Since when was it the Tanks job to explain fights?

[MatthiasS]

I just got out of a dismal Steps of Faith run. I gave the bulletpoints. DPS on cannons, someone on Dragonkillers, don't fire 2nd killer till after you fire snares. Someone asked how cannons worked, and I said "Same as Vigil Hard". People wouldn't volunteer to take cannons or Dragonkillers, and DPS was awful.

I got annoyed when someone, AFTER the wipe asked "What are snares?" If you didn't know, ask before the first run. A Steps failure is 15 minutes out of my day for no reason.

I told people it wasn't my job to explain every single part of the entire duty. (Please note, I had tried my best already, not everyone is gifted with the ability to really teach something.) At which point I was told to "Man up and explain it, because you are the tank". Note, the OTHER tank wasn't getting any lip.

Why is there a notion that Tanks should be the Mighty Walking Strategy Guide? I can respect someone saying "I want to go in blind" and then playing blind. That is their right. I don't fancy being expected to explain fights. If you want to know what to do without figuring it out yourself, watch a guide. Don't EXPECT someone to explain the fight. Especially don't expect it and then complain that their explanation wasn't good enough.

TLDR:
No where in the job for tank is "Know and explain any duty someone doesn't know."

[zcrash970]

Because tanks are the leaders of parties typically

[meischoice]

I've ran into that fight on duty roulette twice.
When the fight started, no one really knew what to do except for one person.
That person said, "Who is on cannons?"

I never had a chance to operate the cannons before and I said, "I never tried using cannons, how do I know when to shoot the cannons?"
It got quiet for a good 20seconds, then when that person asked the same question, "Who is on cannons?"
People started leaving left and right and I felt so bad and frustrated.

[Mykll]

A lot of that comes from older MMOs (like Everquest) where they were the leaders of groups and such. Or even without that, people getting used to the tank always being in front, so therefore they must know everything and must teach everything.

Really, anyone knowing the dungeon can speak up.

And, I won't even get into watching a guide or not....

[dayspring83]

...

I got annoyed when someone, AFTER the wipe asked "What are snares?" If you didn't know, ask before the first run. A Steps failure is 15 minutes out of my day for no reason.

I told people it wasn't my job to explain every single part of the entire duty. (Please note, I had tried my best already, not everyone is gifted with the ability to really teach something.) At which point I was told to "Man up and explain it, because you are the tank". Note, the OTHER tank wasn't getting any lip.

...

TLDR:
No where in the job for tank is "Know and explain any duty someone doesn't know."

It's not. Unfortunately you got grouped with some ignorant people. It's not anyone's job to explain the fights. Either you go in blind or you research the fight and then ask for pointers. It's certainly anyone's right to want to go into these fights blind, but you cant say "I dont want to watch videos" and then expect people to explain the fight.

[Nadirah]

Because tanks are the leaders of parties typically

Not always.

In fact, tanks are probably the worst choice for raid call outs because they have more important things to focus on.

[Amiaze]

snip

Ah...to be fair, a lot of people become hostile towards others the moment they see that they're new or realize that they don't know the mechanics completely. I personally stopped even saying that I was new or that it was my first time in a fight, even if I'd seen a video, because of the overwhelming negativity. It's not a good feeling.

But what zcrach970 said is true. Tanks are meant to be the leaders of a party, at least when it comes to setting the flow of things. They aren't always the best to do call-outs, as Nadirah said, but they do spearhead fights. It's human nature to turn to whoever seems to be in control of a situation to ask for help. I do agree with you, though, in that it shouldn't always fall on the tank.

[Makeda]

Not always.

In fact, tanks are probably the worst choice for raid call outs because they have more important things to focus on.

More or less yes.

Tanks DO set the flow and run the tactics. But not the strategy.

For 4-person content yeah, the tank is basically the leader. For more complex content that requires a a wider plan, the 'raid lead' is best chosen from whoever has the most experience. The position best able to be this leader is usually a healer - except a LOT of people play healers because they falsely see it as a sit in the back half AFK role... so while the role is the natural leader position (a good healer has to be aware of EVERYTHING going on in the fight), the typical healer player is the worst possible choice to lead...

That said if you're in a static and you have a skilled healer - you will benefit a LOT by training them to be a raid leader.

[elemental10]

The issue in that team was, the way I see it, is the same as any of the small percentage of SOF.

Nobody wants to take responsibility.

Nobody wants to touch the cannons because you're responsible for clearing the adds.
Nobody wants to do Dragonkiller because you're responsible for the Big Thing.
Nobody wants to get any flak if the whole thing fails.
Nobody wants to be you, OP, the guy who leads.

So they sit tight and not talk at all.

[Nyerieri]

Are we really discussing this?

I've told people what needs to be done regardless of my job, because I know it will save me time. Stop crying.