Are pallys any good at dps (pve AND pvp) and heal (pve) in Icecrown now, after the "nerf" back donw to normal? Or should I just go shammy?
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Member
After the "nerf"
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Member
If dps is your only concern for ret, then yes, you should probably go play another class.
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Member
It's not like you can't pull good dps. You can, but it requires good gear and proper execution of our priority system. Still we're mainly a support class (off-heals, all of the "hand of x" spells , LoH, etc.) and as Lynea said, if you just want to dps you should look at another class.
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Member
Well, basically, can they "hang" with the big boys still (Druids, Shammys, Mages)? I want to dps, and I liked how I could roll over people before. is that still there? or are they just meh now?
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Member
You probably won't "roll" over a dedicated DPS class with comparable gear nor should you be able to. I think you can still manage to stay close to top 7 in a 25 man but don't except to be top DPS unless you significantly out-gear other DPS. There's not a ton we can do as Ret paladins to get more DPS besides get better gear, our DPS "rotation" doesn't take a lot of skill and all you can really do is learn to prioritize your abilities, double speed pot, try to time wings with big procs and get familiar with encounters to maximize DPS time. Assuming you've already done the basics of smart gemming/enchanting etc of course.
Ret PVE DPS is still very good and when you take into account the utility we bring to a raid, we are indispensable. Only problem is there's a boat load of Paladins out there so while the class is indispensable, you are not :D
If you're solely worried about damage charts, Ret is not for you. If you're worried about having a place in raids, then be consistent with your buffs, hands, auras and you'll find raids groups that will save you spot.
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Member
While dps shouldn't be his "only" concern, it still is the most important thing. It's not hard to AM a certain mechanic, it can be hard to do competitive damage.
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Member
It is not nearly as important as a lot people make it out to be. The rotation is pants-on-head, and if you mess up, there is very little discrepancy that will result from it. Rets, compared to several other classes, are a sub-par DPS, and the primary reason they are even considered for raid groups is because of the buffs and utility they bring, not their DPS. Yes, it's not hard to Aura Mastery, bubble someone, Hand of Sacrifice the tank, clutch heal people who are about to die, etc. But the DPS portion is just as easy, and yet, the vast majority pretend that is the only part of the spec that is relevant when, in fact, it is the least relevant and least important part of what you're bringing to your group. Claiming that DPS is most important is misleading, because it is inaccurate, and can cause people to believe (which most do) that it is more important to get off that Divine Storm instead of LoH-ing or Flashing a fellow DPS who is nearly dead, or bubbling someone who has taken aggro, etc.
TLDR; Common sense and a Ret's utility are both more important than their DPS. Not the other way around.
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