tanking

The class choice dilemma

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For a long time I’ve been trying to decide which class to play in Star Wars: The Old Republic.  And the decision-making has flagged up, yet again, one of the dilemmas in playing MMOs.   I’ll be playing what is a group game, but for the great majority of the time I’ll be playing it solo.

My ideal class in a group is one which has a clearly defined role, is useful and wanted in groups, and isn’t too hard to play.   My ideal solo class is one which is tough, fast, fun and versatile.  The difficulty doesn’t matter too much as I’m only letting myself down if I get it wrong.

In groups I love playing (in order of appeal):

  1. a straightforward tank
  2. a straightforward healer (I’m OK at healing, but bad at doing healing along with something else)
  3. a support class, with crowd control and tricks
  4. ranged dps
  5. melee dps

Solo, in order of preference, I like to play:

  1. First equal, hybrid classes and pet classes.   I love to be able to self-heal and to have a pet act as tank/support
  2. Ranged dps
  3. Melee dps
  4. Healer
  5. Tank

Of course, it depends on the game.   I’ve put tank at the bottom of my solo list because I got so bored grinding my guardian through LOTRO.  Never again.  Meanwhile, I’m sure my WoW paladin tank would have been fun solo.   But then, I see a paladin as more of a hybrid.

I was very excited about Rift because the classes were so customisable.  Given my choices above, a rogue was ideal.   I could tank or do a bit of healing in instances, along with the ranged dps (and melee dps if I wanted a change).   I could just switch to play whatever role was missing in the group.  Solo, I had my choice of pets.

Although I still think the Rift class system is great, in practice, it didn’t work the way I’d hoped.  Changing spec was like learning a whole new class.  I tried soloing with the riftstalker (tanking) tree, but I couldn’t get to grips with it, and wouldn’t have had the confidence to try it in a group.  And when I did instances with my guild, we always had a tank, so there was no need.

Now, I’ve been trying to work out a ranking system for the different classes, to help me decide.  For instance, I could give points to a class that can tank, because that’s my number one choice in a group.   However, I suspect that the reality is that I’m not going to tank.   There are others in my guild who might like to tank, and have more time to commit and are, frankly, better at it.  And I could give points for a pet class, but in a way, I feel that all the classes will be pet classes because of their companions.    Then I thought that perhaps the most important aspect was versatility: the ability to try out different roles and change when I find the one that suits.   But from what I gather, at some point with any class I would have to specialise and would lose that versatility.

What I’d planned to do, in this post, was work out a formula which took account of the advantages of each class for me as a group and solo player, and decide, through a points system, which was the optimum choice.  But I know that it’s not going to go like that.  I know that Bounty Hunter would probably win.  And yet, I’m not particularly drawn to Bounty Hunter, even though I think it looks fun.

In the end, I’m probably going to decide on the basis of less quantifiable things.   Things like the look of the character, the voice acting, the starting story, the companions. For instance, I’d like to play an Imperial Agent simply because I like playing less popular classes.  And “Bounty Hunter” just doesn’t sound as good as “Sith Inquisitor”, does it?

I haven’t been playing the beta, so it’s only now that the NDA has been lifted that I’m starting to get more of a feel for the different classes.  But even things like talent calculators don’t get me to the nitty-gritty of “Will I love this class?”.  It’s a gut feeling, and I think I can only find out by playing.

And the solo/group dilemma?   Two things.   First, because I will be solo so much of the time, it’s probably best for me to find what I love playing solo and then adapt to make that work well in a group.  Roll on dual specs.   Second, I have a cat who likes to walk on the keyboard, catch my mouse and sit in front of the monitor.  Whatever class I play, I’m going to be a liability in a group.   As a mum, I’ve been used to working game time around a child’s sleep times.  To my consternation, it turns out that cat sleep times are not quite so predictable.   Cats are like children in one way, though.   They are able to sense when you’re doing something engrossing that doesn’t involve them and then do their best to be the centre of your world again.

The class choice dilemma

Hallowed be thy name

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For the first time, I’ve worked towards an achievement, and now have a title: ‘The Hallowed”.   I’ve known for a long time that completing a series of holiday achievements led to a special award of a mount, but it’s only recently that I’ve even looked at the achievement list to see what was required.

For those that don’t play or that didn’t know, achievements were brought into World of Warcraft a couple of years ago.   When you complete certain things (such as reaching level 6o, or falling a certain distance without dying, or learning lots of recipes) there’s a noise and a sign comes up, and your achievement can be seen in guild chat and by the people around you.  I heap scorn on these pointless “achievements”.  And yet, I feel a slight thrill when I hear that noise and the sign comes up, as if I’d just won my 10p back on a fruit machine.

