Separating the players from their classes
by Matthew Rossi 
Dec 5th 2007 at 12:00PM
One of the things I've had to force myself to do is to break my one-class specific mindset as I level alts. I played a lot or warriors as I went from server to server to play with RL friends, raid with friends from my first guild, and then join a new guild in the faction I had yet to really play. As a result, for quite a long time I saw the game entirely through a warrior's eyes: what was good for warriors was good for the game, what was bad for warriors was bad for the game. Admittedly, there are a lot of warriors. But by far the vast majority of players use mana and not rage, as an example of an aspect of the game I was unfamiliar. My first abortive character in the game was a paladin that I took to level 33 before abandoning him, and as a result I seem to have a mental block about paladins: every time I start to try and level one I stall out. (My BE pally seems stalled at 48, for example, I just never seem to play him.)It wasn't until I started my orc shaman that I started to understand how MP/5 helps, what good Int is as a stat, the difference between caster stats and healer stats, why some weapons have equivalent damage and healing while others have a lot more healing than damage (or no damage, before the most recent patch) - I've now played two shamans to 70, but that doesn't mean I really understand how the game works for, say, mages or rogues (to name two classes I absolutely cannot play worth beans) much less druids or warlocks.
I'll be honest: I hate those classes. I hate how they play. I hate their mechanics, I hate specific abilities they have. The temptation to hate as an example warlocks, however, is a trap that must be avoided. Sure, we've all run into that warlock who Death Coils in an instance. We've all run into that mage, or that rogue, or that shaman who steals aggro without thinking and who never seems to think of not spamming their highest threat ability when we're trying to pull the mobs off. We've all run into the DPS warrior who insists he can tank and then fails miserably. And with the class system in WoW, it's very tempting to let those experiences color our view of the people playing those classes even if we haven't actually run with them. Heck, to some extent WoW fosters this with the faction setting and PvP elements. There is nothing in this world that I hate more than being polymorphed and having to sit there watching the mage wind up a spell I know will half kill me, my trinket mocking me with its cooldown the whole time.
I had to educate myself to stop being an ass to the people playing the classes I didn't like. They are, after all, still people. Different tastes than mine, yes, but no matter how many bad experiences I may have had with hunters taking aggro by shooting before I'd even touched a mob, with paladins who use DI on me in the middle of a fight, with other warriors who use whirlwind in the middle of our CC, it doesn't justify my acting like an ass to the hunters, paladins and warriors I haven't played with yet, or worse, the ones I have played with and who I know are damn good at their classes. I always tried to keep this in mind, but branching out into new alts definitely helped me with that to a great extent. I still hate playing a druid or a warlock, I dislike their abilities and their spells and the mechanics of those classes. But I've managed to get it through my stupid skull that no one's making me play one, and the people that do enjoy them probably feel the same way about the classes I like.
My next project should be a hunter, I think. If I can just restrain myself from running in to melee and stop trying to take aggro off of my pet, I should be okay.
Have you had to shed any prejudices?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Social Conventions, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Classes, Alts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Hokuto Dec 5th 2007 12:11PM
Don't hate death coil, I've protected healers lots of times using it...
Bresh Dec 5th 2007 12:15PM
I haven't had to shed any prejudice towards classes, but towards factions. For a year and a half I played Horde exclusively which led to an irrational hatred toward the Alliance. But then I took a break from the game, and when I found out a friend played Alliance on another server, I rolled Alliance to play with him. For the first month or so it was still disquieting to see nelfs, humans, and gnomes running around, and grouping with them. After a while, it became normal and I can now say that both are pretty much the same.
Steve Dec 5th 2007 12:30PM
"Sure, we've all run into that warlock who Death Coils in an instance"
Err, yaeh, it's only the numero uno aggro-grabbing-healer-saver in the world.
Bad example there, and kind of ironic considering this article's topic.
electricarmada Dec 5th 2007 12:40PM
I think the example works wonderfully, as does your comment. The idea of the post is that it's hard to escape that class-centrisim that makes the rare useful death coil appreciated rather than hated.
As a tanking warrior myself I can say, almost anytime a warlock, warrior, priest, etc. fears a mob I've "got under control" it frusturates me. Having played a boomkin though, I can see the other side of the coin, as sometimes I find myself cycloning a mob running to the healer and saving the day. If I were playing my tank I would've been twitching with rage.
Kudos?
Matthew Rossi Dec 5th 2007 12:39PM
Every single time I've seen it used, I've been forced to chase the mob around for those three seconds, unable to establish aggro and risking other mobs being brought into play.
