[WoW]Class Questions...

[Wiseblood]

So I'm going to be soloing while I get the hang of this MMORPG thing and I wanted to know whether certain classes are worth trying solo.

Basically which classes are good for soloing and which aren't?

[Evil Dr Ganymede]

I think in WoW all of them are good for soloing, with the exception of the Priest. One of my friends played a Priest and he reckoned it was really more of a support character. Not that you can't solo with it at all, but it's a lot harder apparently.

Warriors are definitly good for solo. I had no trouble soloing with those at all. I'm currently playing a Hunter and that's working out very well too. So I'd say Warriors and Hunters are tops for soloing.

I've tried Druids and Mages and they seem OK. I didn't find them as interesting as the previous two classes though.

I've dabbled in the Shaman but didn't really find those fun to play. I think they're going to be OK once they have their offensive totems though.

Not tried Rogues, Warlocks or Priests so I can't speak from experience for those.

[Ian ORourke]

Having talked to a guy who has played a Warrior to 60 and then went on to try a Mage and a Priest - he said both level quicker than his warrior. So, you're probably going to get lots of different views on this.

What I've noticed having played a Mage to near 60 and now moved onto a Hunter and a Rogue, is the Hunter and the Rogue (the Rogue especially) has very little downtime. You just rip through each mob and keep on trucking. More than that, especially with the Rogue, you rip through the enemies very fast due to your damage output (just like with the Mage, but you don't have to stop to replenish Mana).

The Hunter seems to PvE Solo largely because the enemy never seems to get to touch the Hunter himself and you just happily rain down arrows from a distance while your pet keeps him busy. The main problems with the Hunter are the fact you lose a bag slot for your arrows, and the pet and arrows are an 'expense' and management overhead. Also, Hunters are universally disliked by everyone but the people who pick Hunters - to the extent a lot of the hatred has become an urban myth, ingrained in the consciousness of the populace. Still, they are due to get their talents totally overhauled in patch 1.7 - and they look quite cool (they are on the WoW site somewhere).

As for Shaman, well, I'm pretty sure the general concensus is at the minute they are the best class in the game overall - but then I could not vouch for that - it just seems to be one of the few things the rabble on the WoW forums seem to reach a rough concensus on.

[Copernicus]

Priest is one of the best classes for soloing. However, like all mana-dependent classes, you should make friends with a higherlevel mage and get a stack of water before going out.

Overall, soloing is incredibely easy in WoW. You can basicly solo from 1-60 with ease. The only time you ever need to group up is to kill elites or finish certain quests. There's no signifigant difference between classes as far as time it takes, although Paladin and Warrior are the slowest, due to low DPS. Rogue is probably the best class for soloing, followed by Hunter, Mage, Priest.

One of the key things for soloing vs grouping is to not bother with group friendly talents. A holy-specced or discipline-specced priest is great for groups, but can't kill monsters. A shadow-specced Priest can match single target damage on a mob with a Mage. Just less mana-effeciently.

[Evil Dr Ganymede]

I figured that there would be a way to make every class good for soloing :). My assessments were made largely out of how easy I've found it to play those classes, rather than how quickly they levelled up relative to eachother though. Certainly I had a lot of fun getting my warrior to level 60 (though that wasn't all solo).

Odd to hear that people hate Hunters so much (I've never encountered that myself). Ta for the heads up on the Hunter upgrade (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/hunters/talents.html) though, there's some nifty changes in there!

[Lautrec]

I play a hunter (lvl59), and I've never experienced the Hunter hate that everyone seems to agree on.

Care to fill me in on why Hunters are so hated?


-L

[Gloombunny]

I play a hunter (lvl59), and I've never experienced the Hunter hate that everyone seems to agree on.

Care to fill me in on why Hunters are so hated?

I figure it's some combination of overexposure and bad instance experiences with hunters who can't manage their pets.

[Ian ORourke]

Well, the hunter hate is one of those strange dichotomies that exists in on-line games.

