Avian Gamers Network

I would like to open up a discussion of each playable Class within World of Warcraft.. The goal is to expose the play style, pros and cons to playing the class. Please keep in mind that playstyle preference is up to the individual and that some classes could be utilized in a manner that goes against the common perception.

With WOW allong us to create 50 different characters, there will be plenty of opportunity to play all/most aspects of this game.

The format will be open ended, but a general flow should be:

• State how you expected the class to play prior to creating a character
• State the character you created (if you did), the level you achieved and any secondary professions you chose
• Give a rundown of your experience with playing the character.
• In what situations does your character excel
• What situations present challenges for your character
• What do you expect beyond your current character level
• Anything else you feel like describing

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Dalaran: Arindel - Frost Mage (Mining/Alchemy)
Dalaran: Roran - Paladin (Weaponsmith/Blacksmith)
Dalaran: Baine - Rogue

I guess I'll start this one.

Before I got into the game, I spent some time on the official site reading up on the classes. What immediately struck me as very interesting was the warlock, since I've grown to enjoy playing pet classes and utility classes.

The warlock doesn't deal the massive amounts of damage in a short time like the mage does, but has powerful dot (damage over time) spells and drain spells.

There are several pets at your disposal, but my lvl 17 warlock hasn't gotten more than two yet, one of which is a tank with low damage output but an amazing ability to hold aggro. The other one is an imp who's more of a group pet because of it's low tanking ability and ranged attack.

In my opinion, the warlock is a very good solo character because of low mana usage and therefore close to no downtime between fights, a tanking pet and several abilities to manage crowds. I'm generally having no problem killing mobs 4-5 lvls above me if I have to but it's not a very effective way of getting XP since it takes time and lots of mana. So far I've been having an easy time in the open where I have room to control the fight, once I enter a dungeon I tend to get crowded much easier and as a cloth wearer the warlock can't take many hits before dying.

All in all I'm very happy with the warlock and sticking with it for retail, it's simply the perfect class for my playstyle.

The one thing that really makes me love this class is that it's a fairly difficult class to play well, with that many options and different abilities it takes time to become a good warlock player but you'll be a force to reckon with once you get there.

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"It's sort of a philosophical question...if a tissue fails to modify a skill that doesn't exist, and no one is around, will any devs hear you screaming?"

Keep em' coming. Since I never got to get in beta grrrrr I have no clue what class I want to be. I want to hear more about the paladin, thats what I've been leaning tword.

My paladin's going to have a really big sword.

Ummmm ok... Any other opinions?

Actually, duty caleld and I never got to make my next post.

I want to start a different thread for each class.

Thank you and have a nice day

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Dalaran: Arindel - Frost Mage (Mining/Alchemy)
Dalaran: Roran - Paladin (Weaponsmith/Blacksmith)
Dalaran: Baine - Rogue

State how you expected the class to play prior to creating a character

I had expected a balanced hybrid character. Not sure exactly, perhaps a weaker version of a tank, rogue and healer.

State the character you created (if you did), the level you achieved and any secondary professions you chose

I created a Night Elf Druid. He is level 16 at the moment and is a Herbalist/Alchemist.

Give a rundown of your experience with playing the character.

I was quite surprised at the versatility of the druid. Sure you start off with weaker melee and weaker healing and spell damage, but the range of option really makes up for it.

At level 10 you get a quest to obtain your bear form. This is a tanking form which you can quickly pop into at the start of a battle. You get a huge armor and HP boost and can hold aggro with a taunt.

You can start battle with a blast a DOT spell, then flip into bear. If you need healing you can pop out of bear and drink a potion, cast a heal, cast another DOT and pop back into bear form. The decision making process is more varied then I expected.

If grouping, you have a great buff which adds to Armor and some stats too. Plus you can sub in for a Tank or a Healer depending on the formation of the group.

In what situations does your character excel

The character solos quite well. I (like Kharlaq) expect to solo a fair bit, or at least want to be able to solo. I also like being able to take a hit or when jumped since those deaths really bug me. So the druid, wearing the middle armor (leather) and with Bear form ceratianly fill this role.

What situations present challenges for your character

As a druid I still don't do enormous damage. So large mobs can give me trouble, and unless I use root in Elf form I have no crowd control capabilities.

What do you expect beyond your current character level

Cat form will make a huge difference. This is the damage dealing form and will allow for many more options when fighting. (Much like a rogues abilities.

Anything else you feel like describing

I think the druid is a great balance between the strengths of other classes while maintaining a good degree of individuality.

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Dr. Golga Bolg
SWTOR - Golga
Rift - Gnarlwood: Golgar Golgantua Golgate - Retired
WoW - Dalaran: Bolg Golga Virrok All Retired
SWG - Golga Bolg - Doctor (Resident) Retired
Eve - Edge Finn - Limbo
Section 2 - (Former) Director
What am I playing now?: The waiting game

My name is Tobias and I have been a Mageaholic for 21 seasons.

