Its logical for blizzard to make no additional gameplay changes, as they most likely intend to give the ability to roll the classic anniversary characters over into era servers once TBC drops.
Having additional gameplay changes that do not line up with era servers will make that transfer harder.
It is a quality of life change for the people who play healers or tanks and can barely play the basic open world pve part of the game. It would certainly be a positive quality of life change for them to not have to spend all their gold respecting.
It also would probably make it easier for people to find tanks/healers. As there would be more of them. It will feel far less punishing or brutal to play a tank or healer.
I personally think getting more tanks/healers is more important than maybe some people getting too into sweaty parsing or PvP. Classic is already the sweaty parsing game and you can’t change that. It’s just due to modern audiences and culture.
I see where you’re coming from, but I’m gonna have to respectfully disagree (and maybe get a little cheeky while I do it). Let’s break down your argument point by point:
1. “Dual Spec is a Massive Gameplay Change”
You say Dual-Spec is a huge gameplay change, but let’s be real here: it doesn’t suddenly make my Ret Paladin capable of tanking Rag, nor does it let that one hunter in our raid group figure out where their feign death button is.
Adding Dual-Spec simply allows players to stop hemorrhaging gold every time they want to go from DPS-ing to tanking because their guild needs them to fill a spot. It’s a Quality of Life change the same way that, you know, not needing to sell your soul to afford a respec is also a QoL improvement.
Sure, it’s not the same as a keyring (though, hey, thanks for saving us from the horrors of key-hoarding), but if making gameplay more accessible isn’t Quality of Life, then what is?
2. “Reducing Respec Costs is the Only True QoL Change”
I appreciate that you’d be cool with just cheaper respecs, but that’s like saying, “Sure, I’ll fix your broken leg by slapping a bandaid on it.” Dual-Spec and cheaper respecs accomplish the same thing: reducing the financial barrier to actually enjoying the game.
Besides, if reducing costs is a QoL change, then why not just take it a step further? Instead of debating over pocket change, let’s go for broke (literally) and make the whole system more flexible. Less time farming gold, more time pulling mobs and blaming healers for wipes. Sounds like a win-win to me.
3. “Pretending Dual-Spec is a Pure QoL Change is Dishonest”
Dishonest? Whoa, let’s not go full Scarlet Crusade on this. Let’s revisit the facts: Dual-Spec doesn’t change how we actually play the game; it just changes how often we have to sell our kidneys on the Auction House to fund our hobby of clicking “Reset Talents.”
Plus, it takes nothing away from those who choose to stay pure to their single-spec lifestyle. You can still enjoy your respec costs while the rest of us stop sweating over a 50g decision like we’re investing in Gnomish stocks.
Let’s Circle Back to the Points That Matter:
Gameplay Impact: None. It doesn’t suddenly turn Classic into Retail with dungeon finders and flying mounts. It just saves us all from becoming penniless vagabonds every time we want to do a quick dungeon as a healer after raiding as a DPS.
Gold Sellers Are the Only Ones Who Suffer: Honestly, if making the game less financially painful drives gold sellers out of business, then slap that change on the Changelog immediately.
Subreddit Polls Are the Closest Thing We Have to Democracy in WoW: The overwhelming majority of players want it. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned in Classic, it’s that nothing brings players together like the promise of less suffering (and more loot).
Encouraging Players to Try New Specs: The beauty of Classic WoW is in its variety. But not everyone can afford to tank for a guild run and then switch back to DPS for a raid without feeling like they’ve just thrown away their monthly WoW budget. Dual-Spec encourages players to experiment—who knows, maybe your DPS warrior friend might even decide to try tanking for once. (Spoiler: They will fail, but hey, it’s about the journey.)
Reducing the Demand for Tanks and Healers for Hire: Every time I see a “WTS Tank Services 50g” ad, I die a little inside. Dual-Spec makes it easier for guildies to fill those crucial spots without charging like they’re moonlighting as mercenaries.
So, yeah, Dual-Spec or reduced respec costs: it’s not a gameplay change, it’s just giving us the freedom to actually play the game without setting up a GoFundMe for our next talent swap.
Yours truly,
A Broke Adventurer Who Just Wants to Heal Without a Loan
Fair point, Deletee! But you know what else is hard? Getting tank gear when you can’t actually practice tanking because your spec is stuck in DPS mode. It’s like telling someone to ‘get better at swimming’ without ever letting them near the water.
Dual-spec would let people actually try tanking without needing to farm gold for hours just to switch back and forth. Plus, more tanks means less time for you to wait for a dungeon—so really, it’s a win-win (unless you secretly enjoy standing around in LFG chat, in which case, carry on!).
Even with dual spec, people still wouldnt want to tank.
Can see this with all the leveling fury warriors in /4 saying “lf tank insert leveling dungeon” (even though prot spec or tank gear isnt needed to tank leveling dungeon.) They arent suddenly going to want to try tanking BWL if they didnt even want to tank Mara or SM.
Right now, the cost of constantly respeccing is a major barrier for players who are willing to tank but don’t want to be locked into it 24/7. With dual-spec, those players can comfortably switch to tanking for guild runs or dungeons without sacrificing their primary DPS spec for raids or PvP.
Sure, it won’t fix the mentality of some players who simply don’t want to tank, but it’ll definitely encourage those on the fence who are interested in tanking but just don’t want to deal with the constant respec costs. It’s about making it easier for the willing, not forcing the unwilling.