A few of the achievements do actually lead to a bigger reward than that, such a title.  There are some meta-achievements, which involved completing a series of other series of achievements (yes, I did mean to say that, but couldn’t think of a better way to do it).  A biggie is achievement “What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been”, which is awarded once you’ve completed a series of holiday achievements (which are themselves made up of lesser achievements.  Phew).  It’s a biggie, because you get an actual sooper dooper mount as a reward, and according to what I’ve read, ownership of that mount will now grant the riding skill for it (meaning that you get free uber riding skill, instead of paying thousands of gold).

I was edging myself mentally towards doing this achievement at Brewfest, but didn’t really set my mind to it and ended up completing all but the “Brew of the month” achievement.  So the earliest I could finish the Long Strange Trip achievement would be by next September.  And meanwhile, I’ll have to log in and get the achievements for all the festivals in between.

Which means, of course, that I will have to pay a sub every time a festival comes up.  Clever, eh?  I’ve always been a very casual player, sometimes subscribing for months at a time, but more often just purchasing the odd month here and there.  Now that I’ve started working towards the mount, I know that any time I miss a festival I’ll be extending the time until I get it.   Now that I think of it, it’s a fiendishly clever marketing strategy.

Actually getting the achievement this month was a bit of a grind – something I was trying to avoid.   I had to log in to my “main” character every hour when I could, to talk to an innkeeper.   I queued for the Headless Horseman every day.  I did the quests up in Southshore and Tirisfal.  I went round a list of inns, collecting sweeties from candy pumpkins.

That was the part that I thought would be the most boring.  But it wasn’t.  For a start, I could do other things while flying between inns.  But most of all, I know that Azeroth is going to change, come Cataclysm, and there was something nostalgic and bittersweet about revisiting my old haunts – this time with good graphics!   I think I had forgotten just how big the world is.   My warlock was one of my very first characters, all those years ago, and I found that some of the world had changed even since my last visit.  The butcher, Dirk, in Gadgetzan seemed pleased to see me again and had a quest for me.  I found that I’d explored all of Stonetalon mountains except the part with the Alliance inn.   It was early days back then and I had no idea how to get there, so had approached from the Barrens, trying to avoid a horde outpost.   Theramore was no longer the scary, questless bleakness that I had run through with my level 20 warlock on one of her class quests (another thing of the past).  Oh, how I remember arriving in the Barrens and seeing huge dinosaurs for the first time!  Then later, looking for the flight path in Ratchet, without success (there wasn’t one).   Then sneaking past a horde outpost (as per usual) to get to Ashenvale, not realising that it could be approached from Darkshore.    It was a pain travelling in those days, and I never had any money, and was clueless.  But the sense of adventure and exploration was unbeatable.

Of course, I’ve been levelling a shaman so have been returning to old haunts anyway.  But somehow it was different going back with my little warlock, the first of my characters to explore those dangerous, difficult areas.  Goodbye Old Azeroth.  You will be remembered fondly.

Hallowed be thy name

Tanking woes

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Although I play my tank like somebody’s mum, I do like to read up about it and have some idea of what I’m doing.   I’ve read a few guides to tanking, but there is a bit in the middle that’s missing!  What I mean is that there is plenty on written on the very basics of tanking (i.e. your job is to attract aggro and  take damage, to protect the group and provide a single main target for the healer) .  Then there is a lot written for people who already know how to tank but want to  fine tune the details in the endgame (Elitist Jerks, I’m looking at you).    But for people who understand the very basics, but are not at (or never going to get to) end game, there isn’t so much advice.  I am muddling my way through, and it’s leading to some mistakes.

I’ve had a few comments about my lack of damage.  I tend to be between the healers and the others in damage, at the same level.    Other people with warrior alts have pointed out that they normally are high up the list, if not topping it.   I wasn’t terribly worried about my lack of damage, as I had been mainly concentrating on taking damage, not dishing it out.  In fact, I’d expected to be just where I was on the table, below the dpsers, who are the damage dealers.   But possibly I should be doing more damage to get more threat.   At the moment, I am not dying in instances, so I must have about enough protection for the healers to keep up.   I maybe need to think about sacrificing some protection for damage dealing – for instance, replacing stamina with strength.

I’ve found out that if I’m a higher level than my group mates it’s easy to keep aggro.   If I’m a lower level, I keep losing it.   That’s probably because at a lower level I do less damage, and keep missing.

I’m also learning about the pace of these dungeons.   As I said earlier, the days of planning and mana breaks have gone.  I’m now charging ahead, trying to get the first hits in.   I’m still not fast enough as sometimes I’m running over to the mobs while they’re running back to a ranged player.   My taunt is single target, so it’s a pain getting a group of them to focus on me after they’ve gone for one of the other players.   Speed definitely helps, and if I can get in quickly enough I have a couple of aoe skills that I can use while keeping the group together.  That works well for me, but not so well for other players who are trying to crowd control them.   Oops.