State how you expected the class to play prior to creating a character
I expected to be a powerful nuker, weaker at first but becoming more powerful as the game progressed.

State the character you created (if you did), the level you achieved and any secondary professions you chose

Mage near 22. Expert herbalist, Expert Alchemist, Expert Cook, Journey Medic, Expert Fisherman

Give a rundown of your experience with playing the character.

Start with no instant spell so attacks must be planned carefully. Good crowd control with polymorph and an "ice root". Very poor armor of course so you must kill quickly to prevent damage. Talents are enormously important as my first five points spent gave me an uninteruptable arcane missile spell. This is good for a toe to toe fight for a few seconds. Solos ok but with considerable down time but kills are fairly quick. No cost for food or water since those can be conjured.

In what situations does your character excel

Solo in the open or damage when someone else can hold agro.

What situations present challenges for your character

Fights in enclosed spaces where kiting is discouraged.

What do you expect beyond your current character level

More fun. Group portal at level 40. Better gear to boost mana.

Anything else you feel like describing

My gnomish mage is short, very short.

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"Chatfield, I think there's something wrong with our bloody ships." Admiral David Beatty, upon watching the battlecruiser Queen Mary explode at the battle of Jutland.

My name is Tobias Smith and I approved this post.

State how you expected the class to play prior to creating a character

I wasnt sure, I normally dont play spell casters but wanted to try something different.

State the character you created (if you did), the level you achieved and any secondary professions you chose

Dash is a Gnome mage, currently at level 20 (almost level 21) and his professions are currently Tailoring around 140 and skinning around 125

Give a rundown of your experience with playing the character.

I have had great fun with Dash both in Open Beta and also in the first stress test and I will be looking to start him back up on release. I have found that as long as you are careful with who you pick fights with a mage can be a great solo or group player.

In what situations does your character excel

One word. Damage. The mage has quite a few nuking spells that just get better and larger as you increase in level and talent.

What situations present challenges for your character

One word again. Damage. He cant take it very well. As a cloth only wearer his resistance to physical attack is limited.

What do you expect beyond your current character level

Lots of fun. I just got access to teleport spells which will allow me to teleport to certain cities. The ability to portal others comes around level 50. Nuke get larger and larger and I expect to be a pretty good asset to a group who needs to deal alot of damage.

Anything else you feel like describing

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Section 6

Same

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Flyoc,
Farm with attitude.

Level 17 Night Elf Rogue. I went Herbalism/Alchemy.



It's really fun to see a rogue flip out on a monster. The combo point system adds a lot strategy to the rogue class. You must decide which attacks to use according to the situation you are in. Should I pick the enemies pocket before attacking? Should I use this skill now? Or can I hold out a few more combo points longer to deal massive dmg at the end?



With buffs(i used my alchemy for this) and health potions the rogue can solo enemies a lot higher level than them because of their crazy dps. Overall though he rips through enemis around his level.



Rogues have a very hard time taking on multiple enemies. Because of their lack of defense they usually get the crap beat out of them. Stealth abilities and deciding the right time to pull/attack are the best way to avoid getting agroed by multiple enemies. If all else fails, RUN! Rogues have an increased run speed ability which allows you to easily get away in an instant from most bad situations(as long as the monsters aren't ranged attackers).



kidney shot is a great stun move for rogues that I'm sure will be used alot. Rupture and poisions will be pretty nice addition to draining health



Yea just wanted to say that rouges can easily be setup like a ranger/samurai type character. Basically its a dps powerhouse build that builds combo points really quickly and uses bow&arrows. It's how I set my character up. It allowed me to rip thru areas(with monsters of my same level) without having to stop to heal or worry much about getting agroed by multiple enemies(remoreless attack helps soo much). You use two 1h swords(or 1h sword/dagger) combination. It's imperative that the sword is in your main hand so you can deal more dmg with your skills. Swords are slower but give you even higher dps. Especially when you invest in rogue skills which deal instant damage or that increase weapon speeds. Skills such as evicerate(instant dmg), sinister strike(instant dmg), slice&dice(faster attack), leathality(increases sinister strike dmg). As well as suppoting skills such as remoreless attack which allow you to dominate enemies that attack in multiples.

This build style is really good for gaining fast lvls and it dominates monsters at that are around the same level. It plays extremely fast but relies heavily on potions/bandages if you try and fight enemies that are a lot higher lvl than you. It's very effective in groups since you'll be dealing most of the dps and if enemies start attacking you just use feint which doesn't do any damage but lowers your threat level and also builds combo points. With this type of build you don't invest much in the subtlety tree which is usually considered to have some better moves for pvp. But in standard grouping I find most of the skills are somewhat useless in the subtlety tree because most ppl won't want to wait for you to sneak around behind enemies to use your crazy skills.

