It might work out for you because you want play a role you never did before but for the most part the game now is a perfect example for the phrase "You can never go home again."
If you're expecting it to be at all like it was, just stop now. If you're able to accept what it's become, then grats.
I'm a 31 year old guy from the New York area and I used to play WoW heavily. I was a big part of Vanilla and I stuck around for quite a bit of TBC. Loooong story short...I quit this game several years ago and moved on in life but I simply cannot get away from it. Maybe it was how heavily I played for a while but I can't shake this game from my memories or dreams. Bottom line: I want to come back. This is still the most populated MMO out there and I want to see how I fare in today's game.
I want to be a healer. I've been a tank, a dps, a utility, etc...But I always ultimately wanted to be a healer and raid leader who understands the dynamics of every battle.
I'm downloading the starter client as we speak. I've done a bit of research tonight but wanted this community's input: For a primary raid healer, what do I want? I understand there are multiple builds but what will give me the most gas for my mileage as a healer? Druid, Priest, Monk? Is a holy priest still the #1 healer in the game followed closely buy a resto druid? Where does a Monk fit into the mix?
As said, this game used to be my life. I'd like to get back there. I want to get great again and be able to be the main healer for competitive guilds. Where do I go from here?
Thanks,
Joe
Can you please film yourself loading up the game and the subsequent 1-2 hours of play so we can see the soul crushing horror that will descend on you as you see what the game has turned into? This would be epically awesome.
It'd be even more epic to watch all the people expecting that reaction if he was having fun.
"He can't be having fun! How do you have fun in MMO's?! This is outrageous."
I'm a 31 year old guy from the New York area and I used to play WoW heavily. I was a big part of Vanilla and I stuck around for quite a bit of TBC. Loooong story short...I quit this game several years ago and moved on in life but I simply cannot get away from it. Maybe it was how heavily I played for a while but I can't shake this game from my memories or dreams. Bottom line: I want to come back. This is still the most populated MMO out there and I want to see how I fare in today's game.
I want to be a healer. I've been a tank, a dps, a utility, etc...But I always ultimately wanted to be a healer and raid leader who understands the dynamics of every battle.
I'm downloading the starter client as we speak. I've done a bit of research tonight but wanted this community's input: For a primary raid healer, what do I want? I understand there are multiple builds but what will give me the most gas for my mileage as a healer? Druid, Priest, Monk? Is a holy priest still the #1 healer in the game followed closely buy a resto druid? Where does a Monk fit into the mix?
As said, this game used to be my life. I'd like to get back there. I want to get great again and be able to be the main healer for competitive guilds. Where do I go from here?
Thanks,
Joe
Can you please film yourself loading up the game and the subsequent 1-2 hours of play so we can see the soul crushing horror that will descend on you as you see what the game has turned into? This would be epically awesome.
It'd be even more epic to watch all the people expecting that reaction if he was having fun.
"He can't be having fun! How do you have fun in MMO's?! This is outrageous."
Admittedly that would be even funnier, as unlikely as it is in this particular scenario. But yes, can you imagine what they would start calling him?
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
Wow. I never imagined this thread would get so involved lol. My thoughts:
I've only played a little bit a couple of nights so far. I've been really busy the last few days. That said, I do have some opinions on this subject...I just want to keep them refined as I haven't played up to 90 and seen the new endgame yet.
Basically, a lot of the things that you old time Vanilla players are complaining about were things I already started to see happening toward the end of TBC. You are bombarded with experience, gold, and equipment. There is really no reason to worry about gear as the quests you run will give you gear that is more than good enough to continue leveling with. It makes little sense to worry about much other than just blazing to the level cap asap as this is where you can finally spend some time on a legit set and start establishing your crafts, etc. Prior to the cap you would just be slowing yourself down unnecessarily to worry about anything else other than exp, exp, exp. This was like this when TBC came out as well. Just blaze to 70 before you even think about anything else. I won't write a novel but obviously a player such as myself isn't exactly thrilled with this scenario. I liked the Vanilla days when the leveling process was a big part of the excitement and where you would experience a large portion of the game's best content. That's all been washed away with time, patches, and expansions packs.
