It has come to the point where Arms has a few too many keybinds with a now less-than smooth rotation.
Luckily I have some solutions on how exactly this can be targeted.
#1
Sweeping Strikes removed. Instead, whirlwind for arms will now grant 3-5 seconds of sweeping strikes. In addition, using whirlwind two consecutive times will grant sweeping strikes instead for 8-12 seconds.
The idea here is eliminate a keybind and global with sweeping strikes but also to add more immediate interaction from pressing whirlwind. The hope here is to also create a fun play style of pressing whirlwind twice before launching into a sustained cleave.
#2 (Hot take)
Ignore Pain removed. Instead, this talent is replaced with our old artifact trait “Soul of the Slaughter”. This is a passive effect, that grants a 1.00% chance per rage spent to heal you for an amount.
The idea here is to eliminate another keybind but also to balance out rage consumption and a more proper offensive play style. Trading Ignore Pain for this talent would accomplish eliminating the need to sacrifice rage for defense. It will now only be used for offensive attacks with the one exception of Victory Rush/Impeding Victory. This would also encourage Arms warriors to actively fight to sustain themselves with passive healing. Both great tradeoffs.
#3
Bring back a unique benefit to the Arms warrior snare of Hamstring. Many specs have perks baked into snares such as being auto applied or a root if pressed twice in succession such as Disable from a Windwalker Monk. The most appropriate change here is to once again REMOVE its global cooldown. Arms felt great when Hamstring could instantly be woven into my ability presses. The functionality will go far to helping smooth out our PvP rotation.
#4 (Ongoing)
I have the want to somehow combine some mix of abilities such as either Rend, Slam, Skullsplitter and Cleave. But currently I have not been able to lock in any decent mix here and would be open to some suggestions from other fellow warriors.
Doesn’t actually do anything to combat button bloat, and I’d rather not go back to legion style of using hamstring in rotation to fish for tactician and to amp test of might.
I am all for removing Slam, preferably by combining this ability with another. However, whirlwind I would prefer to keep. Overall, I cannot see Blizzard reasonably going in this direction. I much prefer the elimination of Sweeping Strikes and baking this gameplay into whirlwind like I suggested to cut back on some button bloat.
While yes, in a sense I can just not take ignore pain, that will never happen because of its value over its choice node. You are always making the wrong choice by not taking ignore pain. My replacement idea would also serve to allow a choice of two passive options.
My thread is not only about removing button bloat, but also how to recreate a less-clunky rotation. Your next point here I cannot see becoming an issue of concern.
I know these are just subjective ideas but this sounds pretty bad to me.
Its not saving a global in fact you’re adding one by calling to ww twice.
So instead of sweeping into 2 target cleave, you want whirlwind, whirlwind into 2 target cleave? doesnt make much sense
Not many specs have a 2 target cleave niche, and I like that arms excels at it.
What you described is basically how fury whirlwind works.
Admittedly im just getting my warrior up to speed for DF, but so far i really like the ability to turn whirlwind into a massive 60 rage dump for test of might.
I personally prefer the extra abilities and binds for the added control.
like ignore pain. its not used only defensively.
It’s a way to actively dump rage during times of high generation for things like overpower resets, bigger test of might buffs etc. It’s off gcd and can be used during bladestorm so i have complete control of that rage. THat’s about as good as you can ask for on any ability. Would rather that not be some passive that just removes the gameplay.
The idea here is that Whirlwind is an active damaging ability while Sweeping Strikes is not. This would add a global in the scenario of using Whirlwind twice, however it should not feel as clunky with it being an actual attack that holds damage.
What I described is basically how fury Whirlwind works and that is the point. However, this instead attempts to draw a difference in playstyle. Also, in theory, it would be up to the player if they choose to rotate in a Whirlwind here and there or if they want to double press it.
This post is also specifically referring to PvP and not PvE. Test of Might and Storm of Swords for Arms do not see this kind of play.
