It's nice to play a pure dps class after a hybrid. It releases me from the pressure of thinking I should be doing the healing, because I can't actually heal anyone except myself with my poncy little flower shower.
I play her as Frost, because that's the way I leveled up. I used Krizzlybear's guide to learn to play it, and I love it when all the procs go off and the big crits roll in.
Today Krizzlybear wrote about his frustration at a certain article on wow.com listing an ICC DPS analysis, showing Frost Mages at the very bottom of the DPS heap.
I think he really hit it with this statement:
I cannot simply post my own numbers and use them as evidence supporting the viability of Frost Mages in raids. Hell, I’m not even bothering to try and beat a dead horse subject such as this. All I can do is perform, and pray that the raid leader does not kick me because I’m falling behind other players.
I know that Aefa could be putting out more deeps as Arcane. But I really don't care that much. All I can hope is that people accept me in groups, and that they are satisfied with my performance.
Aefa's my alt - a character that I don't intend to raid seriously
with, therefore I play her for FUN. Now I know that, having never played in an Arcane spec, I can't say that Frost is more fun than Arcane. I have been intending to respec to try out Arcane at some point but I've never got around to it. I just enjoy myself with my elemental and my frostbolts, and no-one's ever said anything about it, until this weekend.
On the weekend, I saw someone advertising for Onyxia 25 in trade. Having recently picked up a few more badge items Aefa is now at a more respectable 4700-ish gearscore (yeah I know, but I need to know what it is so I can get into pugs), so I thought, might as well ask and see if they'd take me. I got an invite so I was happy.
I zoned in and we buffed up. I summoned Welly and whipped up some strudels (it's amazing what you can do with one of those little camp stoves, you know).
Before the first trash, the other Mage in the raid whispered me.
ArcaneMage: you're dpsing as frost?
Me: Yeah, is that ok?
AM: Why?
Me: Because I like it?
AM: low dps, lol
Me: *shrug* It's enough.
And do you know, it was enough. Ony went down first try, Aefa was 5 or 6 on the chart (despite me forgetting to use Mirror Image until the very end, raaaar), and the group dispersed, happy.
You want to know the best part? Mr ArcaneMage died on the first wave of whelps. I know these things happen, but it didn't stop me sitting there pointing at the chart going "ha haaaaa ha ha haaa!". I didn't say anything though, and neither did ArcaneMage :)
I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes we get really worked up over spec stuff. I know it's been going around and around for ages and a lot has been said on all sides and it's not going to stop anytime soon, but the fact is, that if bosses are still dying, let people play the game they love in the way they love it. The best players will still shine through and take the top accolades, and the rest of us will still enjoy playing the game.
I don't like the way they portrayed Moonkin as also low in the charts, but that's a tale for another day...
