Arena gear swapping looking at a nerf
by Mike Schramm 
Aug 7th 2007 at 8:30PM
Currently, in Arena matches, once in the arena, you can still swap your gear before combat starts. Why would you want to do this? There is an immense amount of difference in what my resto Shaman can do depending on whether he's wearing his healing gear of his damage gear, and being able to choose my set after I've seen the other team can be an advantage.Too much of an advantage, says Blizzard. Even though they haven't changed things on the PTRs yet, Drysc says that when DoTs are affected by resilience, Arena players will no longer be able to swap their gear once inside. Apparently the reasoning is that when opposing players see a Warlock/Shadow Priest combo, they real quick switch on their shadow resist gear, and so casters are hoping for a nerf to gear swapping to come at the same time the DoT resilience shows up (which is what Drysc promises).
It's an interesting little QQ session, and like all good PvP worries, it means a whole lot to the people who are affected by it, and not much to anyone else. Still, nerfing gear swapping seems like a big change to make just to deal with folks who are trying to duck shadow damage in 2v2 Arenas. But it seems like, as soon as 2.2, Blizzard might be telling arena players to pick a set and stick to it.
Filed under: Priest, Warlock, Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, PvP
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jlpknights82 Aug 7th 2007 8:45PM
I can foresee a lot of complaints like "I have the sets for a reason, I should be allowed to wear whatever I want," etc.
However, as a semi-casual (I don't do hardcore 50 arenas per week, but I still have a decent rating) 2vs2 player, I've always looked at arenas as something where people should wear their top of the line gear and go at each other.
No, I'm not saying resist gear is "unfair" or whatever. It's obviously in the game for a reason and I know a lot of PvPers that like to wear it for certain things. However, I've always thought that in arenas, at least, one should enter with their best and just stick with it. Perhaps concentrate a bit more on skill and tactics.
Coherent Aug 7th 2007 9:06PM
Not only switching gear to suit your opponents is kinda borderline cheaty (changing clothes in a firefight is ridiculous), but their matchmaking service probably judges your power level by the equipment you're wearing, and changing clothes in arenas probably confuses it a good bit.
I figure the matchmaking system does a pattern match for your clothes versus your spec, and doesn't take resistance into account (because that involves evaluating your opponent's spec against yours, which is too chaotic an algorithm to matchmake against)
So switching gear to specifically combat certain opponents would certainly screw up the matchmaking. I can totally see why they'd stop it. It's stupid to allow people to change clothes when a fight is getting under way.
If they wanted to be really realistic they should add a timer bar to the "change clothes" process so that it takes 60 seconds to complete, and if it fails midway you're left naked :)
cheesebanana Aug 7th 2007 9:17PM
Knew about this a month ago.
Keep up would ya? ¬_¬
Avalanche Aug 7th 2007 10:41PM
Seriously, old: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=174832155&postId=1745078099&sid=1#153
brett Aug 7th 2007 11:28PM
I don't like this change. As someone who arena's as a hybrid class I like the ability to swap out some gear to compensate for deaths on either team.
This is being done specifically to combat people stacking SR for Spriest/lock teams... and I guess I can see a point there. It just goes to show that the blizzard resist model is still broken.
Perhaps they should just ignore +resist from gear in arenas *shrug*. It's unfair to punish hybrids, who despend on gearswapping, to fix their broken resist mechanic.
Bavius Aug 8th 2007 3:37PM
Ugh... currently as a prot pally I come in wearing +AP +Crit +Str gear and swap if I don't see anything to tanking gear. This hurts unusual spec's and hybrids more than it does anything else.
Why do warlocks and shadow priests and even more love?
Kaylek Aug 8th 2007 9:10AM
I agree with 5, even though I'm leveling a shadow priest to replace my hybrid main. =/
Hybrids depend on gearswapping... healing or damage. It makes a big difference in utility. As for resist... it's really not cheating. The warlock and shadow priest combo is so potent as is, if someone has the prerogative to put together a shadow resist set, so what? The resist system is such a thorn in our sides in PVE, the only real payoff for the player is situational PVP utility.
I guess I shouldn't complain, because this is a buff for my future class, but it's still another annoying situation of PVP balancing around arena.
ringu0 Aug 8th 2007 9:44AM
> but their matchmaking service probably judges your power level by the equipment you're wearing
Wrong. There's no matchmaking service on the arenas other than the one that looks at your rating.
ringu0 Aug 8th 2007 9:45AM
... and, yes, warlocks' QQ in 2v2 is ridiculous. Get real, people.
TheMinority Aug 8th 2007 12:35PM
Part of being on the top of the PvP lists is knowing your opponent and being able to adjust to them. Switching gear isn't cheating, it's just adjusting. I'm sure if that warlock/priest combo saw they were going against a hunter/rogue combo they'd change their tactics a bit rather than try to take them on as if it were another combo. If you can't adjust on the fly, then you shouldn't be able to compete at a higher level. It's all part of normal PvP.
Less QQ, more pewpew.
infection Aug 9th 2007 8:43AM
i can see where the locks and shadow priest are complaining. when you see a lock and priest, you can put on a suit to defend against it to beat them pretty easily.
when you see a warrior and rogue, you don't have that option.
when they have resist melee attack gear (and no, not resilence, because that effects everyone) then i'd like to see who would be complaining then.
if you see a mage come at you that is fire, you are already in combat and can't switch gear. so there can't be an arguement from them. because they could possibly be frost or fire, so you'd screw your own self by defending against frost on a fire mage.
so who is left? hunter? druid? pally? nothing for them either.
the only people this is effecting is 2 class's. everyone else doesn't complain for a reason. but yet all of them are going to complain now because it is "nerf'ing" them.
looks like the lock and shad priest are going to be screwed in this situation.
infection Aug 10th 2007 1:58PM
@9
changing tactics and changing gear is 2 totally different things.
lock & priest have to change tactics. warrior & pally have to change tactics. mage & mage have to change tactics. big deal, everyone changes tactics in arena.
but can you change gear once you are in combat after seeing what kind of damage is being done to you?
why?
everyone else can change tactics for a lock @ priest + they can change gear.
Rihahn Aug 9th 2007 5:36PM
There's a melee team that my 2v2 team hits pretty regularly that knows how much electrical hurt I'm going to put out (I play a shaman). Due to this they both swap out to heavy nature resist when they see me which cuts my dps in half, making myself and my healer easy pickings... So, therefore, I see this change as a 'good thing' as I can't swap out gear to cut their dps in half whenever I feel like it.
LandonRocks Aug 19th 2007 3:00AM
I have a 358 shadow resist set just for the lock/SP 2v2 battles. Here is something everyone should consider:
When I switch out in an arena, my max HP stays about the same, but my HP goes from apprx 9300 to 8000. When you switch gear, you instantly lose the stam bonuses for the new gear. Its wierd, but its a huge factor. Then I have to sit or eat or bandage to get to full, or just fight with 15% less HP.
Also, my attack power in normal gear is 1700. With my shadow set, it is 600. I hit like a girl.
Bottom line: There are pros and CONS to switching gear. Most people dont realize the huge negative effects of switching. Minus HP and minus attack power or +spell damage.
My partner and I only will switch to shadow gear if both of the other team are shadow. If its lock/hunter, we can't switch because the hunter would roll over us in our pansy resist gear.
Switching gear is a tactic. It has pros and cons. It should be allowed. If your team only relies on one thing, and there is a counter for that, then you need a new game plan.