Mid-day Quick Word..

I had, and still intend, on posting a real post later today. I was reading this on the Maintankadin forums. The topic is about being pressured to do content(which I don't feel in my guild, luckily...I'm one of the ones doing the pressuring....)

One of the posters had a great statement about what it means to be a tank, and I wanted to share for those who don't read the forum.

"When I first started learning about tanking, thinking about tanking, planning to gear a tank, I read an excellent guide (that I wish i could find right now) that had the following advice for people thinking about becoming tanks: Don't. Simply put, tanks have by far the most pressure on them of any raid role because they're always pivotal to the action. A tank has more ways to screw up than any other role. A tank cannot, under any circumstances, be cheap about enchants, gems, or even the slightest upgrade if he wishes to get respect from his guild and not be replaced by someone who's hungrier. To be a quality tank, you have to want to be the best. You have to have that bloodlust.

More will be expected of you as a tank than any other raider. Whether or not this is fair is entirely irrelevant; it is a fact of tanking. Even in pugs, you will be the whipping boy. How many "30k+ hp" trade chats have we seen for pugs? Far more, and far more significant than the spellpower requirements (also nonsense, but that's neither here nor there) for healers. If the tank dies, it will be assumed it is because he's not geared enough, even if he went 10 seconds without a heal. It simply doesn't matter. You will be blamed.

I agree with the other posters that it is likely, in time, your guild will find a tank with that bloodthirst. They will find a tank who wants to do that content with them. And you will no longer be their preference.

Decide now if you want to commit to excellence, or respec. It's not a fun choice. it's probably not fair. But as long as you continue being a tank, especially a tank in a raiding guild, people are going to ask more of you than you're prepared to give. You need to be willing to give it."