It's present, but you can play the whole game without ever encountering it.

As an example, my Mage is level 52 and I've never encountered the Hunter hate. All the groups i've been with have been happy to have a Hunter in them and they've been as a productive a member of the teams as anyone else.

If you read the WoW forums, you will realise that there is a lot of hate on the boards for Hunters - but then reading the WoW forums is like reading the Necronomicon and results in the loss of SAN.

The problem seems to come down to the end game competition for resources. If you play the game largely solo and group casually when required I don't think you'll have a problem - but things seems to hot up slightly when you reach the end game and guilds and individuals compete for resources (good players, good classes and equipment and getting places in groups to go to the high level instances). It's then that hunters don't get much action for how useless the class is seen (true or not), the perception they roll for all items (which I don't have a probleem with if they can use it - but the 'rolling rules' for end game items are byzantine and also cause SAN loss).

So, depending on you play the game it may or may not be an issue.

[FRS]

IMO:

Hunter: good ranged damage and a pet
Rogue: very good dps and good damage avoidance make you a very good soloer
Mage: High ranged DPS, crowd control spell and summoning water make you one if not the best soloer in the game.


Every class can solo but:
- you will need to spec the right way to do it (ex: shadow for priest)
- you will take more time to kill thing (ex paladin)
- you will have more dowtime (priest/warrior).

[Copernicus]

Hunters can screw up a party very easily, by not watching their pet. In an instance where you're bypassing mobs by jumping or cutting a corner or something, they'll just leave a pet out and train the group to you. Also, Hunters have a large variety of abilities they can use for crowd control (Traps, FD + Trap, Scattershot, offtanking with pet, etc). However, the bad ones will just sit in the back and spam autoattacks and use Multi-Shot to break crowd control. Finally, Hunters have the largest variety of loot they could want - 2H, 1-H weapons, Agility, Stam, Int, Strength as stats, leather and mail gear (since they don't get hit they don't worry about the armor they have), etc. So there's also the "Hunter who rolls on everything" mentality.

Basicly, a bad player can screw up any group. Hunters can do it spetacurally and there's a lot more of them than any other class.

[Naxuul]

Soloing ability is less class based and more talent based. Different talent trees give vastly better results in soloing.

Warrior: Fury or Arms. Both are good at increasing damage. Mainly differs on whether you want to use a two-hander(Arms) or dual wield(Fury).

Mage: Any(Fire/Arcane is godly for AoE soloing though).

Warlock: Affliction. Largely boosts your DOTs, nullifies downtime and gives a few extra tricks here and there.

Rogue: Most any, but a Sinister Strike/Sword Combat build is probably best for soloing.

Priest: Lots of Shadow. Shadow is perfect for soloing being high damage, low mana and low risk.

Hunter: Any, though Beast Mastery has the most obvious benefits for soloing.

Paladin: Holy/Retribution. The talent that allows you to cast heals while being beaten on is a must but beyond that the Holy tree doesn't provide much for soloing, while Retribution actually allows you to do some damage.

Shaman: Enhancement. Shamans are surprisingly good meleeists and Enhancement is a very good melee tree.

Druid: Restoration/Feral. You'll likely be in bear form most of the time while soloing so Feral is a no-brainer but Restoration is very useful just for Nature's Swiftness when in a tight spot.

I can understand the Hunter hate. On Stormrage you are literally looking at the population being almost 50% Hunters and Rogues. Both of them get a pretty equal amount of disdain. Why? Out of that 50% only about 5% actually plays their class as anything but a liability. I'm usually perma-grouped with a smart Hunter so the contrast of getting in a group with one that never uses traps, multi-shots crowd control and otherwise makes a asshat of themselves is very apparent. It's the problem of the Rogue and Hunter, they are both simple to learn but require alot of skill to master.

-Naxuul

[Wiseblood]

Cool, I've been playing a warrior while I learn the controls but I was thinking of switching over to a priest or a druid. Sounds like it's do-able.

