Elegantly,Jun 21 2005, 12:46 PM Wrote:Blizzard also said there is no faction imbalance on the WoW servers.[right][snapback]81168[/snapback][/right]
Blizzard also said they will open the US servers for non-US players after release.
You misquote them sir. Blizzard has actually acknowledged that there has been a faction imbalance but has qualified this statement by saying that the census sites are inaccurate.
We are also still after release - they could conceivably still open up the US servers to non-US players. I just wouldn't count on it. ;)
Elegantly,Jun 21 2005, 12:46 PM Wrote:OTOH, there have been raid strategies floating around (bare with me, I'm not a raid expert...not by far) which make use of Paladin heals because they generate only a marginal amount of aggro. Of course, this is a bit like comparing apples (a racial trait) with oranges (a class), but since WotF is Horde only and Paladins are Alliance only, there is at least *some* similarity.[right][snapback]81168[/snapback][/right]
Don't forget that for some classes, the Honor System introduced PvP trinkets which also remove fear effects, so this situation is not Alliance-only anymore.
You're right you are comparing apples and oranges. They've also fixed the bug that allowed paladin chain heals to over heal in the situations you described. In high end raid encounters Paladins have been regulated to buff/cleanse bots with the occassional heal.
Elegantly,Jun 21 2005, 12:46 PM Wrote:And I can assure you, for every single voice that says "nerf WotF" and "nerf Shamans" there will be another voice saying "nerf Paladins". Alliance has a plate-wearing backup healer (with the option to use non-plate gear to buff up his healing capabilities) who can also remove Polymorph and other debuffs on his friends. The Horde needs fragile Priests to counter Entangling Roots, Polymorph & Co.; don't expect that Priests will last as long on the battlefield than Druids, Shamans or Paladins.[right][snapback]81168[/snapback][/right]
Horde seem to have gotten around this apparent uberness by keeping me and my fellow paladins sheeped/sapped/seduced so you'll forgive me if I don't find it as powerful for group PvP as you do. Though the times I've been left to run rampant healing in battlegrounds our groups have been more successful. As soon as the horde realize I will heal my team mates you can bet I will be in the graveyard along with the priests.
Elegantly,Jun 21 2005, 12:46 PM Wrote:But I really don't want to get into this discussion; rather, I want to point out that I can find a lot of arguments for both factions about a) why they are at a disadvantage and B) why they are at an advantage.[right][snapback]81168[/snapback][/right]
I understand your points. I argued the same for and against in regards to paladin undead skills working on PCs. Personally I would rather have those skills back than a nerf to WotF. At least then a section of the Horde populace would have a reason to fear my paladin entering combat. :P