warlock tanking (via pets)

[Spriggit]

Here's an idea I've long wished to have seen in WoW - warlocks tanking via their pets.

I don't mean the standard way of summoning a voidwalker and then having it sic a mob, then casting on the mob until the voidwalker's threat gets outpaced. I'm thinking something more drastic. Specifically for allowing the pet to retain mob aggro even with well-geared players wailing on its mob. This would be through either outright possessing the voidwalker (like a hunter's Eyes of the Beast) and upping its damage and threat, or via some kind of damage/threat tie-in ability like soul link.

The closest implementation of this kind of idea that I've seen was in Dark Age of Camelot via the Necromancer class. For those who haven't played Daoc, Necromancers were a pretty ineffectual cloth casting class until they summoned a minion, which they would then possess until slain. Essentially they were undead forms like druids have animal forms in wow.

Now i accept this may be too radical a change even for Turtle Wow - maybe the next best option would be an ability that changes your damage/aggro, somewhat like Soul Link currently does. I'm thinking specifically for utilizing this with a voidwalker but in theory every pet could have its own niche application.

Here's how it might work. The ability - let's call it "Fel Pact" just to call it something, would grant an indefinite (or at least 1 minute) duration buff on both the warlock and demon pet. On the warlock side, it'd reduce damage output by something like 50% (or more), while transferring all or nearly all of the lock's generated threat to its pet. On the demon's side, it'd be 'granted' the warlock's threat while also boosting its in-combat health generation and possibly also upping its damage mitigation. Doesn't have to be absurdly high, maybe something like 5-15% outright mitigation like the TBC talent "Demonic Resilience" offers.

If people think this would make the pets too good of an aoe-threat tank compared to our other meatshield options, then maybe the transferrable threat could only come from certain spells, like shadow bolt, searing pain, or curse of agony/corruption/immolation etc.

I'm not asking for the best tank in the game to be available to warlocks. It'd just be a really cool way to get a low-tier (but somewhat functional) group tank into the hands of demonology spec-d locks. Tanks are always in high demand but low in numbers so this would probably be an asset to everyone's group delving experience. Locks wouldn't be gaining dps over the destruction/affliction schools(due to the personal damage nerf) when using this talent so it wouldn't be a go-to choice for the class.

Oh, and also, please fix demon pet's lack of Avoidance, thanks!

[Xudo]

There are enough classes and specs able to tank. There are not enough people willing to tank.
Making tank from warlocks pet don't solve this problem in general.

Though I like the idea to make different style of tanking out of voidwalker.
1. It needs specific itemisation to increase survivability. It is especially hard for pets.
2. There are number of fights where you have to use Taunt or similar ability. Standard ability of voidwalker works differently and don't help.

[Mativh]

I'd love to see unorthodox pve roles coopeating in an organic way instead of the rigid system that especially took root after vanilla. I have a feeling that it was the intention with the classes being able to be hybrids and the entire jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none vanilla class design.

Imagine a Shadow priest that deals damage and off-heals with vampiric embrace and shadowmend,
going with a shockadin that heals and off-damages with melee/judgements/shocks and consecration,
going with a demo/affli warlock that has its voidwalker tanking and life-drains and dots enemies as he health funnels the voidwalker,
going with an arcane battle-mage that off-tanks with mana shield while dealing damage benefiting from something like this,
going with a fury warrior, a pure dps, specializing at melee aoe, with a little life-steal, also it's flury talent requires him to wear leather like a true berserker.
All cooperating dynamically and situationally.

Now that would feel like a real vanilla experience.

Back to Demonology Tanking;
The Warlock is a master of manipulating the life-force of beings through demonic magic as well as controlling demons.
There could be a talent that marks your demon (or even an ally; an off-heal warlock idea) and your drain life will go to the marked demon instead of yourself, this would make the demon generate threat, not you, or health funnel could through demonology talent make you increase the demons threat, making this build an indirect dps/tank hybrid.

Alternatively there could be an ability with a higher cd that opens a portal for lesser demons to come out of in intervals, their attacks generating high threat and them being hostile to both players and mobs. Summoning a portal near a pack of mobs and having some of demons come out and clash with them first, then the players joining in to fight the weakened and busy mobs tanked by hostile demons.

Possessing the demon... hmm it would make more sense in reverse. Losing control of the demon and it possessing the warlock, and the warlock gaining a set of buffs/debuffs and abilities of the demon, as you're wrestling for the control of your mind and soul, randomly losing control for few seconds (where the warlock turing hostile to all including its allies without the player being able to affect it) then regaining control and taking advantage of the possession.

[Reploidrocsa]

it would been awesome if the warlock class could "possess" his pet for a while and getting improved pet abilities so he could perform different roles when the class was being concieved back in 2004

[Zabnafin]

+ for this idea. Recently saw the season of discovery teasers and how warlocks get a tanking form. While that's cool and all, I think they missed the opportunity to do something more in-line with how warlocks play by utilizing their pets for that. Otherwise it's basically a demon-hunter form. having a tank controllable from afar would be a unique way of adding this utility to the game.

[Krotux]

There needs to be more pet items like the black book from BWL and the tier set bonus