Breakfast Topic: When it is time to choose a new main spec?
by Elwood Hamilton 
Sep 6th 2010 at 8:00AM
A few years ago, I leveled my main, an enhancement shaman, all the way to The Burning Crusade level cap of 70 without giving either elemental or resto more than a second glance. Enhancement was fun -- I beat on things with large sticks and didn't have to worry about anyone else's respective relationships with death.
But after running my share of heroics and dailies, I wanted to try something new -- namely, raiding. Only one problem: I had never raided. At all. Heck, I wasn't even sure what made it different than just an oversized heroic. I just knew I wanted to try it. I jumped in with both feet and applied to a bunch of hardcore raiding guilds, offering to fill a healer role. Looking back, I have no idea what I was thinking. Not only had I never raided before, but I had very little experience healing, as well. Miraculously, a really solid guild offered me a healing spot.
After watching a few strategy videos, I raid-healed Gruul. While we didn't take him down, getting my feet wet and not feeling overwhelmed really helped my confidence. Within no time, I was helping my 10-man clear Kara with no problems whatsoever. Fast forward a few months, and the guild disbanded. I ended up taking a break from WoW, and I finally came back a few months ago.
Again, I leveled through the new content and heroic grinded as enhancement. Now I'm fully decked in epics with a nice secondary healing set. Just like before, I'm considering switching to resto, because in the back of my mind, I think I'll have a better chance at seeing ICC to its gratifyingly triumphant end if I can fill a healer slot. I want to try something new and see some fresh content, and I think that switching to resto represents my best shot at progression.
What do you think? Even though dual specs have given us hybrids a lot of breathing room when it comes to filling a specific role, how do you know when it's time to switch your main spec? Is it when you want to see new content or when you're simply trying to avoid burnout?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
MusedMoose Sep 6th 2010 8:04AM
In general, I'd say it's time to switch specs when you're not having fun with your current one. But that's me. ^_^
I think that switching specs to play a different role is definitely a good thing, whether it gets you into more difficult content or not - from what I've heard, healing or tanking when you've only DPSed before gives you an entirely new perspective on the game. (It might also make you hate the random dungeon finder, from what I've heard.) Speaking as someone who's only DPSed but plans to try both healing and tanking with the class changes in Cataclysm, I think it's definitely a good idea to try something new.
Anathemys Sep 6th 2010 8:41AM
I completely agree. Of course, I've never had to switch specs for the raid (luckily) as my pally and druid are already healers (which is incredibly fun for me personally, so no probs there). My only other character is a DK who doesn't raid, and I switch around his specs whenever I get bored with the one I'm currently on.
Tired of frost? Dual spec change to unholy. Tired of unholy? Dual spec change back to frost. Tired of both? Respec into blood. My DK is my "I-leveled-him-for-fun-to-have-fun-doing-fun-things" character.
relmatos Sep 6th 2010 9:46AM
Agree.
I've considered switching my shammy to elemental just to get in more pugs. However I just love enhancement too much and really cant convince myself to do it.
It's just a matter of wether you're happy with it or not.
MusedMoose Sep 6th 2010 9:47AM
W00t. ^_^ Y'know, I think more people should level alts for fun, rather than to fill a role or what-have-you. Just sayin'.
Shadowwind Sep 6th 2010 9:58AM
*quote*In general, I'd say it's time to switch specs when you're not having fun with your current one. But that's me. ^_^*quote*
I totally agree. I was enhance and nothing but enhance all through Burning Crusade and my guild's attempts on Kara. (Sadly, we never got the numbers to start in on the 25-man raids) But right at the end of BC, I started feeling burned out. We were short a healer one night and I volunteered to respec on a lark. I enjoyed myself that night...and wound up not respeccing back. Over two years later, my main spec is STILL resto, though I've since purchased a secondary enhance spec.
The nice thing about shamans and other hybrids is that they have very different playstyles depending on what spec you pick. Getting burned out? Respec and it's a totally new game!
Deathzone Sep 6th 2010 8:06AM
Avoiding burnout for me. As well, I try to be as useful to a guild as possible, so if I'm playing a class that I can do more then dps, I like to try and get familiar with healing/tanking whatever we may need. I may not be the best at any of them, but I'll give you all I got. :)
Jamie Sep 6th 2010 8:07AM
I think I avoid spec changes, generally if I'm burnt out I'll roll an alt to see new content.
During the levelling process I'll stick to one spec unless it's just not working out at all, very rarely do I actually do that as I like to play as warriors & paladins which means protection (for both) or retribution (for paladins).
