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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Blizzard's patch 3.1 goals
by Amanda Miller 
Mar 8th 2009 at 8:00AM
The blues have been very open lately about the direction that Blizz is taking and the goals that they're trying to achieve. Three, in particular, come to mind when considering patch 3.1 and its effect on tanks and healers in particular:- Bring the player, not the class.
- Healing should be more interactive and interesting.
- The tanks need to be on par in order to satisfy #1, in terms of performance and stats, yet they do not want to further homogenize the classes.
How are you feeling so far about the direction Blizzard is taking your main character? Even if it isn't perfect yet, are you excited about what you think your class will look like, or are you worried about your favorite spec/role?
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics, Classes
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Wrien Mar 9th 2009 8:44AM
Holy Pali/ Ret Pali
I feel like I been hit with the nerf bat one to many times and it's time to go to something else
ghogiel Mar 8th 2009 4:27PM
this is what happened when a game gets too big and there are no viable competitor: they become arrogant, dull, and lost their origins.
in other words: corrupted.
VanessaHeartless Mar 8th 2009 4:39PM
Honestly, I had been growing a bit tired of playing my DK so long, and DPSing in general. After seeing some of the changes they plan on doing, it really seems that though they wish to make Blood and Frost seem more tasty in terms of dps, Unholy is getting the most positive reinforcement. I'm already working on my Druid to pimp out as a healer.
Frunkis Mar 8th 2009 4:33PM
I get tired of the constant messing with every single aspect of the game. It is almost tot he point you need a full stable of alts just because you know eventualy they will completely destroy your main and you might need to switch fast.
I blame the lack of design and lazy approach they took with WOTLK. They put the absolute least amount of time into designing new raids and used an old raid re tuned to todays standard that has been epic fail.
The players laughed at this design teams efforts and made the content trivial real fast. They got caught with their pants down and they can't find a way to make the game hard now.
They are attempting to add difficulty by nerfing classes rather than designing challenging content. They cant figure out how to make healers go OOM so they have to nerf them. etc etc.
WOTLK is turning out to be the downfall of this design team and I really hope heads roll soon. I wonder how long until they start bringing in the real developers to try and get the game back in order rather than having WoW on the back shelf as they put all focus toward the upcoming releases.
Patch 3.1 is truely the patch of quit.
Tomato Mar 8th 2009 4:51PM
Bring the player not the class? More like, QQ enough and they'll nerf people who know how to play their own class. i.e the DK tank Nerfs. our two MTs in guild are a warrior and a Death Knight. The warrior has no problems picking up if the DK dies, and vice versa.
Oh, and rogues need a PVP nerf.
Malkia Mar 8th 2009 6:49PM
I'm a hunter. We've been yanked around so much I'm just focusing on the things in 3.1 I know I'll like. Fishing Dailies, Craftable Items, and the new raid dungeon.
Angry Me! Mar 8th 2009 7:02PM
This is BS, they should NOT be customizing classes to fit their new instance, they should be customizing their new instance to fit the classes they've already built ...
Think about this ... while we're all 80 and enjoying end-game, some level 50 warlock is having their tree changed in a way they can't even figure out, just because Blizz is screwing with them to make their new level 80 dungeon work right ...
Like ... um? ... wt... ?
This is NOT the way to do new content ... a level 80 instance should not impact a level 30-60 noobie who's just going about their business ... imho, the instance is incorrectly designed if you need to alter the way classes work for it to "work right" ...
ghogiel Mar 8th 2009 8:21PM
^^^
This is how I, too - view the current changes: what about the lowbies ? What about those healers and tanks starting to gear up ?
Take for example: the nerf to Enhancement's Flurry.
Sure - they've lowered the budget to Haste at the same time, but +haste gear are only available in Northrend !
Another example: mana regen nerf. 60% nerf. Damn: couldn't they just apply the nerf at level 80 !? That's one thing: another thing is - I remember that mana regen is not unlimited when I was gearing up my Holy Priest.
It's moronic and insane beyond any words could describe that Blizzard revamped every single class to fit one, just one high end instance !!
booted Mar 8th 2009 8:58PM
yep, you said exactly what i wanted to say.
Bring the player not the class got me all excited at first as I thought this would mean new content that could be cleared using multiple strategies depending on the makeup of the group. That would have let us be a little more creative with our planning and wold have forced us to improvise a little more during each fight instead of having everybody go thottbot to look up the strat. I mean, I thought bringing a good player meant bringing somebody who knew their unique class and played it well.
