Rift: The only MMO where people are forced to DPS.

[Vrtra]

I play a Warrior and I love tanking with it. I have no desire to tank as a Cleric or a Rogue and I can't comment on their tanks/healers being told to switch to DPS instead. I've found with my Warrior just because I am not HK geared or raid experienced to suck it up and go DPS.

I don't have a DPS spec or gear. If DPS gear is forced on me (greed rolls or some "helpful" pug ML giving me unwanted DPS loot because I "really need to get a DPS spec/gear and be useful"), I shard it immediately. If I wanted to DPS I would already be playing it. I play a Warrior tank to do just that - not to LFG as a tank and then be told to DPS instead because another tank has 500 more HP than me.

Not a day has gone by this week where I've joined a pug for the DRR or tried to join a raid where another tank that is better geared has been invited and I've either A) been told to switch to DPS B) removed from the group because I can't switch or C) AFK through the rift because I get harassed about not being able to switch, even though I provided the lure. Or any combination of the three.

Even the guild I've joined tells me to go DPS until I get geared for tanking. How the hell does that work? I already grinded all my expert gear and crafted gear for tanking and now I have to grind all my DPS gear just to collect off set tank gear so I can finally tank? Forget it!

It's discouraging to say the very least. I'm not a bad tank either. I played in a world top 10 guild in FFXI, world top 500 guilds in WoW. It's gotten even worse on my realm (Faeblight) since the population exploded in the past couple weeks. I'm tempted to transfer to some low pop realm if there was a tank needed just for a PUG if they'd actually let me tank and not tell me to DPS.

[Xenoheart]

Ya that kinda sucks. But its the nature of the game if people only could play one roll like in other games.

If they dont need another tank you wouldn't have been invited in the first place in those games. Here they give you the option of sticking around but in another role. I wish you the best of luck finding a group though. You just have to compete with those that are more versatile in their rolls (a key importance in later raids).

[Beastafied]

Even the guild I've joined tells me to go DPS until I get geared for tanking

If, your own guild is telling you this, then those people are not helpful players to begin with. Ill leave that guild and try to find a helpful guild. there alot out there and plenty of nice people. Not, elistist jerks that'll think they can run your character as they wish. They, can't control your toon. only you can. remember that.

[Duvain]

We lost our initial Guild leader from the game due to him "no longer being the best geared tank".

The replay of everything gaining dps gear was not acceptable to him, so he left for other worlds.


Often the spiral of, you must dps combined with, you can not roll on tank gear as you are currently DPS sees tanks become disgruntled.

I have no real suggestions for you aside from seeking a guild that has leadership aware and reactive to this issue.

[Dradym]

yeah thats a bunch of crap...i hate that stuff

ill not go on a rant here because it would be a failure

games are supposed to be fun, not do this this way or dont play at all. its why i hated wow.

[Kanel32]

I play a Warrior and I love tanking with it. I have no desire to tank as a Cleric or a Rogue and I can't comment on their tanks/healers being told to switch to DPS instead. I've found with my Warrior just because I am not HK geared or raid experienced to suck it up and go DPS.

I don't have a DPS spec or gear. If DPS gear is forced on me (greed rolls or some "helpful" pug ML giving me unwanted DPS loot because I "really need to get a DPS spec/gear and be useful"), I shard it immediately. If I wanted to DPS I would already be playing it. I play a Warrior tank to do just that - not to LFG as a tank and then be told to DPS instead because another tank has 500 more HP than me.

Not a day has gone by this week where I've joined a pug for the DRR or tried to join a raid where another tank that is better geared has been invited and I've either A) been told to switch to DPS B) removed from the group because I can't switch or C) AFK through the rift because I get harassed about not being able to switch, even though I provided the lure. Or any combination of the three.

Even the guild I've joined tells me to go DPS until I get geared for tanking. How the hell does that work? I already grinded all my expert gear and crafted gear for tanking and now I have to grind all my DPS gear just to collect off set tank gear so I can finally tank? Forget it!

It's discouraging to say the very least. I'm not a bad tank either. I played in a world top 10 guild in FFXI, world top 500 guilds in WoW. It's gotten even worse on my realm (Faeblight) since the population exploded in the past couple weeks. I'm tempted to transfer to some ****hole low pop realm if there was a tank needed just for a PUG if they'd actually let me tank and not tell me to DPS.

What did you expect ? And why are you lying ?

I have played many mmo's in my time and its always recommended that thanks learn the encounters as a dps then move into tanking. You can sort of bypass this looking up strats nowadays. If you join a DRR or a guild run why would they use you when there is a better geared tank that they know available ? It's easier on everyone to use the better equipped tank. This is not personal but a way of life in mmo's. If putting a group together and you have multiple people who can play the same role you look at their gear and use the one that is better equipped. That doesn't mean your a bad tank . It just means they want you to improve your gear. As a tank you should also be able to DPS. What if in a raid group you get put into an offtank role ? If you want to raid and do group content you need to be flexible. If other tanks are showing up with better gear then you need to get your gear to their level, there are two ways to do this .

