We know Neth is levelling a Priest, and Eyonix has said that he is too (I've got no reason to not believe him). I imagine that Tseric is either a Mage or a Rogue, Alex is most likely playing a Warrior, Tom is probably a Warlock, and Jeff, well, I see him as a Paladin right now.

I'm kinda curious about what you guys on the inside are levelling, and how you're enjoying yourselves!

Speculation about what you think they're levelling is welcome, and if Block or Fangtooth decide to show themselves, this officially becomes an Artifact thread.

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Q u o t e:
i bet 50% are playing warlock......


bet only 1 is playing a healer based on how bad the drops/itemization is in the xpack.



..and NONE ARE PLAYING A SHAMAN.

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I am actually seriously considering rolling a Draenei Shaman. While I'm liking Outlands and getting new loots for the warlock, I also want to see the new starting zones again, as it has been a little while since I've seen that content. Thought the totem quests were really cool.

I want to roll a Draenei Warrior at some point. I played one a bit in beta and enjoyed it. It was a nice combination.

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Q u o t e:


Neth, a warrior? I just can't see it.

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Casters are fun but I'm more of the melee sort when I can be. ;)

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Q u o t e:


I bet it was. Warriors aren't too bad at low levels. It's pvp as the main concern. Can you confirm that any dev plays the class as a main? Not only that, but do they not have naxx-level gear/weapons?

PvP is a joke for us right now as a whole. I do appreciate you posting about it though Neth, even if you can't say much about it.

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Yes, there are devs that play them as their main. We have people that play every class. Yep, I played it at lower levels but would like to eventually get one at higher levels too. I try to keep some experience in every class I can but we all know how hard that can be. :)

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Q u o t e:
The Blues play Alliance characters, now that is just shocking now isn't it... oh wait, no it's not.

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We all have characters on both sides and I've admitted to playing Horde in some conversations. I'll be rolling both a Draenei and a Blood Elf at some point. I just need more time to play. ;)

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Q u o t e:


That's the whole point. People who do not play Warriors should not make decisions and should not have much (if any) input about Warrior balance. They also should not talk about something they don't know about. If things were run truly fair, Blizzard would require that every one of the balance decision makers play one partucular class so that every class would have equal representation. Naturally, if there were less ppl in that position than there are classes, then they would have to play 2 classes each, or something of that sort.

-A

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This would be the exact reason why we don't usually post what we play on a regular basis. People tend to believe that we have some sort of bias based on that and in reality, we don't. We are passionate gamers but we don't push our own agendas. We aren't in charge of design, we pass on feedback from the players whether we agree with it or not because someone else may just like the idea too. We also will give our own insights and relate our own experiences where it's applicable. Since we play too, we of course have our own investment in things. We also play many classes and have insights into them but not everyone obviously has the same experiences thus the discussions that break out on the forums.

This would be about the time that I would use the ascii headache guy if I used such a thing. :)

Don't worry. I haven't gone anywhere. I've still been reading. :)

Yes, I understand what people are saying but there isn't any specific 'proof' of anything that I can give you. Not to mention, while it's nice to get "thank yous" now and then, decisions on change aren't mine to make. I'm a part of a team and I enjoy that aspect of my work. I get to work with all of you and get to know you, and I get to work here as well. It's win win.

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Q u o t e:


It isn't my intent to be facetious here. The CM's interpret and condense the community's feedback, yes? (otherwise the devs might as well just read it for themselves) Much can be lost in translation if the CM doesn't fully understand what is being said due to unfamiliarity with the class. Tseric's "popping enrage" comment is simply a famous and very pointed example of this.

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The most difficult part of the feedback process is not the translation of material to and from the devs, but the gathering of it. Of all of the forums, the class forums are decidedly the most bias, because the people posting on them tend to have more personal investment in their particular class. Because of that investment, it is all too easy for players to become emotional, which does affect the quality of feedback given. Too many times have highly emotional, but not very detailed posts have been rallying banners for disenfranchised players. The more they build expectations with bumping, signing and agreeing, the less likely the chance that a reasonable response to that thread is going to be acceptable. Anything said by a CM is translated into 'oh, they're just telling us to L2P' or some other crude summary. People become entrenched in their beliefs when the have a number of people agreeing with them.

Yes, let's take the example of 'popping enrage'. In it's whole, my explanation still stands and is still very much the dev's reasoning behind the change to enrage at the time. However, the people who refer to that quote are more concerned with the inconsistency of a passive or an active ability and use that error to bolster their own confidence while summarily dismissing anything I have to say. Over the time that I've been here, I've provided feedback for a number of classes that had proper context and detail to address concerns. Most reasonable people will digest whole statements and respond to the whole message, rather than focusing on a mistake and trying to leverage something out of a person by making them look bad. It often and quickly turns into a game of 'what can I get out of a CM or how can I make them look ignorant?' It no longer is about providing objective, detailed feedback on how classes function.

Some people will keep saying 'pop enrage' because it puts them in a little club where they can look down on someone. The majority of the people who say it probably weren't even there at the time, so me immediately realizing and apologizing for the error when it happened means nothing to them, because they don't know what happened. That, frankly, is a clear example of bias that interferes in discussion or a community relationship.

I could go on, but I think you get my point. ;)

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Q u o t e:
Neth, I know your job is hard and I know there are days when you're probably tempted to cyber-strangle some of us, but just remember that most of us really appreciate the hard work you put in on our behalf. Trying to balance nine classes and ten races is a juggling act, I'm sure, and while there have been some issues (as with any MMO), I'm sure most of us players realize that nobody at Blizzard has a secret agenda to pump up certain classes or to make certain others all but unplayable. So, for my part, thanks for putting up with us. =)

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I am quite aware that there are hundreds or thousands that read and do not reply. They are content playing the game and seeing what happens over time. It is a thought that does keep me warm and sane. ;)