Spinwhiz:
I actually got to the point where I would just let noob DPSers die. If you are dumb enough to start with your biggest nukes and pull aggro, you deserve to watch the rest of the fight with your face in the dirt. Tough love...but I'm not your mama. :)

Well, as someone who has been the (not so noobish) DPS who has died at your feet, and also the Tank who kept his alts standing... I kinda take offense at this statement...

But I definately understand it.

Having run with Spinwhiz almost daily from the time we first met in Permafrost, thru 2 mini content releases and 2 expansions... guilding with him at times, and just pugging with him at others, it was ALWAYS a joy.

Aure:

Spinwhiz:
I actually got to the point where I would just let noob DPSers die. If you are dumb enough to start with your biggest nukes and pull aggro, you deserve to watch the rest of the fight with your face in the dirt. Tough love...but I'm not your mama. :)

Well, as someone who has been the (not so noobish) DPS who has died at your feet, and also the Tank who kept his alts standing... I kinda take offense at this statement...

But I definately understand it.

Having run with Spinwhiz almost daily from the time we first met in Permafrost, thru 2 mini content releases and 2 expansions... guilding with him at times, and just pugging with him at others, it was ALWAYS a joy.

I appreciate the kind words Aure...BUT...you dying was not my fault! Nobody could taunt off those huge dps dots! lol

Great to see you!

I appreciate your articles look into the pysche of men and gamers. Indeed, I find it indicative not only of the nature of the humble tank, who seeks both to be lauded for their efforts as well to be the humble hero in equal measure- but also of Men, who by nurture and instinct want to be the hero and the righter of wrongs, even when they are thoroughly unqualified for it.

I always play a tank because I prefer to be Self Sufficient. Other classes need someone to protect them so they can use their awesome powers, the tanks awesome power is the fact they don't need protecting.

Whose the better superhero?

"According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, there are five levels of need. The first is physiological, the need for food and shelter. The second is security and protection. The third is social, which encompasses the sense of belonging and love. The fourth level is esteem needs: self-esteem, recognition and status."

What's the fifth? :)

Spinwhiz:

Virgil:

roo18:
Google, Youtube, Wikipedia, Photobucket, Webmail and...? :]

SomethingAwful ;)

Oh lord. I can only imagine what is in store for me with you guys shouting to the hills about this article...and picture. lol

heroine-sheik.com

+++++

You realize you're now the Brandi Chastain of MMOs, right?

acheval:
"According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, there are five levels of need. The first is physiological, the need for food and shelter. The second is security and protection. The third is social, which encompasses the sense of belonging and love. The fourth level is esteem needs: self-esteem, recognition and status."

What's the fifth? :)

The 5th is actually self actualization, which wrote as the final paragraph. I tried to be sneaky! :)

Cheeze_Pavilion:

heroine-sheik.com

+++++

You realize you're now the Brandi Chastain of MMOs, right?

hahahaha I'll take that as a compliment but I'm pretty sure my pic won't make it off this website. Now if it makes it onto heroine-sheik, who knows where this will spiral off to! lol

edit: and scared! haha

Where would one procure a recipe for these flaming hot apple pie shots?

I have to say, the feeling that you get as a high level tank getting a lower level group through a high level dungeon is feckin magic... especially when you "perfect" the dungeon and keep 100% of agro 100% of the time

smoo:
Where would one procure a recipe for these flaming hot apple pie shots?

Note: This is for people over the age of 21 and we aren't held responsible for anyone doing anything stupid :)

Now that I've cleared myself, here is your recipe:

In a shot glass (usually 1 1/2 ounces).

Fill 3/4 shot of Goldschlager
Next, fill to before the lip with an irish cream of your choosing. It would be easiest to pour the irish cream over a spoon and into the shot glass, thus causing a layering effect).
Next, pour some 151 on top. It does not take a lot! Don't be dumb and pour it all over the place.
Next, light a match and wave it over the shot until it catches on fire.
Then, sprinkle cinnamon on top (watch out, it sparks a bit).

THEN BLOW THE FIRE OUT GENTLY . Let it cool down a bit, then knock it back.

Again, we aren't held responsible for any of this. You've been warned. :)

wordsmith:
I have to say, the feeling that you get as a high level tank getting a lower level group through a high level dungeon is feckin magic... especially when you "perfect" the dungeon and keep 100% of agro 100% of the time

That's the way I felt about Runnyeye in EQ2 *sigh*

I completely understand. I can't help but be "the tank" either. When I used to play MMO's alot in highschool, I was always the paladin or warrior. Helping people not get hurt in a game is good enough for me, since, apparently being 120lbs. and about 6ft tall isn't considered "hulking."

Anyways... Props to you, my friend. Props indeed.

I love playing support too, either as healer er tank. And I love to be good at it in pickup groups, so people will notice that they didn't pick up a nose-picking jackass. I play Lotro, and people tend notice your qualities better then in WoW (I also played that) which makes fighting in pickup groups more of a thankful job.

