The Role of Tanking in WoW PvP

The holy trinity of MMOG combat is Tanking, Damaging, and Healing. So why is the first cornerstone, Tanking, given such a weak treatment in PvP? A "Tank" is defined not simply being a meatsack but by some sort of notable advantage at that act. Warriors are PvE Tanks because of Armor and Defense, and the mitigation and avoidance from those. However, that notable advantage is somewhat lost upon large-scale/seige based PvP such as we see in Hillsbrad. The mitigationa advantage is strongly decreased by the heavy emphasis on absorbing magical damage, which leaves the class with only a slight base stat advantage, and a loss of defensive utility.

-No /Protect ability, ala DAoC. Warriors can't protect, guard, or otherwise defend our groupmates. We can't intercept swords attacks, we can't even serve as a wall to incoming ranged fire. I can't stand in front of my mages and guard them from arrows and firebolts.

On that note, why can't we block magical forms of bolts? The visage of a fighter bracing himself in front of a wizard as a thunderbolt or dragon's breath splashes off his shield is about as classic to fantasy as elves and orcs. To concerned finger wigglers, it would be balanced, I assure you. It would be designed in such a way that a Mortal Striker couldn't switch between his lumbering axe and his shield in a carefree instant. It would be more realistic, and more importantly, balanced. I want to give Warriors in a defensive role more defense -- not Warriors in the midst of a DPS fury more defense.

-Taunt doesn't work in PvP. With all the CC in WoW, and forms as drastic as Mind Control and Fear, the justification that it's now added because they don't want "too much CC" is very weak. Truthfully I do agree that Taunt would be annoying. However, when you allow the former mentioned forms of CC to work in PvP, I don't see the logic as to why Taunt would be any worse.

-Small damage mitigation in large-scale PvP (eg; Hillsbrad). Most damage in PvP that involves seiges or lines is ranged damage by nature. Most ranged damage is magical. So when a Warrior is trying to tank the frontline in Hillsbrad, he's mainly getting hit by magic damage. Yet a Warrior has no serious tanking advantage vs magic damage. Warriors only have a small natural(base) HP advantage over other classes.

Tanking in large-scale comes down to how well your healed. When you're trying to attrac 10,000 damage over 10 seconds, whether you have 4000 HP as Warlock or 5000 HP as a Warrior doesn't make a big difference. The reason why Warriors tank physical damage is not the HP, but the AC. However, since Warriors have the same spell mitagation as every other class basically, there's no real advantage. Warriors are still certianly the better choice to sit at the front rows but they're certianly not anywhere nearly as notable as they are in PvE to the level of being deserving of the term Tank.

The role of the Warrior in PvP is DPS. That's why we hit as hard as we do. We're not Tanks in PvP. The best role we could be described as is shock troops. Warriors are not notable at leading a Charge (the Paladin is exponentially the best class at that), we don't stand out as defensive (root or stun classes can protect med'ing casters better), and we certianly don't have a magic mitigation advantage to earn the standout title of tank. If anything, the Warrior is propably the class that's best reward with "real stealth", by actually ambushing and flanking them enemy in small Warrior/Healer mounted groups. Not by using direct charges and tanking.

So Armsmen and Berzerkers have a role in PvP. Why don't Protection Warriors?

What will be the role of a Tank(eg; Protection Warrior) in PvP Battlegrounds? You guessed it: PvE. Tanking elite NPC Guards.

Simply put: I'd like to see Protection Warriors given the tools to effectively serve a defensive tank role in pure PvP, and if Warrior offense is once against "balanced", make sure our defensive is properly balanced as well.