why do so few people like to play tanks in this game.

[nrevox]

After having tanked in a great many MMOs, I'll give you my personal reasons why I don't tank in SWTOR (in fact it dovetails with "why I don't even do group content").

 

Simply put - it's stressful and thankless. Being a tank requires more effort than anything else; and if you screw up, it's entirely probable the team will wipe, blame you, and quit. Worse, there's always "that one guy" who will complain *even if the run is going smoothly*.

 

To top it off, it's difficult to get a tank off the ground and get the necessary experience* because people have this bizarre concept that everyone should know every dungeon perfectly the first time. Maybe that's not the case in TOR, but in other games I've played that's absolutely how it is - you go in and you're expected to already know what you're doing 100% perfectly... even if it's the very first dungeon in the game and you're brand new to the game. That's bad enough for DPS players, but for a tank it's absolutely nervewracking.

 

Worse - if you decide to wait it out and level up to cap before doing dungeons, you'll generally get your tail kicked horribly trying to figure out what you're doing as (usually) the leveling process doesn't really at all prepare you for the world of end game tanking.

 

The point of all this is simple - MMO players in general need to be nicer to their groupmates, especially new tanks.

That's not the only reason of course; I could go on and on about how group content in most games is pretty bland and that too keeps a lot of veteran tanks from bothering to tank in newer games. Still, I feel that's the biggest aspect of it - almost no one wants to be insulted or put in the hot seat, and yet that's generally the lot of an MMO tank.

 

*As a player, not to level up.

 

 

 

I very much agree with this. I started playing TOR maybe 2 months after launch. My first character was a tank (after 5 years of tanking in COH and CoV i thought it would be fun!) . Ended up switching him to DPS because of how i got bashed my very first run in a group. Tried again later, and same thing. I don't know, but even when the run was smooth, it seemed all i got was grief. Havent touched it again since. I want to have fun, not argue with an idiot who says "dude you suck" after every fight. Just started a new tank last night. My Guild only has 3 or 4 really good tanks, but they are never on at the same time. A couple of them would like to play their other toons too, so i want to be able to help out whenever I can. I doubt i will be pugging though. I luckily now have a good group of friends that i can run with and finally learn without the hassle.

 

That was just my 2 cents.

[MeisterBabylon]

I prefer ranged combat, and used to have VGs/PTs because they were semi-ranged tanks. Not any more.

 

Now I still play my shadowsins and they are in tank spec, but hell the spike makes me heart stop at times.

 

I'll be leveling Guardians and Juggs next just for the story. Haven't played them since launch as I prefer non-force users usually.

[RenegadeRukus]

I have one of each tank imperial and working on the force users pubside. If I come across a shoddy tank on one of my other classes or get pulled as dps and switch gear and role I will generally be kind and help the other tank with what I know and offer a 1 on 1 training in a duo-able FP if they want to know more. I also pvp tank on all of them, and starting to get some training in owpvp areas for some who are learning.

[Kaisernick]

i have 3 tanks on red eclipse and 2 on progenator.

 

SW_display_name got it right though it can be stressful and sometimes people rip into you if u make 1 simple mistake (however its become less and less as i think people know if they upset the tank they could leave and finding another is hard)

[Cyberwoman]

I recently created an alt Sith Juggernaut with the purpose of making her a tank, and yet I am now level twenty and I have yet to tank one flashpoint/heroic. I think I am honestly just to scared. If a Tank wasn't supposed to lead the party then I think I may be OK. I like healing, and I am used to being blamed for almost everything under the sun, but with that I just have to sit back and support, not actually direct and give tactics and stuff like that. Its a shame, because I want to try it as I really like the idea of having a tank character. I may end up respecing her, or sticking with quests/PVP. I do like playing PVP as a tank at least Edited July 5, 2013 by Cyberwoman

[LingBa]

There is no shortage of tanks in game, it is simply that most will rarely choose to PUG. I have recently dusted off my PT Tank and also levelled a Jugg to tank - every time I do the H4 in Section X I end up in a group with at least 2, often 3 tanks - this happens too often to be simple coincidence

[AlrikFassbauer]

To me, "tanking" means = "close combat".

