[XeroKill]

With all due respect to Xaices, he is but one out of what will eventually be thousands. His success and experience is not only in a very limited theater known as Beta, but it could also be a product of the people he hangs out with. His guild may not hold the same biases that 90% of the people in the MMO genre cling to.

I would love to sit here and believe that everything will be just fine, but I have been playing these games for a decade now, and I have seen this dozens of times.

The biggest problem that we have is that we not only have to contend with the ignorance that already exists about tanking (I.E. Warriors = TEH ALL!) but we will have to deal with the ignorance that the numbers will eventually generate. People have a tendency to look at the numbers and only the numbers to determine a classes value. We all know that no matter how hard Sigil tries, and how well they succeed, the populous at large WILL come to the conclusion that X class tanks better than everyone else. It is a fundamental truth, and although there will be a small percentage that will see beyond this bias, a good majority will cling to it with their dying breath.

Ultimately, I don't want to start this struggle at a disadvantage. In terms of raiding a 5% difference in mitigation will be seen as a disadvantage. Even though we have an ability that shoots us straight to DC5, people will see it as a defect. I just wish they would quit being so creative for us by giving us all these neat little things that come at the expense of needing to meet certain requirements to be at the same effectiveness as the other tanks get as a default. That is all it really boils down to.

As for the Warrior/Paladin buffs, the Paladin buffs can be shared, but I don't think the Warrior ones can be... which is why inevitably the Warrior will succeed in the fight for the throne to the MT kingdom. They have a head start due to the common misconception that the Warrior is the only true tank, and a distinct advantage when they add their buffs, with Paladin buffs, with our debuffs and our DC. In the end they will be the most defensive tanks available, both in the minds of the masses and the numbers as well.

I know I am sounding like a nagging nanny, but damn it all if I don't see the same trends that I have seen in the last 4 major MMOs appearing here as well.

I will state, for the record, that if it turns out I am wrong, I will be all to pleased to hear every single one of you come back to this thread and laugh at me constantly. This is one of those rare cases in which I would much rather be wrong than right.