Blue Posts and Other WoW News: No druid gear displayed in feral/moonkin form, no fourth spec for other classes
by Adam Holisky 
Dec 19th 2011 at 9:00PM
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Blue posts
Showing druid gear
Just coming back to this briefly; There are some big technical limitations preventing us from allowing gear to show on Feral/Moonkin druid forms, and currently we have no immediate plans of working to overcome them. However, we could potentially start with something like the shoulders.
Fourth spec for more classes
I just wanted to pop in and say that the reason that we gave a fourth spec to druids was simply because it always felt as though they had four specs, but two of them were built into the one tree. This change was made to make the tank spec into a tree of its own instead of in a tree with their DPS build.
At this current point, we do not plan to implement a fourth spec for other classes because no other class feels like it has four specializations already.
At this current point, we do not plan to implement a fourth spec for other classes because no other class feels like it has four specializations already.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Rem Dec 19th 2011 9:13PM
Re: druid gear: Outland shoulders on a bear = sad and hilarious at the same time.
Honestly, I'd take customizable druid forms over gear. And by customizable, I mean let me pick some different skins/shades/patterns/plummage. A special trainer in Moonglade that lets you "focus your form" or something after a certain level? It'd be cool to have a NElf druid with leopard spots or a Troll with varied tiger stripes or a Worgen with point coloration, with higher levels allowing for more options to mimic fancier gear.
Schadenfreude Dec 19th 2011 9:24PM
I like this idea. It would be nice to have "armor" in the form of spiked collars or some such (or maybe just port over the armor from bear and cat mounts) that you can get access to at higher and higher gear levels. Say level 39 and below you're just the plain bear, then you start to get bits and pieces of the mount armor (if you wanted) added on. This way there's some tangible customization without the designers having to do anything like make a shoulder model for boomkin and make sure that every piece of cloth/leather shoulder gear in the game works for it, yadda yadda.
Tattoos, patterns, fur color and mane color customizability I would bundle in with wanting more personal customizability for ALL the player models.
pcnot2005 Dec 19th 2011 10:21PM
Liking this idea as well.
Getting partial to my Boomy's moonkin form (have other toons to play gear dress up with anyway), so would like to preserve his big feathery self, it's so uniquely WoW. But a change of color of the feathers (not just a dull bluish purple) would be nice.
Also would be nice if eventually we have to glyph to keep the form, that we don't lose a minor glyph slot, too.
toddless Dec 20th 2011 12:24AM
I still find it ridiculous that trees lost their form but the other 2 (3!) specs still can have theirs all the time. Complete bs if you ask me.
Arrohon Dec 20th 2011 5:53AM
A druid can alter his/her cell structure enough to transform into another creature, but doesn't have the expertise to decide on coloration?
MacAndy Dec 20th 2011 9:57AM
@toddless I couldn't agree more. When tree form was announced back before BC it seemed like Blizzard had finally made a form specifically for my druid. Then when they tied it to a cooldown it killed my inner tree. She's been relegated to the unenviable position of profession alt since then.
Why are all the other druid specializations 'forced' to stay in form to do their jobs, but resto is 'forced' to stay out of form except for brief periods? At least they gave us glyph to keep broccoli form instead of the new form if we wanted to.
/sigh.
With MoP it seems like Blizz is changing what they want/expect out of the class (again) - with a change towards changing forms situationally to gain utility. I'm ambivalent about that overall, but please make tree/ancient form the resto form again, and not just another CD to blow.
MO Dec 20th 2011 1:18PM
While this is an interesting idea, I am holding out for actual clothes on my bear, all split and shredded like he busted through them Hulk-style (because he did).
nutzj98 Dec 21st 2011 4:54AM
Praise the light. No plans to make changes to this any time soon.
Why the hell would you even roll a Druid and then bitch about having to look like an animal? Go roll a Belf Pally.
Bapo Dec 19th 2011 9:13PM
Shockadin ;_;
Also I'm happy they said the thing about gear for druids.
Worgens and tauren still look silly with headgear, I'm afraid to see what it would've looked like for my thunder chicken friends.
Rai Dec 19th 2011 10:05PM
This. I've been levelling a Holy paladin and the prospect of being able to DPS by relying on the light to punish them is too joyous to safely ignore.
mason.jdouglas Dec 20th 2011 1:15PM
This. Duh, Blizzard!
I used to play a shockadin when it was possible, and they were totally viable at a few points, notaly around the ICC era of wrath. Mind you, they never quite matched Ret, but you could pull enough DPS to beat any raid. It was a kinda fun build, the ranged dmg pally.
That said, I don't really mind uneven class specs. We sacrifice so much to keep everything else in the game even. Races, classes, available race/class combos, number of cities and towns, faction dominance in zones, available mounts per race. ...Why? That's all so boring.
juggernaut_4 Dec 19th 2011 9:22PM
"... do not plan to implement a fourth spec for other classes because no other class..."
"... for other classes because no other class..."
"...no other class..."
... Shaman...
Give me Shaman tanking, or take away Rockbiter Weapon.
Scunosi Dec 19th 2011 10:36PM
Actually I believe Rockbiter has been removed in the released MoP Talent/Skill Calculators, so there's your Blizzard response to that issue. :P
Smashbolt Dec 19th 2011 10:47PM
/rolleyes
If you're going to pull out a tired meme like that to soapbox something, at least use the quote correctly so your entire point invalidates itself? From above:
"...we do not plan to implement a fourth spec for other classes because no other class feels like it has four specializations already."
Shaman *used to* feel like they had a viable tank spec hiding somewhere in Enhancement. They don't any more. Say whatever you want about what Rockbiter does now, but they resolved any Shaman tank ambiguity by removing everything about the talent tree that makes it viable. Rockbiter is just as much "tank mode" as Distracting Shot or a Voidwalker.
Jack Mynock Dec 20th 2011 11:01AM
If you don't use rockbiter to taut down drakes during Ultraxion's gauntlet, you're doing it wrong. I also used it every week to bring down a spider when I went topside on Beth. You're not going to use it on every encounter or even in every raid, but it's has it's place. It's certainly not the least useful shaman ability.
Jorges Dec 20th 2011 6:32PM
@Jack You can also use Hunters MD/Distracting Shot, Rogues Tricks, Druids Challenging Roar/Growl/Bear Form, Paladins Hand of Reckoning/Righteous Fury, Death Knights Dark Command/Blood Presence... etc...
Having a Threat Generating or Taunt ability doesn't immediately makes your spec viable for tanking.
Deathknighty Dec 20th 2011 11:57PM
Frostfire mage?
Schadenfreude Dec 19th 2011 9:29PM
They should really think about a fourth spec for every (or some) class(es) IMO, maybe not for MoP but maybe for Beyond Outland, and make every class a "hybrid". I'd really like to tank as my warlock, but I get excited thinking about other possibilities: Shockadins, tanking rogues, tanking shamans, maybe a holy dps spec for priests, that time-based mage healing spec we were talking about before, etc. Warrior, hunter, DK and monk I can't really think of additions to off the top of my head.
loop_not_defined Dec 19th 2011 9:38PM
Hunter could use a tanking spec, with the pet acting as an "off tank" (not for reals, think buffs).
Death Knight could use a ranged spell DPS to eat up some more of that spell plate. They're already "casters" and have some ranged spell, so not too much of a stretch.
loop_not_defined Dec 19th 2011 9:39PM
Also, now that minimum range is getting removed in MoP, shooting at point blank range as a tank isn't too crazy of an idea.