Instead all the classes are slowly gravitating towards each other to a point that blizz might as well cut the crap and have only 3 classes; tank, healer, and dps. However, I don't really believe this is because of a lazy development team. They have been working hard trying to "balance" all the classes out. The problem is they working to hard to please everybody, and in turn, this is making everybody the same.
Blizzard;
if you happen to read this, please don't listen to us on the forums whining about classes being OP or UP or ezmode or whatever, we don't know what the hell we are talking about.
And don't listen to the number crunching sites who post spreadsheets comparing the damage mitigation of "classA" as a function of the threat generation of "classB" over time. Nobody is going to really notice that stuff other than the players that happen to be physicists. Instead, spend your time and energy on things like more interesting raids and new modes of game play like like the achievement system, as well as trivial things like character customization. Stuff like that will boost the fun factor for most of the "casual" players that populate most of the game rather than constantly changing how our characters play while throwing numbers and pie charts at us . And for the love of god update my druid forms, put that on the top of the "to do" list.
zappo Mar 9th 2009 12:13PM
ghogiel: "This is how I, too - view the current changes: what about the lowbies ? What about those healers and tanks starting to gear up ? "
If we're talking about classic Azeroth, then I would say my experiences have been great. I leveled a protection paladin through 2.3. Mainly because it was about the only class that actually could level as a tank, and yes I leveled the entire way as protection (bear I am supposing was fairly doable). Now I'm going all the way as a protection warrior and having a blast. That would have been borderline insane before 3.0. Glyphs can fill pretty huge gaps for classes at low levels. Most dungeons have been nerfed, or at least had their level range consolidated to be worthwhile to run. Spellpower has helped a lot with making caster gear more available to various classes.
As I level up my protection warrior I'm having a lot of fun. Especially with the versatility in people I group with. I rather regret not having run instances with my other characters I leveled (this is the first I've really made the effort). Now lower level itemization is totally messed up on gear, but it's not a total killer. There's a lot of stuff with strength and spirit on it for instance. If you want to heal in the lower levels, you'll have to wear cloth, but that's about the only hangup I've seen.
Cyanea Mar 8th 2009 10:08PM
I'm still ambivalent about the Affliction changes. I like some of them...I hate some of them with a passion. I'm basically holding my breath to see what the 3.1 Affliction lock is going to be.
Druidx Mar 8th 2009 10:23PM
If Blizzard's goal was to have me cancel my account out of frustration resulting from years of inconsistency when it comes to druids (nerf, buff, nerf, buff, nerf , buff, nerf/nerf/nerf) then they certainly achieved their goal. I hope another couple hundred thousand other druids do the same. Maybe then they'll notice that people are sick of the treadmill.
Radiophonic Mar 9th 2009 3:19AM
Let's just wrap this up by stating that WoW is turning into an overglorified chat client.
Sorry Bliz but many of us are moving on to better things and re-discovering our love for challenging games which require more thought than, "AOE this pack of mobs and we can get our purples". BTPNTC fails on so many levels and I believe that the four pages of valid statements here more than proves it. This isn't QQ, this is truth. One other truth is that my sub has ran out and for once, I'm happy about it.
When a game is no fun, it's no longer a game.
Boo Mar 9th 2009 7:19AM
"... the rogues who commented about all we do is dps and its like vanilla wow. .... Um thats what rogues do, If you get bored of your class because it seems to be the same over and over again, roll another toon. what do they think rogues are gona do , heal lol maybe some spell dmg"
I play rogue and of course I want to do DPS. So why won't Blizzard let me? I picked the damn class to do DPS - lots of DPS.
You tell me what is the point of having a rogue in a raid if, when equally geared, we are out DPSed by hybrid classes?
With duel specs I fear the whole BTPNTC thing is going out the window. Surely this will put hybrids at the top of the pile? They will be able to switch specs for each boss encounter as required to provide optimum raid make-up.
Doh! Nice one Blizzard.
Bella Mar 21st 2009 2:46PM
Many people complained that Arena's were the source of all evil in BC because players were able to obtain equipment (primarily weapons) that equally if not excelled over the PvE options, without having to go through the raid process.
Well Blizz have fixed that problem, they created a new evil - BTPNTC!!
Bring back the distinct differences between classes, bring back the fights that could be tanked/DPS'd/healed better by one class than others, and bring back CC.
