likemi wrote:I think Census data (bar chart) is very hard to read, would be prettier if it provided numbers or at least percentages. Here are some data based on Census scan (6-Dec-15, peak period) on 60 level distribution:
Horde:
1. Warrior 21.1%
2. Mage 16.8%
3. Rogue 15.8%
4. Warlock 11.6%
5. Priest 10.5%
6. Shaman 10.5%
7. Hunter 9.5%
8. Druid 4.2%
Alliance:
1. Warrior 17.0%
2. Mage 17.0%
3. Rogue 15.1%
4. Hunter 14.2%
5. Priest 12.3%
6. Paladin 12.3%
7. Warlock 8.5%
8. Druid 3.8%
Couple of observations:
- On both sides Warriors, Mages and Rogues account for roughly 50% of 60 level population.[/il]
- Vanilla is hard on druids
- Warrior is most popular class on the Horde and mages keep on par with warriors on Alliance side. I think it is due horde races brutal appearance that dictates to smash faces
- Hunter is not so populated on Horde, however holds top 4 position for Alliance. Mainly due to most popular Horde race (Undead) inability to roll a hunter. Also NE hunters do look neat
- Warlock is out of the loop for alliance players due to mostly their unwillingness to fight with mass of undead players and their WoF
Your 'observations' are assumptions.
1: On Horde Warrior is not played more than Mage. In fact, there are more Mages than Warriors at lvl 60. These statistics only reflect the statistics of the classes that are online on a sunday evening, not how much the class is actually played.
2: Just because most people don't play Druids doesn't make the game hard on them. Playing a Druid puts you in a very advantageous situation because they are underplayed.
3: The inability undeath to be hunters doesn't have to be the primary, this is the most obvious assumption you've made thus far.
4: Why does it have to be the unwillingness to fight undead players? It could be that aesthetics are the defining factor just like you assumed with Alliance.
There are more reasons to explain why these numbers are the way they are. One of the most crucial reason, and the one you missed, is that there is a huge playerbase that doesn't play around Sunday 10:00 pm ST. An accurate overview would be created by getting multiple samples on multiple days during different times.
