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Big class changes in next WOW patch News
MMO PC News by Oli Welsh
Blizzard has outlined some major changes coming to every World of Warcraft character class in the next major content patch, known only as patch 3.1 for now. The announcements came via a series of posts on WOW's official forums.
Although every class gets some serious attention, the headlines are: no more consumable ammunition for Hunters; a substantial boost for Protection-spec Paladins; major improvements to the Priest class, especially in group healing; general buffs for Rogues and Shamans; efficiency improvements for Warriors and Warlocks (with the penalty for Warriors changing stances being much lighter); plus, mana regeneration is being reined in across the board.
It's all a bit technical to go into in detail here, so let us instead point you to the original posts: Priest, Rogue and Shaman; Warlock, Warrior and Druid; Death Knight, Hunter, Mage and Paladin.
You can find some analysis for each class, together with a round-up of all other patch news, over at WOW Insider.
The overall aim seems to be a bit of streamlining for every class, bringing the tanking classes into line with each other, levelling out imbalance in the damage-dealing classes (it'll never happen), and making healing through big boss fights a bit more of a challenge with the mana changes.
Also coming in patch 3.1 will be a new raid dungeon, Ulduar, and - with luck - the introduction of dual talent specialisations.
The new content update hasn't gone into testing yet, but is expected to do so soon, with a release to follow in the next couple of months. We'll update you with more information when we have it.
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Comments: 1-29 of 29 in total
Poster
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As if the game needed more streamlining. I'm glad I let this game go with the latest expansion, it just gets easier and more casual all the time.
When even casual players like me (and yes I know not all of them, I'm glad so many people enjoy the game and it deserves it) get turned off by how simple it is, something is wrong. |
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The mana regen changes are... bizarre.
They identify a problem (replenishment being so good that most healers don't worry about runniong out of mana) but rather than fix it directly by modifying replenishment they go after "secondary" regeneration stats like spirit and the extra-regen-if-you-don't-cast-for-5-seconds rule. In fact they actually want to give more classes replenishment abilities. They stated that they would like to make spirit more valuable, and then go and nerf it. They want to avoid people spamming the same abilities, but then remove one of the benefits of pausing for breath. They say they don't like want "mandatory" talents like Meditation, and then go and buff them to make them even more desirable. It's like they've put one of their own schizo in-game characters in charge of development. |
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"It's like they've put one of their own schizo in-game characters in charge of development. "
It is all about PvP. WoW pretends to have "PvP" and the "PvP" crowd complaints the loudest. TBH is they had dropped "PvP" years ago they could have had much more interesting class chemistry and PvE battles. Rogues are a good example. ATM totally useless in raids but quite good in PvP. |
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Well said Dizzy.
I'm not sure about WoW at the moment... I'm playing it but not really enjoying it that much. But that may be self-inflicted because I farmed for a while to get my Traveller's Tundra Mammoth and did little else. It's difficult because instances before meant a serious time commitment... but they seemed more fun? I don't know maybe I'm wrong. I love that the instances are now shorter as it means we can do more of them. But when I complete an instance now, I look back and it's one quick blur where I feel no sense of achievement. Instances in old WoW had very differing sections and you felt like you'd been on a huge journey with your friends by the end of them. Now they feel a bit McDonalds-ized... WoW is still an amazing game... But I've just re-rolled a new class as I'm not having that much fun at level 80 right now. Once you hit the top level, it always feels like one long grind to attain epics which everyone else in your class has. Ah well maybe I just need a break again. Certainly no other MMOs interest me right now. Maybe SWtOR will be awesome when it's released. :) |
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I don't think they should drop PVP, but maybe re-jig it so it is a second to PVE and not the other way round. Like a whole other spec / ability list for PVP so arena nerfs / buffs dont affect PVE performance for example.
