"Advice" on class choice

[Deleted]

A few times I've been looking on general information to base my class choice on. Each time I noticed a certain trend in how people or other sources write class information.

When I started playing WoW, I had no clue what to expect from the game, I didn't know what tanks were, etc. So I asked my bf, who'd been playing WoW longer on class advice. This was one of very few times I got the advice I've been looking for. "Try a druid, they can do every class role and you can find out what you like later."

After a while of playing WoW, I wanted to make an alt for tanking. I wasn't sure about paladin or DK, and I was thinking out loud what to chose. "I like ret and prot, but not holy. Should I chose the paladin or level up a DK..." etc. One of my roommates heard my thinking and replied: "What do you prefer, being a warrior of the holy light, or a knight of darkness?", and I thought, I don't care about their backgrounds, I just want to know what the class plays like!

Another time, I was deciding on what alt to level next. I was looking for some general information, like:
Warlock - ranged, vastly different specs, mostly dotbased, based on controlling the opponent with fears, moving around through their portals. Mage - ranged, direct damage based. Warrior - melee, highly mobile.
But all I found was: Warlock - a ranged caster who commands minions. Mage - a ranged master of the arcane. Warrior - a melee that hits with a sword. Really? I didn't know that *sarcasm*!

TLDR: Why does it seem impossible for people to give information about how a class plays? Or is it just me and do other people actually use their character's background in their class choice?

For those wanting to say that if you like a class is personal preference, I know that. I was just looking for information on how it plays.

[Hattai]

I quite enjoy the background of the shaman so that came into it for me and I've just switched spec to suit the playstyle as I've gone.

I was just looking for information on how it plays.

So state that in the question, people aren't mind readers.

[Jokubas]

TLDR: Why does it seem impossible for people to give information about how a class plays? Or is it just me and do other people actually use their character's background in their class choice?

Different people do and like different things for different reasons. Some people do both. Some people start by choosing something with a background that is appealing to them, before discovering that they like how something else plays more.

I'm usually the latter. I base what I like on the lore and stuff. However, that doesn't mean I'd stick with it if I really didn't like the playstyle. For instance, I don't want ogres because of how their racials might play out. I want ogres because of what they are and how they fit in the story.

I can really sympathize with your point of view though. How a class plays really is going to be the most important thing to your enjoyment of the game in the long run. It's a game. If the playing of the game is not fun, it doesn't really matter how cool the concept is.

I'd give some advice myself, but my experience with the game is extremely focused. I do not know much about most of the classes or even the other specs of the classes I do play.

[Deleted]

Different people do and like different things for different reasons. Some people do both. Some people start by choosing something with a background that is appealing to them, before discovering that they like how something else plays more.

I'm usually the latter. I base what I like on the lore and stuff. However, that doesn't mean I'd stick with it if I really didn't like the playstyle. For instance, I don't want ogres because of how their racials might play out. I want ogres because of what they are and how they fit in the story.

I can really sympathize with your point of view though. How a class plays really is going to be the most important thing to your enjoyment of the game in the long run. It's a game. If the playing of the game is not fun, it doesn't really matter how cool the concept is.

I'd give some advice myself, but my experience with the game is extremely focused. I do not know much about most of the classes or even the other specs of the classes I do play.

I haven't thought about it that way. Perhaps my roommie, and many others like chosing a paladin because they like fighting evil. Or they play a druid because being a bear is cool or something. I personally play a warlock, because I like dpsing. I don't want to get forced to play a healer anytime and I like their playstyle.

I've been looking for an alt to play in pvp for a few months now, but I just can't find the information I'm looking for, because I either get told: "Do you want to be a ranged spellcaster, play a mage! Or a holy warrior, play a paladin!" That's no reason for me. Or: "Play feral druid/hunter/insert other OP class here, they're FOTM!". I'm kinda surprised that a lot of people give such advise on class choice. But I suppose each person their own way of chosing a class to play...