Blue Post/Ruffy Rants: Are Rogue Specs Too Similar?

Homogenization: It’s not just for milk anymore. Or so the wails of many a rogue this expansion would have us believe.

But in the Mists era, have our three rogue specs truly lost all of their unique flair?

In the context of a thread that discussed class uniqueness more generally, Blizz Community Manager Daxxarri (who has been known to prowl the WoW rogue class forum in the guise of a stealthy Protoss) took a detour to specifically address a person who asked why all rogue specs feel the same:

Rogues are something of an edge case, and moving previously spec defining abilities into the talent tree probably contributes to this, though I’d argue that it’s resulted in a class that’s more fun to play overall. Still, I find that Combat feels different from Assassination feels different from Sub. The differences are admittedly more subtle (no pun intended) than some other classes, though.

It’s Daxxarri’s last point that, for me, gets to the heart of this particular issue. He concedes the point made by many that what “feels” different about each rogue spec can be hard to tease out. But depending on how each of us plays, and on what particular characteristics of a class/spec are most important to us, the three rogue specs can be either glaringly different or impossible to tell apart.

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Official Forums: Daxxarri on the state of rogues

Daxxarri stopped into the WoW rogue forum on Oct. 5 for a little back-and-forth with players on how the rogue class is playing in 5.0.4. He started off responding to a post that monks and rogues are similar because they both “consume singular resources” for their abilities.

While true, the abilities Monks use to generate Chi are not very damaging, while the strikes a Rogue uses to create combo points are core damage abilities. Monks need Chi to execute bread and butter damage abilities at all. It’s not a very good direct comparison. One should always be careful when comparing how one class’s abilities work versus another to take into account all the variables.

Then later, in response to a post about how blues don’t appear in the rogue forum:

Class forums are places where we want players talking to players, but I heard you guys were a little frustrated. I wanted to drop by and say hi, and I saw the comparison with Monks. That kind of false side-by-side comparison is something I like to nip in the bud. It creates un-justified class jealousy, y’know?

Better to consider your class mechanics within the context of your class mechanics instead.

And a little later in the thread:

To be fair, I remain impartial in that I always have to (and want to) take the broad view when considering class issues. I also know that you guys are frustrated, but the hard truth is that, even before Legendary weapon hijinks, Rogues needed some adjustment.

Still, we want every class to feel fun and satisfying to play, and I wanted to drop by and find out some specifics regarding why you guys are sad.

Edit: Please don’t exaggerate the issues, by the way. It’s much easier to relay information when I’m not trying to separate fact from fiction.

Daxxarri extended the post limit and let the discussion continue for about a week, before locking things up at post #739 with:

I don’t have anything specific to share just yet, but I want to thank you all for taking the time to share your feelings in the thread.

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Twitter: Daxxarri on reading rogue forum threads

@SvelteKumquat: “@Daxxarri I know you’re most likely not in a position to be able to comment, but we’re talkin Blade Flurry + “balance”: http://bit.ly/SERwxx”

@Daxxarri: “@SvelteKumquat Interesting! That’s the kind of discussion that we’d usually quietly read. A blue post can disrupt an otherwise good thread.”

Twitterized 9/12/2012

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Twitter: Daxxarri on saying hello

@SvelteKumquat: “@Daxxarri Not for nothing, but you still hold near-mythical status for your brief foray into the rogue forum back in Feb. ‘Twas shivtastic.”

@Daxxarri: “@SvelteKumquat I’ve been spending a lot of time behind the curtain of late. I’ll try to swing by after rogues have 5.0.4 figured a bit more.”

@SvelteKumquat: “@Daxxarri Oh, I feel bad! Wasn’t trying to nudge you to post again. :) I only just set up my WoW-Twitterness; wanted to send belated thanks.”

@Daxxarri: “@SvelteKumquat Nah, don’t feel bad <3. The class forums are mostly for discussion between players, but it’s nice to drop in once in awhile.”

@SvelteKumquat: “@Daxxarri We’re such hungry, hungry hippos, though. :) Is Twittsville an OK way to ask you periodic roguey q’s? e.g., on legendary procs?”

@Daxxarri: “@SvelteKumquat I might not always be in a position to provide a response, but it doesn’t hurt to ask – and not just about rogues, either.”

Twitterized 9/7/2012

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