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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsForum post of the day: Moving moments
by Amanda Dean 
Jul 10th 2008 at 2:45AM
Since its inception World of Warcraft has been an evolving game. Someone who played only shortly after release would hardly recognize the game now. Blizzard has always welcomed feedback, but some changes have elicited more feedback than others. In a thread entitled "Epic moments in WoW QQ history," Gatsukaa chronicled some of the most upsetting events that have occurred in the evolution of our game:
WoW is first released. Hunter and warlock pets could be one-shot. Hunter dps was pretty lackluster. Soulstones gave you rez sickness (I think). No soulshards from PvP. The first emo whiners in WoW were born: Hunters and Warlocks. World of Roguecraft video is released showing how a rogue in crap gear could wtfpwn people while warlocks were so gimp. Result is that warlocks went on to get buffed in nearly every patch as they were on their way to god-hood. No more world of roguecraft videos. Hunters saw substantial improvements as well, but weren't made into demigods.
Moment 2:
Mages with both Talisman of Ephemeral Power and Zandalarian Hero Charm could stack the trinkets' on-use effects to drastically increase spell damage. Coupled with Arcane Power and PoM Pyro, such mages could one shot almost anyone. Massive QQ on the forums ensues. Result is that trinkets no longer stack such on-use effects (one exception was a glitch that allowed Hex Shrunken Head and Skull of Gul'dan to stack, but that was later fixed).
Moment 3:
Before Burning Crusade, the best PvP gear was PvE gear. Raiders in tier 2 and tier 3 gear ruled the Battlegrounds. Massive QQ from casuals ensued. Result was resilience and arena gear without any rating requirement for the first few seasons in TBC.
Moment 4:
TBC is released. About a month later as most people hit 70 and begin running level 70 five mans and heroic dungeons, it becomes apparent that druids are one of the best tanks if not THE best tanks for 5 mans. Massive warrior QQ ensues. Result is that druid tanking is drastically nerfed..
Moment 5:
Alterac Valley is redesigned. Suddenly, Horde are winning on average 80% of AV games on most servers based on forum estimates. Massive alliance QQ ensues.
Moment 6:
Blizzard toys with the idea of nerfing lifetap on the PTR. Before the nerf is even implemented on the PTR, massive warlock QQ ensues. Result is that the change is never implemented on the PTR and thus never got patched into the actual game.
Now yes, this thread could be seen as a troll on the forums. When you take a step back, though, it's actually kind of fascinating to look at where we've been. These are examples of Blizzard taking action on common complaints. There have been plenty of other events that have caused a stir, but we've since learned to live with.
I remember when cross-realm battlegrounds first started. By the way players were complaining you would have thought it was the end of the world... of Warcraft, or at least PvP. I was a little miffed at first, and there are still man problems, mostly on a social level. But I remember hour-long WSG queues prior to the shift. I'd go to dinner and ask one of my guildies to call my cell phone if the queue popped. I don't miss that.
Think of all the incidents when they've implemented player requests. We have flying mounts now, though they are admittedly limited. Horde got Paladins, and
What did Gatsukaa miss in her list of player demanded changes?
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Buffs, Forums, Forum Post of the Day
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 5)
Deusmortis Jul 10th 2008 3:44AM
Ohh, one more:
Early BC:
Paladins with 100% Illumination can heal nonstop, unbuffed, for 5 or more minutes at a time, in sub-kara gear. The healing community in general whines, and Illumination is gutted. Now, every other healing class has received substantial buffs to their efficiency or longevity, while paladins have nearly been shelved in late sunwell.
But, on a good note:
The paladin community is quite possibly the largest source of QQ currently on the forums. While many of the legitimate concerns and suggestions have been given to other classes, improvements to both the protection and retribution trees have allowed those specs to find a home in raiding.
badb Jul 10th 2008 4:20AM
Ah well we already got nerfed for that. dispite the fact that ferals and balance struggle in all brackets and resto cant make it in 5v5.
Argent Jul 10th 2008 6:00AM
i wouldn't call the paladin forums the biggest QQ'ers. shaman forums are *FAR* worse in that regard. the paladin forums nowerdays are pretty much the result you get when a group has been whipped and beaten for a few years -- some muted dissent here and there, but mostly just shocked fatalism about the futility of any and all effort, good or bad.
Fraufrau Jul 10th 2008 3:51AM
No mention of the several Shaman nerfs removing their PvP superiority preTBC to the mediocre 'passable' status they have now.
suicidalzebra Jul 10th 2008 3:58AM
What, nothing about the original QQ-fest in vanilla WoW: Warriors in vanilla over Rage Generation? You know, the one where they protested, crashed a server, and then got exactly what they wanted handed to them on a silver platter (1.3)? If it weren't for those intrepid pioneers of the QQ all the rest wouldn't know that 'QQing Works'.
Matthew Rossi Jul 10th 2008 10:45AM
Did you play a warrior then?
I did. Quite frankly, the QQ did nothing. Blizzard made those changes to rage generation because if they had not, they were facing a complete lack of max level warriors. It was agonizing to play one. You couldn't kill one same level non elite mob without it taking almost five minutes, and god help you if you got adds.
And if you were prot! Just forget doing any quests that involved killing.
suicidalzebra Jul 10th 2008 12:00PM
Matthew, most of the complaints we've seen in this game tend to be well grounded in genuine class issues, whether it be from representatives of the class you play, one you see as underpowered, or one you see as overpowered. But this is beside the point, if we're talking about occasions upon which a group of players have thrown a hissy-fit in order to get their way the US Warriors of pre-1.3 are the most obvious, classic example. Whether their issues have been as great or less significant, no other class went to the concerted and coordinated lengths that Warriors did in the early days. Not warlocks pre-1.4, not Paladins pre-1.9 or at any time pre-TBC when all they did was cast Blessing and cleanse spam.
