I used to main mage before evoker, and I loved alter time. I am confused how you think it makes you stay in the same spot, though. You can definitely move while it is up. I used to all the time, especially when kiting something. Cast it and blink to a new spot. Let the mob follow you, and then by the time he gets to you, you can poof back to the old spot and he has to follow you again.
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I really think the OP thinks that the ability is actually a root, but that’s not what it is. I’ve not seen anything to indicate that.
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Yeh, that is what I was confused about too. Granted I have not mained mage since Dragonflight, but I definitely remember being able to move.
Yeah, haha. I actually logged on to my mage and was like, “Wait, how does this work??” then checked the wowhead beta talent trees and patch notes for Midnight and I just don’t see the problem.
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Yeah I hate alter time. I find it clunky and tedious. If simplifying things is their main aim in midnight then I don’t know why the hell that crap is sticking around at all, let alone being given such prominence.
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It’s absolutely busted in m+ but because it requires healer knowledge it’s never fully utilized…but it’s a full heal and mobility skill with a sub 1 minute CD that’s off the global cooldown. It’s my favorite skill in the game.
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How is Alter Time a self-root? AT is actually a helpful kiting tool in PvP, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.
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All I know is I’m leveling an arcane mage and I’m going to be dead half the time unless they buff up the defensives in Midnight. I’m really going to miss Blast Wave. (I have a frost mage but it’s not the same.)
Guess I’m going tp have to lean into Alter Time and get it down.
True
Let’s see
Nope, you’re an idiot.
We don’t care what YOU do or don’t do when you act like you speak for EVERY mage in the game. You have got to be the lowest IQ person on GD today. That’s impressive.
I used for kiting in pve too. I have no idea where the OP got the idea that you need to stand in one spot. Maybe because they didn’t like being bounced back? But that is what made it so useful for kiting.
I have to explain how alter time works, which is not how I expected this thread to go.
In a pvp situation, the other player is a living person, and is capable of thought. If the mage decides to press Alter Time, the mage is now capable of freely moving, blinking, casting other defensives, attacking. Whatever. The highest use case is to blink or kite away and drop some damage to get the highest value.
You now have a decision. Am I in a favorable position?
If the answer is yes, it was a mistake to cast Alter Time, and you have no choice but to cancel the buff, which in practical terms requires another macro to cancel the buff. You can now continue to move away from the melee classes which are attempting to murder you. Moving away while doing damage is called kiting, which is what the mage class does.
If the answer is no, it was “right” to cast Alter Time, because now you’re going to get a free teleport back to your original position and maybe even some health back. But now you have a new problem. Notice my comment above. The other player is a living person and is capable of thought. They know exactly when you pressed alter time, and thus they know exactly where you’re going back to. YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO RETURN TO THIS SPOT UNLESS YOU MANUALLY CANCEL ALTER TIME. You have effectively deathgripped yourself back to this spot. Instead of kiting others, you have kited yourself back towards the exact spot that the enemy player knows you are going to arrive.
If they have 2 brain cells total, they will save something wonderful to use against you at the exact moment you are guaranteed to return to that spot, like CC or a big damage buff.
The reason why you can’t process what a self-root is, is that you don’t play mage enough to understand that health is totally irrelevant. The only important factors in competent mage play is what cooldowns are available, and where you are positioned. Alter Time is exclusively a deterioration in your position, assuming you allow it to complete.
WOW’s baby class complaining about a nerf ? OH NO.
it’s harder to get through talents… but
It was needed it was a busted ability that was abused so hard in RWF and RBGS/Arenas and other areas.
Some are upset it lost the +1 charges to blink but lets be real this ability was so hardcore abused in TWW/DF blizzard wanted to nerf it slightly.
Its still crazy good though
…
It’s not… What?
You understand that the other player can’t win, right?
If they follow you… You use altar time to go back… Where they no longer are.
If they don’t, you cancelaura?
The power is ENTIRELY in the hands of the mage?
Is that going away or something? I’m so lost.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t get this. It’s not a self root at all, lol. IT’s not even kinda a self root.
You’re basically saying Warlock portal is a self root, lol. Heck, there are plenty of classes that self root in order to deal damage.
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I use it all the time in keys and raid. It’s a great defensive and mobility tool, it’s also great for cheesing some mechanics, second boss in Ara-kara comes to mind.
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I like it in Delves, you would need 1,000 hours on mage to be using it efficiently in raids and dungeons though and I’m not that kind of mage player.
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Well at least you finally understand that having an immovable point of return is a self root. Yes you can turn it off, which every mage has know for a decade now, but in that case it was pointless to cast it. It did nothing other than burn your APM, create a big window for misplay, and maybe, possibly, helped you.
Your points about ‘the other player can’t win.’ are nonsense, because no kidding, a single enemy is unlikely beat a mage or a rogue. Alter time doesn’t need to exist for a single mage to reliably beat a single melee class.
Would you say you’re typical? Are lots of mage players this completely isolated from what a mage’s primary pvp function is? Do people not play WSG anymore?
It’s pretty common to gate powerful stuff on kiting classes on reductions to the kiting. Such as long cast times, etc. Strong effects require risk/reward tradeoffs. Seems like you just don’t understand how to use the ability or how games are designed.
Alter Time enjoys its position of dominance in the niche circumstances under which it is used. The Mythic dungeon minigame, and the Arena minigame, and sometimes specific real pvp applications, such as when you expect to be forced into small areas.
Alter Time was positioned correctly in TWW, and now it is not only only positioned incorrectly, it’s centerpiece position now accompanies a removal of 4 different mage defensives. MI def, IB heal, Invis def, and Displacement.
good post btw, ‘ur dum git gud’ was very thought provoking
“This ability sucks but it’s also dominant in basically all of the main pillars of the endgame”