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"There is no such thing as a free lunch."

Nice write up. I experimented with a rogue up to level 14 in the OB, I don't like sneaking alot but it was handy getting out of caves you had slowly fought your way into. I did very little pickpocketing. Question: If you are going to kill the guy aren't you going to get all his money anyway?

Sneaking = Bad Killing = Good

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"Chatfield, I think there's something wrong with our bloody ships." Admiral David Beatty, upon watching the battlecruiser Queen Mary explode at the battle of Jutland.

My name is Tobias Smith and I approved this post.

No WoW handles pick pocketing differently from other games.

The loot table for pick pocketing is not the same loot table for the corpse looting. In EQ and other games people hated Rogues because they got to steal the loot... Taking away from what the group was trying to earn.

In WoW the group still gets to loot even after a successful pickpocket. The loot comes from two different places. It is a well needed improvement.

State how you expected the class to play prior to creating a character

I guess I had no idea. Maybe I expected the Warlock to be difficult. But from what I had read on the website it seemed like it would be a fun challenge. It ended up being challanging yet easy.

State the character you created (if you did), the level you achieved and any secondary professions you chose

Cyyrus was a level 14 Warlock. He has Hurbalism, Enchanting, Cooking, and Fishing. I do not know the levels of my professions.

Give a rundown of your experience with playing the character.

I had a lot of fun with my Warlock. I started off with a direct damage spell called Shadow Bolt, then early in the game I got a quest for my first pet, the Imp. The Imp and my shadow bolt served me very well as I took on the many missions in Elwynn Forest.

The Warlock can hold his own in the early days of the game, but being a cloth wearer he is better suited in a group where someone can tank. At Level 10 I was able to get my second pet, the Voidwalker. With the Tanking Voidwalker, I was able to solo very easily. However throughout the game I had much more fun playing in a group with other Avians. My Wife and I ended up playing together a lot. She was a Warrior and together with my Warlock we made a great team. We could have used a healer in our groups, but we managed without one.

Later on as we ventured into Westfall, things got a bit harder. Again since the Warlock is a cloth wearer I was like a glass cannon. If I pulled agro it could go down in a flash. Luckily the Warlock gets the “Fear” spell which causes the enemy target to run away like a madman, giving me and my party time to heal up.

Towards the end of my game (level 14) my Warlock started racking up some great DOT’s. “Curse of Agony” is an instant cast spell, so I would start with it, then apply another DOT called “Corruption”. The last DOT I would apply was Immolate, if the enemy was not dead from all these DOTs I would then cast Shadow blot. Later on as I got more spells I had more options. Sometimes after my DoT cocktail I would heal myself with “Drain Life”, or I would heal my pet with “Health Funnel”.

Lastly, before a enemy dies I could cast “Drain Soul”. That spell does damage, but more importantly it creates a “Soul Shard” which is used to summon many advanced things.

All in all the Warlock is a profession that kept me busy. It has spells for different situations, and it has activities that keep battles fresh and exciting.


In what situations does your character excel

My warlock was good at pulling, and at limited cases of crowd control. I would pull with “Curse of Agony” and I could get enemies off teammates backs with Fear. I really liked playing with other Classes because I felt I had a lot to give the group, and they gave me better opportunities to use my spells creatively.

What situations present challenges for your character

Taking damage. If the group dies, it will not be long before the Warlock Dies. With Fear I was capable of surviving a few group dieing situations, but when the enemy starts to hit me, the end is soon.

What do you expect beyond your current character level

Level 20-22 looked to have the mother load of spells. There are so many new additions and improvements to existing spells between those levels. I can not wait to get there and try all those spells out.

Anything else you feel like describing


The Screenshots do not do the game justice. The World is beautiful in so many ways. Visually SWG can not touch WoW, yet WoW requires a less powerful PC.

The sound is great. I loved the ambient music. It was nice to play a game with great sound. I had all the mp3’s that blizzard released, so in many ways when I heard the music it was like being somewhere I had been before. Very cool music.

Cosmos the UI mod is wonderful. I loved it

Professions are very nice. They are not complex like SWG crafting… and while a complex crafting system is nice, it was a relief. Good to know that even at lower levels you can make things that people want. They gathering is a mix of challenge yet simple. My wife discovered Hebalism in the last days of Beta and she loved it. It is work, yet it does nto feel like work… a problem SWG suffered from.

Quest are terrific. They are well written, then fit the story of the area, the introduce you to new lands… quests in WoW are what gaming is all about. No more Jabba the hut sending you to kill a chicken for the reward of a sock hat. That was pure SWG quest bull shit. In WoW there is no bull shit wrapped up to look like a quest.