Cataclysm Beta: Relics changed to carry stats and sockets
by Zach Yonzon 
Aug 14th 2010 at 1:00AM
The change makes relics more like other items that fit in ranged slots except that they remain class-specific, with stats tailored to a particular spec. This should be a welcome change for many players who play hybrid classes and found it difficult or constraining to use ability-specific relics. A list of the relics for death knights, druids, paladins and shaman found in the latest beta can be found on MMO Champion.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From goblins and worgen to mastery and guild changes, it's all here for your cataclysmic enjoyment.Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, Death Knight, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Itanius Aug 14th 2010 1:03AM
It's about time!
Leliana Aug 14th 2010 1:05AM
Ugh... They should've done this the other way imo. It was more interesting having a proc based on your class specific abilities. But, bleh...
prenden2 Aug 14th 2010 7:39AM
Can we be sure that they're removing fun effects from future sigils or is it merely a way to prevent imbalances caused by Wrath-era items in the Cataclysm system? For example: The Holy Light libram so loved by paladins reduced its cost by 110 mana, which was approximately 10% of its total mana cost. Now, in Cataclysm, the same libram would reduce it by almost 30%, due to the lowering of HL mana cost.
I think it's just a way to get around the oddities which could cost the devs a lot of time to rectify.
thebitterfig Aug 14th 2010 11:04AM
well, the Holy Light libram is a great example of why the change should be made.
It was godlike throughout wrath, BiS for just about any paladin apart from a very small number of rare circumstances. the impact the mana cost reduction drastically improved the amount of holy lights you could cast, and that was all a paladin basically did in WotLK. From what I read about Cataclysm from beta reports, the libram is going to be nearly worthess, due to both reductions in the mana cost which make it superfluous, and reductions in the healing power of HL, which means that you'll cast fewer of them and would prefer to simply have more potent heals.
it seems like a generally good idea to allow everyone to have clear decisions in what they should be putting into their ranged slot...
vrucepicke Aug 14th 2010 1:06AM
The proc was what made it unique then just another item. Provided some fun user-item interaction.
Debesun Aug 14th 2010 2:51AM
The thing is though, late into WotLK, the procs mostly were no different to raw stats (from buffs, ring / trinket procs) as they normally had 100% uptime as they were linked to key abilities that you would fequently use.
The previous versions through Vanilla and BC were practically the same but only a tad more unique through the use of 'increase base damage of X by Y' or 'reduce mana cost of X by Y' which resulted in alot of idols, relics and librams being terrible at endgame while the Badge of Justice / heroic dungeon items being BiS compared to the ones available all the way up to BT.
Only Relics that were unique in my eyes (may have forgetton a couple) was a totem from Dire Maul that reduces the CD on Reincarnation, and the druid Idol from Mana Tombs that healed yourself depending on the amount of combo points you had when you did a finishing ability. But those 'bonuses' have basically been taken over with the new interesting talent design and glyphs.
TL;DR- No point hiding the fact they're just stat sticks now anyway. May as well set them out on a balanced playing field with proper itemisation to make balancing and allowing the player to make gearing decision more simplistic.
N-train Aug 14th 2010 3:44AM
Debesun is absolutely right. On top of that, its not like you really had any choice with them anyway... If you dps, you grabbed the dps Relic, and the same for tanking and healing, it's not like a tank would have to decide between an avoidance or armor Relic, for example. That just turns them into an expensive glyph. At least now I'll get to decide what gem to put in there.
And with the removal of class-restrictions (so all Relics are just Relics, no more difference between Sigil or Libram, etc), there might actually be some choice and some thought put into which one to use.
In the end, Relics seemed so passive to me they might as well have been items with a stat. I love procs just as much as anyone else, but if they're hardly worth the effort and I don't even notice they're there, then they may as well be stat items.
vernon145 Aug 14th 2010 5:18AM
@N-train: Even with the change, they are still class restricted. So there is still really no choice.
Beliam Aug 14th 2010 3:05PM
@debesun
In game mechanic terms, yes, the procs just meant stats in the end. But they were FUN. By your logic, they should make Elemental Overload just a static increase in spell damage, since that's all it amounts to in the end. Same for things like Deep Wounds and Ignite. And instead of giving people dps cooldown abilities, just increase their overall damage.
Things like procs might just translate directly to a stat increase of some sort, but their unique effects are what give each class flavor. The relics were a part of that. We can boil the entire game down to making a bar go from 0 to 100 and another bar go from 100 to 0, but what fun would that be?
