Do you know your class?

People usually quote an expansion period as ‘proof’ that they know their class really well. You see them in places like Raid Finder and other pugs when quizzed by others who might be skeptical about the way the run is progressing.

“I’ve been playing protection paladin since the burning crusade ffs, I think I know what I’m doing d’uh”

I had a similar reply from our old friend Kakmonstret when we crossed levelling paths back in WotLK. We (myself on Bigticket) were in our 70s and questing in Northrend. I had only just learned about inspecting people so I duly inspected Kakmonstret and noticed most of his gear was strength/stamina but a few items were intellect plate while he was in protection spec. I asked him what was the right gear for a prot pala since I didn’t think intellect was as good as strength. Oh them days of noobness 🙂

His reply “I use mana d’uh”

Kakmonstret went on to become the single greatest guild leader and protection paladin on the planet ofcourse but it’s the kind of answer you expect from a cocksure young upstart who thinks he knows it all 🙂

My point is, things change….I mean every patch. So on average at the moment, your class is changing in at least some way every 3-4 months and that doesn’t include hotfixes which can be applied anytime in between.

Take that prot pala spec for example. Tanking was dramatically altered in MoP for prot paladin and prot warrior. Brewmaster monks are new so they don’t count here, Guardian Bear Druid tanks changed a little and death knights changed a little but primarily all tank specs adjusted to come into line with the old cataclysm blood death knight model of ‘active mitigation’.

I’m using this example because I still – YES STILL OMG – encounter people tanking on prot paladins and prot warriors using the same setup as cata where you just stacked mitigation stats and mastery for shield block and soaked up as much crap as possible while spamming aggro generating abilities.

Now tho, there’s this thing called ‘active mitigation’ where certain resource generating abilities need to hit the boss often (meaning you need that hit rating and expertise) so you can use that resource (rage or holy power) on more efficient mitigation abilities or choose a bigger damage dealing OR on threat generating abilities depending on the situation.

The amount of prot paladins I have personally taught to use shield of the righteous in heroic 5-man dungeons has been staggering. 90% of them are so grateful that I took time and politely/quietly offered that advice without being rude or nasty about it but there’s just a few who turned back on me and had the audacity to exclaim that they know what they’re doing blah blah blah…

Most people by now know these things about the new tanking styles and most people are willing to listen and learn if the delivery is friendly and helpful without being too pushy. We shouldn’t assume everyone else in the game has the same knowledge as us because frankly, if you are even reading this blog, or anything else out there about the game then believe me, you are already in the minority. The vast majority have never read a blog post, never checked icy-veins, wowhead or noxxic and that majority often have the least in social etiquette while playing the game.

I’m making some sweeping generalisations here but the next time you consider yourself a raider or you attempt to join a raid team to take on a progression boss encounter, consider this:-

When was the last time you read the patch notes and looked into your class abilities/talents and stat priorities? When did you last try to find out some expert tips on your choice of class and spec? Are you so good that you don’t ever need to do those things? Is your raid team struggling to pass a boss encounter? There could be a hidden gem ability that could save your ass at the toughest moment, or help someone else out. There could be a macro you could use to get the most out if your global cooldowns and squeeze more DPS out. There could have been a change meaning an ability you’ve always used is now less favourable than a new ability.

Never get complacent, never assume you know your class. Bunnyboiler is a very average/borderline decent healer. If I’m doing looking important in a raid team then there’s people who can improve a lot 😀

Onward Dambusters and other keen students of the game.

/salute