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So now that it looks like I’ll be (at least partially) rerolling on a PvP server, I’m faced with the problem of what class to roll. As I mentioned last time, I’m not sure yet how much time I’ll be spending on my new server, but there’s always the chance that I’ll end up playing a lot and take this all the way to 80, so I definitely want to choose my class carefully.

Here’s what I’m thinking so far:

Since I’m on a PvP server, I would ideally like to have a class that can handle PvE and PvP with the same spec. PvE is my main interest, so I’ll probably be spec’d accordingly, but I don’t want to be totally gimped by that in PvP fights.

I generally enjoy melee more than ranged, and melee classes have proven to be very powerful in PvP.

There are three classes that I have yet to play to a high level - Priest, Mage, Paladin - and a fourth - Shaman - that I haven’t gotten to the Outlands yet. Rerolling with my friends would be a great opportunity to learn a new class.

I usually enjoy classes that bring some utility to groups.

I also enjoy hybrids, because of the opportunity to change playstyles with a respec.

OK, with those thoughts in mind, let’s break the classes down. As I do this, I’m going to focus on discussing the classes objectively from a PvP standpoint, so that this can help other people decide on a PvP-focused toon. (Much of what I mention may be turned on its head in WotLK, but I’ll go with what we know so far.) However, I’m also going to consider things from my own unique perspective as well. So, in no particular order…

Warrior

One of the stronger classes in WoW, Warriors are a PvP powerhouse, and also excel in many PvE situations. Arms has historically been the PvP tree, and Fury and Prot have been the PvE trees, for DPS and Tanking, respectively. However, although they are a strong class, they don’t bring much utility to groups.

My Take: I’ve already got one Warrior at 70, and I don’t have much desire to level another one.

Paladin

Paladins are a decent PvP class, with Ret getting rave reviews from the WotLK Beta. They can also be competent healers and tanks, not to mention the utility they bring to group with their Blessings and Auras.

My Take: Definitely a strong contender for my choice. To the extent that I’ve played a Paladin, I’ve enjoyed it immensely, and I would love to have the opportunity to level one with a group. One of my top choices at the moment.

Shaman

Shaman have not been a strong PvP class historically, although some feel that they will be a stronger class with the changes coming in WotLK. Resto Shaman make for decent PvP healers, but neither Elemental or Enhance Shaman excel in PvP. They are, however, excellent PvE choices.

My Take: My Shaman is nearly to 50, and I’ve enjoyed playing him so much that I wouldn’t mind rolling another one on a new server. A Shaman would not be the greatest PvP choice, but they do bring a good amount of utility to groups, and I like the number of playstyle options open to them. Another strong contender.

Mage

Mages are a decent PvP class. They bring a small amount of utility to groups, but nothing along the lines of a Shaman or Paladin.

My Take: Mages are one of the classes that I haven’t leveled very high yet, so I would enjoy playing a new class, but I don’t like the lack of utility or playstyle options. I could see myself rolling a Mage if there were no other casters in our group, but otherwise it’s probably not a strong contender.

Priest

Priests are a strong class, excelling at PvP healing with a Disc spec, PvE healing with a Holy spec, and can DPS very well with a Shadow spec.

My Take: Another class that I don’t have much experience at, I would enjoy leveling a Priest. They bring a decent amount of utility to groups, and have a good range of playstyle options. However, I’ve already got one DPS caster and I’m not totally excited at the thought of another. I don’t, however, have a high level healer. We’ll call it a middle contender for the choice.

Warlock

Warlocks are another solid PvP class, with the added fun of having pets. Even though the Resilience changes nerfed our DOTs somewhat, Locks are still a versatile and fun class to PvP with. They also excel in PvE and bring a small amount of utility to groups.

My Take: I’ve already got one Lock at 70, and don’t have much interest in leveling another one.

