Class design and balance Q&A session coming this Wednesday
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Nov 8th 2011 at 12:15AM
As with the last Q&A, the chat will use the CoverItLive system, so make sure you're signed up and familiar with it if you want to ask a question. Check after the break for the text of the announcement.
Zarhym
To follow up on our first World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria developer Q&A on the CoverItLive platform, we're gathering the entire class design team to field your questions on the past, present, and future of World of Warcraft classes. Anyone is welcome to join in the live Q&A this Wednesday, November 9, beginning at approximately 10:45 a.m. and concluding around noon PST.
You can read along via the CoverItLive client embedded below while the Q&A is live. To participate, you just use your Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or OpenID credentials, or simply sign in as a guest. If you're on the go while the event's underway on Wednesday, be sure to check out the free mobile apps available on the Android Market and iTunes Store.
We'll see you back here on Wednesday morning!
Hosts: Community Managers Bashiok and Zarhym
Panelists: Class Designers Celestalon, Ghostcrawler, Koraa, Watcher, Wradyx, and Xelnath
You can read along via the CoverItLive client embedded below while the Q&A is live. To participate, you just use your Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or OpenID credentials, or simply sign in as a guest. If you're on the go while the event's underway on Wednesday, be sure to check out the free mobile apps available on the Android Market and iTunes Store.
We'll see you back here on Wednesday morning!
Hosts: Community Managers Bashiok and Zarhym
Panelists: Class Designers Celestalon, Ghostcrawler, Koraa, Watcher, Wradyx, and Xelnath
Filed under: Blizzard, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dave N. Nov 8th 2011 12:58AM
Oh goodie, I am off Wednesday. Hopefully I can get a question in there early so they get a chance to answer it.
Hih Nov 8th 2011 1:12AM
Dear Blizzard, PLEASE don't answer throwaway questions like "What armor class will Rogues use?" or anything similar to the "Where do we level from 85-90?" question answered in the MoP one.
Poleposition Nov 8th 2011 2:00AM
The CMs only fielded those while the designers were typing out longer responses to better questions so there was less dead time - those questions didn't actually soak up any real question time. Expect more of the same this time.
lilywillylover Nov 8th 2011 1:20AM
I hope someone asks when Gnomes will get another class (besides Monk) since they have the least amount of classes to choose from and the Alliance have an overall, one less race-class combination to choose from.
awall Nov 8th 2011 1:41AM
Gnomish hunters are about the only combination that works thematically out of the classes they don't have access to. Druids and Shaman are very unlikely, and I would say Paladins are only a little less so.
Look at the bright side, Alliance have one less combination for the guild achievement. :-)
paulmewis Nov 8th 2011 8:41AM
1 vote for gnome druids.
lazymangaka Nov 8th 2011 8:58AM
I'm a diehard Hordie, but I'd roll a Gnomadin.
Zachariahs Nov 8th 2011 2:59PM
Goblins are shamans because they crafted their totems to use the elements around them. Why couldn't gnomes do the same?
However I would rather see paladins, and hunters are more likely only cause every other race has hunters.
Good luck with druids tho. It'd be awesome but would never happen.
jacksworth Nov 8th 2011 2:40AM
i swear to god if they say hunters are 'fine' one more time i will throw a hissy fit
Fletcher Nov 8th 2011 3:24AM
Don't fear. Hunters may not be fine now, but they will be fine in Pandaria.
NOTHING'S a hunter weapon! Bwahahahaha!
Orrdeath Nov 8th 2011 4:39AM
I know hunters that are pulling awesome Dps in raids and doing quite well 2200+ rating on 3's teams. Maybe not the top dps and it might take more skill to get good rating. But the ablility to play a hunter at peak endgame isn't difficult, you put in the time and you can get there.
I'm sick of players saying there class is broken because it takes a lot of skill to play. It's the same deal with warlocks if you see the forums, 1/2 the people will tell you how broken they are and how much blizz hates them. As far as cata goes its probably some of the best balanced class system we have ever seen. That we are seeing 1/2 the people hate the classes and 1/2 the people love them tells me there right where they need to be. If everyone was happy with there hunters I would say there crazy over powered. Since its only 1/2 from what I have seen I would say there "fine"
I play a warlock, there is a huge skill cap to play one well in pvp. I will get facerolled by DK's and warriors, alot of the time I meet one. But I dont die everytime. Do I think warlocks need to be buffed so they can easily kill these classes no.