Interesting read. The only MMOs I have played are WoW and Guild Wars, but I've tried filling most of the classic roles. DPS is what I do best, but I've tanked a fair bit with a paladin. It's a good challenge, and a lot more interesting than just clicking the same spell over and over and running away the rest of the time - I really think the ranged DPS formula is in need of a serious workover. Mages want to have fun too!
Tanks need to keep an eye on all the monsters, party members' health (like a healer) as well as their own and use their skills in the right order (like say, melee DPS) - that's more than all the other members do combined!
To sum up my point, I think MMO's tend to put too much responsibility on the tank, while simplifying the game too much for other classes. I usually pick my class from an aesthetic perspective (I like rogueish types and mages), and I've felt a bit disappointed in how simple these classes are to play compared to tanking.

Virgil:
Hey, look at that picture of Jeff! Looks like someone's going to the gun show!

Is that a Bear Magazine centerfold?

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the article. Very well written, and very interesting. I'm not an MMOG player but after reading your article and the one about Achilles' Phat Lewt, I feel myself becoming curious.

Age of Conan needs to hurry up and release on 360, damn it.

Dramamine EX:

Anyways... Props to you, my friend. Props indeed.

Thank you very much, it's greatly appreciated.

poleboy:
DPS is what I do best, but I've tanked a fair bit with a paladin.

To sum up my point, I think MMO's tend to put too much responsibility on the tank, while simplifying the game too much for other classes. I usually pick my class from an aesthetic perspective (I like rogueish types and mages), and I've felt a bit disappointed in how simple these classes are to play compared to tanking.

I can see this in most of what I have seen as well. Luckily, unlike older MMO's, there are different types of tanks, so player classes are a bit more fun. Unfortunately, I don't see any of the different player classes being all that much different.

Thank you for your input!

This was a pretty sad and pathetic article, you play a videogame cause you need to feel needed? Which probably means you're not getting that in real life, which is where your attention should be focused instead of covering it up with a videogame.

Chasington:
This was a pretty sad and pathetic article, you play a videogame cause you need to feel needed? Which probably means you're not getting that in real life, which is where your attention should be focused instead of covering it up with a videogame.

Hmm.. I think I'll let someone more eloquent pick that apart.

Hmm.. it's nice to see someone being a tank because they actually like to protect other people. I just happened to be obsessed with a shield, so I tend to pick up tank class.
And even though I really like being resilient, I much prefer being the smart-ass who makes everyone's life a living hell..so a tank/debuffer hybrid is the way to go for me.
I'm a very good real life tank though. Most of my friends are amazed at how much beating I can take before I go down. (Sounds pretty bad, but people used to play a game of who can hurt me until I lose composure first. Not many people ever won that game, since they don't want to send me to the nurse.)

Ares Tyr:

Is that a Bear Magazine centerfold?

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the article. Very well written, and very interesting. I'm not an MMOG player but after reading your article and the one about Achilles' Phat Lewt, I feel myself becoming curious.

Age of Conan needs to hurry up and release on 360, damn it.

I'm not sure what Bear Magazine is but I'm scared. lol

I'm glad I could spike your curiosity. I'm not sure how many MMO's are on a console except for...FFXI? I would say Phantasy Star, but that will kill your wanting to ever play an MMO again. I'm also not sure what Warhammer or AoC are planning for 360 development. PC sort of trumps the MMO arena. Unless someone has more info?

Danny Ocean:

Chasington:
This was a pretty sad and pathetic article, you play a videogame cause you need to feel needed? Which probably means you're not getting that in real life, which is where your attention should be focused instead of covering it up with a videogame.

Hmm.. I think I'll let someone more eloquent pick that apart.

I think I'll let someone other than myself pick it apart. I'm tired :)

See, I'm all about flexibility. It's why I love my Druid in WoW. I've tanked, I've DPS'd, I've healed. I like being in cat form, seeing a loose mob head for our healer, and being able to shift to bear, charge, and grab it long enough for the proper tank to pick it up.

Don't bother. Flaming on a video game site forum is a more desperate cry for attention than wanting to be needed in an MMO...

Aure:
Don't bother. Flaming on a video game site forum is a more desperate cry for attention than wanting to be needed in an MMO...

buwahahahahaa

In WoW, I play as a tank. About a month ago, I tried to go dps for a change. That was a big mistake. I couldn't find a single group without a need for a tank. So I promptly changed back to tanking. I do enjoy tanking more but now, I have a new way of thinking about it. Thanks for the article, it was a good read.

I understand the tanking thing myself, and why I enjoy it is about the same. I play WoW myself, and have done all the roles, but the reason tank also sticks so well is its a lot of work to pull off to do well, but it also gives the most control over anything in my experience. The people need to listen to you or they are likely to get themselves killed, follow what the tank does and improvise over a mistake and you are set. From any other perspective, damage or heals, I can do so much less though, either taking the hit from a mistake one of us made, be it myself or the tank, or frantically trying to heal to no avail. At l;east as the tank I can try to control these mistakes, and the skill there comes from fixing it all before you wipe the group.

