The Ethics of Fake Tanking

WiseSky · December 2019

I once was lost but now I am found!

BejaProphet · December 2019

If there wasn’t a tank shortage we wouldn’t even discuss the moments fake tanking is appropriate. We’d kick them every time.

If we want to talk ethics of it, I think that fact says a lot.

Veinblood1965 · December 2019

I have a friend who gives me a dollar for each fake tank thread and each Magsorcs are OP thread. Thank you.

Katahdin · December 2019

Guess you shouldn't kick your "mechanic" if all he used was a stethoscope, paper clips, bubble gum and duct tape

Or your "doctor" if he had only a law degree

WiseSky · December 2019

I was fake tanking in vBC1

I did 35% of dps and hold taunt and boss in place.

Last boss comes up, The Healer keeps getting one shot, I heal people with my matriach and but healer dies one shot again and we keep wiping.

I tell him the boss Randomly shoots someone with an OP attack even if I keep taunt up and it must be dogged or blocked or you will die.

Healer says its 1 am and its late he just dosent feel like blocking or roll dogging.

We go again Healer dies we wipe, I get called a fake tank and get kicked.

I tanked Vet Hard Mode of BC2 so I know what I can fake tank and what not.

Moral of the Story, if you will fake tank be ready to be put the blame on you if you guys wipe.

Technically its all your fault.

El_Borracho · December 2019

WiseSky wrote: »

I was fake tanking in vBC1

I did 35% of dps and hold taunt and boss in place.

Last boss comes up, The Healer keeps getting one shot, I heal people with my matriach and but healer dies one shot again and we keep wiping.

I tell him the boss Randomly shoots someone with an OP attack even if I keep taunt up and it must be dogged or blocked or you will die.

Healer says its 1 am and its late he just dosent feel like blocking or roll dogging.

We go again Healer dies we wipe, I get called a fake tank and get kicked.

I tanked Vet Hard Mode of BC2 so I know what I can fake tank and what not.

Moral of the Story, if you will fake tank be ready to be put the blame on you if you guys wipe.

Technically its all your fault.

Appreciate the honesty. And not to go all elitist, but how low was the DPS in that group? BC1 is a walk in the park. You have me feeling bad for you.

Also wonder why someone is too tired to block. You push a button. A button right close to the one you use to heal. Its not hard.

WiseSky · December 2019

it was Vetran BC1

I did around 15K dps was around 33K

WiseSky · December 2019

Yeah kinda ridiculous, I was like I am not Jesus I cant do Miracles and save the healer from getting one shoot...

So from now on I prepare just like I am going into vMA Gotta be the tank healer and dps !

idk · December 2019

msalvia wrote: »

First, here are the skills a fake tank needs to bring to the party:
1. A taunt (at the very least inner fire, but how hard is it to slot a shield on one bar for puncture?)

First off, if they have a taunt slotted they are not a fake tank. The most basic requirement of a tank is being able to taunt. The rest is fluff.

Tank = has and uses taunt.
Fake Tank = does not taunt

The part you got right is people should take control and start kicking the fakes. I do agree that while most normal dungeons do not really need a tank it is just an excuse for the laziness of a dps to queue as a tank for them. It does not take much to slot inner fire as OP suggests and taunt the bosses. Most fake tanks are not that good at dps either.

Best solution is form your own group instead of having the game do everything for you. You get to make sure you have good dps and people filling the roles you want filled. Works fabulously.

El_Borracho · December 2019

WiseSky wrote: »

Yeah kinda ridiculous, I was like I am not Jesus I cant do Miracles and save the healer from getting one shoot...

So from now on I prepare just like I am going into vMA Gotta be the tank healer and dps !

Yeah, that's when I break out the magsorc + matriarch DPS on pugs in trials and vet DLC dungeons. Can't assume someone is going to heal me or the group when I need it, even when I am standing where I should be.

buttaface · December 2019

Veinblood1965 wrote: »

I have a friend who gives me a dollar for each fake tank thread and each Magsorcs are OP thread. Thank you.

My sister had imaginary friends growing up, she didn't turn out too well. Hoping better for you of course!

To the topic, some of the rationalizations are annoying.

1. Queueing as Tank without a taunt, debuffs and some CC is bad at any level of content. If you do it, you're bad. The end. Doesn't matter if you do 40k when more than half the teams in pug normal have lowbies who will get killed easily by boss and even trash aggro, and the newbie healers can't keep them up, let alone all the fake healers. Queue for a role, do the role.

2. If you are advanced enough to do XXk DPS, you are also advanced enough to EASILY configure gear and skills to do 15-25k ST boss dps while ALSO performing all the tanking functions, taunting, debuffing, CCing trash and adds, buffing the team, and not being a fake tank jerk. I do it every single day on multiple toons, none with below 25k hp and resists.

akdave0 · February 2020

SCP is a prime example of exposing a fake tank. You have to taunt rancid. Otherwise it’s a very hard fight. I ran that dungeon on my healer 102 times trying to get jorvulds lighting staff. Many, many times the tanks was a dps, some of them were honest and came right out and said, yeah I don’t have the ability to taunt. Some kept trying, only to wipe and wear down their gear. Most classes have skills that can be used as a taunt, they still can break that agro, but it’s better than nothing. I am fine with 3 dps as long as they are at least trying to hold down the bosses.

thadjarvis · March 2020

Recall that a legit beginner tank will not have access to a chain or CC skill. In normal, all that can be expected of any tank fake or otherwise is a taunt for bosses.

Might have to disagree on leap: the two times I've seen it, it certainly made the run more memorable

VoidCommander · March 2020

Minyassa wrote: »

That's a really reasonable and well though out essay. My cynicism makes me believe that it's lost on its target audience. It's hard for me to believe that anyone who is willing to screw over other players because they're in a hurry is someone who cares about doing anything helpful for anyone. If someone can't be bothered to wait for a long queue OR actually play a tank if they're in that much of a hurry, I don't think they're going to be bothered to make any changes to mitigate the problems their impatience or laziness causes. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong in this.

I believe the target audience was actually directed towards the bad fake tanks. I am one of them. Sure I hold aggro on bosses mostly, with a taunt, and pull about 70% of the dps, but I did learn some other things I need to be doing. While I am queueing as a tank when I am a dps, I am never really in so much of a hurry that I can’t wait 5 seconds for the rest of the group to catch up and feel included. It is easy to forget that for some people it is their forst time doing these dungeons and I just end up ruining their experience. I will endeavor to slow down my pace for the sake of my group whenever I find myself in the role of “fake-tank.”

VaranisArano · March 2020

For a thread that started in July 2019, I'm always a little surprised at how often this thread pops back up with new comments.