Last time, I was playing end-game It's fairly annoying for me to change spec as my mind is geared in a set state for a certain class or character. Holy isn't something I can get my melee brain working with...
Plus being a bit of a pack-rat the armor changes take up too much space I don't have already!
Neyssa Sep 6th 2010 8:08AM
I enjoyed playing with my druid for the flexibility: you can fill each roll without rerolling, you just need to respec. I was always a feral in hearth, but I tried healing just when we started going to Icecrown. It turns out I love healing and I do it pretty well, and although I like to tank as well, to be honest, I am a really bad tank. My friends are also happy that I changed spec, and I am not a problematic tank anymore but a nice healer :)
However, I could never make myself even try out balance. I really hate the laserchicken design, sorry for the fans out there.
Now thinking on rerolling for Catalysm: a paladin of course. Only multi-role classes for me :)
Vogie Sep 6th 2010 8:21AM
Shamans, Druids, and too a lesser extent paladins have it easy, and it'll be even easier come cataclysm. My shaman was elemental throughout northrend, and my Druid was a chicken in bc. One day, on a whim, I started gathering up the other sides quest rewards- melee& healing mail & leather. Now that they're 80, my shaman is resto with an enh offspec, and my Druid is also resto main with a bear offspec. The reason it was so easy to pull off is because beakers get quick queues, and every quest reward upgrade can be used. The loot system in wow encourages off-spec'ing by design, by rewarding those who collect the other spec's gear
Neyssa Sep 6th 2010 8:39AM
Well, maybe the loot system encourages it, but the usual raid looting does not. Especially problematic if you PUG a lot. Even in a heroic dungeon, if you apply as dps/tank, you are sure to go as tank, and if you roll on a dps item you are likely to be called a ninja/kicked.
Multi-role classes need much more gear. Its easy to get secondary gear at the end of the expansion / when a raid is on farm status, but before that it is pretty problematic.
I really hope mastery and the new stat changes will result that healer and dps gear is basically the same with a respec. Thats why I would like to roll a shaman :)
Anathemys Sep 6th 2010 8:44AM
Same thing with healers (in heroics). Though, I haven't seen many "OMG, you rolled on dps plate, die in a fire, ninja!" Most groups I've had have been pretty cool about it.
Vogie Sep 6th 2010 9:27AM
Not really. Especially in this phase of Wrath, the opposite is true. I got most of my heroic-grade bear leather as a tree... because no one wanted it. I got enhancement 2piece tier10 on my shaman because I showed up and was the only shaman in those particular VoA groups.
The best part about gearing a druid or shaman (or, to a lesser extent, paladin) via LFD & Heroics in Cataclysm will be the same - Very easy to get an offspec, and even more so with the armor-class bonus. The reason is that when you throw 5 random people together (and as a healer I usually grab a guildie or two for dps), You have statistics working for you.
*My ex-Tree-but-still-healing druid has a very large chance of being in a group without a rogue, bear or cat.
*My Shaman has a fairly large chance of not running alongside a hunter or enhancement shaman... and that loot is now mine.
*Whether I run my paladin thru cataclysm as Prot or Ret, I'm positive I'll have a holy set from the dungeons, because there's a giant chance I won't have a holy pally healer
Why? Because the Armor-class bonus is so good, no one will want to roll on lower-armor-grade gear.
MusedMoose Sep 6th 2010 9:44AM
When it comes to rolling on off-spec gear, I think as long as people ask, others don't get upset. I've been in lots of random PUGs where someone will say "mind if I Need for offspec?" or something like that, or even just "rolling need for offspec", and I've never seen anybody get upset about it. Once or twice, I've even seen someone who needed the item say "Please don't, I need the upgrade" and the one rolling for offspec has passed on the item.
I think there aren't as many jerks out there as some people think; lots of folks just want to play the game and enjoy it. It's just that people tend to remember the jerks more. :P
Noyou Sep 6th 2010 11:15AM
@Vogie
Not sure exactly what you mean by "have it easy". To have an offspec? Or to gear up an offspec? Please expand on that if you will.
Snuzzle Sep 6th 2010 8:16PM
@MusedMoose
I've noticed it really depends on the role you're currently playing, and the role you're rolling on. No one bats an eye at that tank rolling on DPS gear in a heroic, no one cares that the tree is rolling on kitty leather. But if that retadin touches the tanking gear, the whole party explodes. It's even worse if the tank also needs the item.
Now, I'm not saying rolling on anything you wish is fair game. I'm certainly not saying that you should take an upgrade on an offspec away from someone's main spec. But I am saying that I'm noticing a lot of double standards in loot etiquette.
