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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsForum post of the day: Freakin' frogs
by Amanda Dean 
Jul 2nd 2008 at 3:15AM
Ftoomsh of Aman'Thul is hopping mad that Shamans will be getting Hex in Wrath of the Lich King. Green with envy, she feels that Mages are already being rendered obsolete in PvE. Polymorph as a unique ability should not be added to a pool of skill for more classes to draw from. The original poster jumped to the conclusion that giving this ability to Shamans make Mages completely useless.
Baah, I say. Hex is similar to Polymorph, but is definitely not the same spell. You might even say it doesn't go the whole nine yards. Several of the responding post reminded Ftoomsh that the Hex ability in its current form only lasts ten seconds. On top of that it set to a one-minute cool down while Polymorph has no cooldown but diminishing returns. The frogged character will be in control of their movement, but ill not be able to cast with the debuff. I'd like to add that Hex does appear to lack the healing mechanic of polymorph.
From what I understand Mages shouldn't be counted out just yet. During the Mage discussion at WWI, Blizzard promised an increase in damage for Mages, and the addition of a Frostfire Bolt spell to combat resistances.
This kind of reminds me of the phase when everyone seemed to be getting Mortal Strike. First Hunters were given a healing debuff in their Aimed Shots. Rogues have the option of running Wound Poison on their weapons. Blizzard threatened to give Shaman's Flametongue Weapon a similar debuff, but that change was quickly rescinded.
This leads me to ask two questions: Are Mages becoming obsolete? Should classes have abilities all to themselves?
Filed under: Mage, Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, Classes, Buffs, Forum Post of the Day
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
Mellisande Jul 2nd 2008 12:50PM
Two words would make it all better for mages: Polymorph Penguin!
Khalis Jul 2nd 2008 1:20PM
If the target still gets to move it's self, then we can assume that hexed mobs will continue to move toward their aggro target. if this is an AoE tanking pally, then the jig is up.
I think the best use of this in PvE is in conjunction with mages. The speed of casting will help mages keep the sheeped mobs where they belong. The shammy and mage start casting at the same time. At .5ish seconds, the hex hits, then another second later, the sheep hits (Spell haste being the variable). This means that the mob moves 1/3 the distance from the pull that it would have without the hex. Even better, the shammy can put a mob down quickly while it's beating on healers, and the mage is still casting. That's a second less of beating a squishy priest has to endure.
I'll take any buff against mobs that Blizz wants to give. I really don't care about PvP, and I know how to not stand in fire (Meaning I get to keep my raid spot), so any buffs to raiders around me is bonus. Besides, I'll just end up breaking hex with my living bomb.
Chachee Jul 2nd 2008 2:15PM
I think the bigger fear by mages is that they were once considered the top DPS class, with great AoE, and one of the best CCs.
Now they are fighting for the top DPS spot (not a bad thing), are often overlooked in AoE (Blizzard admitted they made Seed of Corruption too strong), and almost every class has a CC.
And warlocks are now rumored to have a targettable blink-like spell, while mages are still dealing with a blink that doesn't always work.
Derick Jul 2nd 2008 3:24PM
Hex is basically just a blind in PvE and an improved disarm in PvP.
QQ less mages.
You still have the best CC.
Roxton Jul 2nd 2008 6:15PM
Yes, we also have the best and most efficient heal in the game. Isn't that ironic for a class that's supposed to be the superior damage dealer?
caillia Jul 3rd 2008 2:33AM
seems to me like an equivalent to cyclone... which in pve is no where near as effective as polymorph. Shammies will not be overtaking mages as the lead class of cc, any more than druids do.
However, after playing a druid and being passed over again and again in 5-mans because the group wanted a mage, I can sympathize with shammies needing a form of cc to be somewhat competitive.
bluenei Jul 2nd 2008 6:37PM
you know what mages? you can go STFU, you were never broken, and to however posted on Fel intellect it gives the same Intel boost as arcane intelect with a -10% to healing to all, the mage debuff is wrong and will not be included(if it was, it would affect priests and paladins, not mages).
MaverickSoloist Jul 2nd 2008 5:29PM
Hmm. A low level alt whines and cries on the forums. Later on, said low level whiner alt gets publicized here. Coincidence? I think not. :-P
Phantomwolf Jul 3rd 2008 12:05AM
Bah whoopty Bohoo.
If all you are to your party or raid is a Sheeping vending machine then you have missed the core of what it is to play a mage.
This is why I don't even bother to look past the blue posts on the official forums anymore. One big B and G from one end to the other. Crybaby and troll heaven.
Please, lets have some more meaningful discussions then the latest B and G from the forums.
Thorn Jul 3rd 2008 7:04AM
Mages lose their "jaw-dropping damage" around the beginning of Tier-6 content. They're great in T4 and below, okay at T5, and frankly not worth much in T6.
The only things they are good for in all tiers are the snackwell and reliable crowd control. They nerfed our biscuits to four stacks per person, and while we still have the reliable CC, with indoor druid roots and shammie hexes, a raid leader now has more reasons not to bring a mage along.
To be fair, most of the player base won't care too much. But for end-game raiding, it's just another point in a disturbing trend that does make us a bit more obsolete.