Silence!
by Matthew Rossi 
Mar 30th 2010 at 7:00PM
A recent discussion on the forums about Thunder Clap and its being suppressed by silence effects (it always has, or at least has for so long that I've just accepted it) brings out Ghostcrawler to explain the reasoning. Quite frankly, it's a pretty reasonable explanation: if you're silenced, no one can hear the Thunder Clap going off, and thus, it doesn't do anything.
It's not due to the ability being magical or not, silences prevent spell casting by preventing the spells themselves from being uttered, they're not a dispel, so it makes sense in game that silences also prevent any other ability that needs to be heard from working. I know from tanking Raging Spirits on top of ICC that I also can't taunt when silenced, which makes sense. I can yell all the insulting words I want at the ghost, but he can't hear them. I'm honestly not sure if I can Shockwave in this situation (we have very fast dispellers) but some sources I've checked indicate that yes, Shockwave is also prevented by silence. (I really don't get silenced all that much. I'll run some tests later today.)
I find it very interesting to see the complexities of how abilities and conditions interact in game, and how abilities are changed by in-game world logic. One class obviously uses the Holy Light, while another is just getting by on brute force: the in game distinction creates new complexities.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Zhiva Mar 30th 2010 7:04PM
And now we know that all mobs immune to taunts are just deaf.
Elmouth Mar 30th 2010 7:33PM
My interupt is actually just a punch in the mouth
Mok Mar 30th 2010 7:46PM
I don't get it, I always thought that "lore wise" the warrior stomps his foot really hard on the ground and crazy things happen. So does the Warrior imitate the sound thunder makes
with his mouth? like a little kid?
Chris M Mar 30th 2010 7:44PM
Lady Deathwhisper sez Frostbolt is a bad motha...
SHUT YO MOUTH!
I'm just talkin about Frostbolt!
JC_Icefox Mar 30th 2010 8:05PM
@Mok
PAK-TCHEEEW BOOOOOM KSHHHHH
Yeah, makes sense to me. If a Warrior did that, I'd want to Silence him too.
kharrah02 Mar 30th 2010 9:05PM
@Mok
I Agree
I always assumed Thunderclap was the warrior smashing his foot into the ground causing lightning to come out around him.
At least that's what the animation showed them doing in WC3.
Thunderclap is a lightning ability, more like a real AoE chain lightning. No-were in the creation of lightning is sound involved at all. "THUNDER" is a result of lightning, not the other way around, of which the "THUNDER-clap" seems to have all lightning and no thunder.
Superthrust Mar 30th 2010 9:07PM
I can confirm, Silence DOES NOT ALLOW Shockwave. I have an 80 tank, and silences SUCK.
Also, @Elmouth, I just got a vivid image of a mage casting a spell, then a warrior walking over calmly, and just cold cocking him right in the mouth, complete with "OOMF!" sounds and the "Interrupted!" text.
Edge Mar 30th 2010 9:17PM
It's called Thunderclap, not Lightningclap. Thunder is all sound, and to me lorewise would make you produce a wave of sound so powerful it hurts you physically. Doesn't matter where the sound comes from, if you are silenced it could be said that this prevents you from producing any sound waves at all, including ones from your feet.
kharrah02 Mar 30th 2010 9:55PM
@Edge
Ignoring the fact of what it is CALLED, the animation shows substantial amount of LIGHTNING when its cast. So either re-name the ability or change the animation.
Because as it is, Lightning comes before thunder (in Real Life), so the animation in-game suggests the CLAP part is just a resulting noise of the lightning flying out.
ilovewow Mar 30th 2010 10:24PM
@edge, dont think that's it's actually a lightning spell as much as that is how the wave of sound came across once it was drawn.
I see how it looks like lightning though.
ash Mar 31st 2010 12:26AM
This is the way things work in D&D from what I remember. It kind of depended on the ability but in general you could apply silence to the localized area around a person so no sound would be emitted from them. This could suck if you were on the receiving end, but it could also help if you wanted to do something especially stealthy: just cast silence on the doorjamb you're trying to break or that guard you want to kill and no one will hear you or be the wiser.
