Dual spec? No thanks.

With the advent of dual speccing, a lot of people have accepted the task of getting multiple sets of gear together and paying the fee to be able to respec 'instantly' for the need of their guild, or their own personal desires.

While I think that dual-spec is a nice thing for people, it isn't something I have ever shown an interest in doing for myself. There's a good reason for this, for me.

If I wanted to be a holy paladin, guess what I would have played?

If I want to heal, then I'm not interested in being my paladin, but instead I'm going to be logging in my shaman or my priest, both of whom are my healers.

If I want to dps, then I'll be logging in one of the people that I have decided, in my mind, to call my damage classes.

I just think we're assuming that if someone shows up at 80, dual-specced holy and ret, or boomkin and tree, or tree and bear, or shadow and disc... that they can play both equally well. I don't think this is the case.

Now, I'm not saying that someone who is dual-specced can't play both their specs really well. I'm not saying this because I've encountered many people who do. And if I so chose to do dual-speccing, I don't doubt that I'd be good at both specs.

(Because I'm K, like you had to ask.)

However, as I mentioned above... if I want to heal, then I log in Karika. If I want to DPS, then I log in Kvasira or Kikidas. If I want to tank, I log in Keiji. If I want to level a healer, dpser or tank, then I log in one of my poor neglected characters.

For people who aren't as altalicious as I am, it makes sense for them to turn their hybrid 80 into two (or three!) roles. In terms of raid saves, it also makes sense to not have to save two characters to the same raid if they suddenly need you to switch from your dps to your healer.

But it isn't for me. For me, the reason I have so many alts is that it isn't JUST the game or the quest or the fight... for me, it's the CLASS. For me... my paladin is not a healer. Sure, I can toss flash of light here or holy light there, but I am not a healer, unless you count Judgement of Light, then I'm HoT-Queen, druids look out! But my paladin is retribution.

If you want me to be my healer, then you had best know that from the start and ask me to bring Karika along from the getgo.

If you want ranged DPS of awesome proportions, then ask me from the getgo to bring Kikidas.

Someone who used to be a holy paladin but decided to shelve them to be a DPS-only class (which is entirely AOK by me. It's their 15 bucks a month.) told Boon that every ret paladin should be dual-specced holy.

Excuse me?

I don't think I heard you correctly. You're telling me that you don't want to be a holy paladin but instead want to be a DPS-only class, but that I have to take my ret pally and dual-spec holy? Because the option is there? Because why? Please tell me what compelling reason there is that I have to take my kickass plate wearing big hammer swinging retribution paladin and turn her into a plate wearing shield bearing holy paladin just because the raid leader may want another holy paladin?

I don't even take offset GEAR for anyone, because I KNOW that I am not going to be using it.

Now, I wasn't privy to the entire conversation and I'm sure they have their reasons for thinking the way they do. But I'm sorry, I don't have to dual-spec holy. I don't have to dual-spec anything, for anyone.

If you feel that strongly that DPS-hybrid classes need to be able to heal in their spare time, then log in your paladin and dual-spec ret and holy, but don't try to tell me that I have to.

For those out there that dual-spec, because they like to heal and dps on the same character, more power to you! Be it because you like healing and dpsing and tanking on that class, or because it's your favorite toon, or because it's your only 80, or whatever, go you! Have fun.

But don't tell me that I need to dual-spec.

When I log into my paladin, I log into her with a certain set of expectations. Big two-hander. Divine Storm. Crusader Strike. Paladin. Muscle memory guides my clicks and my movements.

I don't log into her and have to decide what spec I want to be with her. I am retribution paladin. I am Kvasira.

Ditto with Karika, or Keiji, or Kikidas. (Yes, I know, warlocks are dps/dps/dps classes, but I'm an affliction warlock, and that isn't likely to change for a while, even though destrolocks are currently higher in the raid damage meters.)

While it would take but a change of mental preparation for me to say, 'Okay, I am holy paladin now, gotta get on my holy paladin hat', I don't want to. At the risk of being obnoxiously repetative... if I want to heal, I want to be my shaman. If I want to hit things with a big weapon, I want to be Kvaisra. If I want to tank, I want to be Keiji. If I want to hit things from a distance with shadowy bolts of darkness and massive amounts of damage over time abilities, I want to be Kikidas.

Sorry, this turned into more of a rant than I was intending it to be, but I find it kind of offensive for someone who chooses a primary DPS class, to turn around and tell any hybrid that 1: they need to dual-spec and 2: that they need to dual-spec into a healing spot.

It ranks right up there with people (I'm looking at you, mages. It always seemed to be mages who bitched.) who used to tell ret pallies in PvP that we should respec holy and be useful. (Of course, my answer was: then you roll a paladin and play holy, otherwise, shut up.)

Guess who isn't getting a bubble. Yeah. That's right. You aren't.