Tanking: Importance of Strength stat in WotLK

I'm not usually that active on the Maintankadin Forums. I usually read way way more than I usually ever comment usually and do comment when I feel like. Anyway in this thread related to someone new asking about Strength as a NEW stat for Tankadins in WotLK, I posted the response below.

So though I post it here as well for the benefit of those that don't know, don't understand, confused or just don't real allot. Made some corrections for clarity as well.

I think a lot of Tankadins need to start understanding things as well as a mind change from how things are (currently) to how things will eventually be in WotLK.

Stamina & Strength are becoming core stats for a Tankadin. Especially considering that all Plate wearing Tanks will be sharing the same gear as loot which thus include all the stats on that kind of gear. Think Tanking Warrior gear stats. It's will no longer be tBC as you know it for Tankadins when WotLK comes.

and Threat Stat for Our gear will be changing, thus as well the thinking and the talent stats to make that gear as effective to do our jobs as Tanks. Strength will be a new Mitigation and Threat stat for Tankadins with our new abilities and gear.

What Blizzard is doing IMO is giving us two stats to scale up our gear from lvl 70-80. But as you increasing level to 80, you gear will be more Stamina/ Strength and AP based vs what you used to in tBC.

Starting from 70 with so much Tankadins in hard earned Epics your spell power tanking gear will be more effective up to somewhere around lvl 75 or so depending on tier gear. Around that point Stamina/ Strength gear becomes more valuable to you because of how it affects your abilities. ( 2 Strength = 1 Block Value or BV, 1 Strength = 2 AP)

Increasing Stamina will increase your Spell Power which adds to all your spells. Increasing Strength will increase your BV for threat with the new Shield of Righteousness. Strength also converts into AP which is now good for us because it increase the power of all spell except to Holy Shield currently. So now Increasing Spell Power and AP both scale the power of our spells and abilities. That's a good thing.

Using a slow high DPS weapon is also now good, compared to a slow weapon on live the server. A slow high DPS weapon around 2.6 speed with high AP, and AP from stacking Strength increase how hard HotR hits on 3 NPC mobs dealing Holy Damage in the process. This same effect also affect Seals and Judgement among other spells.

Increasing Strength/AP makes effect of seals increase in value so they scale. More Strength/AP the more Holy damage and threat your damage seals do. The harder your Seals & Judgements hit for Holy Damage/Threat and the more mana or heals you get back as a result.

Using Seal of Wisdom or Light with high Strength/AP the more mana and heals you get on hits. Use HotR with the same seal active the more mana and heals it proc's for on three NPC mobs HotR hits. Also the more Holy Damage HotR does as well.

So as you increase you Stamina that spell power adds to your spells, increasing Strength/AP that adds to your spells as well. So you benefit from both stats increasingly.

As you start WotLK at 70 unfortunately you have very little Strength on gear as a Protection Paladin, but more Spell Power stats as well as weapon. So around lvl 75 or so seems a break point. But as you increase lvl your just shedding your tBC gear for your new gear stats of Stamina & Strength plus everything else bonus added to gear.

All just a mind set change compared to what most people are used to on live server. Start getting used to it!

Hammer of the Righteous (HotR) works off Weapons damage causing high threat Holy damage so you want a slower hard hitting high DPS weapon which does damage as Holy damage to targets up to (3). Shield of Righteousness (ShotR) does damage from 200% of BV causing very high threat to target. Having high Strength/ AP causes ALL your spells to scale in damage/threat or effect with the current exception of Holy Shield which currently only scale on Spell Power.