You Just Can't Fix Stupid

Posted by J.E. Douglas at 12:45 PM

Mommar here.

As I was walking in Walmart getting supplies for the weekend (yes even yours truly has to shop time to time) I overheard one of the customer service people saying "you just can't fix stupid".

I will fully admit that the irony hit me full on and as I laughed for the next minute it got my mind thinking.  Is it truly possible to fix stupid when it comes to Warcraft?

Now I have a different definition of stupid when it comes to WOW.  I don't assume that low dps anoints a player as stupid person of the week.   Nor does a misinformed tank who pulls a room while the rest of the party runs for their collective lives out the back door.   These are things that ultimately can be adjusted over time with information and even guild training.

To me stupid in World of Warcraft is someone who knows something is wrong,  but then chooses to do this anyway.   Many players seem to fall into this category when it comes to looting items in dungeons.   Classes that have multiple specs will run into this multiple times.  A tank that is working on gearing for dps for their guild will roll on either tank items or dps items for the class.   Classes that can't equip and item useful rolling for a trinket etc.  

Remember,   everyone has the right to technically play the game as they choose.   Just sit in one of the major cities and about every 20 minutes someone is announcing that another player is a "ninja",  attempting to get the mob formed for a verbal lynching in trade chat.  When this happens I will usually break out the popcorn and see where the line forms.

But in all reality is this behavior truly stupid?   There is no set rules by Blizzard when it comes to gearing up or loot.   They have adjusted the need/greed/pass rolls so that Need rolls are not available to classes that cannot equip something can no longer need on an item.   Raids have been adjusted so that there is a better chance for a person to receive a specific item to their class than just a random worthless vendor item.  

As I logged on yesterday to run a couple of instances a couple of items popped up that would be nice to use.    In one of the groups there was a Paladin that had queued up as a tank.   He was polite and honest that he was gearing up for an off spec.   When a nice pair of boots dropped he asked me if i was rolling need on them (I ended up rolling on them cause i was running around with some early Pandarian green boots).  We had a quick chat about both being from vanilla wow and how common sense and politeness had left the building early.

So getting back to my original statement,  can stupid be fixed?  Unfortunately no.   It isn't really possible to completely adjust a players behavior when it comes to loot rules and fundamental play style.   There is just too many opportunities for players to be petty and greedy instead of looking at the entire picture.  Whether the logic is that they have run the same instance 100's of times,  or just that they need the item now.  

There was an undocumented 'feature' with the release of Mists of Pandaria that compressed the loot rolls.  Originally you just had to look at the general tab to see what everyone rolled.  Now it just shows the winner of the roll.   If you want to know what everyone rolled type /loot or click on [Loot] in the window.   This should give you a good idea of just what to expect from other players.   If a plate wearer is rolling need on all plate items,  keep that in mind that he is probably gearing for either main spec or off spec.  The same goes for other classes and rolls.   Being polite and asking them to roll main spec might be very valuable to your time and effort.  If they decide that belligerence is a good response,  there are always other instances to run and other ways to obtain gear.

There really is no easy solution to this other than to voice displeasure and even leaving the instance.  But keep in mind that it's only gear.  And ultimately you will upgrade to another peace as you continue through Pandaria and beyond.   Where it can suck to swallow your irritation,  it saves on the blood pressure.  Just keep in mind that the behavior you expect from others,   should be expected from you as well.  Otherwise someone might want to try to fix you.

Good Luck and Good Hunting


Want to get in contact with me? . Email me at Dragonbearjoe @ gmail. dOT com or find me on twitter at "@JMTCMommar" You can find me hanging out on the Shandris Server, chat me up and I will buy you a glass of juice. 

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