[braincraft]

My experience leveling a warrior to 38:

Your main concern is getting equipment. Once you have good gear, just run up to stuff and kill it 'til it's dead. Well, at least for soloing. If you want to be a good warrior, groups require slightly different tactics, because other classes tend to be squishy compared to you. Just keep threat levels in mind and keep an eye on everyone else's bars. I specced for damage (dual wield) and haven't had any problems in groups, though I keep hearing that you have to have a shield/protection scheme to tank.

[Kevin K]

I have a warrior I played up to 44. He's perfectly adequate soloing, but I found that he just couldn't do much other than hit something. If you ever pull more than 2 mobs, you pretty much can only hit Retaliate and pray you'll only need 1 potion. That's it - not much else in the way of options. The bright side of having a warrior, however, is that you can very easily find groups to run instances, especially as you get to higher levels.

I'm liking my Druid a LOT more, and find it infinitely more durable than the warrior. It's not uncommon for me to end up fighting 4 mobs a couple of levels higher than me and come out perfectly fine. Not always, mind you, but often enough to not be a fluke. Druids can also solo a lot of quests other classes simply can't. Stealth alone contributes a lot, but Dire Bear also lets you take a severe pounding and makes escort quests a lot easier.

[Son of Kirk]

My Orc Warrior is 59th level now and I have done a fair bit of soloing at times.

It can be done pretty easily, even proc spec, but you need to know how your class works inside out. You also need to make sure you have good gear, good bandaging skills and a few potions as backup.

I know a fair few people that have struggled with soloing warriors, but in every case it has been down to them not utilising the class to it's fullest. Silly things like always staying in one stance or not using overpower when the option pops up.

Personally, I think the Warrior is one of the best classes in the game, but one of the hardest to play. It can be a real struggle at times getting to grips with it, and you do really, really need to think about which direction you want to go with your talents, but once you get to grips with the class it is really rewarding and great fun.

[Son of Kirk]

My experience leveling a warrior to 38:

Your main concern is getting equipment. Once you have good gear, just run up to stuff and kill it 'til it's dead. Well, at least for soloing. If you want to be a good warrior, groups require slightly different tactics, because other classes tend to be squishy compared to you. Just keep threat levels in mind and keep an eye on everyone else's bars. I specced for damage (dual wield) and haven't had any problems in groups, though I keep hearing that you have to have a shield/protection scheme to tank.


I have gone proc spec, and while it makes tanking easier I know a few arms/fury warriors who are still excellent at tanking, it just takes a bit more work.

I'm actually thinking of relearning my talents just to see how much of a difference it makes.

[Murglor]

My warrior is level 59, and has been prot spec since day one. It's a very, very slow way to solo, and I highly recommend that others not ever follow my example.

Your second and subsequent characters will always level far faster than your first character, since you'll have a better handle on the game and will also know the most efficient way to go about questing (in terms of completing the quests and also how to do them in an order that minimizes travel time).

Hunter is, as a class, astonishingly overpowered in solo. It's very easy to breeze through much of the game without ever learning the subtleties of the class - as long as you aren't trying to solo up-level elites, you can get away with playing badly as a hunter. There are also many people out there who like (a) animals, (b) bows, or (c) elves with bows. As a result, there are a *lot* more hunters out there than demand for hunters in groups, and many of said hunters have very little idea of how to maximize their contribution to a group. Clearly, this is not true of all hunters, and probably not even of a majority, but is still a factor.

Note that this is also true of rogues, who are a powerful and extremely popular solo class. While rogue isn't as outright potent solo, it requires at least as much adaptation to perform well in a group. The rogue can't simply win fights after bad enemy selection or unfortunate adds like the hunter, but has far better tools for selecting fights in the first place and for escaping when things go sour. The end result is another large group of people who can't play their class well, especially in groups, stacked on top of a group of good players already large enough to meet demand for that class/role.

