Breakfast Topic: Freestyle specs
by Matthew Rossi 
Oct 22nd 2009 at 8:00AM
I have characters I need to keep min-maxed (my alliance raiding toons, who generally have specs/builds that hew fairly closely to what might be called cookie-cutter) so having toons where I can play around and see for myself are fun. So far, the TG-less fury build isn't exactly rocking the world, but I'm going to stick with it until I can get an offhand that suits the spec for a more fair comparison. I'm not expecting it to end up replacing TG, I just want to do some tests to see for myself.
One of the reasons I bring this up is, a lot of the time we find ourselves looking for the way everyone else is using. And I'm not discouraging that: there are cookie cutter builds for a reason. Especially if you're in a position where people are counting on you to perform your job at the absolute peak you often don't have the luxury to spec in a way that's fun for you personally.
But some players seek the personalized build over the theorycrafted ones, and some others are lunatics who play way too many warriors (or paladins, DK's, I know a player with four max level druids so he can have one of each spec ready to go at a moment's notice, no respec fees or dual spec) and have the room to take one of our alts any way we want.
So now I turn to you: do you ever just throw caution to the winds and pick up that weird spec?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Leveling
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Hakker Oct 22nd 2009 8:10AM
maybe when I First started the game
drunkenburritto Oct 22nd 2009 10:13AM
Rofl, ofc I use cookie cutter builds, but I do like to mess around with builds too. I have a Hybrid Warlock rofl, I also have prot DPS warriors.
rosencratz Oct 22nd 2009 8:10AM
I only ever look up cookie cutter builds if i notice i'm under performing in raids.
Otherwise i just tend to research some of the key talents/techniques and work it out myself. I far prefer finding my own way of doing things than simply re-enacting someone elses method.
Knyle2 Oct 22nd 2009 10:16AM
Theres not one single case in wow where individualization works better in a raid scenario, but when it comes to leveling or quest grinding or pvp its a whole other story.
Holgar Oct 22nd 2009 10:55AM
This is what I do. I researched all the talents for my prot Warrior made some decisions and ended up with a build what while not the cookie cutter build so many elitists think is so awsome proforms just as well in most situations and better in some.
Aedilhild Oct 22nd 2009 12:24PM
I don't see much room for originality when numbers are at stake: cookie-cutting or not, theorycrafters have good numbers behind their recommended raid specs. And if that weren't the case, Blizzard wouldn't be promising to allow more meaningful (and forgiving) talent customization in Cataclysm.
Eskarel Oct 23rd 2009 4:08AM
@Knyle2
That's not necessarily the case, though the exceptions are becoming less and less common.
Throughout WoW's history there have always been trees which suck. Arcane, Retadin, Protadin, Destro, the list goes on and on. Sometimes these trees have been nerfed into the ground, sometimes they were just always sub-par.
Sometimes, if the sucking was really extreme or the period really long, it takes a really long time after a spec has been repaired before people are willing to try it or to acknowledge that it might be good. I remember helping my mate build an arcane spec after the fixes they put in towards the beginning of expansion and seeing him do massive massive dps.
Sometimes the theory crafters and hard core raiders can get a bit set in their ways, and miss out on the implications of major changes to a tree. This is happening a lot less often now what with dual specs and the fact that very few trees still suck, but it still does happen. There are times when you can be right and they can be wrong.
There are also times where it doesn't matter. A lot of times your dps will be affected more by how you play than by the talents you pick, and picking a talent which buffs something you aren't particularly good over one which buffs something you can keep up appropriately doesn't help anyone. It's also only a game and so long as you're doing your part, who really cares.
Zenith Oct 22nd 2009 8:12AM
I only work with specs I thought of myself and almost never visit sites like elitistjerks. My builds may not be the best dps(although usually damn close), but it usually has more group utility and makes some soloing easier.
I'm also tending to choose a spec and stick with it whether it's the best currently or not
Meijnrr Oct 22nd 2009 4:49PM
Wow it's cool to see so many people experimenting for themselves but I did not think that the population who read wow.com would have almost no high level raiders in it (where you MUST use the best spec for non-gimmick fights). Matt it would really cool to do a poll seeing what type of player the readers of wow.com are (altoholics, PvPers, quest/explorers, casual raiders, moderate raiders, hardcore raids or players that do it all).
netheray Oct 22nd 2009 8:15AM
I just embarked on a weird spec thing last night. Starting from a recommended Survival build, I adapted it to my personal playstyle. (There's no use leaving out Improved Hunter's Mark for me; I am a Hunter's Marking fool.) Here's hoping my personality can coexist with decent DPS.
Thranx Oct 22nd 2009 12:28PM
As a fellow hunter, this is relevant to my intrests.
