Blizzard Officially Announces Dual Spec (finally)

[Wizerd]

Source: WoW -> Under Development -> Dual Spec Interview

A summary from Wowhead (reformatted slightly):

* Dual spec is max-level only. They may expand it to lower level characters if it proves popular.

* Learning the "dual-spec" ability requires a one-time fee, paid to your trainer. No word yet on how much it might be.

* You can switch your spec at any Lexicon of Power. These exist in every major city, and players with the Inscription profession will be able to create an item that summons one.
* --- Anyone can use the Lexicon it creates, but summoning one requires a multi-player ritual. Basically, solo players can switch specs by going back to town. Groups or raids can switch specs during a run by using this item.
* --- No decision has been made yet on whether or not the item is re-usable.

* Respeccing will reset your current talent profile, it won't reset your alternate spec. To reset them both you'll have to pay twice.

* Blizzard is implementing a "Gear Manager", which seems to duplicate the simpler functions of addons like Outfitter. It won't automatically switch your gear, but they seem to imply that it will let you put on pre-determined sets of gear with one click. More info coming.

* The respec cost for hunter pets is being removed.

* Hunters are getting a new core ability that lets you remotely access your stable, allowing you to switch out of Beast Mastery (and stable/replace your Exotic pet) without having to head back to town. The ability will have a long cooldown.

* You will now have two sets of Glyphs, one for each of your two talent specs.

* You will be able to swap hotbar configurations at the same time you swap specs.

* You will now be able to click around with your talents in game without saving them permanently.

*Two specs only.

And some QQ-style replies on Wowhead, just for entertainment's sake.

Queue gloom and doom from non-hybrid classes.

Wow, I was expecting them to handle this a LOT better.

The max level thing is ridiculous for a start. I was SO looking forward to being able to switch out of Tanking and Fury once I hit Outlands on my Warrior. Guess not.

And the Lexicon of Power thing? Eugh. Fair enough in the cities, I'd have MUCH rather it having a long CD changing out of cities or whatnot. Not everyone is a hardcore raider with a scribe always next to them. Or perhaps even paying some amount of gold to change out of cities (Yes, I'd even prefer that)

I'm leveling my priest as holy spec, and that is obviously bit harder than shadow, though its still easier than most of classes. But my point is, that I'm doing it so I would get lot of dungeon runs. Now if dual-spec would be available to low lvls, any shabby shadow priest could join instance as healer and just go change his/her spec. For free..

Fortunately, the complaining was restricted to only 1/3 of the posts or so, thus far. Still, this quite clearly reminds me of the exp-to-level adjustments they made a while ago, and various other patches that made things easier for newer players, with the ones who'd already done the leveling complaining their asses off.

They are spoiled - they get the ability to change their spec during a raid provided they have the item that summons the Lexicon. After playing FFXI for what, 4 years? I was surprised by this nice little tidbit, I thought for sure you'd have to go straight to your trainer to switch specs, like the moogle and job changing in FFXI.

Anyway, very nice changes coming in 3.1.0. With Paladin's seals lasting 30 minutes now, what else could I possibly ask for? :D

Comments on dual spec?

[Guitarman]

So dual spec is basically speccing in 2 trees, and allowing you to switch between them at a city? Or on the fly if you have a scribe handy? Is that what im reading?

[Correction]

Fuck...I was hoping to level my warrior a little more efficiently with dual-spec. Now I'll still have to chose between grinding shit out as prot or carrying around a shield and gimping my dps to keep some tanking talents in my DPS trees.

Shit sucks for non 80s but it's nice for small guilds who respec a lot.

[aurik]

They should open it up from 60+, where instances are actually run by proper parties. A few times while leveling shaman+paladin enh+ret duo, I've seen shouts for a tank or a healer for an instance. I can't be arsed to go back to town and respec for a potential failgroup.

However, if I had a dual spec I could just switch to by consuming a reagent, I'd give it a shot.

By the time we hit 80 and we gear the characters for heroics/10mans, the gear we acquire is going to dictate potential role moreso than the ability to respec fast and cheap.

The best thing it's going to do is allow my resto druid to dualspec to moonkin in-between healing instances/raids, so that I can do dailies in half the time.

[Wizerd]

So dual spec is basically speccing in 2 trees, and allowing you to switch between them at a city? Or on the fly if you have a scribe handy? Is that what im reading?

Pretty much.

It'll be pretty nice, I wanted to get into PvP myself but I'm fresh to 80 and still want to try out the PvE stuff.

Edit:

They should open it up from 60+, where instances are actually run by proper parties. A few times while leveling shaman+paladin enh+ret duo, I've seen shouts for a tank or a healer for an instance. I can't be arsed to go back to town and respec for a potential failgroup.

However, if I had a dual spec I could just switch to by consuming a reagent, I'd give it a shot.

By the time we hit 80 and we gear the characters for heroics/10mans, the gear we acquire is going to dictate potential role moreso than the ability to respec fast and cheap.

The best thing it's going to do is allow my resto druid to dualspec to moonkin in-between healing instances/raids, so that I can do dailies in half the time.

That was a major complaint on Wowhead too, why 80? The game changes dramatically after level 60 for players nowadays, essentially becoming the actual game. By 60, the complication of a dual spec (which is the reason they cited) would be moot; you should know enough by then to not be daunted by it.

I leveled with my wife as a Ret Paladin and Resto Shaman duo (after 60), but it would have been nice if she could have gone Enh or Elemental and still effectively heal in groups.


