Wood Elf race tank

Yicky · February 2021

I know that wood elves are the last in line for tanking, but is there really going to be an issue in end game to where people won't want to invite me into runs because my DK is a Wood Elf? Are the passives that important? I can always race change, but I like the wood elf as they are tiny little bad a$$es

Thank you in advance

Thoughts?

BejaProphet · February 2021

Can a wood elf succeed in all content as a tank? Yes.

Are there players out there who never give you that chance solely due to your race? Yes.

Will that be the group you run into? 🤷‍♂️

If I had to guess most players who find a place trial tanking with such an off meta race, either joined a very casual guild and was their tank on their rise to serious raiding, or they have found some way to prove themselves before being given a shot.

There will probably be statements like: yeah I know he’s a wood elf but trust me, the guy can tank.

Keep in mind if you come up to a group of strangers, they know nothing about your competency other than your obvious non meta choice. If a Nord, Imperial, and a wood elf apply for the job, they are really just playing their odds in giving the wood elf the last chance at it.

Yicky · February 2021

I guess the main question comes down to, am I going to run into more problems with groups than it ins worth

GreenHere · February 2021

As a totally subjective, and probably not-as-concretely-helpful-as-you're-looking-for type answer:

Nah, you'll be fine.

The only people who will hassle you over your choice in race are 80+% of the time not the sort of folks you want to be spending hours doing hard content with anyway.

If the content is too hard for you, I'd seriously doubt it's because of your character's chosen race. If the content is too hard for your group, chances are good you're not the problem there if you're doing your job as tank. If the content isn't too hard for anyone... well, then there's no problem and anyone creating a problem from you being a Bosmer tank isn't worth worrying about in the first place.

I've met tanks (and healers) of all races/specs/etc. over the years, and more often than not the ones who are the "wrong" race for their role perform well above average and put people who doubted them based on race to shame by the end of the raid. And race choices seem to have only become less restrictive since then.

IMO, YMMV, TGIF, OMGWTFLMAO

AcadianPaladin · February 2021

My Bosmer templar healer has never ever received a complaint. Her guildies quite like her skill as a healer. She's never been criticized by a Pug (admittedly, she is generally overqualified for any content she pugs). That said, she has no interest in Trials, scores or even vet DLC dungeons. So for the content she runs, no problem at all. I know I'm talking healer but I should think tank would be similar.

etchedpixels · February 2021

Having run all sorts of combinations of characters, classes and gear that are not according to the unquestionable divine rulings of the top theorycrafters I've never had a complaint about that. Questions about "what on earth is that gear" sometimes but not in a bad way.

Plenty of problems with fake healers, anti-social speedrunners, 'no you can't do the quest' people and the like but none about race/class/gear combinations from Khajiit tanks to Orc DK healers.

A lot of the racial passives also don't matter that much, some just change enchant choices, and at a reasonable CP level putting the CP points into slightly different places to those blindly copied by a lot of people often puts you in near enough the same place.

Finally you are the tank, an actual real non-fake tank, so even if you totally sucked but could hold taunt and not die you'd be better than at least half the "tanks" the dungeon finder will produce.

Fennwitty · February 2021

If you've put this much thought into it, you'll be great at it