Dual specs at low levels
by Mike Schramm 
Feb 16th 2009 at 5:00PM
We heard a ton of news about the incoming dual spec feature last week, and for the most part, players were pretty thrilled -- besides the fact that we're finally getting the option to have two specs at once, we're also getting the much-awaited ability to preview our specs before they're saved, and the official Itemrack functionality that we've heard about for so long. But there was one thing Ghostcrawler said last week that hasn't sat well with many players: that we'd need to be max level before training for the dual spec feature.For many players, the main reason they wanted dual spec was to be able to switch between "leveling" and "grouping" specs, and obviously if you're already max level, you won't have much need for a leveling spec any more (more likely you'd be switching between "solo" and "raid" or "PvP" specs). Ghostcrawler's stated reason for requiring a max level was that they didn't want lower level players to be confused by having access to more than one talent spec too early, but as Zarhym says, Cvarto makes a good point: if a player uses only one spec for 80 levels and then gets the dual spec feature, he/she may not have enough experience with different specs to have any clue about how to choose another one.
The standard response to that seems to be that you don't need different specs to level up -- most players say that regular instances can be healed or tanked even with off-specced characters. But it's true that having no change at all in the way your specs are laid out between level 10 and 80 is quite a gap -- it's hard to believe that putting the dual-spec feature in at, say, level 60 would confuse people all that much.
Blizzard is keeping their options open here -- there's no way we're going to have two different specs to choose from right at level 10 when talent points first come into play, but it seems pretty likely that they may reconsider requiring level 80 to be able to switch between two different spec choices.
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Classes, Talents
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Justin Feb 16th 2009 5:10PM
Yeah i agree that it should only be for max level characters that makes sense. Its really easy to do a 5 man as an offspec.
Manatank Feb 16th 2009 5:33PM
Why does it make sense?
Why even limit it to dual specs? I'd like to see a completely configurable talent system. The ability to change every talent point while out of combat/arena seems reasonable to me. Honestly, the only thing stopping us currently is the cost. It's a silly annoyance that keeps us from using the more interesting situational talents. I love tinkering, and I can't think of anything I'd want more in the game than something like this.
Kakistocracy Feb 16th 2009 6:46PM
My favorite line is the one about expanding it if it's popular. they would have to really mess it up for it to be anything but, for example, have the swap be free but cost a level each time.
DedBeet Feb 16th 2009 7:13PM
Yeah, you're wrong. It's makes a lot of sense to offer to lower level players so that leveling a healing class isn't a nightmare. I can you really thought your comment through before posting it.
Noteveryoneat80! Feb 16th 2009 7:40PM
To the contrary, it doesn't make any sense at all.
Deadlock Feb 17th 2009 3:37AM
So we have to level with DPS spec because it might be confusing to newbies to have two specs? In that case, why not just have a single tree for hybrid classes until level 80.
Dual spec is comparatively useless at level 80 because most of those characters are heavily gear dependant depending on which spec they are, whereas levelling character are not. Only allowing level 80 characters this feature makes it pretty much pointless.
I was really excited about dual spec before! But now I'd rather they just worked on something else.
Dogmeat Feb 17th 2009 6:29AM
Most people who say that healing a 5 man in shadow spec or tanking a 5 man as a fury warrior have either done it over-leveled or over-geared. Healing and tanking level appropriate instances with a full group of level and gear appropriate toons is a recipe for wipes and frustration.
Evelinda Feb 19th 2009 4:31AM
I cant really speak to tanking, coz i levelled my pally as prot, but you can really only heal as an offspec char (shadow priest, for example) til around zangarmarsh... once you hit the coilfang instances, unless you are, like dogmeat suggests, overgeared or overlevelled, youre going to start having a hard time of it. There's just no way youre going to have smooth sailing all the way through, youre bound to have a wipe or two, and then youre probably going to start getting grief from your group members, particularly if they've never levelled a healer... its not fun. And imo, while youre going to struggle in mid-late outland instances, youre going to have no chance in northrend. Go try to heal keristrasza as a shadow priest, or a balance druid, or whatever... it aint going to happen.
