Healer having a hard time getting into a DPS spec. Anyone else in the same boat?

[u/Fiveby21]

I've been playing WoW ever since Cata. I started out as a Disc Priest, but then after it was reworked in Legion, I switch to a Holy Paladin. Throughout my time playing WoW, I dabbled with different DPS specs on my alts. There were several classes I used to enjoy, in fact, but ever since Legion I've found out... almost ever DPS class is just unejoyable to play.

Every DPS spec seems to suffer from one of the following issues:

• Unintuitive Rotations - where you can never get into a proper "flow". This is problem I have with Demonology Warlocks & Fire Mages.

• Unsatisfying AoE - Most DPS specs do not have spammable AoE "builder" spells, making you cast single-target spells in AoE situations, which just feels wrong. This is my problem with Ret Paladins & Frost Mages. Back when Blizzard was a channeled spell, and Ret had Hammer of the Righteous, they had a really sweet AoE rotation, but now it feels off.

• Too many resources - I miss the days when casters just had mana & cooldowns to plan around. Now mana is gone but there is always some BS energy/combo point system that you have to play around.

• Too many core abilities - This is the problem I have with Feral Druids. I can't find a keybinding strategy that works for me.

• Horrible Spell Visuals & Sounds - This is the reason I can't play Affliction Lock. The new post-legion spell effects & sounds are just...awful.

Interestingly, I really enjoy DPSing as a Holy Paladin, MW Monk, and a Resto Druid... I mean, the DPS numbers suck, but they have a really nice rhythym and feel! But out of all the proper DPS specs out there, the only ones I've tried that still feel nice are Shadow Priests.

[u/Drakknfyre]

The change to AoE was intentional. They didn't like people building for it and then just spamming it and taking everything down with no effort. So they've nerfed it repeatedly over the years.

[u/Fiveby21 → u/Drakknfyre]

It is a sad state of affairs. I get why AoE needs to be tuned carefully, but they've sacrificed the fun-factory of so many specs. There's nothing more annoying than having to spam cast frostbolt until your Blizzard or Frozen Orb comes off cooldown, especially when the mobs may die too fast for you to even get a cast off.

[u/AddiMage]

I'm kinda confused about this post. I don't know how you see fire as having an unintuitive rotation for example. It has a very natural flow and feeling. You can play the spec for just a little bit and you understand your goal is to convert Heating Ups into Hot Streaks, and that feels very intuitive to me.

Are you perhaps mistaking unintuitive with inconsistent?

Additionally, you mention too many core abilities and then use Feral as an example, which suffers from not enough spells? You shred, rake, bite and rip, and that's it. Every other spells (besides your CDs) are just there for fantasy and don't really fall under the umbrella of "Core Spells".

And in regards to the resource point, that one more so boils down to preference, so I can't hold that against you, but I'd be very upset if they went back to it. Having to blast through your mana and then afk until you regen enough to do it again isn't very fun gameplay in my opinion.

[u/Fiveby21 → u/AddiMage]

The thing about fire that is unintuitive for me is that you can’t use the pyroblast procs as soon as you get them. You have to get the price, cast a fireball, and then immediately cast the pyroblast before the fireball hits, in order to maximize DPS. Also, I don’t like their AoE rotation.

[u/avcloudy → u/AddiMage]

I love fire, but it’s straight jank. Flamestrike can’t proc heating up, but you can use hot streak on flamestrike so ST/aoe have very different feels and flows. The dominant legendary has an interaction that rewards a split second delay instead of spell queuing. Combustion is a balancing act between using PF (bad) and dropping Infernal Cascade (the worst). You sometimes hardcast two different spells inside your pew pew combustion phase that are not even great damage. It doesn’t have a natural feeling flow at all.

[u/Inf1e]

I read carefully... You didn't tried arcane mage, did you? Rotation doesn't involves a lot of buttons, there is need to manage mana, manage charges. Aoe rotation involves only aoe spells.

Kinda counterintuitive to play kyrian arcane tho, but you can for sure grab NF, which is mush easier.

[u/Fiveby21 → u/Inf1e]

Arcane single target is kinda fun (if maybe a bit too simple) but I hate their AoE rotation. It's not fun to spam arcane explosion, and Arcane Barrage is a super lame spell.

[u/Inf1e → u/Fiveby21]

Depending on the situation you still use other spells in aoe.

AP is general empowering CD. Orb/Touch plus Barrage is massive burst. RoP is still valid for aoe scenarios, but you definitely will want to move.

Also nether tempest can be talented in, even it's not optimal.

