World of Warcraft relies on the holy trinity of tanks, healers and damage makers. Traditionally, most players prefer to see big numbers and therefore play DPS classes, the other two fall by the wayside. At least refueling will soon be easier and maybe attract more people.
What role is it? Tanks are like the backbone of a group or guild. They attract the hatred of the opponents so that they only attack them and leave the other players alone.
In addition, they have various abilities to build up “aggro”, i.e. to bind opponents to themselves. They also often have the ability to temporarily boost their defenses or heal themselves. They are by far the toughest playable characters in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.
Why are tanks so popular? Even though every role is needed in a Holy Trinity, tanks are especially important. In WoW, a tank glitch can result in a raid being wiped out by a raid boss, and in dungeons, they set the pace.
In raids, fewer tanks are usually required, which is why the demand here is not that great. A nerd has already calculated that long-distance fighters are more sought after. This is because tanks usually accompany their guilds for many years and you only need 2-3 for a group of 20-30 people anyway.
It’s different with Dungeons and Mythic+. The “faster” content that is played by the masses suffers from an acute lack of tanks. Hardly anyone wants to fill up, partly because as a tanker you are always blamed if something doesn’t work out.
Blizzard has already tried to incentivize tanking with special rewards, so far without real success. There is still a lack of tanks. At least one change makes things easier.
WoW makes refueling easier, buffs more classes
It changes: With the upcoming patch 9.2.5 on June 2nd, threat generation will be increased. This means that tanks no longer lose aggro so quickly when the DDs suddenly fire out of all cylinders.
This is traditionally a problem, especially later in an expansion. Because the DPS is getting higher and higher, while tanks just endure more. Eventually the point is reached where a DD can easily steal aggro from a tank.
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The concept of “let it be refueled” hasn’t existed for at least 10 years, which is why the tank is more often blamed, especially in random groups, when the opponents in the group go marauding. This should happen less often with the upcoming patch.
Whether that really helps increase the popularity of the role remains to be seen. At the very least, it’s an incentive to check out your tank specialization and give it a try—unless every Fire Mage dies from their first Incinerate.
By the way, many MMORPGs have tried to kill WoW over the years. Here are the 5 biggest failures when trying:
5 MMORPGs That Should Be WoW Killers But Failed
What else is changing? In addition to tanks, other classes are getting a buff, including:
For most classes, there is only an increase in the damage of all or individual skills. The full list of class changes can be found on the WoW official forums.
Patch 9.2.5 also has other changes coming, including some that will affect all players. The handling of the players should be improved and there are some new features that should ensure a better climate. The strangest part is probably the new contract that players have to sign:
Blizzard Says WoW’s New Social Contract Is “Just the Beginning”