A Rogue Learns to Tank

No, this isn’t about me tanking on my rogue (which I have done on occasion by accident – who hasn’t?).

Before yesterday, I had never tanked anything. I decided that a great way to end 2009 would be to finally try it. I brushed off my fears, and specced my little level 30 paladin into protection.

When I rolled her initially I was sorta imagining her as  a tank – I mean a blond, cute, light-wielding tank just sounds pretty bad-ass. Something held me back though. Maybe it’s that I don’t like feeling like I’m in the spotlight. Perhaps its that I’m just not a natural leader, and it seems like all the best tanks are. Mostly I was just afraid that I would be terrible at it. When a tank sucks, its incredibly obvious. I find myself criticizing the skills of tanks in pugs (in my head of course, not out loud), and I was afraid of people doing the same to me. (I know, I’m such a hypocrite).

I decided it was time to get over it though.  How can I truly understand the game, leaving tanking completely untouched? At worst, I’ll be terrible at it, and have new-found appreciation for how tough tanks have it.

So yesterday, I specced prot, reorganized my action bar, and queued up for LFG. Jardal joined me on his warlock – no awesome healer to save my ass. We landed in Scarlet Monastery Graveyard.

There was a moment of panic as I realized that it was all up to me to set the pace. Everyone was waiting for me to move. My heart started pounding. I stepped timidly through the door and around the corner. I pulled one mob with Exorcism. He died. I pulled again, a little more quickly. My palms were still sweaty.

We got to the first big room with lots of groups. I stared at the Scarlet Crusade humans nervously – how could I handle so many at once?  I knew that these mobs tended to run away and bring more groups back with them. Stupid humans. I pulled, consecrated, and prayed that the light would save me.

I don’t know what I was expecting (some sort of desperate struggle to maintain aggro as my party died around me?) but everything went fine. I did two SM Graveyard runs last night, and nothing went terribly wrong. Sure there was the hunter who was in an awful hurry and occasionally pulled mobs before I was ready. There was the warlock pet that went on a rampage through the graveyard. But no one died – just the mobs.

Maybe this tanking thing isn’t so awful after all?

I’ll definitely be writing about my adventures in low-level tanking in the future. I know I have a lot to learn! The LFG system definitely makes low-level tanking a possibility. Maybe it will create more tanks who know what they’re doing, because they tanked all the way to 80, instead of DPS-ing up and then buying tanking gear with emblems and thinking they can just pummel their way through. Maybe. I can dream right?