Death Knight and Visuals

Classes Death Knight
1

I don’t know exactly why they mean by that, but I think it’s a great time to actually say that DK does need a visual rework for most old spells.

After Legion, especially in BFA, some, almost all classes, received many visual reworks in their spells. Such as all the casters, paladins, monks and shamans recently, etc. Although DK is still one of the only, if not the only class that didn’t get any new sort of visual rework in old spells. Sure, the new spells are good looking, such as the hero talent ones, and the most recent ones like Abom. Limb, but most of the core spells of the class still have the same look they did back in 2008. I understand that maybe some people like it because of nostalgia factors, but it’s simply not fair that DK is the only class that didn’t get a visual rework. The class should, and probably will receive a visual rework in the future, but that has to be addressed.

We can take AMS as an example, it could look better, and Blizzard has done better already. Simply give us the Fleshcraft visual for AMS. Or make Fleshcraft a DK talent and do something different with AMS, but give us Fleshcraft back. And for the ones who like it the old way, just make a glyph like you did for the shaman’s Ascendance form. Death Coil should also look more nuanced, with more shadow in it. Something similar to Shadow Bolt but bigger and more impressive. Chains of Ice could also be reworked. Death Grip is fine but could also be reworked. As for DT, we already have the updated visuals for Monstrosity in Maldraxxus, just copy and paste it. I have seen some people saying they dislike the sounds of the spells, I don’t, necessarily, but I agree it could be reworked. The Lichborne’s lich icon that show when you use could also be updated to the updated version of lich NPCs in Shadowlands. More glyphs for the pet, there are many new undead mobs in Shadowlands that were never added as visual glyphs as pets for DKs.

DK seems like it has been strongly forgotten after WotLK. Giving DKs a fancy hero talent, as cool as it is, doesn’t solve the entire problem. There’s still more to work on here and it could have been worked on already back in Shadowlands.

6 Likes
2

This isnt true.

Having the same look, or same design, doesnt mean they werent updated.

They got updates at or around the same time as everyone else.

This is why Blizzard tends to not listen to people, its an objective fact that the majority of these spells have been updated.

Blood Boil was changed visually going into Cata, and its been changed since then as well. DK hasnt been forgotten, its just the design in spells have remained the same so people dont see a difference when the design should remain the same.

There are very few abilities that havent been touched, and those abilities should just have a detail update and not a complete redesign or change to the look of a completely different spell.

Most everything from Wrath has been updated so saying they havent been touched just makes Blizzard ignore the request because clearly people dont appreciate what they did to begin with.

3

They didn’t. Death Coil stills looks like it did back in WotLK. AMS has the same visuals it did in WotLK and from the banshees of WC3. All the other spells I mentioned haven’t been updated. If they updated it in Cataclysm it’s still outdated.

It is. And it’s not a matter of not recognizing what they did, it’s a matter of what they didn’t do. It is a fact that the main DK spells haven’t been visually updated for more than 10 years. The only one they truly updated was DnD iirc back in Legion. Defile didn’t get any visual update.

Incorrect. Most spells haven’t been touched. What was the last time they updated Death Coil, Death Grip, Chains, DT, all the melee ones, and AMS? 10 years ago? No, more. So don’t come in the forums to talk about stuff you know nothing about, since you don’t even play the game.

Perhaps you just can’t notice the difference between an updated visual and an outdated one. Something that wouldn’t be surprising.

6 Likes
4

Death Coil is updated. Just because the design is the same doesn’t mean it wasn’t updated.

There are few spells that haven’t been touched. Again there are tools to see these changes.

5

Some other classes also need an animation update. Examples: mage’s ice barrier, paladin’s consecration.

I would also like to mention the warlock’s chaos bolt and shadow bolt, despite having been “updated” I really think that these spells have a very bad look.

6

:100:

Agree, anything that improves the VFX on not just DK but any Class is needed. As they bring newer content… it becomes even more direly clear how badly some aspects of the game need a visual update, specially if those visuals are tie in with the players experience and gameplay and does players comeback from playing other games like Path of Exile or Diablo 4. (IMO)

I know most old vet players don’t even remember their old summon mount from back in WotLK but…or even the Warlocks Vanilla Summon Mounts, just look into your spell book and check and you will instantly know how badly DK and Classes like Warlock or Pali need a visual update to those old forgotten Vanilla mounts! Not even going to mention other spells how pixelated can look compare to the newer stuff that have already been mentioned by others in the forums. lol

3 Likes
7

It isn’t, but you were never able to see the obvious anyway.

That being said, Blizzard updates many DK spells on the 11.1 PTR, and I am sure more is coming. Asking helps.

1 Like
8

It has been updated, but this is coming from someone saying the design of the LK changes between cinematic and in the game. If thats the case, why does everyone know who it is?

