The Queue: I am a DPS warrior

Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi will be your host today.

It's actually taken me most of this expansion to feel like I really am a DPS warrior, instead of just a tank who isn't tanking at the moment. I still like to tank - I make use of my prot offspec fairly often, I tank LFR, I do old Cataclysm content as prot - but last night during Siege, as I finally got my second Greatsword of Pride's Fall from Heroic Sha of Pride, it finally clicked that yeah, I DPS. I raid with two DPS specs even though it means I have to respec between prot and arms every day. I spend hours researching the best possible and best feasible gear sets, I just set up a new Weak Aura that plays Cookie Monster at me whenever Recklessness is up. Man, is the Cookie Monster voice the best Weak Aura voice of all time? I don't see how there can be any debate of this issue.

I'm finally comfortable with my specs, my rotation, and what I'm asked to do in raids as DPS. I finally don't mind dying to stupid BS like the wall of elementals spawning on Heroic Dark Shaman just as I run out of the green ooze. I know exactly how to time my cooldowns for maximum destruction on H. Malkorok. I am a DPS warrior.

I realize that I'll probably end up tanking now that I've said this. Anyway, for all of us who enjoy murdering things, be it with daggers, giant weapons, fel magic or the power of the arcane, elemental fury... however you kill stuff, this Queue is dedicated to us, the DPS.

Zeijin asks:
This question is probably a little late to the queue but I was wondering about it after reading the last KYL article comments:

Do pygmies, goblins, gilblins, and grummles all come from the same source/origin? Is one an evolution or genetic mutation of the other? They all have roughly the same physical structure.

Someone had mentioned kobolds / goblins but kobolds seem more rat-like in appearance and have a different stance and shorter arms.

Goblins and gilgoblins are related - gilgoblins are literally goblins with gills. The World of Warcraft Magazine, before it stopped publication, argued that pygmies and goblins shared a distant common ancestor, but not much else is known. We know goblins were mentally uplifted by exposure to Kaja'mite when they were enslaved by trolls and forced to mine the stuff - pygmies might be what you get if you don't get uplifted. Grummles and kobolds are both said to be descended from troggs, but not related to goblins or pygmies in any way. Virmen are considered similar to kobolds, but no actual relation has been established - they're both just short and annoying for players.

So basically, pygmies and goblins yes, grummles no. Grummles are in the trogg evolution group. And frankly they're probably the pinnacle of the trogg evolution group, since dwarves are not actually descended from troggs (troggs and dwarves both descend from earthen undergoing matrix destablization).

nonameauman says:
The real question is why do we still have levels?

Two probable reason. First, they're a convenient way to keep expansions feeling separated - you have to gain experience and go through the leveling content to get to the end game, where the raids are. Second, they've been in the game since launch, and for some players, leveling is more interesting that endgame, so taking them out would require a huge redesign of literally every aspect of game play, would remove some people's favorite part of the game, and would ultimately result in a very different experience. The Cataclysm revamp showed the dangers of tinkering too much on redesigning what already works. Levels work, for the most part.

KnackeredOne asks:
What model do you think the art team will showcase next? If they're taking turns between factions I'd bet on human male, but they could surprise us with night elves. Honestly I just wish they'd get to trolls already.

Honestly, I didn't expect orc ladies, so I'm totally at sea in terms of what the next model they showcase will be. Really, I have no idea. I'd like to see tauren, of both genders. But I don't expect it - tauren are a relatively underplayed race, sad to say.

ScottLeyes says:
We need MOAR BRITISH THINGS on WoW Insider.

Perhaps Rossi can affect an accent like Brian Blessed?

I can do this, but you'll wish I didn't. We have Olivia for all your British accent needs. Everything I do ends up vaguely Scottish or Russian anyway.

Liopleurodon reminds us:
Reminder 4TQ: You have 1 month to catch your Snowy Owl this winter before they go away again. The Owls are on a relatively long spawn timer so I'd caution you to knock this out sooner rather than later, because the last week or so is going to be nuts.

I had nothing to add to this. I just remember many, many wild goose (well, okay, wild owl) chases my wife has dragged me on over the years, but none shall ever top taming a ghost of a wolf in a swamp. So if you need an owl go get one before they're gone.

Solidsmokecreate asks:
With upcoming character updates do you think we will see new character home screens?

I believe the screens need work. they don't all represent the classes terribly well, and the weird variation in distance and camera for each can be inconsistent and often unflattering.

In terms of representation, surely the Goblins background should be Azshara, right? the grimy steampunk elements are the Hallmark for that race, but instead they are just kind of chilling in the jungle.

No, I don't expect this.

butts.and.butts asks:
Why don't you just slow down, smell the roses and learn blackrock depths ):? It's fun

As a guy who just dragged his hunter through run after interminable run of Blackrock Depths, let me dissect this 'fun' experience.

1 - Zone in. It's past the Grim Guzzler again, so forget picking up any of the quests.
2 - Before you even think about getting said quests, the tank pulls. Now you're off to the races!
3 - Every single tank pulls different groups in a different order, so you never know how she or he is going to move.
4 - The Lyceum! AKA aaargh this room is full of respawning adds with guns and the tank is way the hell over there.

So I have to say, while I've had fun in BRD, the dungeon finder is not set up for a fun experience in this particular dungeon.

Rahkarne asks:
Q4tQ: Do you think now with the boost to 90 (and the potential for future boosts to future level caps) coming to the store, Blizzard will stop nerfing the amount of xp needed for leveling through old expansions as new ones arrive? If not stopping the practice entirely could you seeing them at least drastically reducing the amount they nerf it by?

Well, I don't expect them to nerf any content before Mists, because that content has been fairly well nerfed already, and people have access to the guild XP perk and heirlooms if they want it to go even faster. Mists itself seems to fly by - you can easily hit half-way through 87 just doing the Jade Forest if you're a completion addict - so I don't think they really have to nerf it.

I more expect we won't see any 85 to 90 heirlooms, myself.

And so, we reach the end of the Queue. I didn't do a British accent, but feel free to pretend I did.

Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column. Leave your questions in the comments, and we'll do our best to answer 'em!