Love? Nope, WoW and wow gold and basketball

First off, I’d like to say that I don’t claim to know everything about World of Warcraft. My highest level character is a 43 Hunter, and beyond that, I have a 34 Rogue and a 29 Priest. I’m writing this article because I’ve been grouped with so many people who are just horrible at what they do, and don’t realize that every person in the group has a distinct task. I understand that WoW is a game and should be played for fun, but the most fun I have is being in a well balanced group that can run an instance without any issues. What’s not fun is pulling a large group of MOB’s, only to die and have to run back to the instance, only to have someone in the group tell us, “It’s just a game, have fun.” I’m sorry if you’re one of these people, but to me, having to resurrect four or five times and have my armor go yellow is not my idea of fun. So I’ve decided to do something about it. I’m going to give quick explanations of what the five people in a group are meant to do. And I’m going to relate it to, of all things, basketball. For those of you who don’t know about basketball, I’m sorry. If you’re not living in the U.S., you should still know about it, considering that Basketball is 2nd to Volleyball, of all sports, as the most popular sport in the world (Johann-Sandra.com). I’m not sure how correct this is, but if you think about the fact that the United States only got Bronze in the most recent Olympics, its popularity has certainly risen internationally. If you still don’t know anything about basketball, Get Outside!! WoW is not real and there is a whole real world out there for you to enjoy.

I first got this idea while watching ESPN’s Around the Horn. It’s a great show, by the way; I never miss an episode. But what caught my attention, is the fact that the Miami Heat won the NBA Finals with Dwayne Wade as the Point Guard, and Shaquille O’Neal in the Center position. And when one of the analysts, Woody Paige, said that they won with those two players, and three other “role players,” something clicked. That term, “Role Players,” reminded me of the role players I play most every night in WoW. Then, when I thought of the number of players on the court per team in a basketball game, being 5, and the number of people in a regular group on WoW, the connections started to come. The Miami Heat won the championship with 2 important players and 3 players that were completely interchangeable. What is it about WoW groups that are always needed? What do you always see on the LFG channel? “Need healer and tank.” Dwayne Wade is like your healer and Shaq is like a tank. So now, my mind is going and I have to get everything out before I go crazy.

So I’ll start by explaining the one of the five types of people that groups need and what I believe their role in the group is. Then I’ll relate that to a well known NBA player (if I can think of one) to hopefully give you a better idea of what that role does. If this article gets good reviews, I’ll start posting other roles in the group along with other connections to NBA players and positions.

Tank
This should almost always be a Warrior, no matter what spec. It’s even better if that Warrior is Protection Specialized. There are times when a Feral Druid in Bear Form can be used, but if that Druid is near the lowest level for the instance, it could mean disaster for the party. If absolutely necessary, a Protection Paladin or Enhancement Shaman could tank in dire situations. But the same is true with the Paladin and Shaman as with the Druid, he should be a mid to high level in respect to the instance level range.

I’ve already talked about how the Center position, namely Shaquille O’Neal, is like the tank of the team, and here’s why I believe this. First off, and most obvious, he’s the biggest guy on the court; but think about what happens when he gets the ball in deep. Everyone on the opposing team is looking at him, to see where he’s going to go next. He draws double and triple teams.

Now, granted, a tank in WoW tries to pull everyone to him, and in basketball, drawing the whole opposing team would never happen. But as a tank, keeping all targets at your attention is exactly what you want to do. Hold that ball and make those monsters attack you and only you. Use your Sunder Armor, Heroic Strike, Rend, or Cleave, anything that will generate hate from the target. Notice the term I used, “Hate.” I didn’t say aggro, or threat. The term “Hate” is actually what Blizzard calls aggro. I’m not sure where the term aggro started or came from. Probably the same person who came up with “pwn” (I hate that term by the way). I use the term aggro all the time, so it’s not that I don’t like it, but by using the word hate, it really explains the reason why we pull aggro like we do. This is probably why Mages pull aggro so well, because their spells do so much crazy damage that the monster forgets about the tank and goes after the Mage. The best and easiest way to hold aggro is simply be the first to attack. Don’t let anyone but you pull a group, unless you see that you may pull more than you can handle. In these rare cases, talk with the group about which target to pull, and who should do the pulling. Most likely, a ranged attack could pull just one target to the group, instead of bringing the group to the target. In conclusion, to be a great tank, get the monster’s attention, generate hate (only in WoW, not in Real Life, no one likes a hater) to keep their attention, and take those target(s) out without breaking a sweat.

Thank you for reading, and keep in mind that most of you reading this are already familiar with this information. I’m trying to get attention from those people who are seeking help for their grouping skills, or even people who want to help others, but don’t know the best way to do it. So, please, don’t start replying with “Of course, everyone knows that,” because, honestly, there are a lot of people out there who don’t. And it’s our responsibility as (somewhat) seasoned players to guide these noobs to become greater at what they do.