Ranged vs Melee which is easier in PvE?

[Leon17848]

Before you read please leave your pitchforks and torches outside of this post it doesn't promote an intelligent discussion.

TL;DR Ranged is harder due to more mechanics to be dealt with and harder time min maxing while melee stand still most fights or side step to deal with mechanics and lose no real damage due to movement. Ranged being more desirable for the fact that they do more damage on multi target, bad Blizzard design? how can this be fixed.


This topic is obviously always going to be super bias toward the said group you may be in. With that said please try not to be one of "those people" that just come in and bash the other side just because you want to be loyal to your group. Honestly in the past couple teirs most of the mechanics for most fights have a heavy responsibility on ranged and make it harder to min max damage, compared to melee having to side step most of their melee specific or even unified mechanics.

Now I'm not saying "OMG ranged mechanics are 10x harder than melee", I'm just trying to see if people agree that it is indeed harder to min max most ranged classes that can't do their whole proper rotation on the move as compared to melee whom can and deal with a fraction of the mechanics ranged do. The argument i know will come in saying "Well most raids have heavier ranged than melee". Yes this is true for 2 reasons off the top of my head, A: You want more ranged to trivialize certain mechanics for the raid as a whole or B: Ranged simply do more damage to multi target fights which seem to be the flavor for most of these teirs. This doesn't make them easier to play so they are more desirable its just bad design by blizzard.

Tell me what you guys think how can blizzard fix this issue and what are you opinions obviously I'm not 100% right on everything stated and I'm not claiming to be just interested in the subject.

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Here is my point of view on fights in the current teir on heroic for every single fight, keep that in mind most normal mechanics are easy for both melee and ranged. For the most part I'm not really talking about warlocks or hunters since they can do their full rotation on the move with small repercussions.

I can't stress enough this is more about DPS loss for both classes and difficulty trying to deal with certain mechanics while pulling good numbers this isn't about which mechanics are harder because in reality none are hard if you focus solely on dodging them or doing them properly a lot more comes into play than just the mechanics.

Jin'rokh - This fight is pretty straight forward both have to deal with the same mechanics. Focused lightning can be arguably more annoying for melee, but most of them have moves like heroic leap, shadowstep, or sprint to minimize time off boss while hard casting classes have much more of an issue IMO.

Horridon - Ranged need to deal with a pink dino constantly coming at them which can be a huge hindrance for classes which have to hard cast into it. Sand traps and poison puddles etc aren't a huge deal here for melee IMO since tanks should be positioning the mobs away from them which melee lose very minimal damage granted they can play on a decent skill level.

Council - Council in it's current state for our guild we kill Sul so fast there are really no mechanics that really keep people from DPSing aside from adds which melee don't "need" to swap to granted your ranged do the fight right.

Tortos - The turtle knock ups are very annoying for ranged as even as a warlock if you are casting with KJ cunning it will interrupt the cast, while melee stand there and tunnel the boss for the most part while aoeing adds if it's needed.

Megaera - For the most part melee tunnel this boss aside from having to strafe over to drop a cinder (I think they can get it) for it to get dispelled they in turn ignore adds and Ice lines.

Ji-Kun - Both sides have just as much responsibility can be given to either melee or ranged for the most part.

Durumu - I believe melee and ranged share all the same mechanics here so it's not a huge deal aside from the melee being able to dps on the move while ranged can take a huge DPS loss for moving for that amount of time.

Primordius - Most mechanics are the same I can't remember the name of the spell right now but it's another targeted AoE spell that ranged need to spread for if 2 people stack its either a 1 shot or massive dmg almost resulting in one while chasing the boss and trying to DPS can get annoying. This fight honestly isn't hard for either side.

Animus - Can be a lot of movement for ranged as well as melee for the most part ranged deal with the little adds so melee can be under animus tunneling here avoiding anima font while having 1 rogue cloaking the ring for the tank. Adds can Vary highly depending on what your guild has in terms of raid comp.

Iron Qon - Melee job here is to avoid lines by once again just side stepping depending, our guild has melee stack for the first dog right off the start so melee job here is to pretty much tunnel and side step lines again not hard to deal with. As ranged avoiding lines can be annoying if you have the lightning aids that spreads and the spear spawn on you it's total RNG if you are really close and can't move to avoid spreading the debuff. Results in major DPS loss during dead zone etc.

