[TBCC] Dual Spec, But Different

Community WoW Community Council
1

An unsurprising amount of players want dual spec- and a far more surprising amount of players staunchly do not want dual spec yet.

To meet somewhere in the middle, I think a PvP only spec would be nothing but beneficial to the game as it stands right now.

  • Removes the barrier of entry to PvP for most people, injecting the already scant PvP scene with much needed new life.

  • Would only be changeable in capital cities to prevent abuse like changing talents on the fly in response to different arena comps, for example.

  • Only enabled in PvP instances; (BGs and arenas.) WPvP is a concern, but taking a quick glance at ironforge.pro, Iā€™m convinced a hauntingly large portion of the folks on PvP servers donā€™t even get the opportunity to engage in WPvP anyways. [See here: State of TBC Servers] Maybe it gets auto-activated upon engaging in PvP in the open world and deactivates very shortly after leaving combat, to again, prevent abuse.

  • Make the unlock cost of PvP-Spec free, but have the scaling in price further respecs in that sub-spec similar to the usual cost of resetting talents. This removes a (admittedly minor) goldsink and reason for folks to resort to RMT. This would also let people interested in PvP immediately get into the fray.

  • Implementing this ASAP- ideally with BT/MH. I would hate to see this be put in very late in the expansion and be something thatā€™s universally enjoyed by the playerbase, but not able to be enjoyed for too long. [cough, Chronoboon, cough]

This keeps the dual spec added in WotLK as a core feature of the next expansion while opening up an entire door of content to those who otherwise wouldnā€™t consistently participate in it. ā€œFullā€ dual spec would change the dynamic of TBC entirely, especially in PvE content. (Having shaman all go ele for Hydross, warriors go arms for the debuff for certain fights, the possibilities are endless.)

Iā€™m a boomkin with a full resto set gathering dust in my bank- hybrids are those who are affected most by the possibility of dual spec. Especially druids having a half dozen ā€˜viableā€™ specs! But I recognize that as nice as it would be to have a ā€˜farmā€™ and a ā€˜dungeonā€™ spec, and a ā€˜healingā€™ and a ā€˜tankā€™ set, and any sort of combination thereafter, it isnā€™t the time yet.

If dual spec were to be introduced into TBC, it would have to come with a lengthy cooldown for swapping specs to prevent the over-use in raids, and the stipulation of talents only being changeable while in capital cities, similar to the above ideas.

Iā€™m interested in hearing your opinions on this and what other possible options dual spec could have in TBCC.

Thank you!

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2

I really wish TBC had dual spec so that this wouldnā€™t be a discussionā€¦ but I understand why itā€™s not and likely wonā€™t be.

Ultimately the goal of TBCC is to provide an authentic as possible experience without being detrimental to the game in one way or another. From my time working with QA that was always their goal: to provide the most authentic version of the game without changing ā€œtoo muchā€. Though where they draw the line on ā€œtoo muchā€ is unknown to me. Iā€™ve seen some changes that make me question that stance, and Iā€™ve seen other decisions that reinforce it.

Dual spec would be great for those that want to be able to swap between specs - but if you limit it to cities or certain areas or a cooldown, whats the point of adding it in the first place? You can already respec between pulls and get resummoned if you really had to, would having a magic button really change that?

Dual spec I believe was introduced to provide people with a way to swap between specs and bar setups at-will for the cost of a channel and all their mana. No need to be summoned to get anywhere you can do it in the dungeon or while youā€™re waiting in the lobby of a bg if you have say too many healers.

So basically if you donā€™t give a full dual spec as it stands in Wrath or onwards, and you limit it instead to certain areas or any kind of limitation really, what are you really accomplishing? It saves you a couple of minutes of re-talenting and possibly moving some spells around.

I canā€™t imagine implementing a system like this would be simple even with an already-coded version in wrath/retail. So you also have to look at it from a design perspective.

It seems like it would be too much manpower for not much gain at least at this stage in TBC where we may have a little over a year left. For that reason I donā€™t think it would be implemented if it hasnā€™t already been thought of or fleshed out (who knows they may surprise).

My official stance on this with my opinion of liking it aside - who you bring to a group feels more impactful because you try and plan for not having someone just up and leave to respec whether it be for PvP (where you canā€™t leave) or PvE. It does create more flexibility and provide easier access to playing with others quickly or adjusting on the fly - but ultimately I think it takes away some of the authenticity of TBCC.

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