Affinity Changes in Shadowlands

Classes Druid
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Editing to state that I partially misread some of the changes, Guardian affinity actually gives Incapacitating Roar instead of Vortex. Vortex is granted from Resto affinity. However, I think many points I stated below are still relevant.

From a comment I made in another post, I wanted to make a new one to address this specific point because I believe it is noteworthy.

As seen from the new class changes coming in Shadowlands, we are 1) getting many abilities back baseline in all specs (Bite, Ironfur, etc) and 2) there are now CC abilities tied to which affinity we choose.

One concern I’ve seen for Guardians is that we lose access to the Typhoon/Vortex combo. Because Vortex is tied to Guardian affinity, I believe they will keep that baseline? The passives for each affinity are already passives for that spec (ect, Balance druid having +5 yard range both in Balance spec and with that affinity) so I would hope that it makes sense for that spec to already have the CC for that affinity (ect, Ferals already have Maim, which you will get for that affinity.

As said before, since we are already getting so many other abilities back baseline, many of them are skills we currently get from affinities. Hopefully we can hear soon that either we are no longer getting any active abilities from choosing an affinity, or if they will be revised and we get new ones (ex, choosing Resto affinity gives you access to Tranq?)

With all that though, I feel that the affinities are becoming too bloated for their own good. From one talent, it appears that we gain access to: 1) some amount of active abilities from that spec, 2) a passive ability, and 3) a CC ability. I’m slightly worried that by getting such a wide, varied range of bonuses from one talent, there will be many conflicting bonuses that a spec may want/need but cannot access. For example, a Guardian Druid wanting to take Resto affinity for the passive % heal, but now also wants/needs to take Typhoon for the combo with Vortex.

Hopefully its not already too late to provide feedback to Blizzard about the changes they’re presenting, and that some of these questions and unaddressed topics can be explained soon.

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I’d assume so, being that Guardian affinity is it’s base kit. It’s be best case scenario in which is definitely keep and eye out for during Alpha, and relay feedback on the availability of the combination.

From what I understand, the abilities we currently receive for affinities, would be made baseline, while maybe the passive, and suggested changes are intact.

This would free up a tier of talents, though, I am assuming that will also change, considering we’ll be level 60.

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Seeing as how we now have CC and affinities baked into the same talents, I do feel they may consolidate those two talents rows and add an entirely new row for each spec. However, we’d have to wait and see if that’s the case, or if they’ll add in some crap talent to replace the spot that Typhoon left.

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Yeah.
Competitively, affinities had taken an entire tier away from a spec, where dps talent options could have been provided.

I hope they consider this.

Edit: My bad.
Typhoon on Balance, and Vortex on Resto is a bit rough :grimacing:

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Don’t you love having to spend a talent to have your Regrowth+rejuv+ wild growth do the same healing as 2 lesser healing waves a shaman doesn’t have to talent for, and gains the HP instantly without the healing being dispellable?

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Balance druid choosing feral afinity and recieiving maim… PVP win maybe?

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But are we losing mighty bash/mass root? Mighty bash is already really nice for pvp. Maim…going catform casting 5 abilities than using maim for a stun, not sure if its worth it

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Those are on a separate talent row arent they?

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They are in different rows, but adding in more CC to an affinity choice almost feels like Blizzard my try to remove or consolidate the CC talent row into this one.

Or we could all be wrong and instead we just get access to more CC