Will Druids be getting reliable indoor CC in Wrath?
by Dan O'Halloran 
Oct 20th 2007 at 4:00PM
Druid root is very good for crowd control outdoors due to it working on any mob type, but most instances and raid zones are indoor only. In Burning Crusade the Druid class got a new spell, Cyclone, that worked indoors as well, but with a 6 sec duration (and diminishing returns), it was only effective in limited situations.Druids have asked loud and long for more reliable crowd control abilities. And now it looks like they might get it.
Player Wisperella recently specced Moonkin and feels she would be more desirable in groups if the Druid Entangling Roots spell were usable indoors. With a 27 second duration and a 1.5 second cast time that can already be made uninterruptible through Talents, it could make Moonkin an integral part of many groups. Especially since Moonkin with their high armor won't get squished so easily trying to crowd control a mob that's pounding on them.
Community Manager Eyonix responded that an idea along these lines is "possible" in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. He couldn't guarantee that it would happen, but let us know that he has been campaigning for it "a very long time."
Time will tell if this will be one of the handful of new abilities Druids will get in the expansion.
Filed under: Druid, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ladyshiva Oct 20th 2007 4:28PM
As a moonkin,I would LOVE indoor roots. But I think the fact that it can be cast on any type of mob is what is keeping it from being usable indoors. Still, it would be a very nice late balance tree talent.
Wulfhere Oct 20th 2007 4:28PM
It's a good thing Shamans finally get that CC they've...
Oh, never mind. I forgot that shamans are the redheaded stepchild hybrids and the pallies and druids must get everything they want before shamans can get SOME of what they actually NEED.
shaqq Oct 20th 2007 4:31PM
What pisses me off is that the computer sprites already have on, and in the most impossible of places. My druids can't use roots in caves... which have dirt below them, or in scarlet monestary or other buildings... which are still on the ground. But the botanists and whatnot in the Botanica caan use roots.... in a floating prison, not on the ground touching dirt or anything remotely capable of having roots in it. Maybe if you see the roots coming from the few bits of dirt on the place that the plants currently grow in, but still. If they can do it, so should my alts. At least let it be used in a cave if they can do it in a floating plastic/metal prison.
Grummsh Oct 20th 2007 4:57PM
OMFG....
So....the entire shaman community has been asking for CC since pre-BC, and we can't have it, but some druid mentions it in passing on the forums, for BOOMKIN spec, and the devs are all for it? What the hell!?
Aeonis Oct 20th 2007 4:58PM
What about us Feral Druids? Will we get a sap or something, because without a CC in our forms we are mostly gauraunteed to Tank, maybe we could have more of a chance in DPSing for those fed up of tanking.
Beornulf Oct 20th 2007 5:50PM
@ 4 "So....the entire shaman community has been asking for CC since pre-BC, and we can't have it, but some druid mentions it in passing on the forums, for BOOMKIN spec, and the devs are all for it? What the hell!?"
I'm sorry, but I have both an elemental shaman and a balance druid. I know the issues of both well. However, this isn't just some druid who "mentions it in passing". This has been requested for a very, very, very long time; this isn't new in the slightest.
But I can tell by your comment that you believe that balance druids don't deserve anything of the such, that shamans should get everything first. So it's okay for shamans to ask for stuff, yet druids should not? A very poor argument on your part.
RogueJedi86 Oct 20th 2007 5:54PM
It is odd how Root can't be used in placed like the Scarlet Monastery Graveyard, or Dire Maul, and other "outdoor" places.
It seems like Blizz is using WotLK as a copout, akways saying "we'll do this when WotLK comes out". So much stuff delayed to WotLK, that the WotLK patch will probably completely change the entire game.
Autumnbear Oct 20th 2007 6:53PM
Talents like Nature's Grasp could see soooo much more use for hybrid healers like myself. Balance/Resto hybrids healing indoors are far too busy to even try to cast roots on an enemy target while healing. If an enemy mob aggroes on you, simply cast Nature's Grasp (at no mana cost), let the mob hit you, and simply walk away as the roots instantly grab your attacker and immobilizes them. The split-second self-save procedure would allow time for other DPS classes to realize that their healer is being hit and has managed to escape to safety.
I'm all in for Indoor Roots, even if they have to design a talent point for us to use it indoors. Face it, we can mystically summon an Insect Swarm in outer space. Are Roots any different?
Chadwick Oct 20th 2007 7:45PM
If it were usable indoors it would be OP.
briker Oct 20th 2007 8:20PM
As a shaman, I am not interested in having cc. I would rather be more an anti-cc class. I wish the best of luck to druids. It would be great for their root to work indoors. My elemental shaman always loves another reason for a boomkin to be around.
Zulu Oct 20th 2007 9:29PM
How does it hurt any class in the game for someone else's CC to be improved?
Have you ever turned down a hunter for an instance where they could trap every mob for a warlock who could seduce them? No.
Shamans want everything. Druids want everything. Pallies want everything. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Shaman get invited to groups for totems and massive group damage increases with bloodlust/heroism.
That is their group benefit for everyone.
Boomkins give.... 5% spellcaster crits.
in a group with a boomkin that will be at most himself, the healer, and the other dps (though most groups that don't utilize at least one melee dps is doing something wrong in my opinion, and usually more than just one thing. Rogues are good. Damage with low threat and a good vanish means they are self sufficient).