Druid

Druids are a mixed bag when it comes to PvP. Resto Druids have been the cause of more QQ threads on the WoW forums than I would care to even guess at. (This means they’re really, really good.) On the other hand, Ferals and Balance Druids are a bit lacking in PvP, although this may change with WotLK.

My Take: I’ve got a 65+ Druid, so I’m not terribly excited about the prospect of re-leveling one. However, they do bring a good bit of utility to groups, and they have a wide range of playstyles available. We’ll call it a middle contender.

Rogue

Rogues are another excellent PvP class that can also excel at PvE. And that pretty much sums it up: Rogues can dominate in both areas of the game.

My Take: I have a high level Rogue, but enjoy the class enough that I wouldn’t mind rerolling a new one. They don’t bring any utility to the table though, and have only one playstyle available to them. We’ll call it a mid-to-high contender.

Hunter

Hunters are a decent PvP class: not great, but not terrible either. They can excel at PvE DPS, and bring a small amount of utility to groups.

My Take: I’ve got a high level Hunter, and don’t have much interest in re-leveling one.

OK, so my top choices so far are Paladin, Shaman, and Rogue, with Mage, Priest, and Druid coming in second. At this point, I could definitely see myself rolling a Paladin, but a lot is going to depend on what everyone else is planning on rolling, and how many people we have total.

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Blizzard confirmed the date this morning that everyone had been whispering about: November 13th is the official release date for Wrath of the Lich King.

I should probably think about pre-ordering a copy sometime.

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I was contacted recently by a couple of old WoW friends that I haven’t seen in some time. They are planning on rolling some new toons on a PvP server when Wrath is released, and invited me to join come them. I was initially ambivalent when they first brought this up. I would definitely enjoy playing with them again, but I wasn’t super thrilled about leaving my current server, with all of my gold and alts. I started over on a new server when BC was released, and I’ve been looking forward to just leveling from 70 to 80 with Wrath, instead of 1 to 80.

On top of that, I’m really not sure what to expect from leveling on a PvP server. I’ve mentioned before my dislike of most world PvP (and more specifically, the ganking that comes with it), and leveling on a PvP server sounds like a great way to get corpse-camped a lot.

However, I am starting to come around to the idea. Leveling on a PvP server is one of the few things that I haven’t done yet in WoW, and I’d like to at least give it a shot to see how it is. I also think it would be a blast to level up with a solid group of players that you already know. No time spent LFG, you’re always able to do your group quests and run any dungeon that you want, always have someone on to chat with… it definitely sounds like fun.

The biggest question I have is how to split my time between my characters. The whole point of leveling with my friends on the PvP server is to make the process more fun and enjoyable (and quicker), so I will need to stay close to their level so we can quest together. On the other hand, I don’t want to wait too long before I start leveling one of my current 70s so I can see Northrend and all of the new content.

Another question this raises is just how much time do I want to spend playing this game? I obviously enjoy WoW, but I have this problem of wanting to do every single thing possible. Do you know that feeling? I want a 70 of every class, and sometimes every spec, so that if my guild needs another tank, healer or DPS, I can fill whatever slot is needed.

I want to have every profession maxed out, and I want to have a character of every race and sex possible. I want to raid with every single one of my characters and get them all decked out in purples. I want to be Horde and Alliance, I want to be on PvE and PvP. I want to dominate in the Arena, and be running in the hardest raid dungeons. All at the same time.

Obviously I can’t do all of this, or even most of it, and I have to remind myself of that at times. Even if I had the time to spend on everything, you could easily devote your life to WoW and still not do everything possible.

It’s difficult enough as it is splitting my time between two guilds. Throwing a new server and a third guild into the mix will definitely make things even more crazy.

But anyway, back to the original topic before I went on that tangent. I will definitely roll a new character on the PvP server, if for no other reason than to hang out with my friends in guild chat. How much time I spend leveling there will remain to be seen.

Of course, all of this was put into a whole new light when Blizzard announced yesterday that they would be allowing PvE to PvP transfers. But that probably deserves its own post.

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