Skill in WoW - Blue Tracker

#1 - Jan. 18, 2011, 8:57 p.m.

Is there some ingenious other way to actually test skill in this game? I mean think about it, the top guilds in the world, I mean the top; Paragon, For The Horde, Premonition, etc, don't use any amount of skill whatsoever to be qualified for the position they're in. I know what you're thinking, "Why bash on these guilds?" "You're a major QQ'er" "You're not in those guilds so take it elsewhere" granted you all have valid and wonderful points to counter what I'm saying.

However, my point is this, where is the skill in any of this? In order to be good, to be considered the best, you must literally sit in front of a computer and bash your heads against the same boss for 12+ hrs until it dies. Until. It. Dies. Do you understand what I'm driving at here? There is no skill test. There is no indicator that will separate a truly skilled person from a mediocre one doing that. You're not doing anything worthy of being called the best. All you're doing is the same thing until it dies. Basically, skill in this game, with regards to PvE, translates into being able to endure the same thing longer than anyone for hours on end.

I mean, I for one would enjoy if this game displayed an adamant amount of skill for the player base that's driving it. Look at SC2, SSF4, CoD, any of these types of games that are apart of the E-Sports/MLG circuit truly show how much skill it takes to do some of the amazing things they do. Their skill truly separates them from being mediocre to being a top pro, but in WoW I really don't see that. I don't see how enduring, doing the same thing with slight variations, accentuates itself to becoming translated into skill in this game.

tl;dr How does enduring the same thing for hours on end translate into skill? Sure some might call it that, but it doesn't really translate very well in this game when guild A can't beat guild B, not because of skill, but because of having fewer hours and less "endurance."

Bashiok

Community Manager

#29 - Jan. 18, 2011, 10:15 p.m.

There's proper gearing, build experimentation, skill use, rotations, situational corrections, adaptation, experimentation, group composition, communication, environmental awareness, character placement, course correction, and yeah, there's definitely a stamina component.

I will agree it isn't as simple to quantify as "This guy can fire off a shot quicker and more accurately than anyone else." but that's the nature of the game.

If you don't want to call high end raiding skill, that's fine, no skin off my horns, but don't then go the exact opposite and say anyone can do it and remain competitive, all they need is the time to devote to it. That's not only incorrect it shows a misunderstanding for what end game progression requires.

Bashiok

Community Manager

#39 - Jan. 18, 2011, 10:36 p.m.

01/18/2011 2:30 PMPosted by Lunã
The true thing that should be a qualifier as to rather or not someone gets into the tiers of the elite shouldn't be that endurance, it should be all those factors you mentioned and stamina should take second wing altogether. The only time I believe stamina should matter is if both sides of the equation are exactly equal.

A qualifier for what exactly? No awards are handed out for first downs. Raiding is not a competitive eSport, nor do I believe anyone would correctly claim it to be.