Depending of your crafting profs, you can also get started there. I love my goggles from engineering.

Then the very short list I used myself, nice to get your started:
Helm = Wildhammer Revered (replaced with engineering goggles for me)
Necklace = Hyjal Honored
Cloak = Hyjal Exalted
Legs = Earthen Ring Honored
Boots = Wildhammer Exalted
Ring = Therazane Revered

Shoulder enchants from Therazane, and Helm Enchant from Earthen Ring for tanks.

You also get some very decent blue tank items from quests in Deepholm / Uldum / Twilight Highlands.

Complete this with Justice Point gear for the missing slots.

 

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Good thing this is nothing but a jaded opinion, or we would really be in a bind.

 

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I don't think it is that at all.

I think it is safe to say that players that play one character all the time are in the extreme minority. Everyone has alts.

Out of 10 character slots, How many are tanks? 1, 2 at most.(usually)

Heals? 1, 2 at most. (usually)

Then we have 6 slots at least for DPS...

There are more DPS characters because there are more DPS classes. Tanking and healing requiring a specific mindset(responsibility) compounds the issue, but even if we removed the "mindset" requirement, there would still be more DPS characters.

 

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I don't know, I understand your theory gutter, however there are just to many variables for me to know how true it could be. As I look at it though, ther are more tank options then ever before, 4 of the classes can be tanks, finding enough tanks has always been a problem. There is always a shortage.


So even those who have tanks, but are playing a different character at the time, by the law of averages there would have to be sometimes where most of those players are on their tank characters resulting in a shorter tank queue time. I've never expirienced this, I've also never expirienced a significant wait on my tank queueing.


The only other thing I can think of is that those players who do tank, many of them just don't PuG with their tank often if at all. Maybe they still mostly to guild runs and when they are not tanking for their guild they are leveling their dps alts lol

 

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Syrus,

Of your 10 possible toons, how many are tanks?


There are about 2700 characters on lightbringer (alliance side)(assuming they are ALL 85)

If each person had 10 of those, this leaves you with 270 players...(i know not everyone has 10 toons, but this is just an example)

with 1 or 2 tanks per person, and 1 or 2 heals per person,(best case scenario..2 each)

270-540 tanks
270-540 heals
1620-2160 DPS

IF everyone could have every toon logged in at the same time!!


NOW take away at least 1/4 of your tanks and heals, because they require more responsibility,(and add these to DPS, since they don't play tanks or heals) then take some more because people only tank for guilds.


There were more DPS to begin with, and the above just adds to the problem, it does not create it.

 

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Like I said I see where your theory is going. However you are also assuming best case senario to support your theroy. For example as you mentioned not everyone has 10 toons. I know I am a rare case, but I have 2 characters on light bringer, one Tank, one Healer.


Second, I'm not sure I buy the whole, "don't want the responsibility thing". Everyone has different play style preferances, what about the players who want that extra challenge/responsibility. What about the players who just started warrior because it seemed like the default class. What about all the players who created a DK because they were the flavor of the year. There are lots of variables here that I can't just except that it would be ok to factor in a percentage of players who avoid responsibility and tact that on to the DPS pool.


You are also assumeing people have 1 tank, 1 healer and the rest DPS? I know many players that because they tried one tank or healer, they have tried them all. Actually many players on this forum profess to have multiple tanks and multiple healers.


Also Druid and Tank can queue as both tank and healer...


I could go on.


Obviously there is a problem, I can't argue that as the queue wait times are evidence of that. What factors are that are causing this imbalance? Well there are many.

 

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I actually have 2 tanks, and 2 healers over 80 (My pally does both), so that is 3 characters

My priest can dps(healer above), as well as my dk(tank above), plus rogue, hunter, mage, and lock

So, i can field:(depending on spec)
2 tanks
2 heals
and 6 DPS

I have 3 times as many dps "specs" as I have tanks.(not counting dual specs for the pure dps classes, or it grows even more)

I have 3 times as many dps "specs" as I have heals.


Yes I make the assumption that people will have 1 or 2 tanks, 1 or 2 heals, and the rest dps.


Do you personally know anyone that has 10 tanks on their account(on the same server)? 5? 4? 3? Heals?

It is a rational assumption.


Edit: counting total "specs", 80-85
2 Tank
2 Heal
10 DPS

Adding in lower alts
Druid(heals/tanks), Warrior(tank,dps), Shaman(heals, dps)

4 tank
4 heal
12 DPS

Still at 3-1 ratio for dps to tanks, and dps to heals.

 

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Right but if you are queueing as both tank adn dps, you will be chosen for tank first and when needed same thing with healer.


I have actually never been chosen for DPS on my pally and I queue for both everytime. I can count the number of times I've got chosen for DPS on my healer on one hand when queuing for both.


Edit:


I guess what I am trying to say is that I think there is more too it then that. So I don't intend to argue with your theory I think it is valid.

 

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I don't queue for both, If im going to dps on my priest,dk, or warrior, I queue as dps.(otherwise, like you say, heal or tank will always pop)

As pally, I queue for either tank or heals, never both.(for the same reason)

 

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The simplest is that there are 4 tanking speclines out of a possible 30, and upwards of 22 dps speclines (or there abouts).

Tanks take up 20% of a single group, but only 13% of all possible speclines, whereas dps takes up 73% (or so) of all speclines and only 60% of the spots in a single group.

Thus, longer waits for dps.

 

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