The Healbot

[Darian]

I was running the Baron side of Stratholme this week and in my group was the prototypical Mage Without a Clue™, the type that just doesn't understand the concept of aggro management at all.  At the outset of fights, he'd begin nuking with gusto and rely on his Ice shields to keep him alive.
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And there's one (or more) of these (or their hunter brethren) in every pick-up raid. It's like a plague, and I think it comes from the whole zerg mentality. It's starting to affect me as a tank, too; I used to keep the corner of my eye on everyone's hit points so I could see if anyone was getting beaten on, but now... I find myself really only paying attention to the priest.

Of course, the priest I've gone from 8-60 with (and with whom I'm running a pair of mage alts on the side, so I've got a decent idea what's stupid and what's not from that side of the fence) appreciates this deeply. ;)

(Aside: lest anyone think I'm slagging mages or hunters as a whole, rest easy. I know quite a few of them who know what to do and what not to do. But man, the ones who don't are just scary.)

The primary tank and primary healer have the most stressful, pivotal roles in any party - if you want to play more relaxed, then don't pick such classes.  :)

Which is why I'm also getting to the point where I don't want to raid anything unless I'm with people I know to be competent (either from direct personal experience or by well-documented reputation). If I hear one more player of any class start grumbling that I wasn't holding aggro on the 6 mobs that he started AoEing before I even managed to get my second ability of the fight off, or even the ONE mod that he dropped his most devestating attack on before I even got my FIRST ability off... well, I'm afraid I'm very likely to go postal. I have enough stress just being the meat shield. "The most important part of a tank's ability to hold aggro is the party he's with" is becoming my mantra.