Finally, no matter how much I read and learn, I think I’m always going to struggle because I use my keyboard and mouse like somebody’s mum, if not somebody’s gran.   I’ll call it granny typing.   I slip about when I try to use the number keys and get the wrong ones.   The mouse seems to stick and the buttons are too small to press.  I’m not sure if they’ve worked or not when I’ve pressed them.  There is too much on the screen and I can’t see what’s going on.   I can’t work out who’s attacking who, or not immediately.   I find it difficult to pick out the mobs from the players.   Tab targeting gets me the wrong mobs, and clicking on the mob targets a player instead.  This is one of the reasons I usually avoid mêlée classes, because I find it easier to be able to stand back at range.   And it’s one of the reasons I like healing – because the players are easier to target than the mobs!

Tanking woes

Dungeon finder and the new tank

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I only play WoW intermittently, so I’m still new to the Dungeon Finder tool.  (In fact, maybe everybody’s new to it?   I don’t know when it was released).    On the surface, it’s a great idea, and it does seem to be working well for me.   In this little burst of WoW time, I decided to play with my gnome warrior, giving her a shield, putting her talents in protection, and having her as a tank.    There’s no point in being a tank without a group to tank for, and that’s where the dungeon finder comes in.   I’m an extremely casual (I play for a month or two every few months, and rarely after 10 o’clock at night), inexperienced (I’m an altaholic, and so I never really get fully to grips with the different classes, and the regular changes), mainly solo player.   I have never done any end game content, ever (back in vanilla WoW, my guild raided too late at night for me).    I don’t want to jump in and sign up for random dungeons with a level 80 character who has more skills than I can fit on my toolbars.    I would be like somebody who has bought a character – coming in new with no idea of what buttons to press and when.   Except with really crap gear.

So, I thought, although I had a higher level warrior, and a paladin and a couple of death knights, I’d start a tank from the beginning, and learn to play it properly.   I might have gone dwarf, but I already had a gnome warrior who had just finished the starter area and had been sitting in Westfall for months (or possibly over a year.  Time flies).   I thought, I’ll get my skills one by one and learn each carefully.     It will be like the old days, when we edged our way carefully through the dungeons, planning our strategy, and trying to work out how to play our class.   I’ll do the Deadmines over and over, until I know exactly what to do and when.

It didn’t work out like that.   I have been getting groups.  Very easily, in fact.   It seems that tanks are in short supply.   I’m not sure why.   I can understand that people don’t want to level as a tank, if they are soloing, but now, with the dungeon finder, it’s possible to do quite a bit of levelling in the dungeons.   Solo questing as a protection specced warrior with a shield is not quite the slow grind I thought it might be – it’s actually rather fun.   And there are three possible tanking classes at the lower levels, warrior, paladin and druid (in bear form), as well as the death knight later on.    Maybe people just find it more fun to play DPS, even if their class is capable of tanking.    Whatever the reason, one of the most satisfying things about the dungeon finder has been that it gets me a group quickly, sometimes instantly.   It’s great for people who only have a short time to play.

So what’s wrong with it?

My first complaint isn’t really about the tool itself.   It works.  It does what it’s supposed to do.  But it doesn’t really do what I wanted it to do.   There has been no careful strategising.   No talking about who’s going to do what.   Not even any sharing of healthstones or food and water.   There’s no time.   I am guessing that instead of playing with a group of new players, I’m almost always playing with a group of alts using the dungeons to level up.     There is none of this one pull at a time business, or mana breaks.   It’s push, push all the way through, and I’ve come to realise that my job as the tank is to keep it going as quickly as possible.   I don’t feel I’m learning much.  If I’m grouped with higher level people I’m finding it difficult to keep aggro, but I’m not sure what to do about that.  I spend a lot of time chasing after mobs, but possibly for no good reason as people seem able to survive better anyway.   Is it worth trying to get aggro off people’s pets and voidwalkers?   Is it part of the strategy that they take some of the damage off the tank?   Or have their owners just left their taunt skill active by mistake?   There’s never really time to discuss.  And Somebody’s Mum needs to stop what she’s doing altogether to type, so no chance of chatting as we go along.

I’m not even learning about specific dungeons, as I’d hoped, as levelling seems to be so quick now, and by the next day, the dungeon I’ve just done will have dropped off the bottom of my random list.    I’m not getting the slow, careful progression through grouping that I’d hoped for.   I can see myself arriving at 80 and still being almost as clueless and inexperienced as I’m now.   Except with a lot more buttons to try to fit on my toolbar.

Apart from the drawbacks, it’s a great idea.   It’s definitely much easier to get a group for dungeons as a casual player now, and the dungeons go quickly and are almost always successful (if not, it’s easy to queue again), even with lower level players.   Once a day there is a reward for a doing a random dungeon (although unfortunately these seem to fit the same slot days in a row, so yet again I have a new set of shoulders.   And they’re tailored to the armor class but not the class – I’ve been getting spellpower and intellect rewards).    Just be aware that you might be grouping with somebody’s mum rather than an experienced player.

Dungeon finder and the new tank