Melee or Ranged easier to play in PVE?

[Avikur]

I have been playing WoW since WotLK and pretty much always played ranged as my main, I find it really hard to play melee in PVE, mainly because you're right on the boss/mobs with spell effects going off around you making it really hard to see whats going on, some tanks spin the boss around and move it for no reason again making it really hard. I love my DK for questing but in Dungeons and raids it just feels like hard work compared to my lock or hunter (i'm not on about damage i'm on about play style) I feel like I'm forever watching the action bars and glancing up to see if I'm stood in something bad or if the boss is still near me!

Obviously that's just my opinion, melee is very popular so there must be some people that enjoy it! I'm just wondering what do you guys think is EASIER to play in PVE?

[Miralynn]

I would tend to agree. I play both, but I find ranged easier just because I don't have to chase the mob, worry about staying behind the mob (except some bosses), or worry about staying in melee range of the mob as ranged. Especially when some tanks drag mobs around or spin them around just to be dicks.

[Tziva]

*shrug* Depends more on your personal comfort level with the role than anything. I don't find melee any more difficult than ranged, but I've also raided as melee since vanilla.

[Adam Jensen]

Ranged. On my paladin, there's a lot more to avoid and sometimes you get a twitchy tank who can't stand still so you're chasing the damn mob. On my priest, I can sit my ass down and cast until I have a reason to move.

[Indi]

I agree that ranged is easier. I always seem to have a hard time with melee. And then when I think I'm finally doing good avoiding things, I get a tank that decides they need to always be moving. Definitely prefer ranged.

[sulfuric]

Ranged is of course easier. You have twice the reaction time and distance to maneuver, also melee has to stack on eachother so often times you're not just dodging your own targeted AOE ground effect damage spells, but everyone else which makes it 5 times more likely. If you pull agro, the boss pivots and kills you instead of turns runs to you and kills you.


All of this makes it pretty obvious ranged is easier to play.

[Matronmalise]

I believe that it is a personal preference, Ranged classes can tunnel a bit more than melee classes and get away with it as the ground effects typically surround the boss and the tank flipping the boss around does not cleave the ranged, Melee has to pay more attention, to the action in most cases, not all but most in this latest version. Standing in one spot feet firmly planted does not see to happen very often heroic or raids. if you like the constant action and movement the added complexity it brings melee is fun, if you want to tunnel a little more and watch the meters a little more then ranged is your cup o tea. I have three ranged and two Melee that i actively play, each has their unique qualities and challenges based in the encounter and i have fun with all of them. So personal preference plays as usual a large part in the "funness" of playing a class and will eventually affect your overall performance and output from that class.

[Sneekin]

I think most of the time, ranged will have an advantage. However, Blizzard is kind enough to add in a few mechanics that only ranged have to deal with.

There are two repeated mechanics that are more difficult for range than melee.
1. Ranged only targeted abilities
2. High movement fights

Clearly if ranged have to dodge something melee don't, that makes it more difficult to play ranged. Also, when ranged are forced to move, it can be very difficult to find a balance between moving and deal damage. Melee often can maintain most of their dps while at full run.

[wooootles]

Ranged just pewpew most of the time, melee have more positioning requirements, like a farther run from the disappearing circle floor, or devastating arcs, things like that, and most of the time, still do less overall damage than ranged.

As an addendum ranged DOT classes also suffer less from high movement fights.

I honestly don't even know why I play melee anymore.

[dryankem]

Ranged is easier IMO. Its just generally easier to see the fight and you never fall just out of arms reach. Switching targets is usually easier too as you may just have to turn and you are usually out of the range of the boss's cleave abilities, plus positioning yourself around ground effects (like poison and fire) while being able to still hit the boss is challenging some times. However I find melee better for questing but it's just a personal preference.

My DK has become my main as I seem to enjoy him in most aspects of the game. I would go with a hunter, as they tend to be fairly hardy compared to other range classes, but I tend to be the worst huntard around (accidently pulling groups, bad pet control, etc....).

[Redtoxin]

Having played both a Mage and a Enhancement Shaman in MoP, I feel they are pretty balanced in terms of easier to play. Depending on the fight it could be easier for melee or ranged depending on movement, assignments such as adds, etc.

[Benomatic]

ranged is far easier than melee

[Nanaboostme]

As you kind of figured out in your own post, yes its more difficult for melee in most cases. But imo the harder, the more challenging, the more fun

[Brightamethyst]

Ranged is easier if only because you don't have to move as much.

[Kelimbror]

Ranged by a landslide:

1) More reaction time due to wider FoV

2) Less need for target situational awareness (can just attack anything they see basically, where melee have to actively find their target) With how awkward some hitboxes are, it's easily lost dps for melee that ranged never has to think about.

3) Easier to switch target with a combination of both previous reasons.

4) If aggro is pulled, they have a bigger time window to dump before they die. If melee pull, they might die instantly.

5) This expansion, they are ridiculously overvalued because of fight design...easier time getting into raids compared to melee.

[Illiterate]

Range is favored in just about every encounter.

[Redlikemyrage]

Ranged just pewpew most of the time, melee have more positioning requirements, like a farther run from the disappearing circle floor, or devastating arcs, things like that, and most of the time, still do less overall damage than ranged.

As an addendum ranged DOT classes also suffer less from high movement fights.

I honestly don't even know why I play melee anymore.

As our guild progresses through MV (casual scrub guild with one or two really good players) I'm beginning to wonder this more and more as a warrior. Yes, I'm mostly competing for the #1 or #2 damage spots on recount, but the amount of work I have to do compared to the warlock whom I most often compete with is insane.

Why the hell I don't just run raids with my alt mage (higher damage, easier time) to make my job easier is beyond me. I love my warrior, though, and that is probably the sole reason I stand by her.

[Airwaves]

I play a rogue and a hunter. Both are easy. Its rare is this teir or even the last for blizz to use a boss mechanic that haven't been used in the past. Its easy to avoid shit you avoided in a fight 4/5 + years ago as ranged or melee. Part of the reason i stopped raiding was that the bosses were doing nothing new so i was getting bored.

As for a newer player ranged for sure because you have more time to see stuff coming.

[Deleted]

personally im terrible at melee dps, especially in movement heavy fights.
therefore i prefer ranged dps classes/specs.

i however love being a tank, that way you always know when a boss is gonna move cause 99% of the time your the one moving it

[Deleted]

As someone who's been a ranged for most of his live and that has switched to melee in MoP...

Ranged. By miles.