The epic feel of the game will never be like it was during Vanilla. I thought the way the world was constructed with every road leading to the epicness that was Blackrock Mountain was just the best days gaming has ever seen. The world pvp that surrounded the entire game world combined with the difficulty of the zones and dungeons (compared to today) on your ascent through 1-50 was just ...beautiful. Let's be honest: It was a big deal to hit level 50 and start hitting Ungoro, The Searing Gorge, and The Blasted Lands. You knew you were getting close to starting to play in that huge, awe inspiring mountain that you could now see. Even as a low level flying over these zones and Blackrock Mountain on your climb through the levels was just so amazing and awe inspiring. I'll miss it forever.
As for Blackrock Mountain itself? Who could ever forget your first foray into it and watching that enormous dragon flying around you? To show you where I'm coming from...as I know a lot of today's players hated it: I thought Blackrock Depths was fantastically constructed and I'll never, ever forget my first guild and our progress through that instance. It was the true beginning of endgame. Blackrock Spire? Don't pretend like your heart wasn't racing on the first few pulls in there. It was a truly intimidating place and when you were done with a good run through there and you were back in Ironforge or Orgrimmar you felt so superior and experienced compared to the level 8 you saw running up to the AH next to you. Elitist attitude? Not really - just excitment, satisfaction, and true awe inspiring intrigue.
I said I don't want to write a novel but I'm doing it. There's just so much I could say. I guess I don't feel as hit over the head as some of you thought I would considering that my days of tear jerked nostalgia came years ago at the end of TBC. My heart basically broke when the level cap was moved to 70 and Hellfire Peninsula became the place you got gear handed to you that eclipsed T5's. It felt like a carnival the first time I ran quests in there. The stats on the greens were so far beyond Vanilla purples that I just wanted to turn the game off lol. I hated TBC for what it did to the Vanilla world and all of the lore, rivalry, and depth that it provided.
It definitely feels weird seeing very little world pvp, NPC's ALL OVER THE PLACE (it's ridiculous), flying mounts overhead that are as big as endgame bosses, etc. I'm still feeling my way out in this new World of Warcraft but I kind of get the jist. As said, I wrote post after post after post on the WoW forums fighting against the game becoming one that catered to casuals back in 2008/2009. I watched the world that many of us fell in love with just disintegrate into something else right before my very eyes. I couldn't have been more unhappy about it at the time.
I'm going to go log in and level my Priest. I won't say that NOTHING that's changed is for the better. Connected realms at lower levels is kind of necessary now and should have been instituted when they moved the original endgame to Outlands. It would have softened some of the heartbreak that seeing all of the Vanilla zones empty caused in the first place. I think the changes to the talent tree's are something I can learn to live with and a lot of the battle mechanics seem smoother and more modern. The graphics have definitely improved and there's definitely a lot to do when you want to take a break from leveling. I mean, a lot of the things that I see I like...but it's just different now. Anybody who felt the way I do about Vanilla knows what I mean: There is a special feel that this game had in it's early days that is just long gone now. No matter what they do in the next patch or xpac - It isn't coming back.
All I can do is hope that this winter and spring I can find new memories and grow new attachments to the in game world around me. I was 22/23 when I started playing this game. I'm 31 now. I'm different, the game's different, and like everything in life: Things change as time marches on. I guess I'll have to just learn to live with it and hope for the best.
I'm a 31 year old guy from the New York area and I used to play WoW heavily. I was a big part of Vanilla and I stuck around for quite a bit of TBC. Loooong story short...I quit this game several years ago and moved on in life but I simply cannot get away from it. Maybe it was how heavily I played for a while but I can't shake this game from my memories or dreams. Bottom line: I want to come back. This is still the most populated MMO out there and I want to see how I fare in today's game.
I want to be a healer. I've been a tank, a dps, a utility, etc...But I always ultimately wanted to be a healer and raid leader who understands the dynamics of every battle.
I'm downloading the starter client as we speak. I've done a bit of research tonight but wanted this community's input: For a primary raid healer, what do I want? I understand there are multiple builds but what will give me the most gas for my mileage as a healer? Druid, Priest, Monk? Is a holy priest still the #1 healer in the game followed closely buy a resto druid? Where does a Monk fit into the mix?
