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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsStealth detection items nerfed
by Eliah Hecht 
May 14th 2009 at 7:00PM
I tried to make a "stealth nerf" pun in the headline, but it just wasn't coming to me. Anyway, Blizzard has decided that items that grant stealth detection were feeling too mandatory in arenas, "forc[ing] players to use lower level equipment even when more powerful items were available to them." Therefore, they've nerfed the lot of them.
- Ultra-Spectropic Detection Goggles can no longer be used in arenas.
- Epic engineering goggles will no longer grant stealth detection.
- Stealth detection on many other items (Catseye Ultra Goggles, Blood Guard's Dragonhide Gauntlets, Marshal's Dragonhide Gauntlets, Knight-Lieutenant's Dragonhide Gloves, General's Dragonhide Gloves, Bloodvine Lens, Knight-Lieutenant's Dragonhide Grips, Blood Guard's Dragonhide Grips, The Night Watchman) has been reduced.
This hotfix is already live; tooltips are not updated, yet, but will be in the next patch (patch 3.1.2).
What's your reaction to this? Obviously it's bad when people feel compelled to wear low-level items because they're overpowered (witness the Badge of Tenacity for Druid tanks), but is this going to lead to rogues becoming even more overpowered than (I hear) they already are?
Filed under: Engineering, Items, News items, PvP, Arena
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
Ametrine May 15th 2009 7:05AM
Only thing the Catseye goggles DID was detect stealth. Now... what? They just look weird and do nothing?
Sinthar May 15th 2009 7:29AM
Well to answer some peoples misconceptions:-
1) Human perceptions 'slightly' increases stealth detection. After they nurfed it before, i have NEVER seen a rogue before being sapped and half killed, even then its only because i macro'd several CD's together. The rogue then can just vanish (if it works, as yes Blizz screws every class) or cloak and sprint away. Even blink is useless 50% of the time cos that blade of grass is in the way.
I reiterate, if a rogue thinks cos of the human racial their stealth is useless, please let me sell you some real estate. The ONLY time its worked it when a rogue literally stood 1 foot in front of me, and waited (d/c or afk). And yes i still remember slowly killing him with extreme enjoyment.
2) EMFH (the human 'second trinket' as refered to above) shares the trinkets CD, so its NOT a second trinket, and cannot be used as one
3) Any one of the rogues saying 'you cant stunlock anyone to death anymore' play a cloth wearer (Mage, priest, lock). You WILL be stunlocked and killed, and no i dont care what gear your in (see next point)
4) Even in decent (Hateful/deadly) gear i am STILL stunlocked and killed with annoying regularity, even in the middle of large battles, by rogues in greens and blues.
5) as many ppl have pointed out, if ppl think its SUCH a problem their willing to take a less powerful item JUST to get some stealth detection sacreficing health defense and damage, surely then STEALTH is too OP.
6) more nurfs to engineering without some love back is not fair (no im not an engineer)
7) during most BG's it is quite easy to single out people slightly away from the others or pick the last one off, so making a 1v1 situation
8) as to shadowsight in arena's - i have no comment as i believe its nessacary for those fights where a rogue is left, and several opposing team members. As rogues do not lose gracefully most of the time(some do, the others spoil it for the good ones). In the same situation where i have no chance left (3v1 or 5v1 - VERY rare i survive to the end like that tbh) i usually make a screaming mad mage bomber attack. At least i die in a blaze of glory, attacking my foes.
Please note i am not screaming, or abusing anyone. These are just the facts as i have seen. Obviously others will see differently, and i respect their opinion (i just hold my own). If you want me to genuinely respond to intelligent discourse, please respond in a like manner. Insults and/or abuse do not change peoples minds, but set them in stone. So behave please. I will ignore any response that does abuse/insult.
Blizzsucks May 15th 2009 8:30AM
Good god! Blizzard sure can't take a hint. If people are willing to use lower level gear to detect stealth then perhaps Blizzard needs to nerf stealth!
Blizzsucks May 15th 2009 8:31AM
Good god! Blizzard sure can't take a hint. If people are willing to use lower level gear to detect stealth then perhaps Blizzard needs to nerf stealth!
Josin May 15th 2009 8:49AM
So my rogue's epic goggles are going to lose stealth detection? Aside from being upset at engineering products being made even more useless, this seems like a non-issue.
Fix Vanish, Blizz.
dapcmeck May 15th 2009 9:40AM
Woot Rogue buff. Why not just give them pally bubbles too.
domilol May 15th 2009 10:08AM
@Gormak
Just because you hit harder doesn't mean you will be doing better, rogues specifically took the goggles because it helped win them more games than the extra stats ever.
Against vsing teams with no rogues them, I guess yes, its a buff, but a small one albeit but against vsing teams with rogues it's undoubtably a nerf, the rogues can no longer get saps at the rate of success they use to be able to (sure it's all realtive, but the reduction of stealth detect means the reduction of the detect aoe meaning there is abit more luck in the equation now than seeing the rogue 10yards out).
Again, sure it may be a small buff against non stealth teams (I see it rather as a change since they already had that capacity) but you have to realize the rogues used those goggles because it won them more games than the other helms ever did. Buff to specifics but a nerf overall.
clak May 15th 2009 10:27AM
Great I dont arenas, I got the googles and I liked them but now they are getting hit.
Why couldnt blizz just leave the effects alone and just make it so that inside the arenas stealth detection effects are all reduced.
Seriously its about time they start giving arena its own set of rules so it can be freely balanced and the rest of the game is left alone.
tulipblossom May 15th 2009 2:31PM
I think you may be a god, in disguise. So simply put, but so perfectly said.
I wish that someone at Blizzard would read your comment and be like "o rly?" Cause, apparently, this sort of logical thinking has eluded them.
rai May 15th 2009 11:31AM
If these items were so req in arena, isn't is kind of obvious that stealth is what needed nerfing, not stealth detection?
Naix May 15th 2009 11:56AM
Rogues everywhere rejoice.
shadowbeard May 15th 2009 12:59PM
You should've found a picture of John C Riley from Talladega Nights (wearing sunglasses), the Title should've been "Now You See Me... Now You Don't: A Comprehensive Nerf to Stealth Detection Items"
ash May 15th 2009 2:30PM
Wow, this sucks. Nice way to whack on an already maligned profession, at least they could have given us something in return.
Radiophonic May 15th 2009 2:56PM
Another nerf because of PvP QQ. Never saw that coming huh?
formercustomer May 15th 2009 6:13PM
Sounds like the crab man's rogue got high enough in arena rankings that now he's only facing other rogue teams, doesn't have the goggles himself and doesn't feel like grinding out engineering.
etch another notch in the nerf board.
Codexx May 15th 2009 6:27PM
why isn't it possible to just stop the stealth detection from working(at full power anyways) in arena?
Nexultor May 17th 2009 4:20PM
Title that should have been.....
"Bet you didn't see this one coming!"
Anywhoozle. Goggles....as long as they give me my stats and show me the money clouds I am ok with what they do. Take away that and it is DOOOOM!!