Poll: Time spent studying WoW out of game?

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  1. #1

    How much time do you spend studying for WoW?

    This probably only applies at the release of each new expansion/tier, but how much time would you say you spend studying for WoW?

    This includes but is not limited to:
    - Reading about your class and its optimization in all aspects
    - Reading/watching videos about raid encounters
    - Reading/watching videos researching questlines/rep farms/anything else

    Basically, just how much time you spend out of the game and researching things for the game.

    Coming back and wanting to tank, I'd have to say it requires more out-of-game study than I've ever been used to. In pretty much all raiding regards, tanks (and other classes) are pretty much expected to have a certain level of study done before stepping foot into raids.

    I think it's pretty safe to say that any Flex+ group, especially pugs, expects you to know the fights before hand and such (applies to all roles/classes).
    Last edited by Computed Lamb; 2014-05-02 at 08:02 PM.

  2. #2
    I am Murloc! zephid's Avatar
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    Almost nothing to be honest. I usually only spend some time before huge patches, and it's still only an hour or so.

  3. #3
    Deleted
    None, discovery is one of the main reasons I like RPG type games

  4. #4
    Deleted
    I rarely spend time studying encounters, I either learn them on the PTR or learn them on live. If I'm watching a video, I never really get it. I do however read up on the basics on whatever changes with mages, and spend quite some time familiarizing on the dummy (I'll usually put on a movie and just do the basic rotation until I can do it in my sleep, when they introduced always-crit fireblast I spend like 1½ hour on the dummy lol)

  5. #5
    I watched Fatboss' guide to Paragons of the Klaxxi.
    Never again. Such a long video that tells you everything, but ends up, you didn't really need to know much of it. Whyyyyyy.

    But the most I do is watch fight strats before doing the boss, like an hour before raid. I'll admit though, usually the first few normal bosses I won't even bother to watch, probably a bad idea, but meh. So I guess 2-4 hours.

  6. #6
    The Insane Revi's Avatar
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    A tiny bit of reading when a new raid is released, maybe one hour combined per raid tier. As a tank, i find it's generally more useful to just check dungeon journal for tank-specific mechanics and learn by doing. No amount of reading helps me as much as 1 test pull of the boss.

    I do read quite a bit of theory crafting for different classes, but I wouldn't call it studying as I do it because it's interesting (I like math, I like wow. win-win) not because I have any use for it.

    Tanks do need to know tactics even in LFR, but checking dungeon journal for tank mechanics (marked with a shield) and disappointing your first LFR group while you figure it out teaches you a lot better than any guide. Once you get used to tanking, you'll find all fights are pretty similar, same mechanics with slight variations for flavor.

    Debuff? Taunt when yours run out, other tank does the same.
    Hard-hitting ability on timer? Have mitigation up for it.
    add/soaking? Tank currently not holding boss does it.
    "flavor ability" <-- This is the "boss flavor" one, this one is usually unique to bosses but very straightforward once you learn it.


    That's pretty much it, tbh.
    Last edited by Revi; 2014-05-02 at 08:18 PM.

  7. #7
    not very much, i used to watch videos, to get a feel of what the bosses do, but for the most part healing has the same tactic for every fight, move off fire and heal. usually just a waste of time to watch it, actually practising it is what made me grasp the skill.

    same with class guides, i used to be a CL during tbc but for the most part unless you had access to multiple loots to switch around there was only what you had and what you might get if your lucky, speccing was the same, i always preferred finding out what i liked to do rather than what some guide says is best.

    although when i recently did my mage i did read the guide on the mage forum here, on rotations and glyphs just to get an idea of how the individual specs played, since i'd not played a mage for years it was sort of worth it there.

    basically finding out yourself is half the fun imo, but ofc there are exceptions.

    I might aswell add that i did initially use allahkzam during classic which i believe was the original wow head so to speak, it didn't have much in the way of guides per-se but it did have loot locations, lists, and quest locations/npcs and such. for the quests that were rather confusing or gave little to no idea about what you were supposed to actually do.
    Last edited by Heathy; 2014-05-02 at 08:23 PM.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Heathy View Post

    basically finding out yourself is half the fun imo, but ofc there are exceptions.
    I tend to agree. It's weird though, I imagine most people probably enjoy learning by doing, but the general consensus among the community, at least were LFR+ is concerned, seems to be that people are expected to have watched boss fight videos before hand. The only exception I can think to this are rare guilds where raid leaders don't mind teaching fights for all new recruits.

  9. #9
    Warchief Redpanda's Avatar
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    usually have just a round table with a few others bros/broettes that we all play the same class and we kinda discuss what we are planning on doing and bounce ideas off each other, and thoughts on stuff.

    once you have a grasp on your class it carrys over in the tiers with just a few variations where most people should be able to play the other specs of their class. granted they have the same role
    Last edited by Redpanda; 2014-05-02 at 09:02 PM.

  10. #10
    The polarity of the poll results amuses me. It seems you either wing it, or you dedicate quite a few hours to learning the content.

    Myself, I read and watch videos on fights before I tank them, if I haven't already learned the encounter on PTR. I don't get comfortable with an encounter until I've experienced it firsthand a few times, though. I do wish that other people would try to learn the encounters beforehand as well; it would make the first few weeks after the content's release go a bit smoother, in particular for pugged content.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyinir View Post
    The polarity of the poll results amuses me.
    Yep. I'll be interested to see the numbers after a more meaningful amount of votes. Should be interesting since so many people absolutely rage when player xyz comes into an lfr/flex/whatever without knowing the encounters or being properly optimized.

  12. #12
    The Lightbringer OzoAndIndi's Avatar
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    This is a thing? Nah, I just mostly either get the heads up from someone who already knows or just roll with it. When I was new to WoW and didn't understand my class yet, etc. (darn combo point dots WoW doesn't tell you anything about) I hunted for some info then, but not really now other than the occasional question.

    I like that the pole results are largely split between those who are like "..wut?" and those who study up quite a bit. lol
    Last edited by OzoAndIndi; 2014-05-02 at 11:29 PM.

  13. #13
    Immortal Luko's Avatar
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    Very little at all. I used to be more of a theorycrafter in which case the "studying" is never really over, but these days, I mostly just check up on class changes very briefly, quick overview of boss mechanics (most of its shit we've seen before in one form or another) and scope out final quest rewards to see if there's anything worth grinding weeks on end for.

    All of that probably occurs in an hour or so, two or three times a year.
    Mountains rise in the distance stalwart as the stars, fading forever.
    Roads ever weaving, soul ever seeking the hunter's mark.

  14. #14
    Bloodsail Admiral Snakez's Avatar
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    I just search for a couple minutes what I immediately need to know

  15. #15
    I theorycraft religiously

  16. #16
    Immortal SL1200's Avatar
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    I never study a fight unless we're attempting it in heroic mode.

  17. #17
    The Patient Strun's Avatar
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    I read a little before I do a boss, but that's typically the extent of it. Grinding 1-90 I have a pretty good idea of what my character is like.
    Lock rocks, made to order.

  18. #18
    If we talk about raiding: It is quite usual that players have no problems wasting 4h of other players time instead of reading a 10 minutes guide. The problem is obvious. Way to many players are too nice and allow assholes to waste their time.

  19. #19
    Deleted
    Read about boss tact/watch video tutorial.
    +read about class changes on forums.

    it takes +/- 1 hour for all I need to know.

  20. #20
    Believe it or not. Studying the game is my favorite part of the game. Being able to apply what you learn is always a great feeling.

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