As said, this game used to be my life. I'd like to get back there. I want to get great again and be able to be the main healer for competitive guilds. Where do I go from here?
Thanks,
Joe
Can you please film yourself loading up the game and the subsequent 1-2 hours of play so we can see the soul crushing horror that will descend on you as you see what the game has turned into? This would be epically awesome.
As said: This didn't happen as bad as you would think. I laughed at a lot of what I saw in the first 1-2 hours more than anything. The game's so, so casual now lol. But you should have seen my face when I first went into Hellfire Peninsula when TBC dropped. I literally cringed as all of the super casuals started going "OMG!!!!" and linking their ridiculous greens in the guild chat like they had accomplished something epic simply by going and grabbing 6 of this or that. I honestly think part of me died inside lol.
This pretty much sums it up quite well. It's almost like the first time you got high with your girlfriend in your teens: It's never going to be like that again no matter what you do. I guess the lesson learned is to really embrace the special times in life or in any of the things you enjoy about life as the unstoppable force that is the sands of time will quickly erase them from everywhere but in your own heart and mind.
I'm just really appreciative and glad that I was able to experience Vanilla while it existed before everything changed. New players today, no matter how amazed they are with the game, really don't understand just how good we had it once.
As said, I wrote post after post after post on the WoW forums fighting against the game becoming one that catered to casuals back in 2008/2009. I watched the world that many of us fell in love with just disintegrate into something else right before my very eyes. I couldn't have been more unhappy about it at the time.
Then you won't enjoy healing now, as back then was a better time for it. WotLK had the best healing model, as by then the classes resembled classes not patchwork creations (vanilla and TBC class design and gear optimization was horrid), and healing was truly active and fun (now it's 2 things: watching GCDs with lots of filler; and in PvP, it's been the World of Stuncraft).
Ok so I came back, leveled that priest up to about 30 and then rerolled on a high pop cross realm with the class I've always wanted to play in WoW but never have before: Warrior. I played a melee for years back in FFXI so I wanted to do something different with WoW and just got comfortable with casters. Anyway...my War already has like 500 honor points in pvp @ level 20. I'm having an absolute blast with the game.
I know some of you are probably stunned beyond belief but ...I've also changed over the years. I like having a guild and I will definitely run a few raids now and then...I'm more about pvp and crafting at this point. I like bg's, can't wait to do arenas, and there is a surprising amount of world pvp going on here on my realm.
Instances suck today. They're just ridiculous compared to back in the day. It's a few hallways, a boss, another hallway, a boss, a new wing, an end boss. A handful of trash throughout the whole instance. It's a cakewalk.
The talent tree is better. No question. The way it was before was that there really were tons of independent choices to make but without the right spec you would do nothing. You would be gimped beyond belief and this led to the hated cookie cutter. Today, there's still a *best* spec, in my opinion, but the options you're given are actually viable for the most part. It's just better than it used to be.
PvP: I've done some dueling and actually a lot of lowbie pvp in WSG. Even there, there are obvious issues. There is far, far too much crowd control in open pvp battles today. Every class has more crowd control than it should. Healing is way overdone as well. I mean, it's obvious to me just after a taste of pvp at lvl 14 and 19. I've watched youtube videos of high level arena and it's the same thing. The healing and crowd control are just massively overdone. The actual tactics in a battle were much better in Vanilla/TBC. These things (healing, CC) need to be toned down a few degrees. It's getting silly now.
That said: PvP is polished. There is still no MMO that does PvP like WoW and I can guarantee there won't be for still years to come. The fluidity, the polish, the havoc: WoW PvP in BG's is great. I didn't like arenas when I last played. Now I can't wait to get involved in them. I just think that the pvp in this game alone at this point is a reason to play this game over the others out there. It's just flat out still the best.
Cities, towns, maps, quests...everything is more convenient and streamlined. The website is integrated into the game now and you have a full profile up, full access to the forums with this profile, and a just ridiculous level of depth when it comes to achievement and stat tracking. I can't believe how none of you mentioned this. Nothing like this existed 3-4 years ago and it's a massive upgrade for the game.
