It's happened to everyone I know. It's happened to me more times that I could even count, but what is it about these experiences that make us always assume the same failings are attached to every single person of the same class or spec that we encounter?
My name is Kay, and I'm a WoW racist.
Right off the top of my head I can name 4 classes/specs that make me doubtful when I PuG a random. The first is Death Knights of any kind, the second is Retribution Paladins, the third is Hunters of any kind and the fourth is Moonkin druids. As far as I've seen, these sentiments are quite strong among many people. For you it may be something different. Do you cringe everytime you get a Feral tank? Does the sight of an Arcane Mage make you weep inside? Demo Locks make you run for the hills?
I'd be lying if I said I hadn't met some outstandingly good players who were DKs, Ret Pallies, Moonkin and Hunters. I've been honestly astounded by the skill and awareness of at least one Death Knight tank and Survival Hunter in just the past week and I truly wish I could remember their names and servers, so you all could relax the next time you see them in a random group, knowing that you're in good hands. The trouble is, for everyone one amazing player like this that I come across I meet several who don't know how to ask about fight mechanics, who can't seem to move out of the fire, don't know what their interrupt or dispel ability even is when you ask them about it, and sometimes, on rare occasion, have managed to get to the level cap without knowing that one of the basic core abilities of their class even exists.
We've all met people like this, of every class and every spec. So my big question remains unanswered, what is it about Death Knights in particular that makes me assume they're bad players? The truth is that I'm struggling for an answer. The easiest way to end this would be to tell you that I've encountered many, many more bad players playing DKs than good, and it's probably true. The thing about Death Knights is that you have a more stilted time in which to learn how to play your class compared to other classes, to add to that the way the class mechanics, resources and abilities work is so radically different from all the other classes in the game that getting it right isn't as easy as getting it wrong and managing to survive. This isn't some fanciful thought either, I've played the DK class and I know I can do just fine by pressing whatever buttons my runes afford at the time, without paying any attention at all to what those red, blue and green buttons actually do. I once asked a friend of mine pre-cata, jokingly 'How do I Death Knight?' when I was seriously considering levelling my DK to the cap. He laughed and I continued, 'Blue, green, red, red, purple, right?'. And there it is. Death Knights (as they were pre-4.0 at least) in a nutshell, so does this faux simplicity attract a certain kind of player? Personal experience suggests that it does, sensibility says it doesn't. The DK class can be as complex and involving or as simple and mindless as you make it. I suppose that doesn't really get us any closer to the answer, but even if my attempted explanation of this phenomenon holds true, what about the other classes I mentioned?
Hunters are a popular choice for ridicule, but does the same thinking apply here? I suppose it does. Pet attack/autoshot followed by hitting any and all buttons you have available would get you through most things, if only because you wouldn't be doing enough damage to pull anything off your pet. If we really think about it, doesn't this apply to any class? You may have a much harder time at it than others, but I suppose you could get through the whole game by just pressing whatever buttons the game places on your action bars at low levels (not that I'm suggesting that what most of the bad hunters I've seen do). Is there something about this particular ease in pet tanking mobs that makes hunters less likely to evolve any form of skill, causing me to encounter such players and duly form my warped and unfair prejudice?
Do hunters attract a more casual player because of the easier levelling curve? Is this where they get that reputation from? If I was counting question marks I'm quite sure I'd have more than is really necessary for one blog entry by now. I have more unanswered questions than when I started.
For every blundering Moonkin, walking around like a fat bumbling chicken, [Starfall]ing everything in sight, there's one perfectly unassuming, getting on with things, run of the mill, mid table DPS, not ninja pulling anything Moonkin who's suffering my ever watchful gaze as I wait for him to make a mistake so I can think to myself 'how typical, stupid fat moonkin' and then Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf starts playing in my head as it totters about while typing 'soz' in party chat.
For every blindingly unaware Retribution Paladin who stands in the AoE, has no clue what hand spells are, DPS' with [Righteous Fury] on and puts every single talent point in one talent tree, there are Ret Paladins out there getting the best out of their class, dropping [Hand of Sacrifice] on the tank in heavy damage phases, self healing with [Word of Glory] and getting on the adds the ranged are failing to hit as quick as a flash.
The truth here is, I just don't know what it is that has me so resigned to failure with these classes and specs in the group that I'm so overwhelmed when they're good players that I have to tell them so. Maybe I had some particularly horrific experiences with each that I've chosen to block out, maybe I just do it subconsciously so I can be pleasantly surprised everyday. Maybe I just really imagine Death Knights smell really awful (surely, surely they must...I mean, they're dead).
Please don't get offended if you play one of these classes. There's no rational thought on my part here and I'm not saying you're a bad player, I don't even know you. What I'm saying is that by not failing you would surprise me and it's probably about time I changed that, because I don't even know the reasons why.
I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd.
One last thing to note. It's OK if you just play for your own personal enjoyment, and you might take offence in a group when I point out the way to get the best out of your class and several things you could be doing to improve your performance, but you're not solo here and when in a group, you should consider the best interests of the group. I'm trying to help you. I'm not trying to be rude or spoil your fun. I'm being nice and polite, but the fact is that the minute you walk into my random, your game play has an effect on everyone in the group and your selfishness is potentially costing 4 other people their enjoyment of the game and success within it. Yes, you pay for your subscription and are free to then spend your time in the game playing as you wish. But by entering a group situation, you're committing yourself to the expected game mechanics and you should play as such, or stick to playing with people you know or playing solo.
Death Knights, Retadins, Moonkin and Hunters, continue to astound and amaze me in a good and bad ways because every bad player is a good story to tell and every good one is a joy to play alongside.
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