Happy Valentine's Day

In the spirit of the day I've decided to help you, the people that read my blog. No I don't mean game help. I've never been a source of useful information about WoW, why would I start now? I mean relationship help. They are confusing.

How to Group with a Bi-Spectual
These are times of increasing awareness that characters are rolled all sorts of ways. Some are prot or ret or holy or shadow or destruction or many other possibilities. Even the most strict definition of specuality acknowledges three general types: tanking, healing, and DPS.

It's not all that hard to group with someone of a single type. It's easy to make general assumptions about what they like. DPS tend to like tanks, healers, and a couple other DPS, though they're a bit competitive, so they can be difficult to group with at times. Healers really like tanks, and the reverse, and both can group very well with DPS.

But things get confusing with a bi-spectual group member. While it's simple to say that tanks like healers and healers like tanks and both like DPS and DPS like them, there's the other side: tanks don't like other tanks, healers don't like other healers, and there's only so much DPS a group can handle. Confusion about the spectuality of members of your group can lead to conflict. What if they are a tank now, but you thought they were DPS, so you invite a tank? That's asking for trouble and someone is going to get hurt.

The simple solution is to pretend they're not bi-spectual. Just make them be a tank or healer or DPS and not switch. This is simple, but very hard and painful for the bi-spectual. They may feel confined and restricted, as if they are missing part of themselves. When you restrict their spectuality, you restrict their identity as well.

Grouping with a bi-spectual can be difficult, but very rewarding. They often have exceptional knowledge of groups and can teach useful tricks to others. If they consent, don't be afraid to take advantage of their flexibility.

To conclude, I'd like to use this poem from the Friends of Bi-Spectuals:

Don't tell me what spec to choose
Let me be free and decide my own rules

No DPS box
Like a single-spec 'lock
But don't discriminate
Against those who melt face
And don't demand healing
From a pal' who loves tanking

Is your brain of stereotypes full?
Then here's one to use
Unless we refuse:
A role is a role