Death to n00b Nukers!

Tanking has proven to be a fun change of pace in the endgame. Having spent two years as a ranged DPSer, it's been challenging to try something completely different. As a tank, you're pretty much the focus of attention, keeping the mob at arm's length of the rest of the group and focussed on you. Anyone who knows me will know I have no trouble pissing people off, so I guess that's stood me in good stead as well.

(Admittedly, half the bosses I've killed as a tank have proceeded to extract revenge on me by dropping Hunter loot, but I've taken that in good humor. For the most part.)

It has, however sharpened my intolerance for sloppiness on the part of damage dealers. I feel hypocritical in part for this, since I can't always claim to have been the most focussed nuker out there, but the difference between good DPS and bad DPS is noticable.

Take last night's Shadow Labyrinth run. As with the week before, it was me tanking, a Druid healing, a Shadow Priest nuking/offhealing a Mage and a Warlock. It was functionally identical to the group from the week before which had had so many problems, with the substitution of a mage in place of a hunter. However, with the exception of myself and the Druid, all the players were different. That difference however was noticeable in their discipline, skill and damage output. In the other group we wiped about a dozen times before calling it quits on the second boss. Last night we killed all bosses first time and wiped only once to a bad pull on the way to the last boss.

It's not surprising. Damage dealers have historically had the easiest role in parties and are one of the easiest classes to level. As long as the tanks and healers are on their game, any amount of bad habits can be masked.

I can heartily reccomend that any damage dealer try playing a healer or a tank for a while. It sharpens your skills and makes you more sensitive to the effect your own role has on the group's performance.