It’s interesting. As soon as Blizzard announced that it will be taking actions to encourage us to use Alterac Valley as intended, folks who were abusing game mechanics under the guise of “it’s the meta” are now all looking for a “new meta.”
Seriously, I don’t really get why there’s such hype about these “metas” anyway. From what I can tell, it’s the fastest way to get bored of the game.
LAYER HOPPING AND SPELL CLEAVE META
Folks who could AoE farm mobs hit 60 pretty quick. Then I saw complaints on the forums the second week after launch: “The game is dead. IF is empty. No one wants to run dungeons”
"RAID STACKING" AND "MEME SPEC"
WoW is 15 years old, and folks have figured out how to optimize gear and specs. If that’s how you want to play, then great. But, if you want to roll as an arcane mage, or a shadow priest, the game’s still fun. The content might even be a bit more challenging… Molten Core does not need to be cleared in less than 90 minutes for the game to be fun. Two weeks into the game, folks were crying about how there’s “new content.”
PREMADE META
So, you want a PvP rank without really doing any PvP? It’s too bad that worked for as long as it did.
How’s this for a new meta?
JUST PLAY THE DAMNED GAME META!
Seriously… Spec how you want. Try new things. You might not be cranking out the top numbers… but that’s fine. Classic came back so we could go back to a time where exploration was encouraged. Parsing is cool if you’re into mythic raiding, but that’s not a Classic thing. We don’t have transmogs… but there are many class-specific armor sets that have set bonuses that are kinda fun, and some even look cool! Collecting them will give you something to do, and using them might make content a bit more challenging (yeah, we know that “spirit” isn’t in the meta for most classes…) The folks who originally worked on the game actually did know how to make a fun game. Embrace it for what it is!
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Here’s some light reading OP:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory
And pertaining to AV:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_equilibrium
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Unfortunately, if you want to see results in the honor system you have to become king meta neckbeard.
You are in direct competition with people willing to minmax right down to finding out the fastest way to wipe their as$ to get back to their computer faster
Its a garbage system, but its what we have to deal with
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Well, the AV meta was just cheating.
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The only way to win is not to play the game.
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True, and if they can continue to do so you can bet they will
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Yes! Figuring things out on your own is actually fun!
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Some people prefer having things completed quicker (spellcleave). There’s no harm in that.
Some people prefer having things completed easier (Meta specs in raid). There’s no harm in that.
You make it out to think that people hate you for playing a unique role so you can feel different or special. Players don’t care, but they do care when you’re wasting their time.
If you want to play a certain way - go ahead. But realize that you have other people to consider when it comes to group play.
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I’m pretty familiar with Nash’s work (studied manifolds, more than anything else of his, though.)
Please note that I am not suggesting that people don’t work together.
Regarding the AV thing - there’s nothing wrong with playing to win. However, tactics that involve exploits or “work-arounds” that circumvent the games design are not cool. PvP should very much be competitive. Winning through cheating is lame, and it sucks that we are ranking with cheaters.
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Agreed, but the players will do whatever is available to them. Its hard to blame the players for something that needs to be fixed at the systems-level.
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Actually, this has nothing to do with how I feel other people perceive me or my characters. It’s simply a behavioral observation. I’ve seen quite a bit of entitlement here in the forums, and in-game.
I simply feel that Blizzard makes great games, and those who are choosing not to experience the game as it’s designed are missing out!
I also don’t like it when folks who use these metas put their fellow players at a significant disadvantage.
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This argument where people are “wasting others time” if they don’t comply with the meta is a silly one. You can apply it in reverse and say that the elitist mindset behind some of these meta doesn’t realize you have other people to consider when it comes to group play.
The current meta is toxic as all hell. I parse anywhere from 60-85th percentile currently. I love being good at a game, but i dont go all out min/max. I had someone try and shame me for those parses. Then go on to shame my race/class combo because again it was not a min/max decision.
The people that will only accept this game at its more efficient meta are a big part of the reason we have some of the issues we have.
Edit: I also achieved rank 7 recently. I had someone shame me again for the troll race pick. Its an example to me of different mind sets when it comes to min/max. People will pick orc because of the stun resist. (Berserking and Blood Fury are comparable imo) I picked troll to level with one of my friends from the start, and because orc rogue animations are one of the worst in game imo and they look reeeeeeeeaaaaaally stupid in stealth lol. Thing is in this current meta I will receive flack because well it simply doesnt have the “best” racials.
Point here is people will completely discredit your opinion or act like you are a moron if you are not following the meta by the letter. Thats toxic behavior and its HUGE in classic WoW unfortunately.
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Thank you for that!
It’s important to understand how your class works. Aiming for a certain level of hit rating, or some other stat can make the game fun.
Having an idea of what gear you want is just goal-setting, and it’s a good thing to do.
I’d rather piece my own sets together, however. (The ret pally BiS lists are both unrealistic and not optimal for the class!)
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Nice reference.
And yeah, you’re right. Which is why I still have 0 HKs, 0 Honor, and haven’t sat in a single AV queue. I’ve been just leisurely enjoying farming up mats, or playing alts.
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Yeah, I pick humans primarily for 2 reasons: gear looks best on them, and rep bonus. Anythi g else is gravy.
I agree spec how you want, play pvp how you want.
Understand that you will not be getting rank14 or Naxx clears if you don’t follow the meta for whatever because guess what not everything in classic is equal.
They never announced. Premades were intended from the get go, hence the numbers. Same exact system was in place in vanilla.
The game was working as intended. No “abuse of game mechanics” of any sort was taking place. Blizzard just decided to change its intent this time because the horde complained (Whereas in the past the horde simply formed their own premades.).
People cleared naxx with ele shams/boomkins and the like. If you are decent at the game you can clear the content without min/max easily. The meta is speed running and ya you cant do that…oh well?
Also lol on the rank 14 part. Any class and any spec can get rank 14.
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