10-15-2010, 01:15 AM
Let's get some discussion going on interesting and potentially unintended side-effects of the mechanics changes. That show inconsistencies in the game design.
I'll start with two examples:
1) The loss of heroic strike as an 'on next attack' ability has changed warrior tanks priority on weapon speed for threat. Previously faster weapons were always more threat, as heroic strike has a large static threat component, and rage was plentiful to queue heroic strike almost every swing in a raid environment.
Moving Heroic strike to an off-GCD instant with a cooldown, has removed any preference for fast weapons, and has actually reversed it. Since Devastate damage benefits from higher base damage, the highest threat weapons are slow. There is no mechanic at all that prefers faster weapons.
The odd design is that there are no slow weapons with tanking stats. No slow weapons without agility... except the arena weapons. So the arena weapons are the highest threat PvE weapons now. 2nd highest threat tanking weapons are AGI based weapons with combat stats reforged to mastery.
2) With agility now an extremely marginal combat stat for Plate DPS, there is no competition for items with AGI based classes. However, there are no STR based ranged items except clear tanking items. The result is that tanking items from instances several levels below current content are significantly more DPS than heroic items in current content. Mimiron's Repeater (ilvl 219) is actually quite a solid DPS option in current content (ilvl 251-277), as is the ilvl 245 tanking throwing weapon for justice points. Again we see the absolute best PvE items being PvP arena ranged weapons.
I'm sure other classes are seeing strange stuff that just doesn't seem to make sense. Bring them up.
I'll start with two examples:
1) The loss of heroic strike as an 'on next attack' ability has changed warrior tanks priority on weapon speed for threat. Previously faster weapons were always more threat, as heroic strike has a large static threat component, and rage was plentiful to queue heroic strike almost every swing in a raid environment.
Moving Heroic strike to an off-GCD instant with a cooldown, has removed any preference for fast weapons, and has actually reversed it. Since Devastate damage benefits from higher base damage, the highest threat weapons are slow. There is no mechanic at all that prefers faster weapons.
The odd design is that there are no slow weapons with tanking stats. No slow weapons without agility... except the arena weapons. So the arena weapons are the highest threat PvE weapons now. 2nd highest threat tanking weapons are AGI based weapons with combat stats reforged to mastery.
2) With agility now an extremely marginal combat stat for Plate DPS, there is no competition for items with AGI based classes. However, there are no STR based ranged items except clear tanking items. The result is that tanking items from instances several levels below current content are significantly more DPS than heroic items in current content. Mimiron's Repeater (ilvl 219) is actually quite a solid DPS option in current content (ilvl 251-277), as is the ilvl 245 tanking throwing weapon for justice points. Again we see the absolute best PvE items being PvP arena ranged weapons.
I'm sure other classes are seeing strange stuff that just doesn't seem to make sense. Bring them up.
Conc / Concillian -- Vintage player of many games. Deadly leader of the All Pally Team (or was it Death leader?)
Terenas WoW player... while we waited for Diablo III.
And it came... and it went... and I played Hearthstone longer than Diablo III.
Terenas WoW player... while we waited for Diablo III.
And it came... and it went... and I played Hearthstone longer than Diablo III.