Jardal Feb 16th 2009 5:12PM
Unless that 5-man is a northrend dungeon.
Tried healing that offspec. NO THANK YOU.
Manatank Feb 16th 2009 5:21PM
I healed Azjol Nerub while leveling as enhancement. Harder than if I were resto, but not hard. Granted I was using my level 70 epic resto set to do it, but I was offspec.
That said, I'm really disappointed that dual specs wont be available for leveling. I have a shaman and a paladin at max level already, but I'm still leveling my priest and druid. I'd love to be able to play with their real healing talents while healing instances during the leveling grind instead of learning the talents when I hit 80.
oscurotoro Feb 16th 2009 5:41PM
Actually all Northrend dungeons pre-heroics are easily healable as an offspec. I levelled my druid feral and healed literally every dungeon including level 80 dungeons (oculus, UP, HoL) admittedly my resto set was really good at lvl 70, but still easily healable as a spec that provides no benefit towards healing/spell power/or mp5.
Firestride Feb 16th 2009 7:05PM
I leveled 1-80 Boomkin, and I still have no evidence that form even WORKS in dungeons.
vexis58 Feb 16th 2009 8:53PM
It really depends on the offspec. I was Boomkin spec 10-80, healed almost every instance I went to, and only respecced to resto when I started doing heroics after I had been 80 for a week or two. And then realized heroics weren't as hard as I thought they would be, and probably could have pulled it off in boomkin spec even then. It would have been a lot harder, but not impossible.
Aldheim Feb 16th 2009 10:30PM
Granted, I was in mainly Zul'Aman level gear at the time, but I had few problems healing people while levelling through Northrend as a Retribution paladin.
Ludeitz Feb 16th 2009 10:25PM
hmmm, i healed heroic nexus as shadow, wasnt too bad - as holy or disc it probably would have been a sinch but not impossible as off spec
jbodar Feb 16th 2009 11:08PM
The higher level dungeons are going to depend on gear and some classes might have an easier time than others. Somehow, I doubt that a Retadin in leveling (Holy) greens could heal a lot of the five-mans without some issues.
MisterMoose Feb 17th 2009 1:14AM
Off-spec healers without awesome 70 gear weren't able to cut it while I was leveling. Maybe if they have a ton of experience they can do it, maybe. I doubt it can be done really with quest rewards (note that the above people saying it was easy all had great gear from 70). So for new players you can't really heal as an off-spec in Northrend dungeons, imho.
It would be doubly hard if you added in an off-spec tank to the mix.
Michael Feb 17th 2009 6:09AM
THIS
Assisthock9 Feb 17th 2009 8:52AM
ok let me just say one thing right here right now everything about this statement has been from people that were capped before WotLK hit and were capped 80 a week or less after it dropped... most people lvling through OL and NR now are in blues and greens... the First boss of UK is a bastard to us and Kirastraza in Nexus is hilarous and requires moderate coordination... the gear is carrying you people to 80... the rest of us, you know those of us that bought the game after BC hit and never got capped until well... i'm at 79 let me just leave it at that... epics from xyz 123 instance/raid don't help us... please remember those of us that can't be carried by our gear when posting stuff here... and yes for your way through NR it was your gear and your knowledge of your toon... without that extra SP or Stam on your gear it would have been HELL IN A HANDBASKET for your ENTIRE group... i've been with an off spec green/blue geared healer and tank in NR... yes my fault i shouldn't have ran with an unholy DK that decided "hell i've never done this before, but i'll just throw on Frost and do my normal DPS rotation" but shadow priests do have a problem healing NR when before i haven't seen too much of a difference...
Lemons Feb 16th 2009 5:16PM
Blizzard is usually pretty reasonable...except lately with that whole "OMGWTF? these damn candy bags never drop!" and the blue response "We don't care, no violet proto-drake for you!"
Aside from that, I think with enough QQ from players that they'll make duel specs available to lowbies, and if they think it would confuse them so much then they should put in some sort of in-game tutorial, or a blurb that the class trainers say educating noobs on duel specs.