I think the problem we have with this class is that it’s terribly overpowered pre80, I don’t think I grouped up for any quest bar a couple that I couldn’t solo, like most of the DragonBlight ones. It lends us a sense of superiority that doesn’t translate well into grouped instances. And since we don’t need to group, we don’t at all, and simply solo our way through the quests.

And then we hit 80. And we’re uber! And we’re wearing plate! Tanking can’t be that much different now can it? Frost Presence gives us a fairly decent buffer on threat so it shouldn’t be a problem right?

And then one mob loses aggro, zomg, DG. Another one gets pulled to the side, zomg, where’s Dark Command?! Oh noes Adds. And it turns out, just cause we’re wearing plate doesn’t automatically make us good tanks.

In the end, it’s the fact that DKs, as a hero class breeze through the pre80 content and never actually have to learn how to play their class well. I admire good pallies to no end, for in the 1-80 grind, I have never successfully levelled a paladin past 20, I suspect that the class mechanics are such that you -have- to learn how they intergrate if you’re to make it.

But really, don’t dismiss them outright, give DKs a chance, some of us are decent players! (But also, don’t fear to boot the tards if they turn out terrible)

It’s the one drawback of the hero class too. Since you start at 55 those early levels where some things get ingrained don’t hit until you are in your late 70s or even at 80.

Thank you, Deathtards…. I hope you get bored and leave WoW soon! lol

How the hell we managed to get up to Anomalus in the first place, I have no freakin’ idea. Anyways, we wiped there, I was annoyed at everyone, so I aggro’d everything I could and bubblehearthed on their @ss.

Me and the DK are still quite good friends, mostly because I warned the DK before the bubblehearth.

… reminds me of the time I MD’d sarth onto my GM with 2 drakes still up cuz we called OS.

Way back in the pre-Wrath days I needed to run Shattered Halls for a quest, so we got a Guild Group together. I forget the exact make up but we had a Druid Tank, a DPS Warrior, my Combat Sword Rogue, and two others. It took forever, and I do mean forever. By the time we were done at least two Guildies had logged and been replaced. It was a nightmare. But at least I got my quests done.

The next time I ventured into Shattered Halls was by request of my Arena Partner for his Pally. It was a PUG, and I hate PUGs, but knowing how well my Arena Partner plays his Toons, and with my Rogue now dual-wielding Mongoose-enchanted PvP Blades, I agreed to go along.

I’d done Guild Runs runs on my Rogue before and knew I could bring the DPS, but my mate just laughed when I told him I was concerned about pulling Aggro off him. Go ahead and try, he said, so I did. I succeeded but I had to go all out to do it.

Two thirds into the Instance he threw up the Damage Meter and I was horrified. I was #2 on the list, behind his Pally Tank! That can’t be right, I thought. I threw up my own Damage Meter. He was #1 on mine, too. Guess it was right. That’s how we Tank and hold Aggro, he said

By the end of the Run I’d regained my honor and top spot on the Damage Meter, and it was one of the smoothest runs I’ve ever been on. Not just smoothest Shattered Halls Run, but of all my Instance Runs this one was smooooooooth. So much so that when my mate wanted to go again one of the PUGs stuck around, we grabbed two Guildies, and we smashed Shattered Halls again.

I retired from WoW before Wrath came out so I can’t vouch for DK Tanks, but a Pally Tank that really knows what he’s doing is teh awesome.

I just wanted to share another experience, view from a poor little DK in a group of mad people…

I had been tanking Halls of stone heroic and everything happened fine, i was pretty happy because it was the very first time i was tanking the instance and we didn’t wipe. I was very happy and on my way to turn the daily heroic when someone whispers: “hey, wanna tank heroic violet hold?”. Being all confident thanks to the previous run and having 3 hours left in front of me, i answer: “sure, i’d be happy to” and i get an invite.
Violet hold is one of the heroics i’ve been tanking the most and i felt all relax. So, there it starts and i run from portal to portal, noticing that sometimes the dps shammy was doing the pulls instead of me but i could always manage to get the aggro back, everything was going fine and i only say in a very peaceful way: “guys, can i just ask you to let me do the pulls?” (instead of something like “WTF shammy, stop pulling”). The Dailai lama was guiding my steps, lol.
Time for the first boss: Xevozz. I’m getting ready to kite and i start as i have done so many times. The boss stays on me and i see his health going down while mine stays steady, good sign. All of a sudden, i see in party chat: “kite him ffs”, while it’s precisely what i was doing, no more, no less than usual.
And then i die, and we wipe. No problemo, these things happen and i start my corpse run when members of the group start telling that i should kite the boss. I answer that it’s precisely what i was doing and that it usually works fine. And there we go, here comes the answer that made me leave: “Then, if you are so good, how come that we are all dead? Pfff, another DK without a clue”.
The next thing i know, i was struggling with my two voices, one preparing a harsh answer and the other guiding my hand to quit the party before i become vulgar. I quit and took my chill pill. The group must have thought, what an arrogant DK again… When, to be honest, i was just doing my best while keeping cool and polite

The rest of my day in the DK skin was pretty much spoiled and, forgetting the nice success of the HOL run, i was simply leaving the game to go shoot some zombies in fallout 3. I only came back a week later, to start a troll hunter and have fun, far from the whole “end game grouping thing”. (also, i enjoyed every bit of the level 1 to 10 on the troll and seriously think about spending some time with him).

So why all the story? Just to say that i enjoy the DK class, it’s fun and it’s useful in groups but looking down at them became a bit the new pink…
If something bad happens, everybody look at the DK. I know that it’s a new class, that they have to show the people how they can be nice while well handeled and that, in the long run, they will earn trust just like any othe class. But at the moment, it just isn’t funny and i’m like 80% into rerolling. (the troll would be my third hunter )