It’s true. Ranged is just an easier play style. Especially hunters, who have few cast timers.
Melee’s range of vision is limited. (Damn Fatesribe!) Ranged can see stuff easier without panning their camera around, or getting forced wall zooms. 😵💫
Melee can often not see their own character in the mess of spells. Ranged get personal space. 😶🌫️
Melee gets hit by more abilities within range of a the tanks. It means more GCDs on defensives/self heals.
When melee has to run away from a boss, they do less damage. Ranged can just keep churning. 
Melee have to run across the room to fight ads. Ranged just tab. 
Melee can lose DPS to parries and dodges in some circumstances where they can’t stand behind a boss. 
Melee have to push way more buttons, nearly (if not every) GCD. Ranged can scratch/pick their nose. 🥸
That’s all I can think of now, but I’m sure there’s more. So, to my fellow melee deeps, feel some pride in yourselves! (Except the fury/arms warriors who don’t shout. You can go to the Maw!)
21 Likes
Melee dps is harder in PVE and is rarely invited compared to ranged dps.
Melee dps is easier in PVP and generally more powerful.
No idea why Blizzard can’t seem to balance these things but it’s always been this way. Ranged for PVE, Melee for PVP
12 Likes
You’re probably right. I do have time to pick my nose 
during most fights, it’s on cooldown at the moment though.
6 Likes
Can definitely agree with some of the points mentioned. The risk of getting one shot if not paying attention are definitely higher as melee. But, melee are pretty much always attacking even when moving, except of course when they have to move away. Also, I never read raid guides as melee. See big monster, hit big monster.
1 Like
What warriors don’t shout ?
1 Like
Comparing both i would say they both have pluses and minuses .One has more health mitigation than the other ,Both do good damage .
To say one easier than the other is a misconception.
1 Like
I find ranged significantly more annoying to play, but I also say that as a melee main.
And also, it’s actually cast bars that suck. If I had cast bars in melee (like old slam), it would be a lot more annoying.
(I have no idea why cast bars as a healer doesn’t bug me the same)
1 Like
Everyone knows melee players are superior to ranged, we put up with them cause we feel bad that as melee players we have super hot gfs while ranged struggle for their own parents to love them.
7 Likes
In general melee feels better to play when questing and such.
However fighting world bosses and stuff feels way easier on ranged.
That’s just from my open world perspective. Can’t speak for challenging content.
The easiest of all is ranged classes with pocket tanks of course because you get the best of both worlds.
3 Likes
I invite you to play an Arcane or Fire mage.
You have to worry about which spells to use without going OOM. That is, if Evocation is off.
Fire is mostly about bursts – you have to decide which burst to use. Your primary source is a slow casting fireball (unless you have Firestarter) that will hopefully land a crit based on RNG.
1 Like
You two wanna get a room?
1 Like
The OP is correct though. As much as I love melee, it requires alot more focus to not get killed during an encounter.
Tank dragging the mob all over the place?
As melee you better hustle and stay with him.
As ranged you MAY have to pivot a bit between casts, but ONLY if the target has been moved a large distance.
Boss dropping a AOE on the floor at his location?
As melee its move or die time.
As ranged, ignore it.
Adds have joined the fight?
As melee break off your main target, run halfway across the room, then begin DPS
As ranged, tab target or MAYBE pivot a bit between casts
Boss does a wide cleave attack?
As melee stay behind the boss or get one shot.
As ranged, meh I’ll stand anywhere I like, I’m 40 yards out, not my problem.
I could go on but you get the idea by now.
Sure, ranged has to move out of the bad now and again or maybe pivot here and there but it’s not even close to the amount melee has to move.
I have quite literally fallen asleep while playing hunter on quite a few occasions because of how little is needed to function in combat.
EDIT to add, and there is a reason healers stay back out of melee, it’s much safer back there out of the fight.
4 Likes
Yeah,out of range what do range have to do move as well and possibly right where an Aoe is.That totally depends on the mechanics. Now,since blizzard gave dps melee tank talents there is no excuse to move.
And has for range only needs to pivot give me a break.Keep moving with Aoe’s on range is a death sentence ,this also applies for healers because they can’t do their job out of range.
On most fights if you are standing near the middle of the room, you have to move very little if you do happen to get out of range.
Yes, out of range does happen. but not enough where you have to move as much as you do in melee.
And if it does, start barking at your tanks. I know the boss has to be moved sometimes but some of these guys go overboard.
Just last night we had a tank move the target so much, the dps had to actually call him out for it.
Melee, hands down. if someone is face down somewhere, most of the time its a melee. 
1 Like
Yet,you get more heals than range and given the mechanics range dies easier because they don’t get has many heals as melee,catch 22.
Melee can die more easily if they’re not paying attention but range cop most of the mechanics, so it’s half a dozen of one and six of the other imo.
1 Like
Melee get the heals because they require them. Ranged dont get healed as often because they are expected to stay out of what little they have to avoid.
Also see “looking for dps, ranged preferred.”
You see it every tier.
we get more heals cause we are actually in the danger zone…that’s not even debatable. When’s the last time a ranged class had to worry about doing anything, interrupts? nope tanks and melee do nearly all of them, frontals nope, only melee have to worry about it…You guys play the game on easy mode period
1 Like