Look, this is already too long and I'm just waiting for maintenance to be over. Bottom line? There's a lot to work with here. Let me hit the cap, get into arenas and battlegrounds there and see what I think then. I'll come back and update this thread at that point.
They pretty much killed the game for me with cataclysm. Turning the quests into a complete linear train is not what I want out of an MMO.
Well...the "quests", per say, are rather linear...yes. But the quest lines are not. The world is absolutely massive at this point and every single toon you create is going to have a different route up through 90. If you actually take your time and pay attention to the quests and the stories contained within - I just don't know how much more you want. If the depth of the quests on the way to the level cap need to be extremely open and deep, I don't know what MMO in today's market is going to satisfy you. It's only going to get so good at this point in that regard.
They pretty much killed the game for me with cataclysm. Turning the quests into a complete linear train is not what I want out of an MMO.
Well...the "quests", per say, are rather linear...yes. But the quest lines are not. The world is absolutely massive at this point and every single toon you create is going to have a different route up through 90. If you actually take your time and pay attention to the quests and the stories contained within - I just don't know how much more you want. If the depth of the quests on the way to the level cap need to be extremely open and deep, I don't know what MMO in today's market is going to satisfy you. It's only going to get so good at this point in that regard.
yeah, 80-85 quest lines are storyline quests that put you into different phases the farther you get into them. for instance i need to do all of the hyjal quests on my hunter to get to the main phase of the zone. in there i'd be able to see/tame the rare hunter pets. without doing the quests i have no possibility of seeing them. phases are something that wow should really do some more work on. they're cool in theory, but if a party member has progressed through a quest more then you have you can't see each other. it makes helping friends difficult at times. if only they added a sync to party members phase option..
basically there's only a few actual routes to take. and when you get to cata content it's either vash'jir or hyjal. then you have to do deepholm, uldum (which is really fun btw), then twilight highlands. and you have to do every quest in a specific order. only way to unlock the other ones. overall though i enjoy doing it. the storylines are nice and some quests are really fun (harrison jones!!)
They pretty much killed the game for me with cataclysm. Turning the quests into a complete linear train is not what I want out of an MMO.
Can't say that i agree with that at all, what they did with cataclysm was create a flow around the zones that did not exist before, instead you worked from a particular hub and ran around all over the zone and back again. To me it made the quests much deeper and richer than they were previously, Westfall being a classic example.
What has always been good about WoW is that you are not stuck with just one area to level in at any particular point, you always have a choice so again from that perspective it isn't a linear train. OK, it takes a little effort if you prefer to level your Human in the Night elf areas for example, but the choice is there to do so if you wish.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I have not been a cookie cutter sense Vanilla, and if you are brainwashed into thinking you have to be a certain spec you are hurting the game experience for yourself.
I played Survival Hunter in Vanilla, raided all content.
I played Demonlogy/Afflitction Warlock in TBC Raided up to Illidian getting a realm first on him. (thrall)
I played Druid Resto Wotlk (kinda cookie cutter not much you can do) Raided all content.
I played Combat Rogue in Cata, Guild Leader Raid Leader and Realm First Heroic Cho'gall top 10 guilds (stormrage) raided all content and Combat was considered the worst spec for rogue in cata pre deathwing patch, and I was top DPS for my guild and set records on the server.
I have not played since CATA and cannot go back due to the way they have homogenized the classes. So to answer your question regarding healing, I would say roll a monk as it seems like the only class that does healing a little differently than the others. The class system got ruined IMO because what used to give WoW that magic for me was the classes felt different and had their strengths and weaknesses when compared to other classes doing the same roles. The last time I played the developers had devolved the class system to the point that all tanks and healers were the same shit with a different name attached to the skills and I say that having had every tank and healer except priest maxxed and for the most part raid ready. My war tanked like my pally like my druid ect and the same could be said for my healers since my fave healer (crit build holy pally) was turned into what felt like a holy priest and my shaman felt like my druid to an extent and it got to the point that when raid composition rolled out it really didn't matter what I brought because they all did the job the same. I can only imagine how far it has devolved during MOP after seeing what they did to those skill trees but I can't bring myself back long enough to find out.