Again, you may love it. I hate the damn spell. It makes my life ten thousand times harder. I more or less hate any fear in an instance unless there's no chance we can aggro other groups, which doesn't happen very often in my experience.
bsides Dec 5th 2007 12:35PM
"Sure, we've all run into that warlock who Death Coils in an instance." --- and the target keeps running (feared) for 3, and only 3 seconds. It's enough to save a healer's ass. If the warlock casts this around untouchable mobs he is in fact stupid, but dont throw words where, like you mentioned, you don't know (or care to know).
This is the most miserable article around. I know most of the articles are personal but this one has nothing to teach about. I feel sorry for you.
Worcester Dec 5th 2007 12:40PM
I've come to the realization that I am, in fact, a Rogue. There's simply nothing I can do about it. I will say that it seems to be a class that is often hated for our tactics, as both an enemy and an ally.
I do think a large part of that prejudice is from players who don't understand the class mechanics, but I will admit to some ignorance myself. Rogues often play solo, and I think our tactics are often in conflict with group dynamics.
Nathan Dec 5th 2007 12:55PM
I hate hunters. Ever since my first-ever instance run, with some hunter yelling "heal pet" every 3 seconds at me, I've hated them. I've leveled 2 of them to 40, pretty much with my eyes closed, and I still have next to no respect for them.
I've heard people say "Hunters are easy to play, but hard to play well." But the fact is, even if it is true, it's a pointless statement, since EVERY class is hard to play well.
Are there good hunters? Yes. Undoubtedly yes. But I still dislike them, because every one playing them is someone NOT playing a healer or a tank. If you're that good at being a hunter, then you've got enough skill to be a warrior, druid, pally, shammy or priest.
I was in a great Ramps group once, with 3 hunters, a warrior and my priest. I expected the worst, but it was a cakewalk with 3 people who knew how to lay down freezing traps. It was almost enough to make me reconsider...
Then, the next time I was there, with a different hunter, I read "HEAL PET" in my chat screen while a Fel Orc beats me to death for the second time (on the third pull of the instance).
Bad hunters, please stop. And good hunters, reroll and use your amazing skillz to fund something besides superfluous dps.
Zumwalah Dec 5th 2007 1:06PM
you seriously have no merit in what you are saying. you hate hunters becuase of Huntards? try telling a Raid hunter to reroll his whole guild will laugh in your face.. hunters are #1 dps for almost any fight/instance, they also buff physical dps calsses and can trap almost any type of mob, thier CC is amazing, it can trap undead, beast, humanoid, elemental, giants... bye far the best CC out there.. yes some demand you heal thier pet, this is what we call a "huntard" some dumb ass who doesnt understand threat mechanics, and can only dps due to autoshot!
you couldnt clear ZA or MC without a Hunter.. Hunters are amazing to have a round.. and you speaking from a very closed minded Piont of view.. so please shut up before you eevn open your mouth again
Zumwalah Dec 5th 2007 1:11PM
Oh and next time a Huntard tells you to heal his pet, tel him to do it him damn self, Hunters have a Spell called Mend Pet that works amazingly well, dont judge a class based on your shitty little lvl 60 dungeon experience...
and you play what, a Pally, Priest, druid or shaman? cause regarledd os what class, ive played with horrible ones and good ones.. doesnt mean that whole class sucks, it means that person sucks, every single class and spec brings something useful to almost any situation.. just cause some suck balls doesnt mean that class sucks...
Loudfiero Dec 5th 2007 1:02PM
I hate warlocks.
I'm a rogue.
I hate mages too.
...and shamans...
...and paladins...
...and hunters...
Camaris Dec 5th 2007 1:10PM
I'm a paladin, and so far the only class that I really cannot handle is the shaman. I can't really get used to the totems, or the mix between casting bolts and using melee. I hate the randomness of Windfury (it reminds me too much of pre-Crusader Strike paladins), and the whole class just feels not worth the effort.
Zumwalah Dec 5th 2007 1:23PM
while im not an advocate of Enhancement, i havent tried since i lvled my shaman to 60 2 years ago (old enhancement), which ddine even compare.. what i do have to say is, there are other specs for shaman, have your tried elemental? ist really doesnt involve melee at all, unless your grinding solo and its actually pretty fun..
or Resto? Resto shaman are arguable the best Group healers in the game Due to chain Heal, i know my main (resto shaman) is in great demand for raids, and i can heal anything else no problem.. before you judge try looking at all aspects of the class
Xeren Dec 5th 2007 1:48PM
i agree, i've only played a shaman to level 27, but the whole management of totems and having to stay nearby them during a fight feels like i'm lugging a big ball and chain around.
