Mages..
Who needs Mages?
Tanks need Mages!
They don’t need us for healing admittedly, although I have popped a bandage on a tank before when we were the last two standing.
No, Tanks need Mages for the challenge of playing a Tank, we make life… Errr hmmm… Fun!
Aggro
Mages measure their ability to play their class by DPS. Tanks measure their ability via TPS.
A good tank will not limit the damage output of the Mage, and if things get tight knows how to spam their abilities to get and stay ahead, if only via a taunt.
If boss fights are the tool to build your DPS and TPS scores to measure, They are also the opportunity for that tank to mesure their overall ability.
I have played with a few tanks still climbing the learning curve that I could easily pull aggro off. As these are generally low pressure (instance) encounters, I usually don’t pull my fireballs. I let them know by living or dying whether they have it right yet.
AoE Aggro
Back in TBC I probably would have said the measure of. Tank is their ability to avoid a polymorph.
In WoLK AoE is ever prevalent, and a Tank must know how to grab and maintain aggro on a pile of mobs while I try to pick them off, one at a time or en-mass, with fiery and frosty death.
The tank may do fine when soloing, or even during boss kills, but can the keep the attention of 20 mobs? Can the keep the attention of 20 mobs and grab the attention of the 5 pats that just wandered into my Blizzard?
Firepower
We provide the firepower to match their thunk. Tanks can handle a pile of “thunk” (the sound of the mob hitting their plate).
With a good healer they can handle the thunk for a long time, and I have occasionally seen a tank take down a boss or pile of mobs without the assistance of DPS, slowly yes, but still they get the job done.
However, with out Mages it would take a Tank an hour to clear to the 1st boss in any instance.
Mages not only speed up the progress, but in a way we reduce the likelihood of the Tank getting unlucky. The less time the mobs are alive, the less opportunities exist for bad RNG.
An excuse to move… Make that run.
Of course us Mages are known as aggro magnets.
This is a good thing right… Oh, you say no?
Well I say yes!
I feel sorry for the tank sometimes… Walk ten feet, call mobs, tank, walk ten feet, call mobs, tank…
When I pull aggro the tank gets a couple of options and sure he could taunt, but I’m sure he would love a little run… Go on, you hardly ever get to charge in an instance, so come and intervene!
Someone to compare their health and armor against
We all like to epeen occasionally. I like to point out how much smarter I am than the average Tank.
They like to point out how much stronger and healthier they are… Not to mention how they can take hits all night , where I get sneezed on and come down with a killer flu.
I was always getting told how I didn’t have enough health in TBC… Thing is I am damage adverse (taking, not giving) so I don’t care if I have only 1 hit point, I am still going to hurt someone!
We don’t fight for drops
Finally, Tanks need Mages because we won’t fight them for drops. I don’t want no metal suit!
Though I will roll against you for that rare mount!
Other classes?
On the way, find out why your class need Mages!
Gnomer and Out!
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http://gnomeaggedon.net/2009/10/23/tanks-need-mages-because/
Other advantages of having a mage at one’s side: crowd control, kiting and disspelling.
And as long as the mage knows what he is doing and does so while being a gnome with cackling laughter, I don’t mind him testing my abilities as a tank. It keeps up the pace and my adrenaline levels and that is a good thing for all, given the responsibilities of a tank.
Many people think that more hp makes a better tank. Although that is partly true for a druid (due to lacking mitigation, making up with avoidance and hp), I tend to think that the further you climb the tanking career ladder, the more it becomes about enabling the dps to do the best they can.
Example: I was asked to tank an OS10 3D zerg rush. The group (8 heavy duty dps, 1 healer) was tasked to down Sartharion before the second drake lands (that is at the 00:45 mark, if I am correct) and my job was to hold solid agro on him (and the first drake) and stay alive long enough through his enrage as well. It took a few wipes to understand the necessary timing of it all, but holding agro was not too tricky for me (and I like to brag about this
).
Keeping agro on 20 mobs is a bit harder (for a warrior), but I am sure every mage worth his salt understand that going full out on dps within the first 3 seconds of an engagement is never the best idea. Positioning is key here: the tank has to know where to expect additional pats and make sure he can easily intercept them while they lunge for the dps. Vigilance and a spare Shockwave are my first aid kid.
I like Strudel.
But seriously, there is not a Mage in my regular raiding group, but last night one came along. That dude threw out moer DPS than I think I have ever seen. It was insane, I was in awe. I used that mage as a mark to try to keep with while doing damage.
As a DPS and a guy who just likes to raid, I think the best part of having a mage around is, if they are worth their salt, the amount of damage/dps they can put out. I like to see bosses die, and I don’t really care if I am on top of the charts (though it is nice).
So I like mages because of strudel and damage.
Being a mage, I approve this post.
I LOVE ME SOME ME!
Everyone needs mages, because how else would your ass get to Stonard? Walk? Pah. ~_^
I also agree with theerivs. Being a mage, I approve this post. ^_^
Bah. Tanks need mages for one reason only … we buff their intellect. *
*To any and all tanks that I have run with, will run with, or even just know in passing … it’s just a joke! Please don’t let that nasty mob eat my pretty face.
[...] There definately not gnomes though. I mean, I have green skin, not green hair. [...]
I always like having a mage in a group. I mean, come on, free food and portals? But seriously, I like running with them because out of all the classes (excluding other tanks), they know how to challenge my tps more than anyone out there. I take it as a mark of pride if, as a tank, I can keep the mage alive.
Hey Gnomey,
Love the article. I’d already had similar thoughts like this about how we make the tanks job interesting. In the ZF run I did mages kept pulling threat off my bear. When my bear gets to 80 I look forward to trying to hold threat off mages.
Linked from my blog.
[...] Why tanks need mages. October 27, 2009 wingot Leave a comment Go to comments Gnomeaggedon has a good post on why tanks need mages over on his blog: http://gnomeaggedon.net/2009/10/23/tanks-need-mages-because/ [...]
[...] need other classes why? November 5, 2009 wingot Leave a comment Go to comments To honour Gnomeaggedons current series on why various roles need mages, I thought I would go with Devils advocate and state [...]