What's your survival build look like? (linky?)
netheray Oct 22nd 2009 2:59PM
Certainly. :)
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#cZ0eAboZe00i0cIhxuA0su:aNAMz0
WaterRouge Oct 22nd 2009 8:19AM
Ahahah oh definitely. The only cookie-cutter spec I have is a resist-full arcane spec with improve frost/fire wards for mana (it's a lot of refunded mana when you're in Hodir or flame throwing bosses.) And even then I have some variations. None of my other characters have or will have the "best" specs simply because I don't care enough to have the optimal dps rating (or healing). If the guy dies and we're still alive then I did my job. Oh and I always get laughed at for my soloing/PvP specs. I guess people don't realize that practicability is superior to optimal...ility...
So yes, I do go for the weird spec almost every time.
Umehte Oct 22nd 2009 8:53AM
"optimal...ility"
That is gotta become a word... come on Webster!!!
But yeah, I tend to do this as well. I have a recent pally tank thats going to be selecting a wide assortment of talents from all over the place...especially since I am helping some newcomers to the game and I am basically the tank and healer at the same time while questing...
Rhabella Oct 22nd 2009 9:43AM
Sadly, alternative specs are frowned upon by the developers. Sure they many not say it, but the spellpower weapons for enhancement shaman, the evil paladins who were doing bad, bad things when they allowed themselves to get “touched by the light,” and even PVP resto druids who use to get feral charge.
I don’t remember when I first saw it, but I am sure it was a link here on wow.com to the forums where the developers came out and said (paraphrasing of course), we don’t have a problem with alternative specs, BUT we set up the talent trees with at least some cookie cutter build in mind.
When the community tinkers and toys with the builds to find a competitive build the devs never anticipated, its gets nerfed so hard you look like a total ass for even trying it out post nerf. The devs don’t like alternative specs, its hurts their egos and maybe their vajayjay so while different specs are cool for things like leveling or testing in 5 man, guys like Rossi who like to play with different talent builds will be staring right down the barrel of a shotgun if they find any success with their unique build, and that is one of the great weaknesses of WoW, as much as I love the game.
This leave players like you with no real alternative to the cookie cutter builds or at least the minimum base talents allocated into specific talents with a handful to distribute to accent your playstyle. Cataclysm may help some of that if they do overhaul the talent trees though.
toxicityj Oct 22nd 2009 2:00PM
Yeah I started off with a cookie cutter spec for healing on my resto druid, but I got sick of healing and respec'd balance. Then someone needed a healer and I was kiiinda missing healing so I respec'd, without a pre-made spec to go on. So I took what I remembered (what I used the most, what I was lacking, what I wanted) and respec'd on my own. I definitely don't push out the most HPS, but I've still had several people tell me my heals are amazing (it got me in a guild, in fact).
So I think specing based on your playstyle is a good thing, because you might push out better dps w/ a less-than-perfect spec because it fits your style than someone with a perfect spec that doesn't use half of what their spec has to offer.
Levine Oct 22nd 2009 8:22AM
Let us know how the fury thing goes. I personally would love to see duel-wielding one handers viable again. And I know a lot of warriors would agree.
Another thing I would love to see in Cataclysm is more than one 51-point talent in each tree, maybe 2 or even 3. Obviously you'd have to choose between them and wouldn't be able to have them all but it would really personalise your toon. Finally warriors could have duel-wield 1 hander viabilty and maybe shamans could have 2hander viability etc.
Just my thoughts.
Ps sorry for the awful grammar, I'm on Le iPhone!
obarthelemy Oct 22nd 2009 8:52PM
Not only do I choose specs which are fun, easy, or just different, as opposed to min-maxed, for most of my alts, I also find out they're not that bad. My BM hunter regularly outDPSes better geared Surv hunters, because Surv is much harder to play, degrades more rapidly on high-mobility fights, is more impacted by lag...
I'm trying to wean my guildies off the One Spec to Rule Them All, and in the Darkness, Bind Them. It's surprising how many people copy specs from top guilds, but have no clue about rotations, gearing choices, what to do when the rotation is not feasible...
Riiya Oct 22nd 2009 8:33AM
wow... I'm actually shocked at the number of the people who don't even look up the "cookie-cutter" builds.
It was somewhat understandable when I randomly inspect other players, but I guess I expected more from Wow.com readers...
Anyway, I'm excited to see what changes blizz is going to make to talent trees in the next expansion. They did say they're going to change a lot about it.
Aureliusz Oct 22nd 2009 8:47AM
I -always- look up Elitist Jerks. Every time. But I never, ever just copy/paste the spec. I'll have a loot at what they all have to say, and then I'll go in game, and pick all my talents myself. 'Cookie cutting' takes the fun out of speccing your toon, IMO.
My build -does- take heavily from EJ recommendations, due to a few factors (mainly stemming the fact I have enough time on my hands to go hardcore but I'm stuck with wireless internet, meaning raiding in even 10-man is impossible 90% of the time) including the fact I'm nowhere near 'geared'.
Theoreycrafting my abilities, specs, rotations, etc. when I can't raid 'cause of Internet issues (see wireless internet) means that when I do raid, my DPS doesn't suffer as badly due to lack of gear.
Most of the time, it works out pretty well.