Since
nearly the dawn of style="font-style: italic;">World of Warcraft many
players have clamored for the ability to have two talent
specs.
With the release of Patch 3.1 those players finally
got their wish. Many aspects of the game were changed forever with this
introduction and most of those changes were for the better. No longer
did raids or groups need to wait for a player to hearth back and
respec, no longer did hybrid class have to shell out 50g every time
they were needed to perform a different task
Many aspects of the game were changed forever with this
introduction and most of those changes were for the better. No longer
did raids or groups need to wait for a player to hearth back and
respec, no longer did hybrid class have to shell out 50g every time
they were needed to perform a different task. src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/71254" align="left"
border="0" /> 
The flip side to this was increased loot competition as the lines
between main spec and off spec blurred, with players asked to fill so
many roles so often it becomes hard for anyone to keep track. No where
in the game did the ability to have two specs available with the press
of a button become more of an issue than in end game raiding.

style="font-weight: bold;">Anyone
know a tank?

Prior to patch 3.1 most players were invited to or applied to a raiding
guild with one specific role to fill in mind. All three hybrid classes
along with Priests and Warriors became accustomed to switching it up
periodically to help out with a deficiency or when a strat called for a
little more of one archetype or an extra body that could perform a
specific task.  Prior to WoW 2.0 a respec was rarely ever seen
unless a player decided to permanently change roles. The 25 man raid
format of The Burning Crusade changed that and the 10 man format of
Wrath of the Lich King made those changes even more
pronounced.  With the narrowed beam and the mantra of
“bring the player, not the class” hitting full
force it was nearly a necessity for Blizzard to add the ability of dual
talent specializations (not to mention the nice money grab that helped
farm more gold back out of the economy) Many players were changing
specs two to three times per raid. The number of raids being canceled
due to lack of a specific archetype was very frustrating for many
groups and guilds. The ability to quickly change specs has given many
players who previously considered themselves “only a
healer” or “only a tank” the
encouragement and freedom to try something new
.

style="font-weight: bold;">Be
careful what you wish for?

Even Houdini would have had a hard time keeping up with the quick
change acts most hybrids were being asked to perform, and the cries of
the players were heard loud and clear in Irvine. Blizzard answered
those cries with a very stable system that worked flawlessly from the
day it went live.  The initial euphoria didn’t take
long to wear off however; many players who so loudly clamored for this
ability watched gear for their “main spec” get
doled out to others as they were advised “well you have been
doing this other duty more for us lately src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/71253" align="right"
border="0" />”.
A good DKP system
will usually alleviate those concerns as you will have a declared main
spec on record with your guild. The questions still linger however as
players develop an affinity for this new second spec and can become
resentful of performing their old task. As a healer I can tell you that
some raw face smashing DPS is a welcome change many times from the
stress of being tasked with the raids survival. Conversely you may
begin to lose some of your best DPS to the far away gaze of dreams of
heroism as they hoist tanking abilities on their shoulders and rise to
a new challenge.

style="font-weight: bold;">Surviving
the Dual Spec Paradox

All of these factors that weigh independently on the minds of the
individual players are multiplied on the raid leader as they are tasked
with fitting everyone in to accomplish the greater goal. In speaking
with multiple raid leaders the refrain they spoke was of stark
contrasts. Dual spec is either seen as a total blessing to the smaller
to mid size guilds or a bane to larger guilds. Smaller guilds typically
run into the problem of lacking a certain archetype to complete an
encounter or are held hostage by one or two ill timed AFK’s.
Larger raiding guilds bank on their larger numbers to counter weekly
attrition but this can mean they need to make concessions in the form
of swapping players out to give everyone a chance to participate. To a
small guild dual spec is a maximization of resources that allows them
to push forward and keep progressing without worry of being derailed by
one or two players. Larger guilds that need to keep a good rotation of
bodies going can often times feel the pinch of watching one of their
better players replaced when they could easily change roles for the
sake of allowing another player into the raid.

What
a Long Strange Trip it’s Been

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Overall the changes to raiding and even
the game in general seem to be more positively influenced than negatively by dual talent
specialization. Raids are moving along more efficiently and bank
accounts are filling up as hybrids save hundreds of gold per night.
Even in scenarios where players with little to no experience in a
particular role are thrust into the limelight many players are finding
this challenge a welcome one and are enjoying adding a new dimension to
their gaming arsenal.
I hope Blizzard continues to listen to the good
ideas that come down the pipeline and keeps the innovations coming.
Until next week, be safe and have fun in Azeroth!