[Jill]

I have a lvl 25 priest which I leveled solo, and leveling a priest is really hard TILL you get to lvl 20. Now I can easily handle monster up to 4 levels my size, and I can usually handle 2 of my size at the same time with ease. I do not know if I can solo elites my size and I do have some trouble with monsters that can heal themselves as I am not doing super damage. Actually, Priest is fun and if you ever get to high levels, everyone will want you around :)

[Linoge]

My Priest is almost level 51 now, and I'll say that I've soloed as much of the game as I can. I know from word of mouth that Shadow speccing is great to solo, but I'm Holy specced. Believe me when I say that soloing as a Holy specced Priest takes a lot of paitence, but it can be done.

The other classes I've played (albiet not much) are Warlocks, Druids, and Shamans. Each of these classes can solo pretty well, and being a Druid can be a lot of fun.

The bottom line (and one of my favourite things about WoW) is that any class can solo - however, depending on your choice, be prepared to put in a bit more work than other classes.

[ascendance]

Well, let me speak for the 'locks.

Demonology and Affliction are both perfectly find options for soloing and grouping and lower levels (having started with Affliction, and did a brief stint in Demonology, before respeccing back). The warlocks are a great soloing class, what with the pet and all.

Affliction will give you higher damage output, and some tanking capability. For any build, it's recommended that you plow in 5 points into Improved Corruption for Insta-Cast (though some people get away with 4 points). If you want to go for Demonology, 3 levels of Improved Voidwalker will make anything stick to it like glue. However, I prefer Affliction for drain tanking, or life draining stuff for heal while it attacks you. Better safety, and a better chance of survival. On the other hand, if you want to go for Demonology, Sacrifice WILL save your ass.

[Madu]

A hunter with Herbalism/Alchemy (or, alternatively, Skinning/Leatherworking) is a soloing fool. Mining/Engineering plus a gun cuts out your ammo cost if you're willing to invest the time in harvesting minerals. And you get goggles -- and coolness is defined by an orc wearing goggles and carrying a double-barrelled shotgun.

My hunters have all gone Marksmanship -- I figure the quicker kill vs. the tougher pet comes out pretty evenly in the end -- and you get an nice little group buff at 40 if you parlay your talents right.

~Madu

[bv728]

Rogues with Mining/Engineering are decent overall (leatherworking is overall better), but awesome at crash prevention (Goblin Jumper Cables): A group with a Shaman, an Engineering Rogue, and a Warlock has three tier crash prevention, and man does it take an effort to screw up.

[Robot Fury]

Well, let me speak for the 'locks.

Demonology and Affliction are both perfectly find options for soloing and grouping and lower levels (having started with Affliction, and did a brief stint in Demonology, before respeccing back). The warlocks are a great soloing class, what with the pet and all.

Affliction will give you higher damage output, and some tanking capability. For any build, it's recommended that you plow in 5 points into Improved Corruption for Insta-Cast (though some people get away with 4 points). If you want to go for Demonology, 3 levels of Improved Voidwalker will make anything stick to it like glue. However, I prefer Affliction for drain tanking, or life draining stuff for heal while it attacks you. Better safety, and a better chance of survival. On the other hand, if you want to go for Demonology, Sacrifice WILL save your ass.

I just want to throw in that Demonology also makes for very group-friendly warlocks. Improved healthstones, the imp's improved buff (along with threat reduction if you have master demonologist), shortened summoning times for thos situations where you have to dismiss or sacrifice a pet, etc...

When I had affliction spec, I was a little too good at snatching aggro from the mages. And warriors too, unfortunately.

[Murglor]

My hunters have all gone Marksmanship -- I figure the quicker kill vs. the tougher pet comes out pretty evenly in the end -- and you get an nice little group buff at 40 if you parlay your talents right.

I went marksmanship with my Hunter, and while I abandoned the character at level 32 or so, Aimed Shot is simply spectacular for opening fights with unsuspecting enemies.

