I understand this conversation is geared around retail, but I think it’s really worth mentioning as a whole relating to game design as a concept.
I main a boomkin in TBC, and innervate is no longer a “cool buff/cooldown” but something that’s constantly and consistently argued and fought over. Same with PI. These aren’t buttons that feel good to me to press at all. Do I give a mage my vate and be far more mana deficient? Or do I feel guilty about using my own vate even though it helps me out personally? It’s a button that I honestly wish just wasn’t there due to how many heated arguments I’ve seen happen, and this happens in really any guild, casual to hardcore. It’s a situation where it feels like everyone loses.
In an ideal world, you could split the buff effect in half and give half to the caster and half to the recipient, just to incentivize those buttons feeling good to use. I want my mages to do great dps, but as a boomie who is already doomed to sit near the bottom of the meters, it would be nice to not feel bad about using my own ability on myself, too.
Cooldowns and buttons should never feel bad to press.