Where in my tanking spec did you see "I'm DPS"?

Ragar: So Mordigg, how're the heroic runs coming along?

Mordigg: So far so good, I suppose. At this point I've acquired the belt, sigil, and neck pieces from the emblem vendor. I'm still working on the two tier pieces, though I'd prefer to save myself the trouble and just get back into another Naxx run with your guild.

Ragar: Ah yes, the first 8-man Naxxramas run. I think Sol went back with them later and they managed to pull it off; I'll have to bug him to talk about it later. How have the groups been so far?

Mordigg: The groups you and Solannis recommended have done admirably so far; we've yet to come across a challenge that we were unable to overcome. There was one strange run though, but that was an anomaly.

Ragar: Strange? What about it was strange?

Mordigg: Well, it started off with me being brought in to tank the run like usual. While they were filling out the group though, the leader said that the main tank for your raids wanted to come in and he asked if I could DPS instead.

Ragar: Ah yeah, those are always awkward times.

Mordigg: I mean, I did my job and according to the numbers they presented at the end, I believe I did an acceptable job with the equipment I had on hand. It's just that I was unprepared for the scenario. I've put in all of my time and effort to accumulate equipment to tank. All of the money the team has spent, all of my emblems, my enchants - everything has been focused on the task of staying alive and holding the attention of the team's target. When they asked me to DPS instead, I threw on my gear, but it just irked me because the state of my equipment made it appear as if I hadn't been trying to improve myself. Various blue-quality items from quest rewards, a green here and there, and some tanking pieces simply because I haven't found a better DPS piece anywhere. Yes, the majority of it had strength/hit/expertise on it simply because that's necessary for tanking, but compared to what some of the other members of the party were using, I looked like one of the fools they manage to drag out of the woodwork for Archavon pick-up groups. They made a joke at the end and I know they didn't mean anything by it, but it's still irksome. I do have my pride after all.

Ragar: Yeah, it's never fun to get asked to DPS instead as a tank. You spend so long perfecting your threat rotations that going to something else just feels weird. You do have an advantage over Sol and I though - all of your abilities work just as well in your DPS presences and gear as they do in your tanking gear. For me and Sol, we're built around using shields. Throwing on a two-handed weapon, or some one-handers in my case, kills most of our abilities, so most of the time it's just us standing with the other melee whacking the boss with a shield and trying to at least out-DPS the priests' Shadow Word: Pains.

Mordigg: Should I expect more of this in the future?

Ragar: Outside of raiding, not really. In raids it can't really be helped since some of the fights really only require one tank. Even with the multi-tank fights, there are a couple that are mostly one-man shows until you get to a certain point. Take Kel'Thuzad for example: until he summons those guards of his, me and the other off-tank might as well be taking a nap. In the meantime though, it wouldn't hurt for you to pick up some off-spec gear. I know you don't want to DPS, but at least you can DPS to some degree with your tanking spec so it's still a good idea. There's also some rumors flying around about us being able to change specs in the field, so bear that in mind.

Mordigg: Dual specializations, huh? Will you and Solannis be doing the same?

Ragar: Sol will either go Holy or Ret for his second, probably Ret given some of our conversations. I think he's still a little burned out from his days in the arena as a healadin.

Mordigg: And yourself?

Ragar: Double Prot. Probably a survivability build and a high threat one. I may have off-spec gear, but I wouldn't feel right without a shield on my arm. It's possible I might change my mind, but unlikely. You?

Mordigg: I'll have to do some research. Those notes you showed me suggest some rather radical changes to my abilities, so it's hard to make any concrete decisions now. Like you said, I can DPS to some degree with my tanking builds, so I may try something along the lines of what you're suggesting. Perhaps a single-target build and one for larger groups. Since everything is in a state of upheaval though, such a decision will have to wait for another day.