Prot Spec? Why bother.... For most of the game anyways.

Here is the build the OP is currently using.

edit: oops, fixed.
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Could you give any more description, details, or examples on how Healing has gone as Ret? Particularly in Heroics and Naxx.

For the first time in about 2 years I specced Ret this weekend between raids. I'd be interested in doing more as Ret. My gear is decent for starting Heroics. I have some crap gear and then great epic pieces to compensate. I just spent about an hour looking up my upgrades... anyway, point is, I'm interested in trying this. I also have good Healing gear in the bank, so I'd like to see how viable the trifecta approach really is!
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Since respec costs are trivial (2-3 dailies) I don't see what's so hard about just pressing the respec button instead of trying to justify doing things in a subpar way.
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Yeah I did this while levelling. Levelled as Ret, with healing and tanking gear so I could do any dungeon I wanted.

For casual heroics / 10 mans, sure it works. For serious raids like 25 Maly or hard mode Sarth it obviously doesn't, and similarly it won't for Ulduar.

The other thing, as others have mentioned, is that prot spec makes thing infinitely easier for the group. You _can_ tank stuff as ret with 2-3 healers in 10 mans, but you could also tank as prot with 1-2 healers. You _can_ tank heroics fine as ret, but you can also tank them as prot with an enhancement shaman maelstrom healing, or a balance druid throwing HoTs.

Ultimately I think this phenomenon, while a great thing, is more a reflection on the ease of the game at the moment, rather than the viability of ret tanking. It by no means makes Prot redundant, and in regards to the original point, there's very definitely a point to being prot specced for raiding.

Oh, and of course for arena you're always going to need a very specific spec. Not all of us love PvP as ret, so I respec regularly in order to PvP as holy.

Back when they announced a possible duel spec I thought up something like this:

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=sZ0xVVfZxfbxbIzfMsgzVo

The intention was solo use helping any friends run normals and getting a DPS slot in some off the ten man encounters, especially when say its halfway through a naxx clear but I wasn't logged day before so tanks are in and a DPS is late.

To be honest tho I just dont see the need. Anyway most of it was utility, I'd still dps with SotR/Consecration/Judges/Storm and probably the vengence seal just cos it would be glyphed..remember im talking duelspec, feck re glyphing for an empty slot.

Alot of guilds are running 25 mans with around 21 people when its not achievements. If your lucky you can get two groups :p
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Kurtizzle lvl 80 Tankadin T7/7.5/Badgeloot/roic drops
EU-HELLFIRE

However this spec has more PvP/raid utility for those free slots than the trash tank ret build.

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=sZaxbVbZVfbtbIzfMsgzVo

Only problem is will they do lockouts on duelspec?!? Only time will tell.

I like this build because you get to bubble and unstun people + you have two buffs no one will refuse and and and you can do -30% raid dmg or 60% to a tank with sacrafice. Not many tanks have it in there build yet.

My favourite GM is MT and a good friend too, so my duel spec is just going to be lol....why not?

PS: I almost forgot the crit debuff and replenishment, our ret pallies arn't on alot!
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Kurtizzle lvl 80 Tankadin T7/7.5/Badgeloot/roic drops
EU-HELLFIRE

What on earth made you think that posting this crap on maintankadin.org was a good idea?
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Levantine: Frost Tank
Anzen: Restogoat
Popeadin: Retardin

This concept is supposed to be Blizzard's design. They don't want there to be a massive shortage of any specific class for general activities so they made it possible for pretty much any spec to fit any role that class can fit at least semi-well. They want all warriors/DK/paladins to be able to put on tanking gear and tank an instance for people. They want all the healing classes to be able to heal as offspec, which I believe they can do even more than they used to (tankadins still have major mana issues if trying to heal an instance, but if in holy gear I think they'd be fine and have super strong heals to make up for it). They want people to be able to access all the current content (save "hard modes") because it makes for a much more enjoyable game than to be cockblocked into begging for a tank for an entire morning or a healer all afternoon.

That said, I'd never do this because I'm a full raiding tank and don't care much for PvP
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Well, you could have also tanked as ret in tanking gear during BC.
I did a full Hyjal clear with my ret spec, tanking most of the waves and nobody ever noticed I wasn't prot that day.

Naxxramas content is meant to be very accessible as long as you know a bit about the moves, the tanking basics, your healers are somewhat geared and your dps doesn't fail.

Now, you come with a gear that is already made from heroics and naxx and noticed that you don't need to be prot to do it.
Of course, you already overgear the content.

I didn't read the full post, BUT if you go that way, one could say you didn't needed a realy tank for maulgar. Moonkin and rogues have tanked it already.
However, I never saw a progression kill where moonkin or rogue had tanked the boss.

Also, you don't need a tank for the DK wing at all. See the mage soloing Naxxaramas.
Why bother about bringing dps, healers and tanks when a mage can do everything by its own ?