Yeah I don’t think you want things to be like fury whirlwind. Dumping globals into whirlwind just to aoe stuff kinda sucks. Would prefer it if they either nixed it from rotation completely with meat cleaver being a passive talent, or if whirlwind was a channeled rage spender that competed with rampage on aoe.
The biggest takeaway here is combining abilities in some manner that helps save Arms at minimum, 2 globals. Sweeping Strikes is an easy target because most warriors have historically agreed that it does not feel great to spend a global on to press. Considering Fury has successfully combined cleave into their Whirlwind, it makes sense to find a strategy for Arms to do the same.
Ignore Pain was a mistake in my opinion. I love this ability, but Soul of the Slaughter is the more appropriate way to boost up survivability for Arms.
I am sure that many ideas could be created to help combine abilities such as Rend, Skullsplitter, Slam, Cleave and Whirlwind.
The biggest takeaway here is that rolling it into whirlwind would cause you to be spending more globals and rage on upkeep to cleave.
Make it so damage on activation like blade flurry. That’s the problem most people have with it.
Ignore pain is far stronger than soul of the slaughter and makes it so you can choose between an active defensive and a passive one instead of two passives.
well in this case, sweeping strikes can be argued that it is better than whirlwind because it can be applied pre-emptively, or prior to regaining uptime.
ie, your target is out of range behind a pillar stacked with teammate.
With sweeping strikes you can apply the buff while running to your opponent, leap or charge in, and immediately start cleaving.
With your idea you have to leap or charge in, then whirlwind, then start cleaving, giving them more time to react
If you’re already in the middle of a brawl, then I agree spending the gcd on sweeping feels slow, but I dont where you get most warriors have historically agreed on it feels bad to press.
I rather like it, seeing 2 enemies stacked and prepping to shred both. Maybe I’m in the minority.
I’m all for ideas, so don’t think i’m just trying to rain on your parade
edit: i guess you could simply whirlwind with nobody in range to get the sweeping strike buff, in which case it could replace SS, but tbh I just think they need to remove SS from the gcd as it does no damage on press. That’s usually the rule Blizzard has used to which cooldowns are on gcd or not.
If we’re getting rid of bloat I think you should have to be in battle stance to use charge. Leave intervene in defensive only, having to use both abilities in either stance is too many keybinds to keep track of.
Here’s in interesting idea. combine charge and intervene into one button. Like still give warriors 2 charges, but an additional charge noted by a buff on ya bar that will tell you when you can use intervene free of the 2 charge cd. Once its used it will take its usual cd to proc again.
Basically its what “intercept” was in legion, only now it serves 2 specific functions. You could even PVP talent it to give you 1 charge 2 intervenes, or decline the intervene and give ya 3 charges.
It’s pretty well said among PvP warriors that removing sweeping strike from GCD would fix almost all the clunky feeling of arms. People been saying that since BFA
I still think it’s a good recommendation to reduce overall bloat and make it more player friendly. A macro is made usually to simplify all the buttons you have to press. What i recommend would be a built in sort of thing that would require no macro, like it should be. Macros have their utility, but not every player who’s casual, who wants to test out a spec, should have a Christmas list of macros and a bloated hot-bar, just to play a single spec. Other class specs have this problem too and I’m sure there are ways they could merge ability’s to have the same effect. I just think it makes no sense for charge and intervene to not share the same spot as a baseline.
Also @op just git gud. Arms isn’t supposed to be a braindead spec. It’s a tactician by design and should play as such. Slam has its place in the rotation to fill gcds when MS is on cd and overpower needs to be reset. Otherwise, you’re just fishing for procs with rend even when it’s nowhere near expiring, and that’s a net dps loss.
Whirlwind change honestly isn’t bad, but fury fills that niche of rolling WW into a cleave setup, so I’d rather see storm of swords adjusted to not feel so bad and cost so much rage.
Ignore pain is a great defensive and offensive ability as others have said, but I’ll take more self sustain on top of it. (Fury could use it back too because it has only one rage dump in rampage.) IP is iconic to warriors and should remain.