Twins - Melee for the most part here again tunnel the boss while ranged have to make sure they are in proper position to not stack AoE and be one shot while dodging sleep clouds. Fire one is pretty easy for both just don't stand near a comet to melt it. Easy heroic not a big deal but still has difference between the two

Lei Shen - Crashing thunder I believe it's called in P1 is the only thing melee deal with throughout the fight while most mechanics simply ignore melee even in intermissions. Melee aren't required to get bouncing balls outside of intermission unless its in their range this is a ranged job as well as Ball lightning spreading and making sure to spread for diffusion chain. Also ranged have a bigger run from the whip as it is a cone and grows fairly large as it extends and you still have to spread making it fairly annoying in a tight spot. Oh and you can't forget thunderstruck in P1 and P3 Ranged have to position that well and move quite often in both phases to make sure they don't die from it and spread properly for ball lightnings in p3.

Ra-Den - Ranged deal with balls while melee just need to run out for their 2 vitas for the fight the rest is focused on boss dmg and if necessary add dmg which most the time is their job on this particular fight since ranged are holding procs for balls etc. Easy fight I can't say one is drastically harder but it definitely takes a huge DPS loss if you hold onto procs or CDs for balls as ranged to make it die in time.


I can't think of many fights that really just take a dump on melee and make their life hell in the past 2 teirs granted in the past I will agree melee was very unforgiving. Remember again I'm just comparing the amount of focus ranged need to have vs melee in any given fight and I believe melee have a lot more brain dead fights than ranged these days.

[Soisoisoi]

Melee:
Can DPS on the move.
Can't make the most of the DPS when the boss moves too fast, isn't pulled out of the bad shit, or isn't pulled to the good stuff.

Ranged:
Have to watch timers and save a procc or two for optimal DPS on the move. Unless they're a Hunter/Warlock.


IMO, Ranged have it easier as they can plan for themselves. Melee have to put up with the rest of the raid or boss tactics. Horridon is a great example. Ranged can just stand somewhat between the mobs and never have to move. Melee have to constantly move from Green/Blue/Swipey stuff.

[Willfox]

Hunter. It plays like a ranged melee class.

[Galbrei]

I suppose it depends on your preferred play style. I for one prefer melee, but I've been PvEing as a rogue for many years now, I'm used to using Shadowstep, Sprint and Nitro Boosts to position myself when needed. On the other hand, trying to dps from a distance on my shadow priest or warlock feels... awkward.

[Deleted]

Ranged. PVE in wow is generally very melee unfriendly.

[Naxere]

Ranged is easier.

[Valech]

Ranged is easier by far.

[Koji2k11]

it's boss dependent on some bosses like horridon heroic where you have to move alot melee is better imo on bosses where you dont have to move like crazy but you have to pull the boss somewhere else range dd's shine

[Looq]

I would agree ranged is far easier most of the time. You also generally have a much broader view at range.

[Kazgrel]

Having played both a fair amount in PVE, would say that mechanics tend to make life a bit harder for melee more often than not.

[WarTV]

the very majority of the bosses favor ranged.
my vote goes to Ranged

[Fluorescent0]

I'd say melee is actually easier, but ranged is actually better.
Loads of mechanics can target rangeds but not melees, but the opposite doesn't happen all that often (can't actually think of something like that on top of my head).
On the other hand, ranged can do more multitarget damage, and have it easier on target switches.

[Bonkura]

if we assume the rotations takes the same skill to follow then ranged is much easier. you get more time to react to most fight mechanics and obviously dont have to think about being behind your target.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't say that ranged are easier to play, as they do often have more mechanics to worry about. Ranged are much easier to get high dps from if the balance is right though. Both can be quite punishing. The issue with ranged vs melee is, that ranged can substitute for melee mechanics, while melee cannot do the same for ranged mechanics.

EDIT: Basically I agree with @Fluorescent0

[-Raer-]

Experience: Played a Mage during Wrath and Cata, played a Rogue during Cata and MoP.