I know people that absolutely love them though, so to each his own, right?
Zumwalah Dec 5th 2007 3:12PM
the whole thing about totems, is while they are nice, and provide a half decent buff, your not dependant on them. while grinding i rarely use totems due to thier stationary nature, but on boss fights is raids they are awesome, espeically with the Imp totem radius. Lvling wise the only time i really used totems was for named mobs, and that sort of thing where i knew the fight would last fairly long, and they may make the difference that alows me to solo him. Honestly i originally rolled my shaman cause at the time they were the kings of PvP, but now have become so much more then they once were.
Derik Dec 5th 2007 1:15PM
So, Nathan, your solution is to have no hunters. We should all run instances with nothing but tanks and healers (who needs DPS?).
My tank and healer pals really appreciate having me for CC and DPS. I'm really glad I don't group with someone like you.
Oh, and my main healer pal loves to heal my pet because he knows that pet can pull a mob off him quick, even if the tank is distracted.
Nathan Dec 5th 2007 1:49PM
I didn't say that DPS wasn't needed. But the fact is, not only are there 3-4 hunters competing for every slot, there's rogues, warlocks, mages, and every other class, including the dps specs of traditional tanking and healing classes. In other words, it's not like the role is hard to fill. Thus my claim that they're superfluous. Yeah, the freezing trap is great CC, awesome CC. But half the hunters I team with don't know how to use it, because it's not necessary in their soloing the way sheeping is to a mage.
As for the "hunters are essential in raids" argument - a) so is every other class and b) I know it's not popular to say this but RAIDING IS NOT THE ONLY THING IN THIS GAME. I'm sure they're amazing in raids, but raiders are theoretically the "best of the best" at PvE anyway, so it's disingenuous to act like the chain-trapping badass of the endgame outnumbers the feign-death-drop- aggro-on-the-healer moron at every point up to that.
There are morons of every class, including tons of priests (I know, because my warrior has grouped with them). But there's waaaay more hunters than anyone else, so yeah, I'm a little suspicious of them.
My solution isn't to eliminate hunters. Mine is to completely rebuild the survival tree to make it a tanking spec, if not for raids, then at least for heroics. (dunno how exactly, but a 51-point talent to wear plate would be a start, plus something to buff HP and armor when the pet isn't out). Tank shortage and hunter overpopulation solved in one blow.
Derik Dec 5th 2007 2:35PM
So, because there's a lot of DPS availability, specifically hunters should reroll? That argument applies to all DPS.
Second, you agree that freeze trap is great CC (which it is). That's not a strike against hunters, that's an argument for them. And yes, there are a lot of hunters that aren't good at it, but that doesn't mean the ones that can should reroll. It means you should be holding onto those dearly.
No one is arguing that good hunters outnumber bad hunters. By the same token, each class has the same failings. You have warriors that pretend to be tanks, but waste points trying to fuel big number syndrome. You have warlocks that dot every mob, including the one designated to be trapped. Many rogues steal aggro just to boost their damage numbers. Mages steal aggro all the time, run away from the mob, get beat to death, then leave that mob right at the healer looking for its next target. So again, not an argument for hunters to reroll.
Finally, your "solution" is to rip the real heart out of the Survival spec (uber crowd control) and try to make a ranged class into a tank (melee) class. It's completely opposite to the spirit and design of the class.
With WotLK upcoming, I don't think anyone is worried about tank shortage anymore. Everybody and their brother is going to roll a Death Knight (tank/DPS class). If your counterargument to that is to retool the Survival tree to make hunters a healing class, I'm going to lose control of my bladder from laughter.
Upshot: clearly you're frustrated with some huntards you've interacted with for PUGs. Wish they would go away if that bothers you. It's completely counterproductive to tell the good hunters to reroll. Hunters are a powerful, indispensable addition to any group. You're cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Amanda Miller Dec 5th 2007 3:51PM
I would like to point one thing out. Hunter DPS is steady and continuous. We excel at being able to continue outputting 85-100% effort even on a long boss fight. Other DPS classes are more burst, and suffer to a greater extent during extended fights. They may hit for 4000 or something; but not for long.
Milktub Dec 5th 2007 1:15PM
My prejudices are against my own class.
When I'm on my warrior, I hate other warriors in the group. Those warriors who are supposed to be off-tanking, but that are focusing on my target, or when the dps warrior starts using Sunders on my target.
When I'm on my rogue, I hate the other rogue who insists on stunning or cheap shotting the tank's target before the tank has any rage to spare.