Something I found quite interesting after coming off FFXI was the amount of complaints people are having about people rolling on loot for their second spec. As it is now, the game has 30 different specs, and people will still be restricted to 2 on a single character. Stuff also seems to drop a lot better than it did in FFXI (bosses are guaranteed at least one drop every time, right?). I don't mean to keep comparing to FFXI but the dual spec and job change systems have similarities so it seems to make sense. By inspecting someone, you should be able to see both their specs (you can look at their talents right? I forget ><), so it's not like people can just lie and say they're a Shadow Priest for their second spec, when really they're Discipline and Holy.

[Correction]

Considering how much loot drops in naxx I didn't think 'omg he's rolling for offspec' would cause so much drama anymore. Smart guilds know that only the loot off of final bosses really matters anyway.

[Elesirdur]

As a freshly 80 Warrior, I'm happy about this new addition. I've always leveled as a Fury WAR, but I know that I'm going to need to learn Protection tanking eventually to make myself more useful to any guilds I join. Sword+shield tanking in Fury spec is a joke, but being able to switch to Prot spec to solo group quests will be really nice.

If I was interested in PvP then being able to switch over to Arms from Fury or Prot for BGs and world PvP would be very nice.

Two thumbs up from me, but I can certainly see the wisdom in expanding it to lvl 60 and above characters.

[brisk]

Fuck yes, Balance and Resto Druid when eventually get up there. But max level? Still have only played for one month but I'm gonna guess it should be around lvl 60 like everyone else is saying.

[Guitarman]

If only we could spec in 2 trees at one time /sigh. But i guess that would be way overpowered for most jobs. Oh well, i can dream.

[Insanecyclone]

Mother fucker now I actually have to lvl to 80 than mess around on alts unless they change it to an actual appropriate level like 40 or 50.

[Correction]

40 or 50 doesn't see quite the proportion of gear that caters to specific talent tree strengths as 60+ does. The benefit is so small until you actually begin to care about not wearing laughable gear on your toon. If that is at 40 then you're either twinking and have the cash lying around to respec or you're misguided about the value of gear as you level to cap.

[Xfaustx]

I'm confused by what some of you are saying about hybrid classes. Am I reading that I can NOT spec in Frostfire and Arcanefrost? I can only do Fire tree and frost tree? So each spec has to be a pure spec? The way I read it was that I could have whatever 2 specs I want but I have to switch between them. It saves two spec setups. If I can't do two hybrid specs, I definitely will QQ

Either way, I am very excited that I can spec for PVP and PVE because I seriously miss PVP, Frostfire is the shittiest spec ever for PVP.

[Kurp]

I'm confused by what some of you are saying about hybrid classes. Am I reading that I can NOT spec in Frostfire and Arcanefrost? I can only do Fire tree and frost tree? So each spec has to be a pure spec? The way I read it was that I could have whatever 2 specs I want but I have to switch between them. It saves two spec setups. If I can't do two hybrid specs, I definitely will QQ

Either way, I am very excited that I can spec for PVP and PVE because I seriously miss PVP, Frostfire is the shittiest spec ever for PVP.

You can do hybrid specs.

They say 'hybrid' to mean classes that have a tanking tree and a DPS tree (warrrior), or DPS and heals (Priest), or all three (Druids), etc.

[Wizerd]

I'm confused by what some of you are saying about hybrid classes. Am I reading that I can NOT spec in Frostfire and Arcanefrost? I can only do Fire tree and frost tree? So each spec has to be a pure spec? The way I read it was that I could have whatever 2 specs I want but I have to switch between them. It saves two spec setups. If I can't do two hybrid specs, I definitely will QQ

Either way, I am very excited that I can spec for PVP and PVE because I seriously miss PVP, Frostfire is the shittiest spec ever for PVP.

You can spec each set to be however you want, they can be hybrid specs.

Could go 30/20/21 and 21/30/20 if you wanted to lol.

Edit: son of a bitch, beaten.

[Norellicus]

Fucking lol @ the QQers who are whining about the Lexicon restriction (both going to town and the portable one requiring a party summon), seriously.

[Xfaustx]

Ahhh kk thanks guys, I thought I was reading it that way originally. But dual spec will be leet for hybrid classes. Then I can tank and heal or DPS whatever. This is win all around.

[Eaglestrike]

Fucking lol @ the QQers who are whining about the Lexicon restriction (both going to town and the portable one requiring a party summon), seriously.

Truth. Any town has a Lexicon of power, you'll even be able to switch in Dalaran. And how often do you respec mid-raid? I've had some people do it (hell, we had 2-3 people do it last night) but it's not like you do it all that often. And what 25-man guild has 0 inscriptionists for the item? And I'm not sure but I thought I read that the item would be made by inscriptionists but might not require one to use.

Also @ the non-hybrid QQ...seriously? I will most likely be making my specs for PvE and PvP...any class can do that dual-spec. And it's not like everyone is going to be walking around with a maxed out healing set and dps set so that druid will be able to outheal everyone on Sapphiron and then outdps everyone on Kel'thuzad...well unless everyone else sucks.

[Siniroth]

So twice a week I get to hearth mid raid and respec my DK instead of death gating to respec my DK after we clear stuff that doesn't require an offtank? woo!

[Eaglestrike]

So twice a week I get to hearth mid raid and respec my DK instead of death gating to respec my DK after we clear stuff that doesn't require an offtank? woo!

Or have someone use an item in the raid and no one has to hearth and get summoned.

[Boyiee]

Finally, no more of our Druid bitching about going to moonglade to respec and needing a stone summon (since we dont have a lock).