Boomkins getting an improved CC just makes one spec more viable, and if the class you play doesn't have one, then clearly blizzard doesnt think you need one.
And Shaman, the offensive hybrid class of the game, shouldn't get CC, an inherently defensive ability.
Not every DPS needs CC as long as they bring things like massive group-wide buffs.
Kadathwack Oct 20th 2007 9:42PM
We already have an indoor CC though, Hibernate. We just never see many to any chances to use it dungeons or raids. At least compared to how often things like Polymorph or Shackle can be used.
Buffing Root would be great, but if we just saw more Beasts or Dragonkin in instances I think it would provide a similar "buff" as far as desirability goes.
*crosses fingers for Zul'Aman*
Wispirella Oct 20th 2007 10:54PM
Zomg my post!
Now on a serious coment, i think it is sad to have people complaining about any improvement that do not concern their own classes. Usually is the same people who complain about the lack of people to run instances. PvP mostly wont be changed by this upgrade and a PvE improvement benefits your team, benefits YOU. People should look at the bigger picture and instead of QQing to actually write good reasons to not have the change.
BartmanDK Oct 20th 2007 11:22PM
Tbh i dont think they should ever get it.. i mean there are other classes to take care of the CC! the druids got other tasks to take care of!
springz Oct 20th 2007 11:41PM
Won't indoor rooting make druids overpowered in WSG? They are already the most effective class in that bg, and with this added, they will be unstoppable i think.
Imagine guarding the flag and a druid comes in to captures it. He takes the flag, roots you and he he's gone. Might as well give them indoor travel form as well i guess.
Wispirella Oct 21st 2007 12:52AM
Springz he could just cyclone you instead. Not a big diference imo.
Samus Oct 21st 2007 12:58AM
For cryin' out loud, how few Balance Druids understand their own class and spec?
The problem isn't lack of instance CC, the plate level armor bonus should BE your CC. In big pulls or situations where the mobs are resistant to the available forms of CC, a Boomkin should hypothetically be able to off-tank. Yes, in many ways that's not as good as other forms of CC, but keep in mind that it can't break and it works against everything, even the stuff that's immune to CC.
The problem is gear. Caster leather for most equipment slots currently sucks right now (or is nonexistent altogether), and Boomkins are forced to wear plenty of cloth, severely hindering their ability to off-tank. This, I feel, is the fix. When Boomkins can be decked out in all leather without sacrificing huge amounts of damage, they'll be fine.
Try to look at this from a Mage's point of view. You do the same damage and you have between mail and plate level armor, if you also had CC as good as Polymorph, why would anyone want to bring a Mage on an instance run?
Urthona Oct 21st 2007 1:59AM
"why would anyone want to bring a Mage on an instance run?"
Because there's a mage asking to go.
The simple fact is that druids, by nature of the restrictions put on thier class's ability to serve many roles, cannot fulfill the secondary tasks of its "parent class". As such, druid volunteering to tank, DPS, or heal instances are forced to sit out while 4 people wait for the perfect candidate to enter LFG.
Restoration druids lack the ability to resurrect players out of combat without using a reagent and an extremely long cooldown. This restriction means many druids who WANT to main heal are passed over for that role.
Similarly, balance druids want to DPS and use the skills at thier disposal. But without a suitable crowd control, druids are passed over for another class.
**************
I would suggest the developers add even more distinction to the class by enhancing our specced forms. Rebirth should only be castable in night elf or tauren form.
Tree of Life form should be allowed to resurrect out of combat without the use of a reagent.
Moonkin form should be allowed to use Entangling Roots in all environments. Should the druid drop Moonkin form, the Roots are canceled.
Feral druids should recieve a buff as well, and I've advocated Swiftshifting before. Instead, I'd prefer ferals to retain the armor class of bearform for a 5 seconds after a shift out, allowing the druid a chance to take a potion, toss up a heal, etc without instantly being crushed by the NPC being tanked.
Percival Oct 21st 2007 2:41AM
So, I hear that Druids will also be able to conjure water, protect themselves with a holy shield, phase through walls and dual-wield warlocks.
Let's be honest here, Druid is already THE most versatile class in the game. While I understand that most Boomkin feel alienated for the fact that they don't bring CC to a group, they need to accept that they can't be a mage in plate armor and do all of this other amazing stuff without paying for it.
I see tons of comments regarding WoTLK and what it will bring to the hybrid classes, and people seem to think Blizzard is going to give them that one thing that they always lacked and it's going to be sunshine and lolipops and they will frolic in the meadows with Devs.
They said the same thing for Burning Crusade, that it's going to address some of the core "concerns"* of the class. It didn't seem to happen, everyone still has the same core strength and weaknesses. Sure, some specs got buffed, but other then that, was there any thing truly groundbreaking?
I play a Hybrid, and I understand that I can't be as good as one of the "core" classes. I think it's time for some people to understand that. You trade strength for versatility.
Suck it up.
*"Concerns" being "My class does not have X, while other class has X". Therefore, give me X but make it larger and preferably brighter with a cool name.
Samus Oct 21st 2007 3:00AM
Very well put Percival. Everyone wants to enjoy all of their advantages and have no disadvantages. In other news, I was talking to scissors and he said he should be able to wrap rock just like paper does, it's unfair that he can't.
Also, I laughed pretty hard at "dual-wield warlocks." :)
Urth, I think you quoted all the sentences in my post that you actually read. There were others.