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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: The effect of nerfs and buffs
by Allison Robert 
Jan 10th 2010 at 8:00AM
Blizzard's observed in the past that there's often a correlation between the perception of a class as overpowered and the number of people who choose to play it (witness the proliferation of rogues in classic WoW, for example), so it seems fair to say that at least a portion of the player base's class choice is impacted by the conclusion they reach on design decisions. Then again, my own experience in-game -- and the pattern of comment votes here on WoW.com concerning class changes -- leads me to believe that yo-yoing between classes based on which one is doing "best" at any given time is not the overwhelming trend. The Warcraft Census' numbers on class population also seem to be evening out, slowly but surely, from a little bit over 6 months ago (which was itself an improvement over very lopsided numbers in favor of death knights and paladins shortly after Wrath went live). This would seem to suggest that, over the long term, people continue to play the class they like most for reasons that survive design changes. Or is it just that each character represents such a significant time investment that most people don't think it's worth it to switch mains?
I'm sure that arena and PvP as a whole wind up driving a portion of this, but what impact do class nerfs and buffs really have? If your main was ever nerfed, did you wind up playing a different toon, or did it just not matter that much to you? If your main was buffed, was it genuinely more fun to play?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 6)
Ramco Jan 10th 2010 8:09AM
I play warrior and shaman because I like the classes, not because they are good in PvE or PvP. Besides, I also level really slowly, so fotm doesn't work for me.
And I think those statistics are really wrong. Rogue as least played class?
brammage Jan 10th 2010 10:08AM
I believe it. I see a rogue in my random groups maybe one time out of five.
Sehvekah Jan 10th 2010 11:37AM
Can't speak for every server, but it seems about right for Muradin. Not a whole lotta Rogues running around there in comparison to other classes. Maybe not *least* played class, but noticeably fewer than DK's or pallies.
Missescake Jan 10th 2010 12:59PM
Seems about right to me, as well. I'm not in a large guild, so I have to pug any raids u want to run. Over the past few months, a typical 25-man would have 1 rogue (me). Very, very rarely would we have two.
Out of the hundred or so random DF groups I've been in, I've only been grouped with one other rogue.
Although over the last month, I've noticed a few more than normal running around our server. My speculation is that, since rogues are useful for more than just DPS in Icecrown (disarming traps in the first wing, shutting off the Frogger gas in the second), some folks have brought their toons out of mothballs.
Jabadabadana Jan 10th 2010 1:45PM
Apparently they are all in my guild.
We have more rogues than we know what to do with, and people keep rolling more as alts.
I haven't noticed nerfs causing me to switch toons, but ease of play has.
I rolled a priest to be my healer toon. Went well, and I did well.
More recently, I rolled a druid to be a feral kitty. I decided to make resto the offspec, because I like healing. Then when I finally put my crappy set of blues, greens, and a couple of AH epics together, I found that I could outheal my priest who is in full epics.
A few upgrades later, and a successfully healed H HoR, and I basically shelved my priest.
Is that the result of a buff to druids, a nerf to priests, OP'ness of druids, or personal play-style, I'm not sure.
Utakata Jan 10th 2010 2:40PM
I too play the Mage class because I like it...threw thick and thin.
Though oddly, in TBC with an odd Fire spec, ho-hum gear and invis damage cap...I was able to blow the dps meters even over those geared higher than me. But now despite my more conservative spec (read: cookie cutter), better gear and many favorable buffs to my class in Wrath, I am just able to squeak by. I am still popular and needed...just I guess I hang with many who don't consider Recount (or Gearscore) as a measurment to ones' skill alone...
...getting to the point: If you're looking for trends in godhood classes...don't look to us. :)
Terethall Jan 10th 2010 8:51PM
I play a lock, and it's weird for me to see another lock in even a 25man. I have two rogues on my friends list, but I have at least seven or eight pallies and four or five death knights. Pure dps as a whole seems to be struggling to keep up with the combined might of hybrids, especially Wrath's two faceroll classes.
Eddy Jan 10th 2010 8:10AM
I recall when the buffs went out right before BC hit, everyone was having loads more fun. I was just gleeful because I was one of the few that played a Moonkin (not very well) before then and finally I knew my spec was going to be rewarded. It was actually going to be viable and not suck. Then somehow, I suppose because I'd never enjoyed it as much as the people I was playing with and the guild fell apart, I couldn't stand it anymore. I've never been able to get the thing to 70.
For my current main, I tend to be pretty fair-weather- I will learn whatever spec is currently the best for my gear bracket and I generally enjoy it. I liked it when hunters did awesome DPS with a spam macro- now I need to work a little harder, but not much, and I like the change. I'm not sure what the lack of Intellect will do for the class come Cataclysm, and I'm not sure my loyalty to the game could withstand another huge shakeup- but if the playstyle is more or less the same, I'm sure I'll adapt then. I can't see myself switching mains (though I'm hoping to get a Paladin and a Priest healer both up to cap, so I can switch back and forth based on what is most viable and most fun at the time.)
Eddy Jan 10th 2010 8:12AM
I suppose I should correct myself- the lack of mana as a resource, not the lack of intellect (though I'm sure hunter gear will no longer carry intellect on it for that reason.)
