Tank, healing, and why the hell can't we farm!?

My main is a paladin. At one point, Blizzard called them a defensive hybrid and they really are. Ret paladins are VIABLE. The problem is, the viability is leveling and past Kara raiding. PvP they’re even doing alright. But in Heroics, and 5-mans with under-geared people (you know, the type that still needs to run regular 5 mans), and Kara, they do not shine. Yes, they CAN have GREAT DPS, but they’re not hybrids in the way that elemental shamans, shadow priests, or even feral druids are. They DPS, and that’s really it. An occasional heal is a major hit to their DPS. Elemental shamans are similar, but its no were near as much of a problem. Shadow priests are set up great, and feral can switch between DPS and tanking with the click of a button (ok ok, they won’t tank so great in kitty gear, but they still can do a half-way decent job.)

Now, before this gets anymore into how I think paladins should be actual hybrids, and ret needs more viability, the point. I’ve played both a tank and a healer in one class. Done a few instances as a tank at 70 (but I don’t like getting healed by someone else, they always seem to do something that I, as a healer, can’t stand) and done Netherwing dailies as a tank. It sucks to do those dailies. Really, really, really badly. And as a healer, it’s actually EASIER, due to Blizzard’s genius idea to have part of +heal become +spell damage. (It’s like a third, right?) I just stand there, lay a consecrate, heal myself, rinse and repeat. I can take 5-7 mobs this way. I’m also in some epics, have around 666 +spell, and my consecrate ticks are crazy.

That way of farming is almost the exact thing as prot, except I don’t use SoL to heal myself, I use my own heals. I do take more damage though, and it still takes forever.

But whenever I’m down in those damned Netherwing mines, I remember how BAD it was to be there as a tank, and I seriously think they need to fix that.

Tanks have the worst place in this game. Sure, healers have a tough time farming, but with the recent change, it’s not quite as bad as it COULD be. But they also have much less for repair bills, and just about as much (if not more) costs for consumables. And they CAN farm, but they’re really just killing the mobs with their health bar. Ok, ok, you can switch into DPS gear (unless you’re a paladin, then you’re just doubly screwed) but it still is nothing like being a DPS class. Plus, to get decent DPS gear you have to either a) get lucky or not have anyone take it b) farm honor in PvP and just pick up season 1 stuff or c) make it yourself (and some of those cost a lot, plus leveling up a profession can be costly).

It’s just not a good system.

How can it be fixed? Not easily. I’m not sure you could do just a basic thing like healing => spell damage. Especially with druids as a consideration. The reason why druids would cause a problem has to do with what stat would you make the conversion with? Well, if you used Stam => attack power, kitties would have all tank gear, and no need to change out gear to switch roles. Or armor => attack power. And while *I* wouldn’t mind this (and I can’t get a druid out of Mulgore XP) I could hear the QQ’s now.

Now, before someone jumps on me and says that healers have it horrible for farming, they spend as much as tanks and its only a little better, well, I know, I’m a healer, and I wear plate. Think of my repair bills you squishy little lucky priests ;) But they already had their “fix” and I really do think it might be the cause of cases like Area 52, where the server is good (for the most part) on healers, but can’t find a tank around.

And DPS classes, if you come in here and you comment that farming sucks for you also. Well. Let me just put it this way. You’re wrong. YOU may not enjoy it, but I can guarantee you, someone in your class loves it, and they wouldn’t want to roll another class just for farming.

It’s not exactly a very bright and shiny future. Maybe WotLK will bring something innovative from the minds of the developers and the problem will get fixed.

For now, it just means I need to level up a TRUE DPS class, so that I can’t get sidetracked into something like tanking ;)


As a side note, I suck at grammar and at spelling.