As a vanilla player as well, I hope you enjoy your time in the game as it is now though because there isn't much else out right now that offers entertainment.
Comments
It might work out for you because you want play a role you never did before but for the most part the game now is a perfect example for the phrase "You can never go home again."
If you're expecting it to be at all like it was, just stop now. If you're able to accept what it's become, then grats.
It'd be even more epic to watch all the people expecting that reaction if he was having fun.
"He can't be having fun! How do you have fun in MMO's?! This is outrageous."
Admittedly that would be even funnier, as unlikely as it is in this particular scenario. But yes, can you imagine what they would start calling him?
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Wow. I never imagined this thread would get so involved lol. My thoughts:
I've only played a little bit a couple of nights so far. I've been really busy the last few days. That said, I do have some opinions on this subject...I just want to keep them refined as I haven't played up to 90 and seen the new endgame yet.
Basically, a lot of the things that you old time Vanilla players are complaining about were things I already started to see happening toward the end of TBC. You are bombarded with experience, gold, and equipment. There is really no reason to worry about gear as the quests you run will give you gear that is more than good enough to continue leveling with. It makes little sense to worry about much other than just blazing to the level cap asap as this is where you can finally spend some time on a legit set and start establishing your crafts, etc. Prior to the cap you would just be slowing yourself down unnecessarily to worry about anything else other than exp, exp, exp. This was like this when TBC came out as well. Just blaze to 70 before you even think about anything else. I won't write a novel but obviously a player such as myself isn't exactly thrilled with this scenario. I liked the Vanilla days when the leveling process was a big part of the excitement and where you would experience a large portion of the game's best content. That's all been washed away with time, patches, and expansions packs.
The epic feel of the game will never be like it was during Vanilla. I thought the way the world was constructed with every road leading to the epicness that was Blackrock Mountain was just the best days gaming has ever seen. The world pvp that surrounded the entire game world combined with the difficulty of the zones and dungeons (compared to today) on your ascent through 1-50 was just ...beautiful. Let's be honest: It was a big deal to hit level 50 and start hitting Ungoro, The Searing Gorge, and The Blasted Lands. You knew you were getting close to starting to play in that huge, awe inspiring mountain that you could now see. Even as a low level flying over these zones and Blackrock Mountain on your climb through the levels was just so amazing and awe inspiring. I'll miss it forever.
As for Blackrock Mountain itself? Who could ever forget your first foray into it and watching that enormous dragon flying around you? To show you where I'm coming from...as I know a lot of today's players hated it: I thought Blackrock Depths was fantastically constructed and I'll never, ever forget my first guild and our progress through that instance. It was the true beginning of endgame. Blackrock Spire? Don't pretend like your heart wasn't racing on the first few pulls in there. It was a truly intimidating place and when you were done with a good run through there and you were back in Ironforge or Orgrimmar you felt so superior and experienced compared to the level 8 you saw running up to the AH next to you. Elitist attitude? Not really - just excitment, satisfaction, and true awe inspiring intrigue.
I said I don't want to write a novel but I'm doing it. There's just so much I could say. I guess I don't feel as hit over the head as some of you thought I would considering that my days of tear jerked nostalgia came years ago at the end of TBC. My heart basically broke when the level cap was moved to 70 and Hellfire Peninsula became the place you got gear handed to you that eclipsed T5's. It felt like a carnival the first time I ran quests in there. The stats on the greens were so far beyond Vanilla purples that I just wanted to turn the game off lol. I hated TBC for what it did to the Vanilla world and all of the lore, rivalry, and depth that it provided.
It definitely feels weird seeing very little world pvp, NPC's ALL OVER THE PLACE (it's ridiculous), flying mounts overhead that are as big as endgame bosses, etc. I'm still feeling my way out in this new World of Warcraft but I kind of get the jist. As said, I wrote post after post after post on the WoW forums fighting against the game becoming one that catered to casuals back in 2008/2009. I watched the world that many of us fell in love with just disintegrate into something else right before my very eyes. I couldn't have been more unhappy about it at the time.
