4x Rets for PvE: DK or Bear?

[wyofiddler]

I meant to ask: Which tank for leading the team? Bleh....

Focus for this team (when they get to 80 and geared a bit) is heroics only, not pvp.

I know the DK lead is the classic setup for pvp, but I'd like to hear what people think about leading with a bear instead. I hear that swipe is king for chain pulls, and bears bring a little different set of buffs. Are they just another option depending on personal preference, or do they make truely stronger pve tanks for an all melee team? How important are DK skills like death strike for the self healing, and does this outweigh the bear abilities? I've played the DK, but have no experience with druids at high level... so my personal bias is in favor of the DK I'm familiar with. Bears just seem so tough as a tank and simple to play. I'd like to hear opinions from anyone willing to comment, thanks

[Shodokan]

Paladin is better for tanking. DK offers an AP buff, druid offers a crit buff... paladin offers... a 2nd life, loh etc.

[ghonosyph]

i have all 3, dk tank(5600ish gs), druid tank(5600ish gs), and pally tank that i leveled with my rets from day one(5400ish gs).

Though my UI is set up differently on the dk/druid which makes cross swapping difficult in the way i play, i have to say that for chain pulling my druid is the king.

my druids swipe is 360 and i can just run and swipe heal a bit and divine storm and pull the whole dang dungeon. He also offers more passive group healing in that you get imp leader of the pack and more crit from the aura too(which again leads to more procs of the aura) Pallys + Crit = good stuff as well.

The dk offers some different types of buffs as well(blood gives 10%ap, frost gives windfury haste, unholy gives magic debuff for more dmg), and offers a great bit of self healing, but gets hit a ton harder(once you reach a certain point in gear this becomes mute, but it is worth considering).

The pally tank offers a ton as well, given the extra pally buff(sanc is awesome for group dmg reduction as well), extra aura, INSANE survivability, incredible aoe tankability, extra group survivability from divine sacrifice and an all around awesome bunch of options.

Now if you look at the cons, and the way everything plays out, for ease of travel and general awesomeness the dk can get imp unholy presence in unholy spec and thus you can have increased run speed across the whole party(pursuit of justice) but i SERIOUSLY dislike the way dks tank, in that its just harder to keep agro across multiple mobs when your rets gear up. Dks are great as tanks and they work well with rets but there i'd much rather use another tank imo.

Druids are the king when it comes to on the move tanking, swipe is just retarded good! The only thing i dislike about druids as tanks when it comes to speed farmin heroics for gear/money is that when you stop to loot you lose your rage. That sucks but it doesn't really prevent anything, just have to /startattack at the beginning of your spam macro for the next pack pull and continue till you get enough rage to start swiping again. Druid tanking is easy as one button or two button, and its incrediblely easy to gear them up as well so big bonus.

Pally tanks aren't really an option for you it seems as you'd rather a dk or druid. If it were my choice between the two the druid would be the better but either would make a great tank for you! good luck!

[Ughmahedhurtz]

My preference would be druid. DK tanks are painful while gearing up as your mitigation (assuming you spec for it) is on a cooldown, meaning you can get into trouble if you're not careful. I've tanked heroics on my druid at 2800ish gearscore. Trying that on a DK is suicide. Druids won't compete with your DPS for gear and there are some really great druidish (druish? lol) tanking items available in the heroics that are easier to farm (i.e.: not HoS/HoL/ICC).

[Svpernova09]

Once you go bear.... you realize plate is for sissies.

[alcattle]

Once you go bear.... you realize plate is for sissies.

roflmao