IMHO - CC was in itself a mechanic that defined a good raid over a bad one. Good CC that was planned out, implemented well, and maintained was a symbol of player ability (in both maintaining it and not breaking it). When CC were to break, a good raid had a chance of recovering - a bad one wiped.
In WotLK, there is a pretty simply process 'Run up to the boss, kill the adds, DPS the boss, and watch out for periodic AoE effects'. Sounds silly to be able to categorize the fights this way but to a large extent they all fit this description in a general sense. No wonder people are losing interest.
IMHO I think there would be one easy way to rekindle interest in the game, add a fourth talent tree to every class and allow for further diversity. Yes, go the completely opposite direction from BTPNTC. After all, talking about class really doesn't mean anything does it, 'lets bring the pally' what did I just say - bring a healer, a DPS, a tank? The game is played on spec not class. By adding a fourth talent tree and adding 'homognized' talents into it, a player could CHOOSE to be more like another class rather than be forced into it. Sponsor diversity rather than murder it.
Bella Mar 9th 2009 9:58AM
Oh ... and the achievements system - WHY???
Rather than calling them achievement points, they should be called 'Degree of boredom with the game'.
Sarabande Mar 9th 2009 11:42AM
I saw a lot of good comments above (incl. need for better gear for BG and also need some attunements for raids).
Also, totally agree with "This is BS, they should NOT be customizing classes to fit their new instance, they should be customizing their new instance to fit the classes they've already built ..."
They are bright and creative people. They can think of many ways to make various fights interesting. Want to limit mana regen? Limit it for a fight or for a room. Doesn't mean you have to change the classes. And not everyone raids. Perhaps they don't because they simply don't WANT to, not because it's not accessible or not "casual" enough. So why should everything be about raids and arenas?
If there was a way to limit mana regen for healers but also nerf players' ability to BLAME THE HEALER for any wipe might make the mechanic more interesting for them. :P Otherwise, it's just more stress for that very necessary role.
It's true that "Players will find a way" as GC likes to say. That means they learn to COPE, not necessarily that they enjoy the changes. It's something to put up with. Besides, if players get too creative, the devs will just find a way to nerf it.
(Yes, 30 min hearth is a really good change, but the "Ghetto Hearth" was an example of players finding a way to do things . . )
Too many changes often just alienates us and makes us dread further changes. Also, we know that if it seems too good, we'll probably get nerfed worse than we were before the temporary buffs.
BTPNOC may be good in theory but not so much in practice.
Why not, instead of making the classes and specs more similar to each other, make each class MORE of what they are - improving their original purpose and strengths? For example, while a fire mage's survival certainly could use some work for pvp, it's already accepted that they are the most breakable of glass cannons. What I'd love to see is an improvement in the "cannon" part of the class . . . fragile, yes, but with unbelievably formidable offensive powers. (And I don't know that really serious PvP mages would spec fire anyway).
Or for affliction locks, it's nice that DoTs can crit but they are known for their slow, painful kills. Why not make that a viable way to kill things . . . by making encounters fit that kill style better (without making it necessary). Maybe adding some kind of real synergy that would specifically help DoT based class/specs?
Each instance has several bosses . . . why not take the opportunity to make the boss fights (or even challenging trash mobs) so that various classes and specs could SHINE with them, not that they are absolutely needed but that it becomes easier with them? For example, first boss - especially vulnerable to melee damage. Second boss - has several beast adds that can be sheeped or AoE'd. Third boss - has a portion of time when it's immune to immediate damage but is hurt but DoTs more during that immune period. Etc. I think they are already doing that but that's a way to make more classes viable. Allow them to use their strengths by designing fights around what they have (and improving those strengths) NOT changing the classes constantly. And certainly NOT make them more similar in ability and stat needs.
Keep the game fun. Players can adapt to changes but too much change to the fundamentals of their specs can be alienating. They may, after all, take GC's advice to play other games very much to heart . . and not look back.
Sorry I rambled but I really felt strongly about this.
fluffyruffles Mar 10th 2009 12:45PM
My Priest has already been shelved to Bank Alt, Elixir Master, and does a transmute once per day, standing at the mailbox.
Everyone else: Heal Thyself.
Hence the reason for First Aid.
My Rogue doesn't leave the mailbox anymore... just opens lockboxes and sends them back. I wish I could Sap mailboxes.
This is the first time I've considered /wowquit.