Blizz Confirms Torghast DOES NOT Have Timers!

[Caelus-proudmoore (Caelus)]

Deep breaths, everybody.

@Kaivax

We agree that one of the best things about Torghast is that you can play at your own pace, without feeling rushed. We certainly don’t want to make Torghast into a fast-paced, timed game mode. We have instead added Torments, which are designed to provide some additional texture for players at high levels, and to solve a problem that arises when extremely difficult content meets our often cooldown-based class design.

Here’s what Torments should do.

Imagine a perfectly-efficient Torghast group. They are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the tower. At the highest difficulty they can manage, that means waiting for all cooldowns on every pull – unless there’s some reason not to do so. This is our problem: that’s not fun to play, but it’s the right way to play if you want to win.

Torments should apply just enough pressure that this group can still kill every single creature on the floor (which takes a while, since these enemies have lots of HP), while still being careful, using crowd control, taking a few seconds to rest or strategize between pulls, and even then, maybe sometimes waiting just a little longer for a cooldown before engaging. If that is the most efficient way to play Torghast, then we’ve hit our mark exactly. If that perfectly efficient group has to skip big portions of a floor because Torment debuffs are getting too out of hand, we have a problem.

Here’s what Torments shouldn’t do.

• Make Torghast into a fast-paced, time-constrained feature that feels too similar to existing timed features like Mythic Keystone Dugeons, Horrific Visions, or Island Expeditions.
• Prevent you from taking a break when you need one.
• Intimidate casual players from playing Torghast altogether.

How can testers help us tune it?

Playtest Torghast, and let us know how it feels. We appreciate all feedback, and the most valuable feedback for this feature will come from experience in Torghast, rather than discussions about time-based difficulty that aren’t informed by in-game experience.

If something feels bad, let us know why.

• Did you feel rushed when you didn’t want to? Was that pressure because of actual game difficulty, or was it simply the presence of the Torment itself?
• Were you unable to defeat a level because of Torments, even though you were playing at a normal pace?
• Did you want to take a break mid-run but felt like you couldn’t?
• Do you feel like Torments are appropriate, but should be introduced at a higher level than they currently are (12)?
• Alternately, did a particular Torment feel underwhelming? Do you still feel like you can wait 10 minutes between every single pull without threat of being overwhelmed?

There are several different Torments in the current Alpha. Some affect spawning and environment, and others affect your character directly. Some increase over time, and others remain at a fixed difficulty.

• How do they feel in comparison to one another?
• Does a particular Torment feel more punishing or unfun than the others?

We’ve seen some emotional response to this change, which we take to mean that you care about Torghast being fun. We do too.

Please keep up the productive discussions, and we’ll keep listening.

[Zoumz-zuljin (Zoumz)]

@Kaivax

Make Torghast into a fast-paced, time-constrained feature

Checkmate? xd

[Zoumz-zuljin (Zoumz)]

I’m obviously just quoting out of context, but it will be kinda. Just another way of doing it.

I’m not purely agaisn’t those, but I feel as a “mandatory” part of gameplay pushing that is kind of annoying for a lot of people.

A bit why I would want M+ timers to only start at +10 level.

[Keyturn-grobbulus]

@Kaivax

They are willing to do whatever it takes to climb the tower.

These people can’t even put 20 minutes into a Tol Dagor run without quitting.

[Zesta-perenolde]

I don’t even have to run the tower to answer. The very thought of having something ticking in the background while I am attempting to think or away from keyboard for a few is like a beating heart under the floor boards that will slowly drive me mad.

Please link the cooldowns and torments to combat only. Then allow us no ticking clock of any sort while out of combat.
Your cooldowns should start back up again and decrease while you are in combat. This way no one can wait for bloodlust while out of combat.

[Voxplaga-ravencrest (Voxplaga)]

@Zesta-perenolde

or away from keyboard for a few is like a beating heart under the floor boards that will slowly drive me mad.

Don’t go afk unless it’s between floors and you’ll be just fine.

[Mayden-laughing-skull]

YAY!!! That’s wonderful news!!!

^w^

[Spotti-turalyon]

Blizz can never win sadly. This is ok with me. Like mentioned before these torments occur on the higher floors and makes sense with their view TO ME ATLEAST.

I’m hyped for Torghast to be honest, was hesitant at first but the more I see of it, the more it interests me… It’s the rest of the gameplay that has a big question mark.

[Whiting-stormrage]

oh lord please don’t let blizzard listen to these forums for game design input

[Zesta-perenolde]

Everything out of combat should be a resting area.

Challenge me while I am in combat. GREAT!
But don’t time me when I’m exploring! You take all the fun out of exploring then.

[Utsuhofox-thrall]

I’ll just be happy to actually play Torghast when it comes out with Shadowlands. Whatever they do with it, I’ll adapt.

[Chroesire-bleeding-hollow (Chroesire)]

@Spotti-turalyon

Blizz can never win sadly. This is ok with me. Like mentioned before these torments occur on the higher floors and makes sense with their view TO ME ATLEAST.

Honestly I’m not sure there’s a better setup possible. The first 9 floors have no torments and thus zero pressure, giving players a healthy opportunity to get used to how things work in there and to gauge where they personally sit versus the tower in terms of gear, skill, etc. By the time you’ve hit the 10th floor the very light pressure applied by torments should not be much of an issue.

[Caelus-proudmoore (Caelus)]

You have plenty of time to explore. You will not face any timers, as you won’t make it to the higher levels.

Torghast being a rested area would ridiculous.

[Spotti-turalyon]

Honestly I like it, if people wanna stay days in the place for whatever reason killing mobs then that is what the outside world is for. This I see is more relatable to how horrific visions worked for the first 6 ranks (not literally but the premise was that you just went for thrall/alleria) to get used to it then you’d venture off to do more of the vision.

[Wreckus-stormrage (Wreckus)]

That’ll change when all the mythic invitational players complain about it.

[Caelus-proudmoore (Caelus)]

1. It won’t change. They’ve made that very clear.
2. Players of that skill level are smart enough to tell the difference between M+ and Torghast.

[Paladina-kargath (Paladina)]

@Zesta-perenolde

Your cooldowns should start back up again and decrease while you are in combat. This way no one can wait for bloodlust while out of combat

That means you’d have to be in combat a hell of a lot, it’d be exhausting if the clock was combat only, it’d take forever for cool downs to come back up.

[Caargon-wyrmrest-accord (Caargon)]

@Zesta-perenolde

Please link the cooldowns and torments to combat only.

Unlike the current implementation, this would actually penalize tank/healer specs (or just the worse DPS specs) for their lower damage output and longer time in combat.

[Burgh-dawnbringer (Burgh)]

At this point it doesn’t even matter. I’m so tired of being excited for new content then having that content ruined. I regret reinstalling. I’ll go back to playing other games, and SL will finally be the first expansion I’m not there for. I’m not part of the Dark Souls/e-sports crowd, and it’s pretty clear that’s who WoW is trying to cater to now.

[Zesta-perenolde]

You could just remove hero from the table all together and let classes play like normal.