience will suffer in the process, but who the heck cares? I'm having fun now!!!