Because the game isn't balenced for 1 vs.1 and every class in the game has to have an anti class it's how the game works. It's not like hunters can't come on raids because there damage is to low. Right now in the game you can raid with any class with a dps spec and do fine. Maybe not any spec but there working on that.
Kevin Nov 8th 2011 7:23AM
Considering min range is going away and we're getting new goodies, I'd say we're well on track to improving...and really I won't miss having a melee weapon.
lazymangaka Nov 8th 2011 9:00AM
@Orrdeath:
Your example goes to show how high the skill cap for Warlocks must be. I'm a pretty decent DK, but I can't outduel one of my Warlock guildies for the life of me. He beats me every single time.
NetherLands Nov 8th 2011 6:13AM
''Dear Blizzard, could you better balance the moment Classes get their abilities, so that e.g Hunters aren't as rediculous in pre-cap PVP as they are now? Over a year ago, we were assured that the Devs were aware of the issues with early level PvP, and that they cared. So far, nothing has been done - except move the WSG Graveyard to enable graveyard camping even more - and people are really starting to think you /care without limits. Note that moving abilities to different levels won't affect endgame in any way or form, so please don't try to feed that e.g. moving Hamstring for Warriors back to the 10's would affect performance in Firelands".
Pretty much the question that's on my mind.
Smashbolt Nov 8th 2011 8:16AM
Go ahead and ask that question, but there's absolutely no need to be condescending and passive aggressive about it.
I've NEVER heard Blizzard say they won't reshuffle or balance low-level abilities because it'll directly affect performance at level cap. The closest you'll get to this is that spending time balancing low-level abilities - especially those that are in some cases only unbalanced when combined with heirloom gear and maybe only at certain levels - detracts from balancing max-level abilities, which to them is a lot more important.
Bellajtok Nov 8th 2011 10:03AM
They won't balance classes in PvP at lower levels. That's just ridiculous and requires an insane amount of extra time devoted to balancing.
NetherLands Nov 8th 2011 12:25PM
@Smashbolt:
Actions speak louder than words (as exemplified by e.g. the upcoming buff to Explosive Shot, when Survival Hunters are already unbalanced enough pre-cap), but even then in the past they have said that altering the way certain abilities work would impact end-game.
@ also Bellatjok:
Nobody is expecting perfect balance, but besides the balance having been better before the Cata Talent revamp (notice: better is a relative term, again: nobody is expecting perfection), the current situation would already be much helped if they just sat down, made an ability grid, compared the number and types of abilities certain classes have at certain levels, and see within less than an hour that it doesn't make much sense to e.g give Hunters Wingclip, Disengage, Concussive Shot (with a longer duriation than cooldown) and Scattershot in the 10's were Warriors nowadays get their Hamstring in the late twenties (and Warlocks Sacrifice also in the late twenties).
I 'get' that Hunters after all these years now suddenly needed Shot-on-the-Run and that as 'core ability' it is unlikely to move to the level where it's actually 'needed', but I have yet to hear a decent argument why balancing the levels at which classes get certain skills better than currently would be particularly hard, esp. for a company as big and rich as Blizzard.
Also:
with the 'Play WoW for Free' ads plastered around the net to draw fresh blood, and the dwindling number of WoW subscribers, the laissez-faire attitude towards the PvP experiences people have when they try WoW should perhaps better change, especially because with the fewer number of abilities it's actually easier to balance in the first place.
(of course the WSG GY screw-up affects all levels; the old map worked well enough for years, now a day doesn't pass without irate subscribers complainting about it)
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Hal Nov 8th 2011 7:26AM
Ooof. These things always have the potential to be very interesting and informative, but frequently devolve into, "Waaah, my class sucks, what are you going to do about it?"
I won't get to participate, but there is one thing I'd ask, given the opportunity:
Death Knights and Druids are both getting talented AoE pulls with no target limit. Warriors already have an AoE taunt with no target limit. Given this, the Paladin tool kit looks a bit lacking, with a max of 3 targets on our AoE taunt. Are there any plans to fill this in, or is there some other balancing factor for leaving this as is?
Noyou Nov 8th 2011 9:52AM
That is a great question Hal. If I can remember to be online for that, I will ask it.