I just hit 39 as a vanguard when I realized something. On my server either people are standing around to do warzones or leveling alts. However you don't need to do flashpoints to level because it really won't effect your leveling at all. So that means most people are doing hard modes at 50 right? Nope. Cause you can get the equivalent to about columi gear doing warzones. So right now if you are a tank, or an upcoming tank you are pretty much useless outside of pvp. Since you only need one tank for a raid, and that means at least 8 people getting locked out of doing that raid on your server, the chances of you becoming a tank for any guild is pretty slim. That means that three ac choices become melee dps despite being handicapped compared to other dps counterparts.

I have to give it to bioware, first mmo ever where tanks were in to much abundance.

Edit: For clarification, I have a 50 scoundrel healer in some rakata. This is not posted without some idea of the needs of raids.

I just hit 39 as a vanguard

Stopped there.

They're designing operations encounters to require two tanks.

Every flashpoint group will need one once the LFG system comes around. The cross-server one they aren't planning on making, I mean. This single-server one can't fix empty servers.

Tanking in PvP also actually matters. It's not all about damage.

But if you feel that way, respec your skill points.

Just wait, it'll smooth itself out once you hit 50 and start doing HMs.

See, the thing about tanking is this, it sucks for soloing, so nobody wants to spec tank. Therefore if you can hang in there long enough, at endgame everyone is all dps spec and starts needing you.

They're designing operations encounters to require two tanks.

 

Every flashpoint group will need one once the LFG system comes around. The cross-server one they aren't planning on making, I mean. This single-server one can't fix empty servers.

 

Tanking in PvP also actually matters. It's not all about damage.

 

But if you feel that way, respec your skill points.

I actually like tanking on pvp warzones a lot and feel a lot more effective then as a full dps spec. I know it matters there since in the voidstar map alone I have snared 5 imps giving my team enough time to cross the bridge or room to plant a bomb many times. That and had the pleasure of taking a very annoying healer and roasting him in huttball.

However on the pve side I almost never see anyone looking for tanks. Ever. Maybe the occsional pre 50 flashpoint but after 50 the hardmodes are kinda a joke. For a 1-3 hour investment only one person might get a gear token, 3 for Kaon. The rest of the time you get maybe 1 crystal for each sub-boss and one token for killing the end boss. it is much more efficient, and easier to find groups, if you stick to raids.

Maybe a cross server lfg system would fix that, but then you would get people fighting over "omg spacebar already!" But at this point i'd take it.

I just hit 39 as a vanguard

Stopped there.

Why? Cause I am not 50? Have a 50 scoundrel with some rakata gear as a healer. If anything there is still a huge demand for healers, but not so much with tanks. Or it could just be on my server.

Hrm.. i almost never see anyone calling for dps on general. they are always asking for tank+healer.

Then maybe I should look into re-rolling on something off Bondar Crystal.

I just hit 39 as a vanguard when I realized something.

That is the part where you should have not made any assumptions about end game and the needs for end game.

Agree with most reply's here.

All i see on our server, is this: LF1M, Tank, Ready to go!

On top of that, everyone is behind you in a fight.

You lead the attack, no one attacks before you attack.

All are looking at your health besides their own, cause if you go down, they go down next.

So if your going to be tank, make sure your the leader type for fps and ops.

Tanks are very very important at lvl 50, and you will love it, i guaranty it.

Best of luck, The Sentinal DPS

That's always been the case?

There's no "career path" for tanks, unless you're running your own guild or an officer in one (because those are usually the people taking the MT slot).

That is the part where you should have not made any assumptions about end game and the needs for end game.

Please look a little further down, I said I have a 50 smuggler.

That's always been the case?

 

There's no "career path" for tanks, unless you're running your own guild or an officer in one (because those are usually the people taking the MT slot).

The reason they take those slots is because they are reliable people. They wouldn't be officers otherwise unless you're in some random kiddy guild that AOE invites people and hands out officer positions to people with cool names. Also because officers are usually good people who know their stuff. You want a tank to be a good, reliable player because finding a replacement can be really hard and the raid depends on a tank that isn't incompetent.

The reason they take those slots is because they are reliable people. They wouldn't be officers otherwise unless you're in some random kiddy guild that AOE invites people and hands out officer positions to people with cool names. Also because officers are usually good people who know their stuff. You want a tank to be a good, reliable player because finding a replacement can be really hard and the raid depends on a tank that isn't incompetent.

Absolutely. I'm not complaining or disputing that.

But if you're just an average Joe on the server and want to tank, there are very few options for you.

In WoW, I had pretty much had the same experience as the OP. Rolled a warrior with the intention of tanking, then very quickly realize my endgame options were much more narrow than DPS or healers.

But that's the game. There's no way to fix that unless Bioware or Blizzard decide on radically different encounter designs for an entire tier or more.

good luck going dps as vanguard then... tactics is utter garbage and AS is pretty random burst dps, also good luck on switching targets on the fly in pvp/pve when your main dot is 1/4 of your resource bar...

stay SS, we do very nice damage in pvp and we are very solid tanks all around in everything...

People are always looking for tanks on my server so your server is either dead on the PvE side or it's simply a matter of you not playing end-game yet. There's really no need for tanks in FP'es pre-50 but they're highly sought after at 50.

Only for FPs though. Not for operations.

Flashpoints:

1 tank, 1 heal, 2 dps

How is it for 8man operations? Or 16man operations? 1 (they want to change it to 2).

I always see "LF tank for fp hm". Yes.

But I never see "LF tank for operation" Only "heal / dd".

They should've just done:

FP: 1 tank, 1 heal, 2 dps

8man op: 2 tank, 2 heal, 4 dps

16man op: 4 tank, 4 heal, 8 dps

Edit: Agree with the above for group composition, it cant be that difficult to design encounters to need more tanks and be less of a dps race.

Duno, most other Juggernauts I see are going around as Veng(Im level 47 now) so groups are always happy to see that Im actually Immortal specd. And it also lets me use whichever companion I feel like using, be it a healer or dps or even a tank(makes it slower, but doable).

In Warzones I spend most of my time running around taunting/guarding instead of running in the middle+AoE taunt+dieing and being useless to my team, and I still get top score most of the time! Stay low key and run assist with DPSers and its a ball.

Plus I think a single lightsaber looks better than dualing them, and I like heavy gear, so Im more than happy with my Juggernaut in the looks department.

Healers are more rare though, and MUCH more of a pain to level(as healing specd) than it is to level as a tank. I also already have a level 50 Medic Op otherwise Id be leveling one of those.

For a 1-3 hour investment only one person might get a gear token, 3 for Kaon.

I remember when completing a raid didn't guarantee you raid loot, using the term 'skunked' when it was all a bunch of vendor trash.

OP is right. At the moment, you only need 1 tank. Also, people rarely run Hardmodes these days since you can run Normal mode Raids pretty soon after you hit 50, so as long as you have a guild you can start doing those pretty much straight away and you'll probably get more gear from those.

Ultimately, Tanks are simply not needed. Healers and DPS are needed far more. I wish the composition of groups scaled with the size of the groups, but it just doesn't, for Tanks at least, it does with everyone else.