One of the constant realities of WoW is that everyone complains. Why did you nerf my class? These guys are overpowered. Why does Blizzard hate X class? I'm quitting, my guild is quitting, this new MMO will kill WoW. With the 2.0.10 patch, many "nerfed" classes are trying to make their voices heard with a variety of tactics, from well-reasoned threads to crashing servers.

There are legitimate concerns that Blizzard needs and wants to hear, but too many people go about their complaining in the wrong way. It might sound good at the time to invoke Gandhi and Martin Luther King and fighting injustice, but don't be surprised when people laugh at you for comparing a video game to the civil rights movement. When dealing with a voluntary action such as playing a video game, the squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease. Therefore, for your all your future complaining needs, WOW Insider presents "QQing for the Advanced Student."

Good ways to argue:

1. Use proper spelling and grammar. Just like in school, people aren't going to pay attention if you come off like a chimpanzee that's just learned how to use a keyboard. Yes, yes, l33tspeak might be acceptable on myspace, but if you want the powers that be to actually listen, talk like an adult. A good example of how to do this is this post, which is long, yet properly formatted and not a giant wall of text.
2. Treat Blizzard with respect. Are you going to listen to the argument of someone who addresses you as "Hey, you idiot"? Personally attacking the company or the community managers is unlikely to get a good response. Ad hominem attacks cover up a lack of ideas. This thread, also about the druid changes, makes good use of the phrase "please" and asks, rather than demands, that Blizzard consider changes.
3. Back up your arguments with math. Why is this ability overpowered? Well, someone crit me for 4k! Fix it! Your personal PVP experiences have very little relevance when asking for a buff or nerf. Instead, tests with actual math can really help bolster your arguments. This shaman thread about slow/slow versus fast/fast dual wield weapons uses some really nice tests to back up Hellz's point about slow weapons being better for DPS. It's usually not the most interesting thing in the world, but it can be a nice way to get people over to your side.
4. Listen to other classes. Too many threads end with "If you're not a warlock, don't comment!" or "Why don't you post on your 70 warrior that you obviously play more than your druid?" This is not high school, and you don't get to go off about how no one understands you unless they've been through your pain. Most people have played multiple classes and have heard complaints from other classes. Being a rogue does not mean that I totally don't understand anyone else's concerns. I don't have any positive examples about this, but this thread is a great example of how not to do this. Classes do not necessarily have to hate each other.
5. Stay positive. Endless complaining with no suggestions just makes you look like a whiner. These rogue threads are excellent examples of positive ways to ask for change. Rogues iterate their problems and suggest solutions, and Blizzard responds by taking the ideas into consideration.

Bad ways to argue:

1. Strike. You are not a union organizer. Even if you get 20 pages of responses, you're not going to be able to organize enough people to effect change since the forum represent only a small percentage of WoW players. Besides, what do you think is really going to happen if you refuse to heal warriors or ask for payment in an instance? You're going to get kicked out of the group in favor of someone who a. has a sense of humor and b. knows enough not to generalize.
2. Crash a server/spam the forums. This is the equivalent of a child throwing a tantrum. "I can't get my way, so I'll yell and kick and make a fuss!" Denizens of Blackrock invading Argent Dawn every time their server goes down isn't going to make Blackrock any more stable. And can you imagine the following conversation at Blizzard headquarters? "What is it, Jones?" "Sir! Someone has posted enough "nerf ClOS fgts" threads on the WoW General forums to push all other topics off the front page?" "My God, what have we done? Quickly, to the programming chamber! We must nerf ClOS!" Oh, and Blizzard deleting your spam topics is not encroaching fascism. Go to law school if you want to keep arguing about it.
3. Quit and make a thread about it. Many people quit WoW every day. Many more join for the first time. While major trends in people quitting and joining might concern Blizzard, your individual story is not important enough to merit a thread. Plus, this is the FORUMS. You're going to get half "Good riddance" responses and half people asking "Can I have your stuff?" Your whole guild quitting is a little more newsworthy, but mostly you're going to look like drama queens.
4. Post a thread with BLUE in the title. Blizzard employees probably do not determine what they want to read by what has "BLUE PLZ REPSONDE" in it. This thread is a great example of something that asks for a Blizzard response when the subject definitely doesn't merit it. Internet polls have all the scientific validity of cottage cheese.
5. Troll. Playing devil's advocate only works when both sides have reasonable arguments. When a level 6 warrior posts "dr00ds are 2good at tanking cause armor > bear skin", it's a reasonable guess that it's probably a druid trying to make warriors look bad. This guy is either a troll or amazingly dumb. As another example, Saristinae is a priest who regularly aggravates the Guild Relations forums by claiming that all guild structure is a form of dominance and elitism and is thus wrong. This happens in every. Single. Thread. Thus, when Saristinae posts suggesting that guilds make their casual members farm mats and gold, everyone sees through it in about two seconds.

I hope this guide helps people better advocate for their classes and their ideas in WoW, and makes the forums a much less brain-destroying place. Do you have any good tips for how to complain?

Thanks to Devries, Kazuuru, and Synbios for help, Gixet for entertainment, and Rohnaj for providing an "ever clear" view of things.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, How-tos, Fan stuff, Blizzard, News items, Features