Also, lose the arena, it does not "fit" imho, BG's with more imaganative design are where its at |
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@Dizzy
You better have a combat rogue with "Savage" as debuff in any raid on a boss in 25 man... 2% increased damage to the whole raid is a nice buff for sure. Aditionally it's funny that my gimped combat sword rogue still usually ends up in the Top 5 DPS charts in PUG raids. Probably everyone else is slacking. I get owned by hunters and DKs. Fiercly neck to neck with warriors, warlocks, oomkins. Of course if a boss runs around a lot (VoA) then my dps suffers especially if those tanks don't move him out of clouds... The lock change to include "Siphon Life" into "Corruption" means one more DOT to refresh ("Everlasting Corruption when Haunt is up 4tw). As long as they keep +Spi = more Spellpower I'm fine with those changes.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 06/02/09 @ 15:33
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RedSparrows
06/02/09 @ 15:59
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Priest changes sound sweet.
As for 'buffs', nobody read the mana thing? I play like a spaz anyway, wouldn't affect my nub skills \o/ |
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"As if the game needed more streamlining. I'm glad I let this game go with the latest expansion, it just gets easier and more casual all the time. "
I concur. I left just over a month ago as I felt the content and overall challenge of the game was now a flaw. Obviously, WoW has never been a demanding game (check out the 12 year old children running around in raid gear, for example) but now it's ridiculous. The patch applied just before the release of WotLK completely altered every class. At first it was cool, since being heavily overpowered and completing heroic dungeons such as Magisters Terrace without any crowd control was a buzz, but after about a week I wondered if these changes would be accommodated with challenging content in Northrend. It wasn't; dungeons and heroic dungeons (I speak purely for 5 man dungeons since I hate raiding) were laughable in WotLK, and the strategy and "skill" required for the game dropped from about 20% to exactly zero. WoW is already popular... the game was making enough money, surely, during the whole Burning Crusade expansion era? Why make it so much easier, and basically make every single class the same?
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 06/02/09 @ 16:26
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"Obviously, WoW has never been a demanding game (check out the 12 year old children running around in raid gear, for example)"
How is being twelve a hindrance? They have more time on their hands are generally better at games. Thirty year olds in raid gear are the ones the impress me. And also make me wonder if they have a life, a little bit. Patch notes look good. :) I'm still chuffed that my hunter is going to have a whole new bag slot now.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 06/02/09 @ 16:39
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RedSparrows
06/02/09 @ 18:29
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My raids in MC days were often led by a 12 year old who exhibited more skill and social grace than 95% of WoW players.
5 mans have always been easy, and some of WotlK's certainly are not devoid of anything but the cliche of 'press 1 over and over' |
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The skilled WoW guilds are waiting for Aion. Or whatever Square-Enix announce this year. A lot of them are abandoning the game wholesale because the challenge is just gone. I sympathise too. Especially with;
"Aditionally it's funny that my gimped combat sword rogue still usually ends up in the Top 5 DPS charts in PUG raids." My combat swords rogue is usually #2 or #3 in raid DPS. As sad as it is, and as much as people try to convince themselves that other specs are better, for the raw power and the simple elegance Combat Swords is still I think the best spec. Everything else is a bit too fussy really, like clicking on a move every 10 seconds for your extra damage. But even I'm bored. Expansion? The game feels empty, and I never felt that in TBC. The patch notes just reaffirm in my mind that when Aion comes, most of my guild (couple RL friends in it) - old hardcore raiders - will leave. And most of the old hardcore crowd will leave as well. And that then, I probably will too. Maybe not to Aion. But it's only a matter of time before a large chunk of the userbase that made Blizzard what it is now will leave for pastures new - because Blizzard have forgotten them. |
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I wouldn't say it's the Wii Effect, but it is Blizzard just dumbing down too far. There were nearly no complaints about the PvE in Burning Crusade. Okay, Auchenai Crypts Heroic could go suck a fat one and Arcatraz Heroic was akin to chinese water torture. But then you had Underbog and Mechanar and at the end Magisters Terrace, the latter just exquisite - challenging, fun, testing different skills.
