Archive for January 16th, 2009:
DPS matters
When I play WoW, I really prefer utility roles. I love to tank, and I have come to love healing. That said, I firmly believe that DPS is just as crucial. DPS can’t just coast along in 5-mans, they can make or break a group. DPS too low? Healer will go out of mana trying to keep the tank up, or group damage will become too much to heal. A tank will eventually run out of ‘Oh shit’ buttons the longer a fight lasts. This is not a grand revelation, anyone who enjoys group play in WoW should know this for a fact. A group with low DPS will fail frequently.
Why do I post this common fact? Because I stumbled over a statement from a DPSer I know that I so violently disagree with that it prompts me to post:
I have never given a shit about where I stand in the DPS meters. If the boss died, and I’m last on the meters, but THE BOSS DIED, who the fuck cares? Out of all the DPS, someone has to be last.
ORLY? Give me a group of 5 people, all of the DPS think that way, and watch that group fail fail fail. If you choose to play a DPS class in WoW, your character does damage. That’s the primary purpose. Improving your character means you improve your DPS. You do more damage, everyone benefits. If you do not care about your personal damage and do not want to push yourself to do more damage, what’s the point of playing a damage class in any group environment. I get that a lot of people play WoW as a glorified single player game. I have been there, when I started playing WoW I quested and avoided groups. But as soon as you move into groups, start discovering the fun of instances, raiding and shiny loot, it should matter to you how well you perform.
I am not saying that damage meters are the end all be all. I can’t stand DPSers who spam the meters after every pull or request that you report info repeatedly. But ultimately, you should look at Recount, see your personal DPS, and make sure that you improve and that you perform to the best of your abilities. If that’s not something you enjoy, why play in groups?
