08-18-2005, 10:58 PM
I will say that the balance tree probably can stand some buffing - druids can do a good job healing, they can do a good job tanking (with the right gear) and doing cat-form damage (again with the right gear), but the balance tree stands out as the one thing that has just been totally ignored by druids, because it doesn't work, or doesn't give them anything they want. There's just precious little reason to spec balance.
I don't think it's a function of how many DD spells druids get, mind you. What we have isn't bad for direct damage - what we need is more variety of damage spells unlocked by balance tree talents. A balance-spec'd druid should be second to a mage in damage and utility. If they added a cone AOE or multishot at 21 points into balance, and buffed hurricane a bit, that would do the trick.
On the other hand, however, this strikes me a little as saying 'I have a concept I want to play, and the character class isn't letting me play that concept.' That would be like saying 'I want to play a mighty tank paladin' - the paladin class can tank a single mob okay, but multiple mobs are hard for paladins to hold, or aggro on a single mob when their damage is low and they have to beat a raid's worth of damagers. So many paladins may feel betrayed that in the end game, their class is relegated to healing/buffing/cleansing.
You can either abandon the class and find a different class that lets you play the concept you want - for nuking, get a mage or warlock, for tanking, get a warrior - or you can play the class the way that it's implemented. Or you can agitate for change.
I don't think it's a function of how many DD spells druids get, mind you. What we have isn't bad for direct damage - what we need is more variety of damage spells unlocked by balance tree talents. A balance-spec'd druid should be second to a mage in damage and utility. If they added a cone AOE or multishot at 21 points into balance, and buffed hurricane a bit, that would do the trick.
On the other hand, however, this strikes me a little as saying 'I have a concept I want to play, and the character class isn't letting me play that concept.' That would be like saying 'I want to play a mighty tank paladin' - the paladin class can tank a single mob okay, but multiple mobs are hard for paladins to hold, or aggro on a single mob when their damage is low and they have to beat a raid's worth of damagers. So many paladins may feel betrayed that in the end game, their class is relegated to healing/buffing/cleansing.
You can either abandon the class and find a different class that lets you play the concept you want - for nuking, get a mage or warlock, for tanking, get a warrior - or you can play the class the way that it's implemented. Or you can agitate for change.