I'm going to go log in and level my Priest. I won't say that NOTHING that's changed is for the better. Connected realms at lower levels is kind of necessary now and should have been instituted when they moved the original endgame to Outlands. It would have softened some of the heartbreak that seeing all of the Vanilla zones empty caused in the first place. I think the changes to the talent tree's are something I can learn to live with and a lot of the battle mechanics seem smoother and more modern. The graphics have definitely improved and there's definitely a lot to do when you want to take a break from leveling. I mean, a lot of the things that I see I like...but it's just different now. Anybody who felt the way I do about Vanilla knows what I mean: There is a special feel that this game had in it's early days that is just long gone now. No matter what they do in the next patch or xpac - It isn't coming back.
All I can do is hope that this winter and spring I can find new memories and grow new attachments to the in game world around me. I was 22/23 when I started playing this game. I'm 31 now. I'm different, the game's different, and like everything in life: Things change as time marches on. I guess I'll have to just learn to live with it and hope for the best.
As said: This didn't happen as bad as you would think. I laughed at a lot of what I saw in the first 1-2 hours more than anything. The game's so, so casual now lol. But you should have seen my face when I first went into Hellfire Peninsula when TBC dropped. I literally cringed as all of the super casuals started going "OMG!!!!" and linking their ridiculous greens in the guild chat like they had accomplished something epic simply by going and grabbing 6 of this or that. I honestly think part of me died inside lol.
This pretty much sums it up quite well. It's almost like the first time you got high with your girlfriend in your teens: It's never going to be like that again no matter what you do. I guess the lesson learned is to really embrace the special times in life or in any of the things you enjoy about life as the unstoppable force that is the sands of time will quickly erase them from everywhere but in your own heart and mind.
I'm just really appreciative and glad that I was able to experience Vanilla while it existed before everything changed. New players today, no matter how amazed they are with the game, really don't understand just how good we had it once.
Then you won't enjoy healing now, as back then was a better time for it. WotLK had the best healing model, as by then the classes resembled classes not patchwork creations (vanilla and TBC class design and gear optimization was horrid), and healing was truly active and fun (now it's 2 things: watching GCDs with lots of filler; and in PvP, it's been the World of Stuncraft).
.:| Kevyne@Shandris - Armory |:. - When WoW was #1 - .:| I AM A HOLY PALADIN - Guild Theme |:.
Ok so I came back, leveled that priest up to about 30 and then rerolled on a high pop cross realm with the class I've always wanted to play in WoW but never have before: Warrior. I played a melee for years back in FFXI so I wanted to do something different with WoW and just got comfortable with casters. Anyway...my War already has like 500 honor points in pvp @ level 20. I'm having an absolute blast with the game.
I know some of you are probably stunned beyond belief but ...I've also changed over the years. I like having a guild and I will definitely run a few raids now and then...I'm more about pvp and crafting at this point. I like bg's, can't wait to do arenas, and there is a surprising amount of world pvp going on here on my realm.
Instances suck today. They're just ridiculous compared to back in the day. It's a few hallways, a boss, another hallway, a boss, a new wing, an end boss. A handful of trash throughout the whole instance. It's a cakewalk.
The talent tree is better. No question. The way it was before was that there really were tons of independent choices to make but without the right spec you would do nothing. You would be gimped beyond belief and this led to the hated cookie cutter. Today, there's still a *best* spec, in my opinion, but the options you're given are actually viable for the most part. It's just better than it used to be.
PvP: I've done some dueling and actually a lot of lowbie pvp in WSG. Even there, there are obvious issues. There is far, far too much crowd control in open pvp battles today. Every class has more crowd control than it should. Healing is way overdone as well. I mean, it's obvious to me just after a taste of pvp at lvl 14 and 19. I've watched youtube videos of high level arena and it's the same thing. The healing and crowd control are just massively overdone. The actual tactics in a battle were much better in Vanilla/TBC. These things (healing, CC) need to be toned down a few degrees. It's getting silly now.
That said: PvP is polished. There is still no MMO that does PvP like WoW and I can guarantee there won't be for still years to come. The fluidity, the polish, the havoc: WoW PvP in BG's is great. I didn't like arenas when I last played. Now I can't wait to get involved in them. I just think that the pvp in this game alone at this point is a reason to play this game over the others out there. It's just flat out still the best.
