Overconfidence

Confidence is a powerful tool, in any hands. Overconfidence is powerful too, but unstable. We often view overconfidence as a fault, a character flaw that should be dulled and lessened so that the person at fault may find his salvation at the perfect balancing point of confidence that one should possess. But overconfidence, if managed properly, using a capable buffer, can be a focused power that's difficult to stop.

Overconfident Tank
These are dangerous. There is only one buffer known to mankind that can shield a group from a tank's overconfidence (more on that later). When a tank becomes overconfident he/she moves with increased speed and decreased hearing. It's a natural trade-off..."I'm burning through this place, but I'm going so fast I'm completely unable to listen to any complaints by group members" quoted one tank (who shall remain anonymous...no real names on this blog). It goes bad because he can't hear the healer in the back yelling "I've got adds back here...we're dying...tank, get your........we're dead."

It takes an overconfident tank well over a minute of his entire group dying to realize that he is alone, fighting a boss, and not getting any heals. He pops some CD's, but still can't get that "fail healer" to do their job. "It's usually at this point," says anonymous tank, "that I realize what has happened. Most of the time I feel bad because I know I'll have to pay for repairs, so in an effort to curtail those costs I'll drop group, usually with a parting note to all those suckites who went and died on me. It's a lonely world, tanking is."

Poor, poor overconfident tank. It's hard to blame someone who truly is deaf. I mean, will we stand here and judge the disabled so harshly? Surely we shall not. The healer was "fail", right?

Overconfident DPS
The plight of the overconfident DPS isn't that much different than a tank. A DPS never suffers from hearing loss, but rather mental instability. A terrible affliction overcomes the overconfident DPS when others speak, the words get mixed around in their head and the buffer that should be working at peak performance (the brain) is weak and will often interpret instructions in a very different manner than intended.

"Don't pull any mobs, that's the tank's job" gets turned into "Pull the mobs, it's the tanks job, he'll get'em off me, I like ice cream cones in winter, pull all the mobs to meeeeeee!"

In an interview with an overconfident DPS he was asked why he thought it necessary to solo Halls of Reflection, in response he said: "I didn't solo it, I had my trusty bear friend 'Berry' with me. I really am leet, and everyone knows that without DPS the tank is nothing. NOTHING I SAY! DO YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING! But where were we, would you like to hear about the time I solo'd the Deadmines? I was awesome! Here I was, a lowly level 75 noob, wandering into the deep, dark places of the world..."

I'm sure his story would have been enthralling, but even after being reminded that level 20 mobs weren't that impressive compared to a levl 75 toon, he retorted that "If I can solo one, I can solo them all. Now, where's my bubble bath?"

See what I mean? Mentally unstable, these DPS are. Mentally unstable. Simply put, overconfidence in a DPS almost ensures a wipe for any group. Now put together an overconfident and DPS together and what do you have? That's right, deaf, crazy people running in every which direction eventually turning on each other and eating each other's ears. Not a pretty sight.

Overconfident Healer
Remember when I said "There is only one buffer known to mankind that can shield a group from a tank's overconfidence."? The answer is an overconfident healer. They are the ultimate buffer to the power and energy of the overconfident tank and sometimes...nope, just tank!

What is good about an overconfident healer is that they usually don't initiate attacks. They will, however, often be seen firing off Shadow Word: Pain or Lightening Bolt, I've even seen one stab a mob in the back with their dagger. They are soo leet that they can allow everyone to get to 10% health and quickly heal them back up to full without stopping dps. Amazing!

The downside to an overconfident healer comes gradually, like Priest's DoT's. Pull by pull they venture into "overconfident tank AND dps land", and by the end of an instance you will see the healer charging, yes CHARGING into a group of mobs yelling "I AM INVNCIBLE!" 10/10 times this causes the overconfident healer to die. Leading to the wipe of the entire group. The DPS usually isn't angry but confused, not sure why they were not as courageous as the healer. The overconfident tank, meanwhile, is stumped because they have no idea how the healer ran faster than them, which causes them to sit on the ground and cry.

My last interview was with an overconfident healer, for his actions this is all he had to say: "I am invincible, you know. I never did die, really, all I did was come alive back at the beginning." Then he burst into song, "I believe I can fly...I believe I can touch the sky...I dream about it every night and day..."

I left the room, I think he's still singing.

Summary
Left to their own devices, the overconfident will always find themselves alone. The tank, believing everyone else is the epitomy of suckiness, leaves and roams the earth lonely and forelorn. The DPS stays in group and talks to himself, recalling all his previous victories over that level 1 noob in Goldshire. The healer, meanwhile, wanders through the instances of the world singing old songs and showtunes, a bit wonky in the head himself, wondering why nobody appreciates him anymore.

Overconfidence is a lonely isle indeed. My suggestion is to stay off that island, come back to reality, and allow yourself to be smacked in the face a few times...you know, for your own good.