Breakfast Topic: How often do you switch specs?
by Fox Van Allen 
Jan 11th 2012 at 8:00AM
Admittedly, the experiment didn't go well. I make a bitchin' shadow priest, but even with stellar gear, I make a terrible disc priest. That's part of why I don't respec very often.
How about you? Do you change your character's spec to meet the needs of raid bosses several times a night? Do you respec to run heroics or dailies? Or are you absolutely adamant about playing your favorite spec, no matter what?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Revnah Jan 11th 2012 8:06AM
Haha, I'm the exact opposite: I'm a healing priest (holy) who had a second spec, Shadow, for quests and the like. Things just die so much faster. Shadow works well for me for solo-ing but if I try an instance, I quickly realise just how bad I am at Shadow dps ;-)
Revnah Jan 11th 2012 8:06AM
I meant "who HAS a second spec", not had. I still have that spec. WTB edit button...
Erebos Jan 11th 2012 8:35AM
Like you, my main is a holy priest, and also like you, I'm awful at shadow (and really most DPS specs/classes, sadly), but my offspec changes so often I can barely keep up with myself.
In Wrath, when he dinged 80, he was holy/shadow, and since my friends and I raided together and one of them was also a holy priest (but holy/disc), I ended up having to DPS. Similarly, my resto druid (who was my main in Wrath) had a balance off-spec that I used more than I would've liked because apparently my friend's resto shaman was better geared according to LFD.
After Cata, I changed servers (around mid-FL), and decided to try disc with my newfound freedom to not have to DPS. I decided I sucked, and flip-flopped between it and shadow so many times it wasn't funny. Right now he's still holy/disc (Atonement/AA), but I don't use the second spec as much.
Xantenise Jan 11th 2012 9:47AM
Exactly the same here. Main's a holy, I can't go shadow for the life of me unless it's for questing.
Duerma Jan 11th 2012 10:28AM
Not a priest, but similar as a resto druid with a boomkin spec for questing. Sometimes we try having me pewpew in raids, and then we remember how lulzy that really is and put me back on healing. ;)
Zachariahs Jan 11th 2012 11:12AM
I raid on our ten man as disc and I'm always the healer that is asked to go dps for fights we don't need all 3. Also, I switch to holy for the raid finder so I'm switching all the time. Thank goodness for addons action bar saver and talented. Otherwise switching to all 3 would be a huge headache. Now if I could only find and addons to save glyph arrangements.
ramsayroderick Jan 11th 2012 11:55AM
My main is a Belf pally, with the exact opposite problem. When he's specced holy, I've got plenty of manna to self heal and soloing quests (even the "3 player minimum recommended" ones) is a breeze. But I SUCK at group healing! If I have to heal, we're GONNA wipe. LOL! :P. But specced ret, I'm usually at or near the top of the group in DPS. Go figure.
chris Jan 11th 2012 8:15AM
Since dual spec came to the game i have respecced exactly once.From shadow to holy and then back to shadow.So,i guess that makes twice,lol.
Jeff (Not that one ^ ) Jan 11th 2012 8:07AM
It really depends on encounters and changing play style, but I rarely change the spec(s) that I run.
Halvan Jan 11th 2012 8:09AM
My Death Knight is Frost, no exceptions. My Shaman is Enhancement, no exceptions. My Paladin is Protection, no exceptions. They are the specs and roles I enjoy, and I would dual spec a different spec if they felt as cohesive and well designed as the ones I listed, but my alternatives just don't wow me as much. If the spec of my choice is underpowered in any given patch, I have one of my alts to promote to main until the spec I want gets buffed.
ratmaggot Jan 11th 2012 8:10AM
accordig to my stats, 4 times in 6 years.
Always been holy, then went disc.
Dantis Jan 11th 2012 8:33AM
...4 times since Achievements and stats were introduced (just before Wrath) you mean. None of this data was collected prior to that.
Fox: Don't give up on disc. I personally love it and I think you should maybe practice in non-heroics until you're more comfortable.
Trey Jan 11th 2012 8:10AM
i dont just switch specs, i switch classes. ive played since the beginning of bc and the hoghest chharacters i have are an 85 dk, 74 warr and 72 sham with AT LEAST 20 characters in the 10-60 range. i make a class thinking "this is the one im gonna stick with" then get. bored and reroll inly to go back through the cycle of all my toons.
lazymangaka Jan 11th 2012 8:11AM
As a Frost DK who primarily participates in PVP, I pretty much have to respec every time I get the urge to kill something other than player characters. Because of this, I've respecced three or four times during the course of an evening.
You'd think it would make sense to use dual spec for this, but my off-spec is dedicated to Blood for flag carrying and soloing old content, and it's more trouble than it's worth to change that around because it also means unscrewing my action bars and glyphs.
xenothaulus Jan 11th 2012 8:15AM
I switch specs to whichever is current highest dps, and bitch about it the whole time until my favorite spec regains the top spot. Playing as combat through Burning Crusade was horrible.
ejunk Jan 11th 2012 8:15AM
My main is a cat druid. I haven't re-specced since T11.
Noyou Jan 11th 2012 10:45AM
Despite wanting to play balance and probably resto, I have yet to fill out the points on my offspec. My druid is currently about 20% into level 84. Kitty is too damn fun to play. I'm probably not that great at it, but it is fun. Maybe today I will fill out my offspec.
ejunk Jan 11th 2012 10:49AM
don't do it! ;)
brian Jan 11th 2012 8:15AM
I heal mainly on all my characters, a shaman and a druid. But for the offspec I constantly switch between the melee spec and the ranged spec. I find melee more fun but ranges soooo much more convenient because for the most part I can share the same gear. Needless to say I have good sets for all specs haha. For my dps spec whenever im ranged I want to go melee and when im melee I want to go ranged, its an endless time and gold sucking cycle.
A way I keep myself interested in playing is ill just start an entirely new spec all together, this gets me re-excited and it feels like im gearing a fresh 85 which is my favorite part.
Nina Katarina Jan 11th 2012 8:18AM
I really ought to switch specs more often than I do. I'm prot, I stay prot. My co-tank is gracious enough to go dps on the one tank fights. I have a holy offspec, and I try to keep current on gearing, but our healers are quite happy with their healing assignments and they usually tell me in a kindly but firm manner to stick with bashing the boss.
I've been thinking of developing a ret spec instead, and I've haphazardly collected five or six pieces of gear, but I've also heard that ret is in the basement dps-wise unless you're really good and well-geared.