Cut, Copy, Paste

Are sources like WoWhead destroying originality and unique type builds? Now I know how that comes off being harsh to WoWhead which is not my intention. I do enjoy sources that have a wealth of knowledge. Most players seem to only want the min/max clone build. Where is the originality and unique builds?

I go out of my way to attempt to adjust talents into odd ways to get different results. Competitive and end game content does make sense for Min/Max style. But no one is taking risks or trying to build new stuff at the fear of losing a bit of DPS.

I’m m not trying to force my philosophy on you. I’m just generally asking to gauge the player bases thoughts.

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In a way they are. I’ve been witness where WoWhead would suggest ā€œthis buildā€ and yet there has been no gameplay footage, and instead, just two knuckleheads spewing nonsense saying ā€œTry this try this try this!ā€.

It’s one thing being lazy. It’s worse if I have to see two ugly mugs lying to my face.

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No, players are.

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No, the game is. Path of Exile, for example, has cookie cutter builds, because that is always going to be the go to route. A quote often used around here is ā€˜path of least resistance’. Importing a string and learning the abilities it gives you is that path.

But, at the same time, PoE has enough build customization that even with cookie cutter builds, there is enough wiggle room to have cookies that are unique.

To be honest, its all three. The game for not allowing more customization in builds, the sources for easily having imports available, and the players for using them.

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Only a starting point for me, because I want some things my way, output be damned.

One of the styles I try to use is pick as many passive talents as I can. Even at the expense of a new ability. I try to laser focus my small amount of skills. Also I’ll pick the hero talents that are the unrecommended one to try and meld it with different specs.

Once we get a in game dmg meter I’ll be able to post numbers. But as of right now I feel my builds fo amazing. Less buttons, sharper skills. Again no evidence to back up my coaim

Based on your achievements, you don’t do any content in which your talent choices would matter. If it feels fun to play, that’s all that counts at your level.

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This feels less like gauging opinions, and more like calling people out for being unoriginal and simply using the optimal build that was provided to them by someone else who has already done the math and the homework.

yeah theres just too many options and scenarios to choose yourself so if optimal dps is what you look for you look at the guides bc they use the sims for the most accurate picture they can provide. but if optimal dps isnt your concern at all i think you can experiment any way you like and it shouldnt affect you that much

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ā€œcreativeā€ builds were more common in the past because content was easier

With challenge comes the need for more efficient builds

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Wowhead takes builds already made by players that’re as optimized in that moment as they can be (pre any changes) and adds it for others to easily import it without having to jump through fifty hoops.

Long gone are the days of ā€œlets play fun buildā€ mainly due to blizzard tuning up the difficulty knob, but also because people play to optimize so they can get through ā€œthe grindā€ easier and go do things they enjoy because FOMO and extremely anxiety compel them to.

No, it’s because content is actually challenging.

If you throw in ā€œFOMOā€ into every argument, people are going to start to believe the entire ā€œFOMOā€ complaint is a joke

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Not really, no.

WoWhead providing (close to) optimal builds doesn’t prevent people from choosing to be suboptimal as they were previously doing. It just means the rest of us don’t have to do the spreadsheets and math ourselves to be optimal.

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In vanilla and expansions after, there was only one build, which was called a cookie cutter

In classic, where all the content is trivial, people adhere even more to the best builds.

If every class and every spec had a talent that if you took it would be a guaranteed 25% loss to DPS/Healing but a 100% chance to shoot rainbows out of your butt, there wouldn’t be a corner of Azeroth not awash in color.

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Only people believing that the fomo complaint is a joke aren’t even doing that kind of content to begin with, so in that aspect any points they attempt to make are irrelevant.

You have things such as the 3k mount, underpin lair challenge, for some it’s the mythic sets (mainly collectors), elite pvp sets, seasonal portals, etc.

Acting like this content being semi challenging is the whole reason why is totally wrong, but you’re free to think what you want.

Acting like the reason people want to play well with an optimal build is because of ā€œFOMOā€ is a joke.

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If you actually took time to read what I typed you’d notice I stated for some they use the optimal build to get past what they consider ā€œthe grindā€ (could be climbing IO, getting transmog sets that they’ll be unable to get after the season ends, getting CE, ports, etc.)

For others it’s literally just because pushing your output to the absolute limit is enjoyable / somewhat of the norm now.

No.

Generally with players who aren’t interested in challenging content where performance matters. Challenging content pushes back against meme builds.