Cyanea Mar 31st 2010 2:04AM
I always thought that Thunderclap involved a mental/spiritual component. This is gonna expose me as a huge nerd, but in the sport of Kendo (Japanese fencing), a big part of combat is the use of your kiai, or spirit funneled through a scream or a shout. It functions as a battlecry (like you see in movies when the warrior/samurai is charging), as a representation of your spirit and intent, as well as serves a practical purpose of controlling airflow when you make a strike and reducing fatigue. Since warriors are all about expressing rage, and focusing energy into weapons, it kind of makes sense when you think about it.
So obviously, since you can't shout, you can't channel your energy into your attack, and so you can't Thunderclap. Tadaa.
Volomon Mar 31st 2010 2:24AM
It's called thunder clap, you know what clapping is don't you?
To break it down utterly since you guys are trying to figure it out. Thunderclap is a classic comic book move, the damage is caused by concussive force. The slow is caused by the lack of equilibrium in the opponent causing them come to grasps with balance and having general issues over all with that mental function.
What happens is the hands come together (although not properly animated, you have to remember these animations are old) you will see both glow with power, a blast of sound is let out the (electricity is pure show, since it is not nature damage any more, most likely their redeemed the whole purpose and workings but didn't change the animation) and the the stomp is an additional propellant of the shockwave (it's literally a shockwave).
Hence if silenced the concussive force can no longer be applied and the stomp and electricity have no meaning otherwise.
This move is also an ACTUAL move in real life, where you take both hands and cup them, bring them full force to an opponents ear. This will disorient them and possibly explode their ear drums. It is also a move performed, like I said in comic books, such as the Hulk, and who better to be a key model of a Warrior.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShZrVG_tYU4
Sir Broose Mar 31st 2010 11:51AM
I've always pictured my Thunderclap as connecting with some universal force - maybe a god of warriors like Zeus, and, sort of, channeling lightning through my weapon or something. In my head I see myself actually slamming my weapon into the ground and discharging it.
I always though of silence as stopping the caster from being able to speak, so they couldn't cast verbal spells. The DK spell is called Strangulate, after all.
I suppose, since actions like the warrior's Pummel don't actually silence, they just interrupt that particular spell, they could be explained as a simple punch in the face, whereas a silence effect is more of a dome stopping all sound, but I don't like it. I'm not saying that a warrior's TC and SW should be immune to silence, as far as balance goes, but I don't like it lore-wise.
Idran Mar 31st 2010 2:25PM
@kharrah02: Lightning and thunder are simultaneous in real life. Thunder is the sound of lightning ionizing the air. Lightning just looks like it comes first because light is faster than sound.
Derrek Mar 31st 2010 4:27PM
Next time you get Feared, just remember that the warlock is playing with your mind. He's not really all that powerful, and just happens to know a spell that will make you think he's really scary. Like the guy in Batman Begins.
Although how the act of stroking your lovely little trinket will make you less scared is beyond me. Must be a comfort thing.
Antthestone Mar 30th 2010 7:09PM
Sweet, now i dont feel as dumb when i tab target to a warrior or other melee class in a bg and counterspell :)
Randy Mar 30th 2010 7:16PM
Um what exactly are you dispelling as we warriors don't have cast times......thunder clap, taunt and shockwave are all instant so what the crap are you newb mage counterspelling on us melee?
Bregtaan Mar 30th 2010 7:25PM
Randy, before ignorantly throwing out the "newb" cliché, read up a bit on mages and check out:
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=12598
In this case your "newb" accusation kind of bounced back at you.
Twilit Soul Mar 30th 2010 7:29PM
@Randy
um what exactly do you think you're being a jerk for as he said "I don't feel as dumb"...which shows that he obviously realises it doesn't accomplish much. Tab targeting isn't exactly reliable. Sometimes you meant to get the priest and stop his heal but accidentally grab the warrior instead, when it's too late to stop the counterspell. I know if you've ever tab targeted before (and most of us lazies have) then you've hit the wrong target by accident at least once.
So what the crap are you calling people newbs for, newb?