It started when our old class leader decided that we were going to try Shadow Priests not dpsing adds in 25 man raids on particular fights, there was no list of bosses which we could stay on the boss, but fights like Beasts, and Jaxx where it was thought that it wasn’t worth us making the effort on the adds it was “Everyone on the adds. Except the Shadow Priests.” The new caster leader is following the same philosophy, I clarified this after a fight where I was just beaten by the holy priest in offspec Shadow. Looking at their targets they didn’t even try to kill the adds, or cast VE.
I have mixed feelings about this philosophy. I understand why, we don’t have the burst. On heartbreaker I am sure I was spending more time in global cool down then Dpsing just trying to throw everything on the heart. I was never top damage on it, but I worked my butt off to make sure I was never last, even though thats what was expected of me because of my class.
I’m quoting something Alex from wow.com said about Shadow priests taking so long for our damage to be ‘set up’
“The usual solution to this problem is that Shadow Priests simply pretend there are no adds, and DPS away without a care in the world on the boss or whatever. That’s called not being a team player, and that’s the play style our mechanics encourage” Shadow Priest Questions Answered Alex Ziebart
Staying on the boss, while better for our own personal Dps, and might sound good from a numbers point, however it is being given special treatment, and I don’t feel like I am being a team player. When it comes to getting down Snowbolds I feel like I should be dpsing them, because regardless of how much damage I do, I am still doing some damage, and that means the person with the Snowbold on their head is able to get back to dpsing or healing that little bit quicker.
It’s also a matter of pride. Once I had an odd search query come up that found my blog, and this person had googled ” Are shadow Priests respected” and I think the answer honestly is no. We are a poor mans Dps, and precisely the reasons why Matt Low said the following
. “However, when faced with an encounter where the DPS benchmark is insanely high, I’d have to rethink the roster. I know if I’m working on certain hard modes, there is a DPS minimum required in order to win. At that point, I would be faced with no other option to take and use whatever class is at my disposal to get the job done.” What’s up Shadow Priests – Spiritual Guidance Matt Low
If you need someone utility, you take a Shadow Priest if you have the room, if you have other classes in the raid that can cover replenishment and at least the extra 3% hit then we are not needed, and this is being felt a lot more in 10 man when higher burst is required in at least the Jaxx fight in 1o man Heroic Toc – dps not only adds, but things like Volcanos, and Portals. The lack of burst complaint is not anything new, however this special treatment is.
I don’t want special treatment, I want to be able to kick the other classes on the Dps Metres and still be doing the same things they are doing. Stuff what the theory crafting says. How are we ever going to be taken seriously as a Dps class if we need to be patted on the head and told ” There there.. your useless on the adds, you might as well stay on the boss”
Regardless of the design of the class. If it means I need to work harder so be it, How do we face other Dps classes when the mages and warlocks are arguing who got the most dps in our caster channel, and I can see on the metres I beat most of them, but because of this special treatment, and I was able to not be on the adds as often as they had to be,. I want to be able to beat the other classes on equal terms if if I fail. Classes aren’t meant to be exactly equal, so I don’t expect to be doing the exact same as them all, but I want to be able to compete with them fairly. .
Maybe I am being unrealistic in my expectations, but damn it! I am gonna try and kill adds and the boss and still rock on the metres!
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