Ming tackles Patch 3.2's resilience change
by Alex Ziebart 
Jun 22nd 2009 at 6:00PM
Despite his sometimes-crass way of getting his point across, Ming is one of the best PvP bloggers around these days. When the Patch 3.2 patch notes revealed the upcoming change to resilience, I was hoping to hear his take on it. He delivered! If you haven't seen the patch notes, Resilience in Patch 3.2 will lower incoming damage across the board in addition to its protection against critical strikes. By Ming's estimates, after all other factors have been taken into consideration, the change will bring a net difference of an added 10% damage reduction in the upcoming Season 7.That number probably doesn't seem like a lot to people who don't set foot into the arena at all, but for people who arena seriously and competitively, it will be a game changer. The developers' stated goal is to slow down the pace of the arena, and this change will do exactly that. An extra 10% buffer on survivability has the potential to absolutely be the difference between a one minute game and a five minute game. It has the potential to be the difference between a gib and a last second defensive save. As has been stated, it's possible to die in the span of one GCD, and that's not fun. If this change can extend one GCD to two or three GCDs to allow for reaction time, the arena just might end up more balanced than it has ever previously been, unless you pretend Mace Stun didn't exist in the middle seasons of The Burning Crusade.
You really shouldn't take my word for it, though. I PvP, but I'd never claim to be a highly rated anything. There's a reason I was waiting for Ming's take on it. Go read what he has to say, and be bolstered by it. The arena might actually be truly fun again.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Arena
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
recoveringcynic Jun 22nd 2009 6:08PM
"Balance" is a tricky thing. This change has the potential to upset the arena in favor of healers, who were previously dominant in seasons 1 and 2.
Lemons Jun 22nd 2009 6:16PM
I hope Ming's predictions come true and I get to use my PvP gear to PvP...
sibnik Jun 22nd 2009 6:26PM
Ouch. Looking at that screen shot after playing Aion beta all weekend hurts. All of Blizzards billions and that's the best they can do for a new armor? Jeeez.
smcn Jun 22nd 2009 6:32PM
Yeah, it's a shame Blizzard uses its money to make a game people actually want to play, instead of barely being able to sustain 500,000 subscribers after a month like every other MMO that has come out since 2005.
Sarakin Jun 22nd 2009 6:42PM
500 000 sounds pretty damn good to me that's quite a few people.
just because it isn't 12 million or whatever doesn't make it anything to scoff at.
sibnik Jun 22nd 2009 6:40PM
I'll remember that when you cancel your wow account to play Aion.
I've been playing wow since beta. Aion just killed wow for me over one weekend of beta play. It's that good.
Bouillestfu Jun 22nd 2009 7:15PM
Ouch
Myria Jun 22nd 2009 6:48PM
I've lost count, is Aion the thirty-second or thirty-third "awesome" (yawn) game that's going to be killing WoW realsoonnow?
Seriously, give it a rest, come back and tell us all "I told you so" *after* Aion does anything but fail hard. Until then, we've heard it all before... Oh so many boring times.
Lucas Jun 22nd 2009 6:51PM
if its gonna be anything like nearly every other PlayNC release, then it will be a friggin awesome game! untill you realise you have completed the entire game within a matter of days and you re-subscribe to WoW xD its happened at plenty of other game releases aswell, Beta = awesome and loads of people say they are gonna quit, they do then they return :) so yes it is just like every other MMO release recently
devilsei Jun 22nd 2009 7:29PM
Myria, the companies themselves aren't always the ones who say that. Its people who get too hyped up about a game.
SMCN, 500,000 thousand is actually a bloody good number if it remains constant around it for an MMO, its actually the norm for a good one. WoW's an exception to that.
And Lucas, I doubt you could complete the game in a few days, or even a week. Leveling in Aion is a tad bit slower than WoW, even from 1-10. It doesn't take 8 mobs to level up to 2 or 3 or even 4. Once you hit 6, if you die you don't get a debuff, you lose a small bit of xp. Go PvPing in the abyss, and you'll also lose Abyss Points. Abyss points are used for gear and rank, and if you are the best, well people will be able to tell.
Ganesh Jun 22nd 2009 7:02PM
Does this mean that druid tanks will get pvp gear again for the added damage reduction?
ash Jun 22nd 2009 7:37PM
I'm wondering about this too, will this make any of the items with resilience desirable for tanks in PVE. I'm kinda guessing no, but you never know with the theorycrafters.
Matthew Rossi Jun 22nd 2009 8:27PM
Resilience will only reduce incoming damage from players now, so I don't think tanks will seek it out.
Dreadskull Jun 22nd 2009 7:19PM
I won't be surprised if "Nerf DoTs!" posts become the regular again. Seeing as how DoTs have already had this damage reduction by resilience since around the middle/later time of the Burning Crusade, and they're basically still getting the same damage reduction from resilience (or is it the same?), DoTs will probably start appearing to do more damage in the arenas compared to melee and whatnot, since DoTs have been sort of balanced around the resilience affecting them piece.
Matt Jun 22nd 2009 8:37PM
Reading that blog makes my head hurt.
Sources are never given, quotes not attributed, needlessly confusing lingo is used (lots more than you see in *real* competitive communities), and huge amounts of attention given to drama and rumors instead of the so-called "great" competition WOW PvP provides.
I'm impressed be even the most limited success the game has had as a competitive platform, as the game mechanics really don't support good competition or skilled play.
I'm not surprised that the community that formed around the so-called competitive Arena is so angry and full of people that lack any understanding of actual competition.
Vespene Jun 22nd 2009 8:51PM
Ahh Ming Ming... unite Joe and Lawlen, the unstoppable brothers of chinkness.
- Sythis
Vassal Jun 22nd 2009 9:19PM
This doesn't fix the fact that arenas are still bland..
Taladan Jun 23rd 2009 5:17AM
So, I guess we can expect to have a new season when patch 3.2 arrives, right? I mean, they won't change the specs for arenas right in the middle of a season...
Grundel Jun 23rd 2009 10:17AM
Ming is an idiot and is a large part of the PVP-needed-fixed-BC-PVP-was-bad that is causing each patch to have massive mechanic implications.
Do not promote Ming. Ming is a loser. No Rogue can effectively comment on PVP.
Kryxx Jun 25th 2009 11:50PM
"No Rogue can effectively comment on PVP."
LoL! That comment is full of fail.