2008-02-09 04:12 pm UTC (link) (For reference, pre-BC I was a resto druid (she switches between tree and boomkin now), post-BC, I am a tankadin...)

Different healers, different tanks. They both excel in different areas. Bears can be really good on some bosses for main tanking with their huge armor and avoidance, while a tankadin can't be beat with AE tanking.

As far as healing, you can't beat a pally on single target healing (and their insane mana regen), but a druid can pound out the heals per second like no one's business.

See, we raid 25 man content with two warriors, a bear, and a tankadin (me). We also raid with all four types of healers. Each has their pluses and minus. Each has their uses for sure.

It's a matter of finding out what healing style you prefer and what tanking style you prefer, as they both do them differently.

(If you ask me my *preference*, I prefer tanking as a pally and healing as a druid, obviously, but everyone is different. But I've never really enjoyed feral, I was so huge as a bear, ugh, so I never got into it. Also our bear kinda sucks ass, so I don't really know how good they CAN be, although I've heard they can be good. Our bear only has, like, 1k hp on me (hell, I think she only has like 5k more armor than me!) and has less than our two warriors, so I really think she's not a good example to base my opinions on...)
2008-02-09 04:16 pm UTC (link) Tanking depends on what you're looking to do as a tank...

Druids tend to be a lot like warriors in the way that they hold aggro well, but only if they're not ganged up by a lot of targets. Paladins are great when it comes to holding multiple target aggro (not to mention they're a boomkin's (like me) best friend...they get OP cuzza the aura too. :D) but I find (and may be incorrect) the fact they use mana can cripple them if you don't know how to keep the mana up. I think I read somewhere to think of the thing as a blue rage bar because without mana you won't be holding stuff very well.

The druid claim to fame with healing is their HoTs. Learn how to use those bad boys right and you'll be an asset to your group. Plus rebirth, of course, which is just awesome in general. I don't know too too much about paladin healing, so I'll let someone else answer that one. XD
2008-02-09 04:35 pm UTC (link) They're both good. But if you love tanking on the druid, I'd stick with that. There's tons of pally healing gear around.
2008-02-09 04:44 pm UTC (link) IMO, druid healing is more fun than paladin. Pally healing is just pushing a few buttons all night. Druids have to throw hots, rolling lifeblooms, etc. Seems a bit more exciting from my pally healer perspective. Pally tank is great for holding multiple mobs-certain classes, especially, will love you-shadow priests come to mind. I can't speak for druid tanks, all I know is they have buttloads of health.
2008-02-09 05:15 pm UTC (link) wow chalk and cheese really..

both tanking and healing wise - both of these classes are very different to play, and at a raiding level generally used in very different ways.

I don't think it's possible to say one is better than the other - it's simply not comparing like with like.

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference - for me, I'd go with feral druid and healing pally; but for every person you could find that'd make the same choice as me, I'd bet there's another who would choose the opposite.

My advice would be to go with what you enjoy most. If you're enjoying tanking with your druid - stick with it, and go healing with your pally. Keep your healing kit though - if you change your mind when your pally gets to 70, you have the option to swap round without too much trouble.
2008-02-09 05:34 pm UTC (link) Both are really good at both roles. My druid is resto and I have so much fun in that, my paladin is prot (but not endgame yet, still moving up) - but that's because I absolutely adore healing with a druid. And as said, it's just about your own personal preference.

They each do have their strengths, where they are 'better'. If you don't have a preference yourself as to which kind of healing/tanking is more fun, you can always look at what your guild balance is like and if you don't have any other resto trees or prot paladins, spec to meet that need.

(I'd say the reverse but I've never seen a lack of feral druids/holy paladins!)
2008-02-09 05:44 pm UTC (link) As others have said, it's all really a matter of personal preference. I will say that in a PvE setting, druid healing is a bit more entertaining than pressing your flash of light button all night. And I actually prefer my pally for tanking, just because I find it more fun.

They both get the job done, so go with what you like more. :)
2008-02-09 06:39 pm UTC (link) Its all about personal preference: I play my druid resto, and I love it, but my boyfriend heals with his pally, and can't handle playing my tree. How do you think you'd like to heal? with many direct casts, or preemptively stacking HoTs?

It sounds like you really enjoy bear tanking, so just based on that, I'd say go for it. Both pallies and druids make excellent tanks, with their own strength and weaknesses.
2008-02-09 06:44 pm UTC (link) I'm in a similar situation to you (except I'm still sort of in a levelling stage.) I just rerolled a whole mess of characters and decided to try some new stuff while I was at it. I rerolled a priest, hunter, paladin and druid. So far I see to enjoy healing dramatically more with the druid and priest than with the paladin. However, I haven't really tried tanking with the paladin much (she's the lowest of these characters, in her mid 40s.) I have to say I've had a druid before (and I've levelled two before as resto) I really love druid healing. In fact I hugely prefer it to my now priest healing.
Ultimately though as long as your guild wants to work with you, go with what seems to make you happiest- you pay, you play, you know?

2008-02-09 11:03 pm UTC (link) If it will help you decide... PvE-wise both have their strengths and weaknesses, but PvP-wise, if you ever decide to competitively PvP, druids are considered by far the best arena healers.
2008-02-10 02:47 am UTC (link) I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, but one great thing about bear druids is that they can do really good dps without respeccing when someone else is tanking. I really love having a druid OT because of this. When prot pallies or warriors aren't tanking in a raid they're not terribly useful.
2008-02-10 08:52 am UTC (link) I've never been able to get a pally high enough to care one way or the other, but maaan do I love feral fuzzybutt tanking.

I specced resto for a couple of raids and it was monstrously fun. I adored being a tree and I love the resto toys and the healing really fits my play-style to a 'T'. Unfortunately, I languished without my feral toys and the habits and frustration of not being ... well - it's like the nelf in Illegal Danish. I was born feral. As soon as my sad-ass n00b self figured out what the feral tree /was/ a couple years ago and learned to respec, I've never been able to keep a druid anything but.

So - I guess it all boils down to preference. What style of healing and tanking do you like? If you've got one of each, people will love you forever no matter which one is which.
2008-02-11 10:42 am UTC (link) One thing I can say about Pally tanks, is they seem to be great and holding a large number of mobs without losing thread, to a very impressive degree. On the other hand, Druid tanks have an insane amount of armor. But, like megspencer said, Tankadins don't really have much to do outside buffing and cleansing if they're not in a tanking role whereas druids can go cat form, switch out gear and still be good dps.

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