Alex Aug 14th 2010 6:57PM
Agreed, I absolutely hate the change. Relics/etc that used to have an interesting effect being replaced just by stat items is completely boring.
I recently met a PvE resto shaman with a druid spirit staff, gemmed for spirit, hit and spell penetration. When I told him just how useless spirit was for him he replied: "Spirit is good for a shaman if you don't cast for 5 seconds".
I know blizzard is trying to make a dumbed down game even more accessible for guys like the formentioned shaman. And I hate it.
Thorzon Aug 14th 2010 1:14AM
The procs were nice, but it felt that I, as a Paladin tank, was being left out. Warriors have guns that are itemized for tanking that they don't even use. They just get the stats out of them.
Maribel Aug 14th 2010 3:31AM
Yeah, I love this change as a pali tank. Tanking guns always made me a little jealous. This way we get the stats but keep the class-specific flavor. Why is this bothering people?
I guess it does mean that either relics will be drops now, or that ranged weapons of all stripes will now be badge gear.
SaintStryfe Aug 14th 2010 1:14AM
These are 264, the current ICC ones, just redone. And I can't disagree more, Leli. I am really sick of being left out in the cold. re: stats. compared to hunters and rogues because they get an item stacked with delicious stats and I have an stacking proc that requires the use of an ability my spec shouldn't even be using (ENH Shaman - we have to use Flame Shock and the Ele totem because the haste is so much better for us then the pittily AP boost the ENH totem gets, and it takes longer to ramp up).
Nagrim Aug 14th 2010 1:15AM
You might do a little bit more damage/healing/threat this way but it just seems weird. Class specific things are kinda slipping away and in moderation the game experience is improved, but something like this seems too far.
Elazul Yagami Aug 14th 2010 1:25AM
Exactly my point... more and more class specific things seem to be yanked for "balance" reasons.
are the devs REALLY that lazy?
seriously, how is a proc relic versus a gun/thrown weapon/stat stick, REALLY that different than a proc trinket vs a trinket that just gives stats?
I Repeat.
This.
Is.
Stupid.
Drakkenfyre Aug 14th 2010 1:38AM
The second they announced they were removing Rogues creating their own poisons, I thought it sucked, and removed alot of flavor from the use of them.
"Oh, you no longer have to level lockpicking. It levels automatically. No need to skill it up."
They removed the use of certain ingredients in food like spices. Want spiced charred meat? It's exactly the same as charred meat, but without the spices. Somehow it spices itself.
Then they removed ALL ranks of food and water from Mages, and condensed them down into one rank of food and water you will use for the entire time.
"Hey, we don't llike Shaman having the ability to clean poisons and diseases. You now get Dispell Magic!"
I don't like some of this simplification, either.
theRaptor Aug 14th 2010 2:22AM
This is even worse than the lame ass Tier 9 set bonuses. I am betting that in Cata they are going to do away with set bonuses/relics etc actually changing how we play, which is incredibly boring when they are also doing away with the possibility of new content/patches allowing new DPS builds (currently there is always one top DPS build, but it changes over the course of an expansion, in cata there won't be any change within a single tree).
If they are doing this they should just make a relic item that most classes can use and leave guns/throwing weapons for rogues and hunters (maybe give warriors a low level throw ability for pulling). Wands are pointless in the modern game anyway.
If they are going to homogenise it seems pointless to half-ass it.
Elazul Yagami Aug 14th 2010 8:44AM
You forget, that the stat sticks vs relics were already balanced.
if you have a stat stick worth 100 dps/100 avoidance/100 tps whatever, and a proc relic worth 100 dps/100 avoidance/100 tps whatever. How then is it an issue?
A warrior in BIS with a stat stick Gun, Currently can pull better than a DK in BIS with a relic.
and it's not because some specs benefit from them more than others... that makes little if any sense, because even stat sticks vary per spec.
so yes, it's really not that different from a proc trinket vs a non-proc trinket.
Personally, i say give all the classes some form of relic (especially hunters, Pistols ftw!) and stop being lazy!
Danieldawg Aug 14th 2010 6:05PM
Hunter stat stick=Melee weapon(s). Nuff said.
Elazul Aug 15th 2010 5:24AM
This is silly.
what's next? changing on proc trinkets to just be a bunch of stats, for "balance" reasons?? this is stupid.