Are you a Specist?
Oh yeah I will be duel specing but I will not be specing as a healer. I will most probably more Pvp Friendly Shadow, or Even pvp disc. No formal guild policy has been publicised yet, but I’m sure it will be that you will respec into the most beneficial spec for the raid.
And that will probably be the end of my raiding career.
I’ll be happy to repec at guild cost, / or my own for a one off occasion, but I really can’t see me getting enough use out of a 2nd spec thats healing when I could and will be using a PVP spec on a regular basis.
I see the desire for dual specs – I understand that people want the flexibility to be able to play other parts of the game. Healers want to be able to do their dailies, Tanks need to spec particular ways for bosses , guilds want to be able to run a raid even though they are missing 1 critical class, and a hybrid dual spec’d person will solve that problem. It solves every-ones problems, money, raiding, income generation
Blizzard heard our crys at the COST of respeccing, and instead of just reducing the respec fee, we got duel specs.
I will be chosing my own dual spec, and if that costs me my raid position so be it. Its my 1000 gold after all, and my 15 bucks a month ( though with our dollar now, I think its working out to be more)
Considering I will be funding my duel spec, and theoretically, not all healers will be suddenly jumping at the chance to be DPS for one raid, and that I would only be asked to repec on very desperate situations, the once in the blue moon I will be asked to use my duel spec, is certainly not worth wasting my duel spec opportunity to pick a duel spec I will rarely use
What does worry me though, is if Blizzard have introduced this new Raid mechanic, changing specs in an instant – how will this change boss fight mechanics? Will we see that one boss in a 25 man raid only needs 2 healers, while the next boss needs 10 – then the dual specing becomes essential
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It’s your game, so definitely play it how you want, not how someone tells you. Priests who want to be dps in raids have it rough, because they’re always expected to suddenly become a healer if it’s needed. I also hate when people say “if you want to dps, why don’t you roll a mage?” How about because I rolled a priest? Sorry, my first toon was shadow, so I know your pain here, lol. I think if this guild drops you for this you can definitely find one to take you on a dps/emergency heals only level.
Btw, Blizzard said they would continue to create encounters with the idea of one player, one spec for the entirety of the raid, so hopefully we won’t see gimmicky fights.
“What does worry me though, is if Blizzard have introduced this new Raid mechanic, changing specs in an instant – how will this change boss fight mechanics? Will we see that one boss in a 25 man raid only needs 2 healers, while the next boss needs 10 – then the dual specing becomes essential”
I think this is exactly what we will see if im honest.
I really feel that if a guild should decide to implement any kind of policy on required specs, that it should only apply to one: If you want to raid, choose a spec beneficial to the guild. Secondary specs should be at the player’s discretion. I mean, seriously – is any guild going to want to subsidize the cost of dual-speccing 10 or 25 players? Of course not.
Prin will stay a Shadow Priest for PvE, ‘cuz she likes it. Her second spec will be Discipline healing, ‘cuz she’s not much into PvP. She just had her nails done, don’tcha know?
Mal loves to solo quest and dungeon as Affliction, but she’ll probably have a secondary Meta spec for PvP and because it’s FUN!
And Tehrawr – she can tank or dps easily in her Unholy spec, just by switching out gear.
Blizzard has promised that the devs will continue to design raid encounters as if dual specs don’t exist, and I’ve decided to trust them. 🙂
I agree with T-Sonn, in that “secondary specs should be at the player’s discretion.” I’m not going to force any of my guildmembers to choose raid-friendly secondary specs. If they want to use their secondary specs for solo-play or PvP, or not train the ability at all … that’s fine.
That said, I have talked to a couple of our hybrids about the possibility of being “official hybrids.” By this, I mean that they would take a raid-friendly secondary spec and recieve priority on off-spec gear for it (priority over other off-specs, not over main-specs). Really, these are the same players who respec every other raid to begin with, and have no interest in PvP, etc. For a casual guild line mine, their flexibility can literally make or break a raid, and the handful of people I’m looking at are actually eager to do it.
@Elleiras I think the offical off spec’er is a great idea, and more then fair about the loot allocation It gives the players that may be bored with their class an raid sactioned outlet for variety
@Tsonn – ahh u reminded me of another reason not to have multiple toons – More money sinks for alts.. /cry I really don’t expect the guild bank to pay for the off spec, for some people 1k gold will take a little bit of work, expecially with a Uldar raid schedule, and while making money is alot more easier in Wotlk grinding repetitive daily quests would not be the most fun thing to do for the casual players with limited game time.
@Holy – Hoping u and Elleiras are correct about the encounter design, but what blizz makes, and players decide ‘are the best way’ to do things when working out raid strats it will be another option avilable, and while not officially in the encounter by demand it might become.
I agree with Edras agreeing with me, 😛 Its another way of making a fight more complicated so why not add it to the mix 🙂 that may mean my attitude will have to change though. 😦
Oh, I should mention that I’m one of them. Elemental, go, go. 😀
My druid will benefit from the dual spec but I can’t work up any enthusiasm for my shadow priest paying 1k for a spec she hopes to never use. Bleh. But I will eventually pay for it, I’m sure.