1. Suck it up and play dps until you can get yourself raid gear.
2. keep trying until someone wants you to tank .

Have you considered looking for a guild that has just started raiding and see if they need a tank ? You and you alone control how your play experience in RIFT will be. The best raiders can do multiple roles at once. More power to you if you just want to do one but I imagine that will make it harder to find a raid group willing to take you in. Some guilds/groups don't mind if your under geared and will work with you. These guilds will probably still require you to pull ur weight with dps until your good to go . Can't really expect to sit and AFK in any serious raid setting.

[the_real_seebs]

I have played many mmo's in my time and its always recommended that thanks learn the encounters as a dps then move into tanking.

That's an interesting recommendation, but honestly, I've never done it that way, and never seen the point. If people can describe an encounter, I can do it. If they can't, we're all learning it anyway, I might as well play a role I'm good at and enjoy.

[Vrtra]

I have never, not once in a single MMO had to DPS an encounter to understand it or become good at it. But, I do understand that is how some people learn. Some people can also learn from videos. I can't do that. Reading strats works to an extent for me, but when I actually tank it is when it clicks for me. When I DPS, I shut my brain off. It's a mindless job, it's boring and I hate it.

[Hotter]

I play a Warrior and I love tanking with it. I have no desire to tank as a Cleric or a Rogue

Well let's see: You refuse to play any other class and the class you do play is limited to dps and tanking. You also refuse to dps...

[Vrtra]

Well let's see: You refuse to play any other class and the class you do play is limited to dps and tanking. You also refuse to dps...

oh my god, i want to play something i'm great at and have fun with rather than do something I can't stand?

Never said I refuse to play another class, but my Warrior is my main and before I worry about alts, I'm gonna get her situated. If I wanted to DPS, I'd do it on my Rogue. If I want to heal, I'll do it on my Cleric.

I am not complaining about elitism or hardcore progression. This is a problem in CASUAL **** hole guilds who can't kill something without pugging at least 5 people. This is a problem with PUGs. A guild telling me they need me can have an argument made for it, but some pug has no bearing at all.

[Talking The Hardest]

If you want to tank and ONLY tank, your playing the wrong game. Rift is a game where people can and will need to swap specs constantly depending on the fights. For example I'm a OT in my guild which requires me to DPS on fights where only the MT is needed. This is what I like most about Rift's system, no player is tied down to 1 role(unless they wanna gimp themselves and their raid).

[Hotter]

The problem as I see it is you're not doing the raid any good remaining in tank spec when there is another tank filling that role. If there is another tank, you won't be using your same cds as you won't be worrying about threat/mitigation and instead will be trying to do your best dps in your tank spec, which is hurting the group. You're not being forced to dps, rather you're severely limiting yourself by refusing to do anything but tank, imo.

That being said, you can still continue on with just tanking. I would suggest working on alts or something non-group-related when you cannot tank.

[Jalliah]

When it comes to raiding and progression raiding it's a matter of numbers. More dps is needed then tanks. If the guild you join already has tanks then they likely don't need more tanks unless one can't make a raid or quits. This is why many people have both specs to play but may focus on a main one in terms of gearing. Also unless you are the main tank not every boss needs more then one tank. Some need 1, 2 or 3. So what do tanks do when they aren't needed to tank the fight or trash? They dps.

This is likely why you are running into an issue with many guilds wanting tanks to dps and have gear to do both.

So if your after a guild and only want to tank you really need one that is recruiting a main tank straight out, or else you'll probably keep running into this problem or not be asked to raids where there are already tanks because you can't do anything else.

This isn't mean or people trying to force people to play it's more just the way that raiding works. A raid guild only needs 1-3 tanks for a fight with only one of those spots a guarenteed tank spot for the entirety of a raid.

[Jalliah]

Missed the Ops reply that this was mostly to do with pugs.

Pug raids whether instanced and even some DRR are the same. There's only a certain number of tanks needed for each fight or phase. If the person isn't the main tank and can't do anything else then they just aren't as useful as someone who can. Even someone with not as good dps gear or bits and pieces that they've picked up along the way is more useful then someone who can only do one thing and contribute little when they're not needed and will the versitile character will be chosen over one that isn't.

[bah]

If you want to tank and ONLY tank, your playing the wrong game.

The idea that people have to play every role just because they are available is just silly. He's not playing the wrong game, he's playing the right game with the wrong people. If someone just wants to be a tank that's a perfectly acceptable position and anyone telling him otherwise is an idiot.