PTR notes: I, for one, welcome our brief mage overlords
by Elizabeth Wachowski 
Apr 14th 2007 at 10:47AM
Well, this is either a bug or the most PVP game-breaking thing since sliced hunter -- but apparently Polymorph no longer heals targets on the test realm. The various forum threads include some pretty hilarious mage justifications of why this should actually be a feature, most of which involve tirades against warlocks.
The main problem with Polymorph not healing is that it's a long CC that's somewhat difficult to break. Without the healing, mages could just poly, frostbolt, poly, frostbolt, ad infinitum. Mages are quick to point out that locks can seduce/fear and DOT in a similar way, though, although sheep isn't subject to the same diminishing returns.
There's a good chance this may be a side result of a change in mob Polymorphs, which have been shortened to 8 seconds from 20. But just in case this makes it to live, I think I'm going to be binding Cloak of Shadows and Vanish to about half of my keyboard.
What do you think? Is it a bug or a buff? Should sheep heal at all?
Filed under: Mage, Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Bugs
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tripp Apr 14th 2007 11:01AM
Since the inclusion of Cloak of Shadow/Deadly Throw/Garrote Silence I find that losing to any spellcaster is close to impossible. I eat them up constantly and consistently, even warlocks who can chain seduce/incinerate can do nothing. Chain sheep/frostbolt? Haha. This change wont help them against Rogues but maybe other classes. Fireball, Pyro, Ignite all have dots so fire mages wont be able to chain sheep anyway. Maybe someplace on some corner of the world a frost mage might beat me. Maybe.
Acceptable Risk Apr 14th 2007 11:22AM
I can't see this as anything but a bug. It's a bit too extreme of a change. You'd think they'd try something like tone down the healing rate before they'd just pull the healing component altogether.
Brock Apr 14th 2007 11:29AM
Well, even as a mage, I go both ways on this. It's always been annoying as hell to have warlocks chain-fear me, and you should know that Polymorph has serious diminishing returns (I'm not sure if it's the same as fear, but I can rarely poly someone more than twice successfully.) But part of being "smart" with the spell is choosing who to poly (or what mob) and knowing your team members well enough to have some trust they won't break it. If the spell no longer heals, then it takes away some of the strategy of the game.
I'm fully willing to accept that I've just been playing a mage so long that I'm USED to the heal mechanic. But also don't enjoy playing a Warlock because it just feels so cheap the way they play.
But that's just me.
Oh, to the guy who posted the first comment: /facepalm
Brad Apr 14th 2007 11:52AM
Maybe this is just me, since I don't PvP a lot, but I'd MUCH rather have a longer Poly time and have it heal them than a shorter time with little or no heal.
Savok Apr 14th 2007 11:58AM
Either this is part of the grand plan to make PvP even more annoying then it already is, or it's a bug.
That said every patch has been stripping mages of any sort of ability to do anything, this would give them something back.
Dec Apr 14th 2007 12:10PM
1) Poly IS subject to some pretty intense diminishing returns.
2) Hard to break??? It breaks on ANY damage whatsoever, Fear/Horror does no.
3) Mages have no instant CC. Poly has a cast time.
Poly is incredibly easy to dispel/break out of. Poly is the only CC that you wait a few seconds before you get dispelled/use your trinket so you fully heal first. The mechanics are just plain not in sync with the rest of the game.
In 1v1 this is incredibly unfair because mages can burst so much if you give them 3-6 seconds to load up a huge pyro/fireball...but in group PvP this actually brings it in line with how CC is balanced in the rest of the game.
Do some 3v3 and 5v5 Arena and try to justify any use of Poly versus Fear and other CC.
Namra Lakhani Apr 14th 2007 9:05PM
Poly does have diminishing returns, in PvP it lasts
for 12 seconds -> 6 seconds -> 3 seconds -> immuune
for a grand total of 21 secs if no damage is taken at all and compared to fear this would still be underpowered.
Tumples Apr 14th 2007 1:16PM
Id rather have this polymorph change if they were to nerf fear, as it is THE most irritating spell in the whole game. Poly seems more harmless somehow, being a fluffy sheep (and also im in feral form anyway for most of pvp ¬_¬)
Savok Apr 14th 2007 1:58PM
Difference here, Dec, is that Polymorph doesn't usually send a mob on a lap of the instance getting all his mates.
Fear PvE sucks, Polymorph PvE is awesome.
michel Apr 14th 2007 4:39PM
it's surely a bug. it would change the whole use of poly by mage.
Dec Apr 14th 2007 9:14PM
Savok,
5 man and solo PvE Poly owns...outside of that its 100% useless in raiding except for some cute gimmicky things (such as Domo).
5 man balance is basically irrelevant to any discussion in my opinion because most classes can already bring a lot to the table and don't have difficulty getting groups (except for hunters, which are so imba in PvP and solo PvE that they have nothing to whine about!)
The whole healing argument is really only relevant to PvP anyway as any mob that a mage can poly...the healing factor is almost never a concern.
Xaciel Apr 15th 2007 12:24AM
For one, the polymorph time change is for instance/raid mobs, not mages. It means that you won't be poly'd for longer than 8 seconds by instance/raid mobs. Noting that, i'm going to disallow the rest of your anti-mage diatribe.
Aladek Apr 15th 2007 10:22PM
all I got to say is...
mage, buff? some place very hot must have frozen over...
trankillity Apr 15th 2007 7:24PM
Poly is subject to dimishing returns in the same way fear is. If this change weren't a bug it still wouldn't be enough to make me go back to my Mage. Mudification FTL. I believe Blizzard calls it "Normalization".
novelty22 Apr 16th 2007 1:38AM
Warlocks chain fearing isn't possible in pvp, ever heard of diminishing returns?
As my mage i'd be ashamed to exploit this, just as when i play my warlock if it let me keep fearing ppl around for 15 seconds each fear....
Just like I quit playing my rogue when Cloak of Shadows became so over-powered/rediculous...Maybe it's just me, but i like 'skill' or 'challenge' involved when i go up against an opponent.
Todd Apr 16th 2007 10:03AM
If only this were true. This will be "fixed" in no time.