Now most people do heroics in lvl 75 greens and win epics they can't use. I can't see what audience Blizzard are aiming for. I'm not even sure it exists unless they want people in long-term comas to be able to raid... |
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>As someone I know pointed out, we live in the Wii age now :/
Off topic - but you started it - See.. Everyone keeps saying that it's the wii dumbing down games.. I'd argue that the nintendo made wii games (like mario galaxy and metroid 3) are two of the hardest games i've played in recent years.. .. And that games have been "dumbed down" since modern fps games.. When nintendo ruled the roost last time - i rarely beat games (it took me years to beat kid ikarus). Modern games on the 360/ps3 - i normally beat within a few days (hardly value for money) ... On the other hand metroid 3 took me months. And I've still yet to finish mario galaxy. - So it's the microsoft/sony age which has been dumbing down games and making them too easy.. not nintendo. (not that the "hardcore" fanboys would ever admit to that though) |
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Because WoW was a better, more balanced game.
Now it isn't. It's being dumbed down and the challenge that harder raid guilds look for is gone. WoW isn't invincible. SoE have proven you can decimate a huge market share with a few stupid changes. This isn;t going down well and it's only going to get worse I fear...
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 06/02/09 @ 22:28
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ObiChrisKenobi
08/02/09 @ 11:48
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Eventually, all classes will be able to heal, tank and DPS at the same time.
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FortysixterUK
08/02/09 @ 14:40
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From the official WOW forum....frankly...wtf ? ( DOES IT MEAN ? )
HUNTER Consumable ammunition has been removed from the game. ( SO NOW YOU CANT BUY ARROWS OR BULLETS ?) Arrows and bullets no longer stack, but are not consumed. ( IS THIS SENTENCE EVEN GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT ? WHAT DOES IT MEAN ?) Ranged attack speed bonus gained from quivers and ammo bags will be preserved in a different capacity. ( OK SO THEY ARE CHANGING THE BUFFS ON QUIVERS AND AMMO POUCHES ) I repeat...WTF does it mean ? On a different subject , I would like to say I am enjoying WOW more than ever before....no idea why, and I'm not going to question it, I just am. I've been playing since November of the launch year, and yes, stuff has got easier ( mainly the removal of Elite status on many mobs), but I really don't get all the negativity put out on this forum about WoW.....
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 08/02/09 @ 14:45
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I think the achievements thing is a great idea but ultimately right now it is a cynical side attraction, designed to take you away from the reality the current content is limited and about as difficult as fighting your way through a wet paper bag. That's already been ripped to shreds.
I think the problem is the game is just being OVERsimplified. I think they could do a lot with the new hunter chage - how about the new ammo pouches and quivers (since I assume we'll be putting an item in our ammoslot now) having different stat changes? Armor penetration, or your shots do fire elemental damage or something? The sad thing is - we know they won't. And that is why people whine. There's so much potential there right now... but Blizzard are too busy swimming in the mountains of cash we hand them to actually care that people are getting bored. They have been for ages. It's all well and good limiting content over a set period of time - but it's got to provide the challenge for the truly dedicated. Maybe Ulduar will bring in a challenge but you're talking two new instances, which will be it for three months or so and people will burn that in the first month. The ideas are there, just the delivery is a bit weak at the moment.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 08/02/09 @ 21:47
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etherfiend
09/02/09 @ 17:18
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@FortysixterUK
My interpretation: Consumable ammunition has been removed from the game. - It's being removed as a consumable item, not you cannot buy/use them. Arrows and bullets no longer stack, but are not consumed. - Now they are not consumed you will not need them to stack. One type of ammo (say ice-threaded arrow) equipped into the ammo slot on the ranged weapon and it never runs out. This means you can swap out and purchase better grades of bullet as you level/unlock ammo via rep. Ranged attack speed bonus gained from quivers and ammo bags will be preserved in a different capacity. - I don't think they will change the buffs, sounds like they are removing quivers/pouches altogether and will apply the buff to something else...maybe a passive buff, like a racial, or maybe they will work it into the aspects. Maybe the speed buff will apply to the ammo. So to summarise, what it means is that instead of having a 12 slot bag full of ammo stacked in 200, you will get one ammo quantity that never gets consumed when fired and as such they won't stack because you will never need more than one instance of that particular ammo. You can still buy ammo and I expect a raft of new ammo will become available to engineers in the near future too. You will not lose the bonus your quiver gives you because it will be applied in another way. Now all they need to do is remove soul shards. ;) |
Comments: 1-29 of 29 in total
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