Spinwhiz:

Ares Tyr:

Is that a Bear Magazine centerfold?

I read and thoroughly enjoyed the article. Very well written, and very interesting. I'm not an MMOG player but after reading your article and the one about Achilles' Phat Lewt, I feel myself becoming curious.

Age of Conan needs to hurry up and release on 360, damn it.

I'm not sure what Bear Magazine is but I'm scared. lol

I'm glad I could spike your curiosity. I'm not sure how many MMO's are on a console except for...FFXI? I would say Phantasy Star, but that will kill your wanting to ever play an MMO again. I'm also not sure what Warhammer or AoC are planning for 360 development. PC sort of trumps the MMO arena. Unless someone has more info?

On Bear Magazine. I'll just say this. Some in the gay community like them big and hairy.

Yeah, Phantasy Star never interested me and I've never really done anything with Warhammer so I don't see why I'm going to start with the MMO. Me and my friends had already decided to get AoC in order to form a bad ass mercenary group and generally raid cities and be barbarians. I was also interested in Everquest 2, but I don't really have the money or desire to pay for a monthly subscription. With X-Box Live I can just pay $50 bucks for a year and be done with it. I'm also pretty sure any expansion packs released will be on the Live Marketplace so everything will be alot easier for me.

So Age of Conan needs to hurry its ass up and get onto 360.

Very interesting read.

I tend to die of boredom 5 minutes into an MMO but I keep trying them out. Never really Tanked before, never got far enough into them.

If only they'd make one with a FUN combat system. :S

Either way, good read and fun picture. :)

I still feel DPS pwns all.... Sorry Spinwhiz.....

Rogue for the win!!!!

Igoram78:
In WoW, I play as a tank. About a month ago, I tried to go dps for a change. That was a big mistake. I couldn't find a single group without a need for a tank. So I promptly changed back to tanking. I do enjoy tanking more but now, I have a new way of thinking about it. Thanks for the article, it was a good read.

Once again, gotta love being a Druid with decent sets of cat, bear, and healer gear :P

"You guys need a DPS?"

"Nah."

"*gear swap* what about a tank?"

Hulk Hogan apparently has nothing on the writer. 24-inch pythons? Pah!

Good-natured ribbing aside, I read the article. The people who are tanks are inevitably the same kind of archetype as the ones playing the healers. The best of them are ones that sacrifice their level of well-being, or even enjoyment, for the benefit of others. As a dedicated support class player in nearly every class-based game I've played, I identify a lot with the "wanting to help" mentality. Granted, with support characters, it's generally much different, as they are typically frail and cannot take much abuse, but the concept of helping when help is needed is the same.

There are such things as people who play healers, and tanks, with the wrong mentality, but it's nice to see that at least one tank out there is thinking of more than just the glory of standing in front of a particularly nasty monster.

Cmon a tank isnt all that bad.
I suppose its up to the server/game you play.
Being a wow player and a healer/dps (shaman ftw) and having a tank alt (warrior rather poorly geared to say the least) i have experience in all 3 fields. (accept CC ofc but who needs CC)
Ive experienced the quote 'LF Tank LAST SPOT!!!!!' and the 'LF healer' but atm the server seems to lack tanks and wether thats just deathwing or not it seems a good tank is hard to find.

Being a Phsychology student atm in 6th form, can see why certain people will pick certain roles.
Generally speaking the wiser people of the gaming comunity play tanks and healers. No offence to the one button bashing hunters out there its just not skill, im sorry.

P.s first post /flex

Thanks for all your awesome support and feedback guys!

Spinwhiz:

hahahaha I'll take that as a compliment but I'm pretty sure my pic won't make it off this website. Now if it makes it onto heroine-sheik, who knows where this will spiral off to! lol

edit: and scared! haha

Who knows, you might just be able to kick this job you got and be a male model. ;P
Though I never really liked tank like playing. I would much rather go with some sort of ranged attacks, hiding behind the tank thing while he takes the hits.

I play healers? Does this mean I like to stand at the back and do very little but you'd feel it if I was gone?

I also play the more evil dps classes (stealth-melee/ generic evil caster) does this mean I'm evil?

On the subject of letting dps die, yes, as a healer (such as my WoW Paladin or GW monk) I will let a squishy die if the tank is in danger. Normally this earns me at least one cry of noob in a Pick-Up group... although most tanks seem pretty thankful for the heal and the loss of the wannabe.

I did briefly spec my WoW-Paladin protection and try to tank... but I didn't really enjoy it; too much stress. I prefer being the rogue, warlock, necromancer who makes their presance felt quietly and subtley or the healer who stands at the back and keeps everyone alive.