Rabidlemming Jan 10th 2010 11:16AM
Mail will still have intellect as long as Enhancement Shamans continue using mana as their resource.
evangelisiti Jan 10th 2010 12:16PM
I doubt they will keep int on mail gear; with the gear consolidation of the past year I rarely see gear that is catered towards a certain spec of a certain class (see: elemental gear). Just a thought, but blizz might decide to add in another talent like mental quickness (correct me if that's the wrong one) that adds sp based off ap, but instead adds mana based off agi if my enhancement buddies are going oom to often.
DeathPaladin Jan 10th 2010 1:05PM
Here's my wild supposition as to how they'll handle Hunter and Enhancement Shaman gearing:
Option 1: Give Hunters a reason to still want Intellect. For example, they could have it increase Focus regeneration.
Option 2: Make it so Enhancement doesn't need Intellect. They managed to solve that problem rather successfully with Paladins with Guarded by the Light in Protection and Judgements of the Wise in Retribution.
Eddy Jan 10th 2010 1:49PM
I wonder if they'd go so far as to rebalance Enhancement to take Elemental gear? I'd personally love to see that. No more gear that only two specs use versus gear that four specs use- I'd love to see a twist on Classic's one gear set for everyone, except this time it actually supports all of the playstyles that the class promises (except oddball specs like Shockadin or Moonkin Tank or what have you.)
Zayd Jan 10th 2010 8:13AM
Watch the World of Roguecraft videos for a fun commentary on why rogues were popular in vanilla WoW.
Watching the PvP in those videos now is almost cringe worthy now though, so many keyboard turners in those days!
Gamer am I Jan 10th 2010 8:13AM
"This would seem to suggest that, over the long term, people continue to play the class they like most for reasons that survive design changes. Or is it just that each character represents such a significant time investment that most people don't think it's worth it to switch mains?"
I think it's both. I know that I play a druid because that class can do the most roles in the game, and though I was spoiled because I didn't hit the level cap until Burning Crusade, when we started to actually fulfill that original design intention, I would likely stick with my druid unless the druid class was so nerfed as to be unplayable. At that point, I would only be switching out of necessity, but I would still keep my druid. I have 60+ days of /played on him. I have almost 80 pets, the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth, and epic flying, and I could never give that up.
"If your main was ever nerfed, did you wind up playing a different toon, or did it just not matter that much to you? If your main was buffed, was it genuinely more fun to play?"
When buffs and nerfs are solely in terms of numbers, they don't affect my play-style that much, unless they are to the extent that they make a certain ability useful when it was useless, or vice versa. The only buffs and nerfs that affect what character I play are those that change the play-style of that character. It's for that reason that the balance and resto trees could be nerfed to the ground and I would still play my druid, because he's feral and those nerfs wouldn't affect him.
I play this game for fun, and the only things that really determines how fun a character is is how that character plays. Minor buffs and nerfs really don't affect that. I guess I'm different because I don't raid and I rarely do 5-mans, so I'm not exposed to classes' comparative advantage, but as long as a character is fun, who cares how powerful it is?
BoB Jan 10th 2010 8:30AM
/agree. A nerf/buff in the form of "X ability does 2% more/less damage," isn't really like to turn anyone off a class. A class redesign? Like the one that hunters are getting in Cata, or Ret in 3.0.2? I believe that can, at least, for a few months, vastly influence who you're likely to see /siting on you in Battlegrounds.
-Drexel- Jan 10th 2010 8:15AM
I simply don't have the time or the desire to follow the nerf/buff cycle with the characters that I play. I chose 2 hybrid classes and use dual spec due to this same lack of excessive time. I play my DK with a tank/mellee DPS setup and my Shaman with a healing/elemental set up. That covers all the roles that can be played in a 5 or 10 man and what they do to those classes and specs doesn't matter to me.
Doma Jan 10th 2010 8:16AM
I'm glad WoW.com's putting up some really good articles recently.
Doma Jan 10th 2010 8:28AM
Whoops, forgot to answer!
No, nerfs have had no effect on which character I play. Doesn't mean I take nerfs well (cause I HATE em), but I roll whichever class has the most enjoyable play-style. For me, that has always been Ele shamans, even back in the days when they weren't that good (I didn't know any better). Picture a shaman running around Hellfire Penn letting a hellboar beat on it just to get water shield to proc (glad they added that passive aspect).
So that's the thing. Maybe I'm lucky because of my class choice, but I've never had a nerf that was so detrimental to my play-style that it took the fun out of playing. If that ever happens I'm sure I would switch. But has that ever happened to anyone since Burning Crusade?
I mean sure, the scourge of retadins after 3.0 and the goofball mechanics of DKs were nerfed TO THE GROUND, BABY but no one could seriously take the nerfs to heart as if you've been playing that way for years. You knew they were coming.
Knob Jan 10th 2010 8:16AM
Couldn't care less about buffs or nerfs. I play my class because I enjoy it and I'm not delusional in thinking that nothing in the game will ever change. MMOs constantly change and if the people that whine about them are unhappy about it, then they need to find a new hobby.