I'm actually very excited about the "new" Survival tree. It's gone from pretty much worthless to an excellent supplemental damage tree *plus* the premier tree for pulling, crowd control, and stupid aggro tricks. If I were to go back to my hunter (seems unlikely, since I have a DPS character and a rogue at endgame already), I would absolutely take 31 survival and 20 marksmanship. Fantastic crit chance, particularly against things that aren't demon or undead, plus huge utility in raid and 5-man.

And like a Rogue, a hunter with Engineering and jumper cables is pretty decent backup wipe protection, especially with reduced chance of Feign Death failing.

[Mapache]

I just want to throw in that Demonology also makes for very group-friendly warlocks. Improved healthstones, the imp's improved buff

Both of those are first-tier talents. I'm Affliction down to Dark Pact because I love my infinite mana, but I have all the first-tier Demonology talents (along with Bane over in destruction) to help my raid group.

[Kingfox]

I just want to throw in that Demonology also makes for very group-friendly warlocks. Improved healthstones, the imp's improved buff (along with threat reduction if you have master demonologist), shortened summoning times for thos situations where you have to dismiss or sacrifice a pet, etc...

When I had affliction spec, I was a little too good at snatching aggro from the mages. And warriors too, unfortunately.

With the recent patch, demonology's absolutely wonderful. The bonuses from master demonologist make the path a wonderful choice for solo or group efforts. Even while solo'ing, I can summon a VW near-instantly once every 15 minutes after a serious beat-down/sacrifice. That's saved me while going through places with high-level creatures a few times.

[Naxuul]

Affliction will give you higher damage output, and some tanking capability. For any build, it's recommended that you plow in 5 points into Improved Corruption for Insta-Cast (though some people get away with 4 points). If you want to go for Demonology, 3 levels of Improved Voidwalker will make anything stick to it like glue. However, I prefer Affliction for drain tanking, or life draining stuff for heal while it attacks you. Better safety, and a better chance of survival. On the other hand, if you want to go for Demonology, Sacrifice WILL save your ass.
I'll largely agree here, except to say that I solo using a Succubus with my Demonology Warlock, not a Void. The Void is a largely useless bag of weak agro I find, the Succubus is hella good damage and crowd control. I'm not big on Improved Corruption either because I almost never cast Corruption. It's mana cost is just too big for something that won't even be half over when the fight ends. Better to just go with Immolation, Curse of Agony and Shadowbolt as needed.

-Naxuul

[Kingfox]

I'll largely agree here, except to say that I solo using a Succubus with my Demonology Warlock, not a Void. The Void is a largely useless bag of weak agro I find, the Succubus is hella good damage and crowd control. I'm not big on Improved Corruption either because I almost never cast Corruption. It's mana cost is just too big for something that won't even be half over when the fight ends. Better to just go with Immolation, Curse of Agony and Shadowbolt as needed.

I used to solo with the Succubus, but found it much easier with the VW. While the Succubus is great at sheeping with seduce and kisses, she can't hold aggro as well as the VW while I'm draining/DoTing/blowing the hell out of the enemy. Too often they end up directing their intentions back my way, which is not what I want. While the VW has a weak damage output, it's got decent armor, and is great at keeping them busy while I kill them. The low health isn't that bad with the armor it has, as I can usually follow up a flurry of DoTs with an infusion of health to it.

[Naxuul]

I used to solo with the Succubus, but found it much easier with the VW. While the Succubus is great at sheeping with seduce and kisses, she can't hold aggro as well as the VW while I'm draining/DoTing/blowing the hell out of the enemy. Too often they end up directing their intentions back my way, which is not what I want. While the VW has a weak damage output, it's got decent armor, and is great at keeping them busy while I kill them. The low health isn't that bad with the armor it has, as I can usually follow up a flurry of DoTs with an infusion of health to it.
I just like quick fights. A 15 second ping-pong agro match between the Succ and me is preferable to me to a 30 second DoT grind with the Void. Plus i'm a really high stamina Warlock, I can take a hit better than some Warriors. ;)

-Naxuul