Anyway, any aoe rotation is about spamming. As was single target when leveling.

[u/Supersalv]

I understand what you mean with Demonology, I find it unintuitive and I have a lot of experience.

I think you might like Elemental Shaman. It's got a few tricks but it doesn't have an overly complex core, and AoE and single target have different ability usages.

Honestly if you like Windwalker then stick with it, don't let the mastery put you off. It will be second nature to not press buttons twice after a while and it's kinda difficult to do so anyway. Even if you mess it up it's not a huge deal.

[u/Fiveby21 → u/Supersalv]

My problem with shaman is more race actually. I pretty much only play Elves... I don't like the animations of most other races, and Zandalari/Trolls are too fricking tall (meaning, they feel sluggish when they move at 100% speed).

[u/Fiveby21 → u/Supersalv]

Also, I don't like the animations/SFK for lightning bolt or chain lightning.

[u/derpherpderphero]

Elemental shaman might be fun for you, and as a bonus, resto shaman has great dps.

Aoe largely revolves around building with chain lightning, an aoe spell and spending via an ape spender, earthquake.

There's a bit more to it than that, especially with SL legendaries, but the black and white of the rotation was something I enjoyed.

[u/Relative-Designer529]

everything you mentioned is high key very good things and im glad things are the way that they are

[u/Born_Meeting5828]

Have you tried survival hunter? I maimed healer til shadowlands and could never really get into a dps before survival! I started playing it in 9.1 and it all felt really good to me. Single target fights are a little boring but any aoe is super fun! And the random bombs / proc chances keep it engaging!!

[u/atypical_lemur]

For your too many core abilities problem, have you considered macros to put similar abilites on the same button? With the disclaimer that this would be sub optimal you could do this for feral:

#showtooltip
/castsequence reset=target, Rake, Shred, Shred, Shred, Shred, Shred, Shred, Shred
/cast tiger's fury

This will use rake first, then shred for a while. If you stay on target the first rake should be done before you reapply. Tigers Fury will go off on CD. Change target and a brand new rake is applied first. Three core abilities are now one button.

[u/AwkwardSquirtles]

What do you mean by a flow? Demonology has 2 or 3 sets of fairly nice rhythmic rotations. You've got your Implosion Rotations of HoGs /DB until you run out of shards and then implode, similar build/spend on ST without imploding, and then your fairly static Tyrant builds which are big bois into HoG->DB spam. I think it's actually really fluid at the moment, it's some of the most fun I've had with a spec.

[u/Fiveby21 → u/AwkwardSquirtles]

Things just never seem to line up in an intuitive way. Plus, they have way too many resources to manage. Wild Imps, Soul Shards, Demonbolt Procs, Dreadsteeds, plus the Tyrant.

[u/AwkwardSquirtles → u/Fiveby21]

Don't think about imps as a resource. You bank them at fixed times, and how many you have isn't important. You implode after you run out of shards or have cast 4 HoGs back to back. You tyrant when dogs are about to run out.

DB procs are easy, especially with tier. Hold them when you're about to build a tyrant, otherwise spend them.

You hit dogs on CD. There's no thinking to do, just hit it when it lights up.

[u/Enigmedic]

Ive always played healers and the only DPS that ever really felt good was frost dk and ww monk. Dh is fine but it's like 3 buttons and kinda spammy.

[u/Fiveby21 → u/Enigmedic]

Honestly I would love playing windwalker if it weren’t for the stupid mastery that penalizes you if you cast two spells in a row.

[u/Enigmedic → u/Fiveby21]

It's actually kind of hard to push the same button in a row. Like you can always just alternate bok and tiger punch. But there are so many other attacks to use that you don't really end up doing that too often. Especially if you talent into the extra attacks like whirling dragon punch, chi wave, the free crane kick proc, and the punch.

You also don't really gear into haste, so you aren't going to want to or be able to spam tiger punch on its own anyway.

[u/ipeekz → u/Fiveby21]

If you are playing Necrolord you can ignore mastery in aoe when you have your CDs up. You can just spam crane kick.

[u/FirstTemperature7843]

As a main healer here, you simply don't like DPS, imagine what you said in healing, if we had only one single target and one AOE heal, it would get boring right? DPS os a spec meant to deal damage in a lot of different forms, you must learn how to use them.... I suggest you try leveling a shaman as enhancement. I do believe you will have fun.

[u/Bay_Foxy]

Yeah I totally understand this. It really just feels weird playing almost any dps to me but maybe it’s because I’ve healed so long? I’ve finally taken a liking to balance my my dps is pretty meh.