After testing almost every spec in the game on the 9.0 PTR (some healing specs I was not able to thoroughly test because I could not always find a dungeon que), I would like to address some key class design elements that would greatly benefit from change. I will use the Hunter class as the primary focus, since this is the Hunter forum (and I have no wish to write a version of this treatise for each class).
Hunter’s Mark seems to be a source of consternation for a large number of Hunter players, so I will try to be succinct regarding it. As it stands now Hunter’s Mark feels like a punishment, not a reward. If I forget to open with it, or if i need to swap targets, I am not doing even my base damage without Hunter’s Mark applied to the target. Many classes have had different iterations of abilities like this throughout the years, and none of them have ever been well received. It simply is NOT fun having to press an extra button, which does no damage of its own, in order for a player to achieve even baseline DPS. If you are loathe to remove it from the game entirely, I suggest removing it from the global cooldown in the very least.
Marksmanship;
MM has suffered tremendously since the removal of Aspect of the Fox. The option to cast Aimed Shot while moving set the core flow of the spec at its most fun. Since that option has been removed, MM feels like a poor hybrid of a Hunter and a caster. A poor excuse for either. The current design of talents like Lock and Load and Double Tap make a very poor substitution. It simply feels BAD to have to freeze where I am and wait for Aimed Shot’s comparatively massive cast time to finish before I can be mobile again. Hunters are not Mages, they should not feel like a Mage. If you are against making Aimed Shot castable while moving as a baseline, as it should be, consider replacing Lock and Load with Aspect of the Fox. Lock and Load itself has never felt worth taking since it became a talent instead of a passive. The proc chance has always felt far too low. Every other Hunter ability can be cast while moving, Aimed Shot should not be the exception. MM is not a sniper class, this is Warcraft, not Call of Duty. If Legolas can take down 12 orcs while sliding down the stairs on a shield, I should be able to move while casting Aimed Shot.
Beast Mastery;
BM has felt mostly solid for a long time. My main concern with BM is one that I share with several other classes, namely that some of the returning class abilities feel out of place. Arcane Shot feels like it has no use in BM, not when Cobra Shot is the clear choice. Cobra shot is cheaper, does more damage, and reduces the cooldown of Kill Command. Arcane Shot just felt as though it was in the way. BM would be much better served with Steady Shot returning, or any iteration of a directly Focus building ability. Barbed Shot works, but it does not completely negate the lull in the rotation when I run out of Focus.
Survival;
SV is one of the only melee specs in game that does not seem to run straight into a brick wall with its rotation (much more on that latter). SV does seem to suffer from button bloat however, and the return of Steady Shot and Arcane shot seem a poor choice. I could create a macro that equips my bow and then fires Arcane shot or Steady Shot, respectively, but why would I? They do not feel like they have any place in SV.
On the issue of overall class design philosophy:
As stated when I spoke about Survival spec, most melee specs, and some ranged specs, have an underlying design problem that needs to be addressed. Every rotation is the core game-play loop of its respective class and spec, yet many of them have a glaring problem, they hit a brick wall. With a few exceptions like Fury Warriors or Havoc Demon Hunters, the entire flow of many rotations is interrupted by waiting for resource regeneration. Death Knights are a prime example of this. DK’s have always seemed to suffer from enormous periods of lull in each specs’ respective rotation. Sitting and waiting until I am able to use an ability, for any amount of time, is decidedly NOT fun. The game as a whole would benefit enormously from fixing this issue. You could reduce the amount of resources required for each ability across the board, you could increase each classes’ base resource regeneration by whatever amount is necessary to avoid the brick wall. I find it baffling that specs like Fury warrior have an uninterrupted flow, and have for several expansions, but there are whole classes (Rogues) were the lulls in the rotation take up most of the core gameplay loop. This is not fun and it is not good game design.
I hope this treatise has provided some viable solutions and that Blizzard takes a good look at core loop design moving forward.