Gnome Tanks

[maw1965]

Are gnomes good prot tanks and what are the all out best tanking proffesions and races for horde and alliance

[Amirya]

Gnomes are terrible tanks, they're too short to keep from getting kicked around by the bigger bosses. Should have seen gnome tanks in t9, Icehowl always splattered them on the arena walls. It was bad.

[Sagara]

Should have seen gnome tanks in t9, Icehowl always splattered them on the arena walls. It was beautiful.

FTFY. Nothing brings the laughter in slaughter like a dead gnome.

[Paxen]

A well-played Gnome tank can be pretty awesome, however. It's hard to keep threat when the boss doesn't notice you, but if you do manage it he'll miss a lot of attacks. It's not easy hitting something that's the size of your big toe.

[bldavis]

speaking of which, most larger races are stuck slashing at the boss's crotch or in teh case of dwarfs knees
but as a gnome you are great for stabbing that big toe!

as for alliance, i would say gnomes def, but horde...the best gnome tank has GOT to be tauren, with skinning and herbing as proffs

[Fetzie]

Gnomes cannot be paladins, therefore they are not the best for tanking.

[Paxen]

For professions, isn't Blacksmithing a bit OP for any tank at the moment? Since they get two extra gem slots they get double the value of if they go for secondary stats. If you'd be gemming straight stam or str (or agi) it makes no difference, but if you want to gem mastery or haste (or expertise) Blacksmithing looks like a sweet deal.

Of course, gnomes have a hard time reaching up to use other races' anvils, so they have to go to Ironforge and the Tinker's quarter to get anything done.

[lythac]

[benebarba]

I dunno, Gnomes are second only to Dwarves in the epic beard department. That's gotta count for something.

----
gnomes can't be pallies or druids, and AFAIK their racials only make em meh for tanks compared to other races. Humans get a more flexible expertise bonus and a better on-use, Draenei get a hit bonus and a HOT that is actually somewhat useful now, etc.

professionwise: blacksmithing and JC are probably the best, and possibly most flexible, at the moment. That may change in future tiers. Engineering has had a strong start, but you can't stack cogwheels like you can the JC gems (cogwheels are unique-equipped, the gems I think you can have up to 3 and it doesn't matter what kind they are) and eventually the 3 cogwheel slots from the trinket will be lost to an upgrade even if you keep the goggles and tinkers.

[Paxen]

If you want engineering Gnomes will save you a lot of gold (at least 15 skill points from every recipe, no matter how cheap).

[Teranoid]

Oh hey another thread from the "I can't use Google" guy.

[Koatanga]

We maintain a policy of making a gnome sacrifice for most fights. Sacrificing a gnome insures better loot for us all, as well as much luck with the RNG elements of the fight.

Given that policy, gnome tanks are bad, mkay?

[Skye1013]

Gnome mages and warlocks make for excellent sacrifices though.

[benebarba]

Gnome mages and warlocks make for excellent sacrifices though.

I just pop my Gnomeregan Pride for the first pull, saves on gnome wear and tear.

[Skye1013]

You're sacrificing false gnomes?!?!?!!?!?

/cowers in a corner

[Amirya]

What do you do if the pull requires a warlock or a mage tank, and the only one available is a gnome?

[Skye1013]

Sacrifice and brez?

[Sabindeus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhVvOps3C6s#t=0m17s

[Amirya]

Ok, Schatze, how do you turn Sab and Invis into gnomes without their knowledge?

[Skye1013]

Gnomish Mind Control devices?

[masterpoobaa]

Gnome + small feast + knogginflogger elixir = 1 pixel of fury.

[Darielle]

On my old realm, a rival guild's excuse for failing at Al'ar was that all their tanks were Gnomes and so they couldn't handle LOS on the platforms.

THe rest of us laughed. Very hard.

[Fenris]

A gnome tanking Golemagg,back in vanilla.

Still one of the best WTF moments this game has given me

[Fetzie]

A gnome tanking Golemagg,back in vanilla.

Still one of the best WTF moments this game has given me

Different boss, but still relevant:

Hah? Hruumph? Soft little fleshy-things? Here? Nuisances, nuisances!

[benebarba]

You're sacrificing false gnomes?!?!?!!?!?

/cowers in a corner

Well, I *am* an engineer, so it's a little less false. I prefer to think of it as a symbolic sacrifice, really. Well, that and the thought that the loot gods would savor the sacrifice of the ultra-rare gnome paladin and give us phat lootz before realizing it had the aftertaste of human engineer.