The faceroll is one term used to describe a class or character that does amazing things without any effort and without skill.
I have been both disturbed and fascinated with this issue of wow raiding since i started playing.
When I began raiding it was early wotlk and i geared up like most others. But problem was i fell behind. When ulduar was out my gear was finally good enough by the time that the crusader's colissium was announced. I did my first guild progression 10 ulduar run wearing only 3 items form nax 25 and most were badge,crafted and 10 naxx earned gear.
I pulled 4k dps on General: wow-heroes said i am 10 ulduar ready but that was dps higher than everyone except one hunter in my raid.
Amazing! Does gear really have as little impact as people say?
Then i see a death knight decked in 25 naxx bis gear doing only 4k dps on patchwerk? Huh? no skill but gear? Now i'm confused
So which is a bigger part of your dps? your gear? or your skill?
lets put it to the test as a community.
My proposal is that we test this scientifically.
We test the impacts of dps by using BIS gear without a spec and no gear with a spec.
All tests will be on a boss target dummy at or near full health and should last 5 minutes
This process will work in this way.
A character with BIS gear for their class will test their dps without any talent points allocated in any spec and through use a cast random macro of spells of their class that cause damage. This will isolate the gear in the idea that gear>skill. No buffs except excluded ones shoudl be used this includes blessing of might, totems or any buff that you can get from talents or players. Gear buffs are fine (procs from teir bonuses, enchants etc)
Some exceptions to this process include
paladins- because judgements require a seal you should use righteousness because it does not have any stacking component although this should be included in your cast random macro.
Warlocks- A pet should be summoned by random meaning you pick it at random. It should not be included in your cast random macro and should be set to defensive.
Shamans- Your weapon "enchants" should be included in your cast random macro IF they: cause an increase in damage or increase in a stat (flame tongue)
druids- probably the hardest to test this should be done in 3 phases- bearform test using only bear damage abilities, cat form test, should be done using only cat form, and caster should be done using only damaging spells.
Warriors should use 2 tests that have 2 macros one for battle and one for berserker stances.
Death Knights- should be using blood presence
rules of thumb- if your class can start from stealth do it.
if your class has ranged and melee capabilities do so in melee range. exceptions are hunters because although i've seen it for the purpose of this test all hunters should be the hunter of the ranged variety >.<
This test should be used by spamming your cast random macro that includes your damaging abilities and done on a boss traning dummy in melee range for all classes except a hunter (this includes mages and other casters auto attack should be in there but feel free to substitute it with a wand if you choose so but shoudl only be used if your skill for wand is greater than that of your melee weapon)
example of tests- a warlock should use in their macro shadowbolt, corruption, coa, cod,coe, cow, immolate, incinerate, soul fire, drain soul, drain life, drain mana (even if it doesn't work), auto attack (or wand), shadowflame (be in melee range), searing pain, fear, howl of terror, hellfire and health funnel
do not use abilities that you wouldn't use in combat (hunters don't dismiss your pet if you do just don't for this test)
The skill test- this test is alot easier
pick a spec of your choice
verify your optimal rotation
purchase a grey weapon with no stats of your appropriate level if it is required to dps (melee, hunters etc)
perform your rotation as you would in a raid with all cooldowns and all powers
this is the test it is a gear and no skill vs skill and no gear test bis gear is preferered
feel free to post your results here and this should also show that classes will have differing resluts because a paladins with most of their dps skills on short cooldowns will have very limited options which should prove that the gear portion of a ret paladin's dps will be most impacting.
vs a class like a mage where they may do somethign to the effect of frostbolt, arcane missiles, ice lance, fire blast, Arcane explosion, fireball, wand
please in this thread do not post your opinions just post your results or questions you may have. This is not ment to be a flame war.
oh also do NOT for all classes use spells that have targeting requirements such as aoes like blizzard, flamestrike rain of fire, volley death and decay etc
This is the Final decision on a class by class basis!