Role vs Class

There is always a lot of talk in warcraft about the pros and cons of the various classes. Naturally divisions form, where one prefer certain classes while another enjoys going for others. This is one of the things that makes world of warcraft so great, its diversity and ability to provide everyone with something. You can specialize even further inside a single class; to perhaps go either fire or frost spec with a mage, or heal as a holy or discipline priest.

However, I often feel people put too much emphazise on these elements. Of course you should enjoy what you play but the problem is, many take this too far, bordering on hatemongering when they encounter someone who plays a class that does not enjoy their favor. Nothing is more infamous, in this aspect, than the death knight. The sad reality is that there are just too many of us around, because although the other classes are played with equal ferver, everyone usually has at least one death knight character.

When I made mine and began to level him up, I was shocked by the fact that in Outlands, Helfire Penensula, I could not get a simple dungeon group together because 80% of all players in the zone at any one time, were bloody death knights. This has now advanced to a point where it is hard, even for someone who knows the class, is well geared, to find themselves a spot in a raiding guild. Many guilds do not even bother to recruite them, simply brushing you off when you approuch them.

I have to admit, this has been a big frustration for me personally, because I know how to play my death knight and I know I do it well enough to not deserve this kind of treatment. And really, in the end, is it truly up to the class you play? I have wondered and the more I think about it, the more I believe it plays a very small part in the scheme of things.

Let me explain, often you come across people who are trashing their frustration out from whatever recent (or long gone) patch that nerfed their class. Priests got the cane in 3.1 and mages are one that many veteran players, from back of the day, talk about. For a holy priest for example, the last nerf was quite a blow because we (yes I play one) rely heavily on mana regeneration. pre-3.1 it was often literally impossible for us to run out of mana in a dungeon, but now, it has come down by 40%.

But so what? Does not mean that the holy priest is dead. If it bothers you so much, move to discipline priest and throw your care for mana regeneration into the wind. In the end, it all comes down to how well you fill the role that you chose; dps, tank, or healer. Some situations are more challenging, like e.g. tanking Anub'rekhan vs tanking Loatheb or healing a death knight vs paladin tanks. I have always felt that too many look for the ideal circumstances as the only way to get it done.

But sadly things are rarely ideal in life and we must simply triumphant against the odds sometimes. And here is the real core of matters for me. When people tell me it cannot be done, or should not be done, with whatever circumstances, I want slap them and first chance I get, proove them wrong. Winning when the odds are in your favor is easy. Being victorious before adversity takes character.

And this is what I tell people who try to convince me; it is not about the class or spec you play, it is how and the skill you play it with.