All tanks tank equally well?

[Akenes]

What is this gunk do they really expect me to throw all my hard won misconceptions of a class based on its name out the window? A man knows whats right and whats wrong after all these years ya know :wink:

All kidding aside I would love to see Vanguard pull this one off. What a joy it will be run encounters with something other then the perfect or flavor of the month set up. Maybe even be able to switch roles on and off as you work your way through a lair.

[Skellen]

I'm very hopeful of this as well. By all accounts, the dev team has been very responsive to the feedback of testers (check that thread in main forums ... "The Riches of Vanguard") so I'm going to remain confident they'll pull it off.

[Cocytus]

An end to the knights' stranglehold on group content tanking? Raid MT Warrior finally dethroned by (insert class name here)? Equality? Pinko Commie- you know the rest... Maybe it'll work. A man can dream.

[Akenes]

Ahh but "pulling it off" to me is an ongoing process beyound beta. They could easily have gear for one class making it far and away the best class to tank. Too many or too few Undead will greatly effect the fortunes of Pallys perhaps. This is of course after they get past people really wanting say the Pally with healing over the Warrior with a bit more damage. Man how I would love to be a fly on the wall in dev meetings as they figure this killer feature out.

[godzilr1]

often times equipment is a limiting factor on how good a player actually is or can do their job, kinda sux but its the nature of the beast.

[Kahrek]

Originally Posted by godzilr1

often times equipment is a limiting factor on how good a player actually is or can do their job, kinda sux but its the nature of the beast.

This has always been true for the tanks more than any other class IMO, up until Vanguard i have always been a healer (Cleric in EQ1 for 7 years, Teamplar in EQ2 and having been on the top tier raiding guild for most of my MMO life i have noticed the huge difference gear makes for the tank, moreso than other classes.

You can be the most skilled player in the world but if your armor just won't hold up you are not the best tank, skill can compensate to a point but never eliminate the gearcentric demands of the tanking classes.

[XeroKill]

Originally Posted by godzilr1

often times equipment is a limiting factor on how good a player actually is or can do their job, kinda sux but its the nature of the beast.

I was going to tackle this one, but Kahrek pretty much got it. Gear has, and always will be a major part of being a tank. I used to hate that as a tank in EQ1 I was always way negative on points for our guilds raiding system. I remember when we took down Aten Ha Ra, a cleric upgraded a bracer item that he had been wearing from Karnors... two expansions old. Tanks are always having to buy new sets of gear when an expansion hits because they are the most responsible for being as nearly perfect as possible. All the while Clerics can run around in rags and tatters and as long as they can cast CHeal for 30 minutes with Clarity running, they are good to go.

[VereAthor]

Prime quality armor/shield is the one thing every tank needs, as not to give the healers a headache every time a more challenging mob comes along.
Weapons are also on the list, for the stats they give, and the damage they dish out. As the DK has combat arts multiplying the damage dealt with the weapon, this should not be underestimated. Not to forget that sometimes every bit of hate generated by the tank counts when some damage dealers start to nuke (always loved random groups with some uncontrollable wizards or rogues)
Also important is the knowledge of the class and how to cooperate in a group. That, of course, counts for every single player out there.
I was always amused when my Shadowknight (EQ2) joined a random group, got some flak because he had only mediocre equipment and then the surprise came because he could tank sufficiently nonetheless.

[Zythen]

your only dependent on gear buy what you do if your a hardcore raider and you tank.. you gota be geared to the 9'a if your a casual player just doin the odd dungion crawl average gear works... the higher you want to climb the better the gear you need... skill can make up for lack of hate generation ( was 2nd tank for a good while with my sk when we were short on warriors for a year or so then went back to off tank / dps ) but skill cant make up for crap gear... if you get blown away before the healers can heal you.... no amount of skill can overcome that

[Narnra]

While it may be close, DK at 50 falls way behind in threat generation and rescue abilities.