Compare this to all the 'Moments' Amanda Dean posted here. It deserves a place, whether or not the QQ (and level of QQ) was justified.
Kidsmoke Jul 10th 2008 3:58AM
This guys an idiot.
All classes have felt the sting or joy of being nerfed or buffed.
Everyone who does PVE complains about the PVP additions to PVE loot tables, everyone! I mean look at the pathetic Tier 5 2 set bonuses.
My point is, where else would they put the stats needed for pvp gear? And could you imagine the QQ that would result from T6 Warglaive Rogues continuing to destroy and stunlock from 100 - 0.
Arena gear fills a need.
AV changes were necessary.
Everyone just needs to accept it.
Vengeance was a perfect example of adaptation with AV.
Before the changes Vengeance was one of the few places Horde consistently won AV (by pulling the Generals separately). Sometimes though some newbie would take SF and cause the dreaded turtle. In which Horde would lose. Shortly after the changes Horde started winning even more and by MUCH larger margins 600+ to sometimes as low as less than 100 honor. What people fail to realize is that it was due to the Alliance inability to rely on a turtle to win. Soon after though Alliance learned how to beat Horde, and have been consistently winning AVs ever since. And Vengeance is now one of the few BGs where Alliance dominate.
Ive always found it odd that when Horde were suppose to lose, we won; and when Alliance are suppose to lose now, they win.
The changes were necessary, and now that Balinda and Vann are unbuffed again AV is quite a fair fight even if players don't want to admit it.
In fact the only inequality I see is the close placement of the Alliances Blacksmith to their flag. The fact that I can run into the FWK and not aggro a single one of their 60,000hp mobs is hilarious, and likewise hilarious that I watch all the horde pull BS and his 60,000hp friends.
Procris Jul 10th 2008 4:08AM
Heh i still remember pre-tbc when paladins reckoning was actually useful. Remember a paladin 1 shot Kazzak? I think that was the fastest nerf in history. Was needed of course but the state of reckoning now is a sorry one in my opinion.
Malyfactian Jul 10th 2008 9:20AM
Reckoning is useful while leveling a prot paladin, because it helps to burn down individual mobs more quickly while AOE grinding. Beyond that, its value diminishes beside other talents.
j5sweet Jul 10th 2008 4:28AM
Sometimes I think people forget that battlegrounds didn't always exist in WoW... in those days the only PvP that existed were the people who learned to use the global defense channel and did inter-continental assault and defense (Though as I remember, most of it centered around Hillsbrad).
Class balance wasn't always this heavily based on PvP it was actually more about making all of the classes equally enjoyable and viable to play for solo or group play in a PvE environment. PvP, in the start was something that was and felt like it was just tossed in so people could "pwn the other side" and maintain some horde vs. alliance rivalry. (What fun is being enemies if all you can do is send /rude emotes back and forth?)
mark Jul 10th 2008 5:22AM
Remember the proposed nerfs to the FSW set? :)
K20 Jul 10th 2008 4:50AM
Blizzard; we listen to everyone... except mages.
Totally agree with post #6. What bottleneck at FW?
The only time I never see bunkers/towers being capped in AV is when it's AV weekend. The rest of the time it's cap-O-rama.
Fraufrau Jul 10th 2008 5:12AM
/sigh
the picture is inaccurate but there is a bottle neck behind those fences to the FW keep - the tower you HAVE to pass through and the subsequent archway between the towers full of archers.
It is on par with the bridge for alliance so stop your qqing. Horde on Bloodlust battlegroup have become expert 'turtlers' as soon as alliance gets past IBGY (which isnt often) they fall back to the keep knowing how easily they can hold it out.
Izbay Jul 10th 2008 5:39AM
Jaw dropping damage!
K20 Jul 10th 2008 6:16AM
I knew of THAT "bottleneck", but can it be called that when it has a work around (See reply #20)?
The only time I see Horde en mass at the point you mention, is when things look bleak and we want to hold out for as long as possible. Not saying that's how it goes on all battlegroups.
I'm not wholly fussed with who AV favours, as I lose as many as I win. And as long as an effort is made to get north, I'm happy (I never play AV -on Cyclone- on holidays as nearly every AV ends up with Horde defending on mass).
K20 Jul 10th 2008 6:17AM
edit: comment 20 = comment made by Samruf.
Samruf Jul 10th 2008 5:43AM
Fraufrau, after passing thru the tower and going up the hill you can stay to the right and jump the fence and Line of sighting the towers by running behind the huts also bypassing any npc's.
Angus Jul 10th 2008 7:29AM
Not just this, but a single rogue can cap those towers.
You have a rogue try and cap a bunker and he will get peppered with arrows by the archers in the same bunker. At least 3 archers have LOS to that flag.
The rogue can sap the 1 guard with LOS in the tower, cap it and then stealth back up to go visit the second tower.
When Alliance has to leave 3-4 people back to defend each tower from a single rogue they can talk about there being parity.
Sonmerlong Jul 10th 2008 8:28AM
We DO have to leave people to defend those towers.
At least 3 people.
Other wise a horde rogue will come in and reset the cap timer.
This really is not a difference, both sides must defend what they take, and the lack of stricking a good balance is usually what causes a loss.