 

And I very, very clearly prefer ranged combat - in *any* RPG (I don't play any shooters except Star Wars Battlefront I , because it's just not my genre. It's simply a matter of taste).

 

So, I remain to be DD, with my Jedi Sentinel being rather an experiment than something I'd really like to play.

[Kynesis]

Because there are only 3 tank capable ACs out of 8 for each side, all 3 of which have 2 other perfectly capable DPS specs as well. Purely based on numbers, assuming an absolutely even distribution between all specs and classes (which isn't true, but close enough for gov't work), there will be only 3 tanks for every 18 DPS. In reality, there are even *more* DPS than that for each tank because DPS is simply a more popular role.

 

As to why DPS is a more popular role, several reasons have already been brought up: DPS is a lower stress role that doesn't act as the default leader position or the first person most people blame when something goes wrong; people like to see big numbers, and tanks don't get those; getting tank gear is harder than DPS gear because a lot of the comm gear for tanks is utter rubbish and, unlike healer and DPS gear, doesn't have role interchangeable stats (only tanks use Shield, Abs, and Defense but both healers and DPS use Crit, Surge, Power, and Alac); properly played, a tank puts themself at the most risk, specifically at the mercy of the healer healing effectively (if the healer sucks, you're going to get a massive repair bill while everyone else only has a moderate one); etc.

 

Quoting Kitru in a vain hope that the devs might consider these few concise and laudable paragraphs.

 

Either that or have somebody print it out, grab whoever's in charge by his oversized, sparkly lapels and read this to them slowly and clearly, repeatedly if necessary, until the glaze clears from his eyes.

[Dominoris]

The point of all this is simple - MMO players in general need to be nicer to their groupmates,

 

There is no shortage of tanks in game, it is simply that most will rarely choose to PUG.

 

Just add them together and there's my position.

[DarthSpekulatius]

I recently created an alt Sith Juggernaut with the purpose of making her a tank, and yet I am now level twenty and I have yet to tank one flashpoint/heroic. I think I am honestly just to scared. If a Tank wasn't supposed to lead the party then I think I may be OK. I like healing, and I am used to being blamed for almost everything under the sun, but with that I just have to sit back and support, not actually direct and give tactics and stuff like that. Its a shame, because I want to try it as I really like the idea of having a tank character. I may end up respecing her, or sticking with quests/PVP. I do like playing PVP as a tank at least

 

don't worry just keep stuff from attacking the Healer, stay out of avoidable AOE, and keep stuff from attacking DPS. in that order, Tanking is really simple.

 

as soon as you have these basics try to remember where/if adds will spawn if you attack that mob so you can move over there before they are even able to attack the healer.

 

if the healer can keep you up don't be hesitant to open up on the next group or someone might go on a Rampage, tell your group that you are a fresh tank, or if you now that FP only from healing it/ not at all, especially ask the Healer to tell you if your pace is all right/to slow/to fast.

stay with the healer he/she loves you don't worry about the DPS they hate you for grabbing attention rightfully belonging to them.

 

thats all there is to it. tanking is strategy

the simpler you keep it the less can go wrong.

 

[morfius]

I have some tanks, but as casual player with no guild it is not easy to simply PUG without someone knowing FP/OPS well.

My wife have healer characters... so group is half ready.

For all my tries there was only ONE player that was helpful enough so I could understand how to handle content.

It take 1 to 5 sentences after all, is it so hard?

Maybe community is the reason?

[ishbindeinvater]

groups are strange sometimes. you write something in chat and no one answers. it happens about 20% that something is wrong in the group.

 

I am always asking whether its the first time for someone here and if yes, I am explaining things. its not that hard. I am also asking myself, when its first time for me or I don't remember anymore. I play DPS, tank and healer. I think tank is hardest and when the tank is good, the healer has a quite easy job to do.

 

and for the question in the topic, tank has the most responsibility. everybody thinks he has to know everything, and is leading. it shouldn't be that way but it is.

 

sometimes when either the tank or the healer aren't that good, I wonder myself, why aren't the other people help with CC, even DPS got CCs... but no, DPS are often very e-***** damage oriented....

Edited July 12, 2013 by ishbindeinvater