I know I'm going to regret posting in this thread again, but I think it's the right thing to do so I'll take one for the team. :)

We think Multi-Shot is a more interesting ability and can fill the hunter AE niche (along with Explosive Trap). We'll have to change Multi-Shot from the current version to get it there. I'm very sorry if for some unusual reason Volley was your favorite spell as a hunter. We've been trying to consolidate abilities and free up some bar space and having multiple AEs that competed with each other seems like a good area to hit up. The Volley and Multi-Shot niches were very similar, which resulted in the latter being dead. We wanted to pick one and we though Multi-Shot felt more huntery and less "clunky" (to use a favorite Wow forums term).

Do consider that you won't be AE'ing yourselves through Cataclysm content the way you do currently. When you do need to AE, hunters will have the tools to do so. In situations where you do have to AE, you are probably not also trying to CC. When you're back to the level of trivializing lower level content, nobody is going to say "Don't bring a hunter. Their AE spam isn't spammy enough." We don't consider easily breaking rogues out of stealth a good reason to keep Volley around.

I think that hits most of the reasonable concerns. I care much less about addressing the unreasonable ones. :)

As always, those of you whose sole contribution is to post very inane or derogatory things will be banned.

Man, have we come a long way from "AE is only for trash."

Yes. Many of the problems we've had with Ret are of the "one man army" category, where a paladin can do a lot of damage, then go defensive and heal themselves up. We love the kit of the paladin who can heal as well as do damage, but it needs to be tightly controlled. Word of Glory gives us that control. We have the room to make the spell really powerful because we know its on a tight cooldown and you sacrifice dps to use it. We can't do that today with say Flash of Light, because once you can cast one strong FoL, you can cast a bunch of them until you go OOM (at which point you Judge or Divine Plea, and you're going again). Similarly, we can make Selfless Healer nearly overpowered because you can't use it on yourself and because even with it you're not going to out compete a Holy paladin in healing. If you can occasionally contribute to group healing in tight spots, then that's great. That's some utility you can provide. (Note: Don't oversell this as "I'll get brought to raids because of my healing.")


That's the wrong view to take though. The equivalent would be "I'm balanced around getting a crit every swing, so when that doesn't happen, RNG screws me." You get a Templar's Verdict every 3 Crusader Strikes. Sometimes you get lucky and need fewer. You of course need to pay attention for when that happens and be able to react to it and alter your immediate plans. That right there is the element we think is most missing from today's Ret paladin.


I've been tempted to change it soooo many times. :)


Those numbers don't have to be the same though. The new talent tree design affords us a lot more flexibility in that regard. Part of the reason Word of Glory is so useful to Holy is because it costs no mana. Ret doesn't really care about mana, because it comes and goes easily, but a Ret generally won't be able to sit there and queue up several Holy Lights in a row. They will be able to sometimes use a Word of Glory though.

This week on the WoW Europe Community forums:

If you think of all the music currently in the game, what music is your favourite?
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=14332936670&sid=1

When it comes to professions, how are you preparing for Cataclysm?
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=14469477500&sid=1

To those of you with a sense of fashion, who like to gather stylish gear, we present to you the Equipment Show Off thread!
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=14469477209&sid=1

Speaking of gear, how would you prefer your class gear looks in Cataclysm?
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=14332817838&sid=1

Here is a question for roleplayers and lore-buffs alike: Which of the 10 playable races do you think is the strongest in terms of Military Might?
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=5226012572&sid=1

And last but not least, we have a special treat for those of you who have been following Alayne's Story - The conclusion to part III of Alayne's Story has just been posted, and it is most awesome.
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=983458507&postId=143316371567&sid=1#1240

Guides, Guides, Guides!

This week we have a small PvP FAQ for those of you Death Knights out there who like to spend your time in the Arenas
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?sid=1&topicId=14332865960

And for all the aspirant Moonkins out there, you might want to take a peek at this neat Balance Druid guide
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=13200549755&sid=1

Feel like rolling a Warrior, but not sure about the best way to approach the class and the task of levelling? Well no need to worry about that, because here is a nice Warrior levelling guide to help you.
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=14340386104&sid=1


Have a magnificent week everybody :-)