As an example, my main is a druid. Her main spec is tanking, her off spec is usually healing, but sometimes kitty. But tanking always has been, and always will be, her main spec. When I was farming for the coveted Black Heart, I would queue for TOC reg as tank/heals. About half the time, I'd get in as heals due to the overwhelming majority of tanks farming for the trinket.
I got called every name in the book when I'd announce at the beginning of the party that my main spec was tanking and that yes, I was there for the Black Heart. I got kicked a bunch. I got spat on and tanks who would wordlessly just drop party. Over a little competition for a drop.
It's a bit ridiculous, really, when you think about the fact that in a five man, almost all DPS have loot competition. Even healers have loot competition (priest and mages/locks, trees and boomkins, ele and resto shammies) but tanks have absolutely no competition in dungeons whatsoever for tanking loot. The minute said competition appears, drama ensues. I don't think that's right.
Anyway, tangent off, just something to think about.
Neyssa Sep 7th 2010 3:03AM
I agree with Snuzzle.
There were two examples for this loot issue that I came by in the last few weeks.
- I am very solidly geared as a tree, we do 10-man raiding and we are already Kingslayers. I was lucky enough to loot Heroic Midnight Sun, but it is sitting in my bank for 2 months now. I have NO offhand. I went to all kind of raids and offhand did not even drop. The best you can buy are the inscription ilevel200 ones, but they suck. So I went to the heroic ICC dungeons, because there are two OK offhands, ilvl232. I queue as tank/healer to help the group get through quickly, but I only saw the offhand drop once, and it was taken by a caster. I wish I could buy some offhand from badges (and please dont mention the heroism badge ones, how would they look by my hc MS? :)))
- I am building my cat set as well, and really want to get Needle-Encrusted Scrorpion. That trinket is needed by almost everyone! Its impossible to win that, and if I go as tree, I would not even dare to roll on it (I just wish I would see it drop).
Kuro Sep 7th 2010 12:14PM
Why not get 4 friends together and run the dungeon w/o lfg?
"Hey! I need this off-hand/trinket. Because the ones in 10 man suck. Could you help me farm it?"
Redielin Sep 6th 2010 8:29AM
Its interesting to me to follow the popularity of classes and specs. A spec is usually popular because it is fun and not exceedingly hard to play, and usually it is also a spec that is needed for groups. Back in Vanilla, you saw a ton of what we would call "pure DPS" now - mages, warlocks, and especially rogues and hunters. In BC that seemed to continue, although more hybrids showed up, especially Paladins for trash tanking, Shaman for heroism stacking, Shadow Priests for VT and so forth. You still had a lot more good DPS applying to guilds than you had good healers and tanks.
In Wrath, that seems to have changed a bit. A lot of people have a million alts, and tanking and healing are both pretty approachable these days, so it isn't quite as hard as it used to be to find tanks and healers to fill raids. It *is* hard to find really really solid DPS though. DPS are easy to come by - good DPS are pretty rare.
Wulfkin Sep 6th 2010 8:43AM
I think it's a personal thing, and definitely worth doign if you're feeling burned out, but bear in mind that a respec often means a lot of re-gearing, so be prepared to start investing a lot of time.
Personally I have a much simpler way of handling the respec situation: I do it by expansion. In TBC I was a full-time DPSer, in Wrath I have always been a healer and in Cataclysm I plan to play full-time as a tank. This is partly due to my role as a guild officer, I want to be able to be a go-to guy when people need a particular task. Need a healer for the raid - well i will always be here for that! I've found it's actually worked quite well in terms of mastering an occupation.
Bluriel Sep 6th 2010 8:53AM
My rules when it comes to alts are:
- they get 10g spare change upon creation
- if they make it to 20 on their own, they deserve to be presented with heirlooms, 20 slot bags all the way (including for bank that is) and finances for the first horse.
- if they make it to 40 - it's their responsibility to get the faster ground mount - or stick to the slow one till they can afford the upgrade themselves. HOWEVER - they get the 1000 g for the dual spec. Why at 40? To give them enough time to explore the second play style of course :)
Regarding my mains... they dualed out of necessity rather then boredom. My mage had been frost all her life, so when ICC landed and I realized I wasn't really pulling my weight, I dualed and specced fire (I could not bring myself to give up my elemental :( ). My priestess is dual specced holy and discipline... (I still loath the Council in Ulduar - although now I ADORE disc spec). My druid is boom tree spec... (for those moments you don't need all 3 healers...)
Granted, my pally only made it to 70 this weekend and my shammie is still somewhere in her 40s... But they are a nice relaxation in between raiding ICC with guildies on either/several of my 4 raiding mains :)
Yep - did I mention I am an altoholic?