It does vary from fight to fight, but IMHO ranged have it slightly easier. If every ranged HAD to play at max range, they would be much more sensitive to boss movement and sympathize with melee more easily. I can't count the times that the boss has been drug through "Insert random spell effect" and melee lose uptime, where ranged don't. This essentially boils down to having a good tank that is more aware of the ramifications of his movement vs the boss' movement vs where melee are.

That being said, ranged typically have to deal with more mechanics a la Megaera Ice Beams AND Cinders while melee only have to deal with Cinders. There are both pros and cons to both arguments, but at the end of the day a skilled player will make both look easy.

[Sliske]

Ranged without a doubt

Also i would like to add that ranged is so careless in their positioning for most fights that they actually forget that melee are extremely limited, and tend to stand in melee with us giving us even more shit to deal with. Bosses like Iron Qon especially.

[fangless]

Coming from a DK, melee has to do a lot less on so many fights. At least in heroic.

Jinrohk, tunnel, get out during storm.
Horridon, ok, this is harder for melee :P
Council, tunnel, only small annoyance is interrupting, but that's just 3 people.
Tortos, melee can tunnel, aoe bats for fun.
Megaera, tunnel, doesn't have to deal with beams or positioning.
Ji'kun, caw doesn't hit us (i dont think?), otherwise neutral.
Durumu, neutral.
Primordius, I guess ranged is easier, less movement and things to avoid.
Dark Animus, neutral.
Twins, melee is 100% tunnel, easy.
Lei Shen, 50/50. Melee doesn't really have much to do in phase 1-2, and transitions they dont have to worry about diffusion chain. Phase 3, lol poor ranged
Ra-den, tunnel boss, get your debuff once a rotation if you're on the list, otherwise tunnel tunnel tunnel.

[Arhippa]

In WotLK and before, I'd have to agree that majority of the time ranged had it easier, but I don't really think that's true anymore. To me, it feels like there's generally more mechanics for ranged to dodge or keep an eye on. Whether that's true or not, I haven't got a clue - never actually counted them and compared directly. But at the same time, ranged have to be roughly just as good at dpsing as melees are on a patchwerk fight, but since they can do that from range (duh) a boss with target switches are obviously going to be a tiny bit less painful. From an ex-hardcore raider's PoV, ranged are always going to be more favorable in this kind of trade-off. You should be able to dodge whatever the boss throws at you easily but melee can't do much about their disadvantage when it comes to target switches. Sure, guilds can adjust their strategy so that it minimizes the movement needed and so on, but it'll never disappear completely.

Then again, the question OP asked was which is EASIER; suffering a dps loss because you can't damage a target that's too far away doesn't equate to something being hard. My answer would be melee. Not necessarily better, but easier.

I'd say melee is actually easier, but ranged is actually better.
Loads of mechanics can target rangeds but not melees, but the opposite doesn't happen all that often (can't actually think of something like that on top of my head).
On the other hand, ranged can do more multitarget damage, and have it easier on target switches.

I suppose short range 360° cleaves or stuff like the last guy when doing elite protectors in ToES drops down could be considered melee-only thing, but you pretty much nailed what I've thought of the debate.

[Tziva]

Obviously it is all subjective, but I know a lot of people hate melee or prefer ranged because they find it harder on some level; it's more finicky on positioning, you have to worry about cleaves and cone attacks and being behind, and it can be harder to see stuff dropped on you with all the spell effects, etc.

I think it's really just a matter of getting used to it. Having raided as melee since classic, I don't find it particularly challenging, although it can be annoying on fights that aren't melee friendly. But harder than playing ranged? Nah. Just a matter of training yourself to pay attention to things ranged might not have to worry about.

[Simplexity]

I'd say melee is actually easier, but ranged is actually better.
Loads of mechanics can target rangeds but not melees, but the opposite doesn't happen all that often (can't actually think of something like that on top of my head).
On the other hand, ranged can do more multitarget damage, and have it easier on target switches.

This pretty much. Melee has to deal with less mechanics overall. Not saying that dealing with mechanics makes playing a ranged difficult. Positioning and bad stuff on the ground are the only things that really make a melee job's harder (Horridon, Primordius, Lei Shen P1).

I feel it was almost better when ranged had less mobility. Because of the versatility of being ranged (multitargeting, positioning not reliant on tanks, target switching), having classes that operate near 100% while moving really takes away one of the core advantges of being a melee.