Cities, towns, maps, quests...everything is more convenient and streamlined. The website is integrated into the game now and you have a full profile up, full access to the forums with this profile, and a just ridiculous level of depth when it comes to achievement and stat tracking. I can't believe how none of you mentioned this. Nothing like this existed 3-4 years ago and it's a massive upgrade for the game.
Look, this is already too long and I'm just waiting for maintenance to be over. Bottom line? There's a lot to work with here. Let me hit the cap, get into arenas and battlegrounds there and see what I think then. I'll come back and update this thread at that point.
They pretty much killed the game for me with cataclysm. Turning the quests into a complete linear train is not what I want out of an MMO.
Well...the "quests", per say, are rather linear...yes. But the quest lines are not. The world is absolutely massive at this point and every single toon you create is going to have a different route up through 90. If you actually take your time and pay attention to the quests and the stories contained within - I just don't know how much more you want. If the depth of the quests on the way to the level cap need to be extremely open and deep, I don't know what MMO in today's market is going to satisfy you. It's only going to get so good at this point in that regard.
yeah, 80-85 quest lines are storyline quests that put you into different phases the farther you get into them. for instance i need to do all of the hyjal quests on my hunter to get to the main phase of the zone. in there i'd be able to see/tame the rare hunter pets. without doing the quests i have no possibility of seeing them. phases are something that wow should really do some more work on. they're cool in theory, but if a party member has progressed through a quest more then you have you can't see each other. it makes helping friends difficult at times. if only they added a sync to party members phase option..
basically there's only a few actual routes to take. and when you get to cata content it's either vash'jir or hyjal. then you have to do deepholm, uldum (which is really fun btw), then twilight highlands. and you have to do every quest in a specific order. only way to unlock the other ones. overall though i enjoy doing it. the storylines are nice and some quests are really fun (harrison jones!!)
Can't say that i agree with that at all, what they did with cataclysm was create a flow around the zones that did not exist before, instead you worked from a particular hub and ran around all over the zone and back again. To me it made the quests much deeper and richer than they were previously, Westfall being a classic example.
What has always been good about WoW is that you are not stuck with just one area to level in at any particular point, you always have a choice so again from that perspective it isn't a linear train. OK, it takes a little effort if you prefer to level your Human in the Night elf areas for example, but the choice is there to do so if you wish.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I have not been a cookie cutter sense Vanilla, and if you are brainwashed into thinking you have to be a certain spec you are hurting the game experience for yourself.
I played Survival Hunter in Vanilla, raided all content.
I played Demonlogy/Afflitction Warlock in TBC Raided up to Illidian getting a realm first on him. (thrall)
I played Druid Resto Wotlk (kinda cookie cutter not much you can do) Raided all content.
I played Combat Rogue in Cata, Guild Leader Raid Leader and Realm First Heroic Cho'gall top 10 guilds (stormrage) raided all content and Combat was considered the worst spec for rogue in cata pre deathwing patch, and I was top DPS for my guild and set records on the server.
You did not have to play cookie cutter.
I have not played since CATA and cannot go back due to the way they have homogenized the classes. So to answer your question regarding healing, I would say roll a monk as it seems like the only class that does healing a little differently than the others. The class system got ruined IMO because what used to give WoW that magic for me was the classes felt different and had their strengths and weaknesses when compared to other classes doing the same roles. The last time I played the developers had devolved the class system to the point that all tanks and healers were the same shit with a different name attached to the skills and I say that having had every tank and healer except priest maxxed and for the most part raid ready. My war tanked like my pally like my druid ect and the same could be said for my healers since my fave healer (crit build holy pally) was turned into what felt like a holy priest and my shaman felt like my druid to an extent and it got to the point that when raid composition rolled out it really didn't matter what I brought because they all did the job the same. I can only imagine how far it has devolved during MOP after seeing what they did to those skill trees but I can't bring myself back long enough to find out.
As a vanilla player as well, I hope you enjoy your time in the game as it is now though because there isn't much else out right now that offers entertainment.
RIP Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan and Paul Gray.