9

i really think they need to update remorseless winter and glacial advance as well. the only reason people don’t like glacial advance is because it looks ancient.

5 Likes
10

If you see Kelliste post just ignore. He doesnt even have TWW. Literally pays for a sub to troll the forums. Top tier no lifer.

5 Likes
11

Says the person that doesnt know that Cata Classic is a thing, and that there are WoW tokens to where you dont have to open your wallet at all. So no, Im not paying for a sub because I have plenty of gold, and its not to “troll the forums”. The conspiracy theories you guys gaslight yourself with is absolutely hilariously insane.

12

For someone you’re supposedly ignoring, you spend a lot of time talking about them…

13

Thats a lot of people on these forums actually. They rather talk about people than ideas and their crazy conspiracy theories with 0 evidence to support it.

The facts are these abilities have changed its just that since the design hasnt changed then people will say they were never updated and the design shouldnt change for these abilities. I also dont know what people expect from weapon strikes. They are weapon strikes, they arent going to be flashy.

If people want to say “glacial advance looks bad and is outdated in the current game” then say it. I dont know a single person that wouldnt agree to a statement like that. CoI can be updated as well, its showing its age.

Also, anyone complaining about DK now should go play Cata Paladin… its 100% the worst spec ever designed or created (at least that I have played). No visuals to it and the gameplay is atrocious. But I bet just because of the name saying it people would disagree. KDS at its finest.

14

There are three factors I look at when comes to special weapon strike abilities; Character animation, weapon trails, and sound. These vary depending on the attack, due to multiple factors on what the attack is supposed to be.

Since character animations are some-what limited, even with the expanded library since Legion, it falls to the effects to amp up an attack. Weapon trail effects and spell/impact effects are what is needed to amplify an attack visually.

An example I can give is Festering Scythe. The sound effect and character animation is sufficient, but the weapon trail effect is lacking in my opinion. Making a trailing effect a little larger and flashier would do a lot to not only make the proc look better, but better communicate when it goes off.

https://imgur.com/a/3LSZOBA
2 Likes
15

And how exactly are you supposed to see how an ability goes off in a sea of particles limiting what you actually see? This type of argument just leads to not being able to see the important stuff while you are in melee.

There are only really a few times that melee get to see their animations anyways, leveling and target dummies. Otherwise you are putting yourself in a position to where you arent going to see what you are doing.

You know when things happen through the UI, not through character animations outside of fighting another player and in that case you are focusing on the other player and not your character for the most part so even there it doesnt matter.

Weapon strikes arent going to be flashy and they shouldnt be. There is already enough garbage to try to look through for the important stuff that there doesnt need to be more of it.

You also have to be careful in asking for visual changes, look at incinerate. It went from a wave of fire to a little candle visual. Instead of updating its visuals and design, they changed the design of the spell visual entirely but kept its snaking motion to the target. Its worse.

So you make the DK strikes flashier so that the DK player can see it… what about other melee? Do you make them even more flashier so they can see theirs? Put them on the same level? Now you cant see anything due to all the flashy weapon strikes in melee to go with all the other stuff you are trying to see all while having other spells happen from the ranged, pets and all the other stuff as well? Melee needs to be less cluttered, not more.

16

Im mostly advocating for the big CDs and important weapon strike procs that get special treatment if they need it. Filler low CD attacks like scourge strike, frost strike, etc should be more subdued, so I dont think those kind of attacks need to be changed.

For me, just seeing my character swing around their weapon(s) in a cool way just adds to my enjoyment of the game, and if I see something that can be improved, I will always make recommendations on how I feel a visual ability can be changed. I also have fun making the examples.

17

The point is the same, if you don’t play retail, you don’t play it. Yet you are on retail forums to complain about retail and retail players. I haven’t yet seen anything constructive coming from you, it’s either a baseless or a nostalgic opinion from someone who just can’t accept we are no longer in 2008.

You’re right, if I draw a horrible caricature of Batman it has the same design Batman has in the comics because people can recognize him. I wonder how it is to be this clueless.

Aham, maybe if you played the actual game you wouldn’t be so clueless.

Therefore melees don’t need visual updates for animations? Such a lazy thinking. That’s not only a lie but again you proving how clueless you are about the game. Go play ret paladin in retail for a few minutes and then come back here repeating that.

The person you’re talking to simply can’t move on from classic WoW and will be against anything new retail does on principle. You can check that fact by reading all their other posts and comments.

New incinerate is infinitely better than the old one. Both look like fire, the old one simply looked like a badly animated fire. The new one isn’t perfect, but it is better. What I think Incinerate lacks is an outline.

They already are for other classes, it’s just a matter of time until Blizzard changes more and more visuals for more specs in the game. If they should or shouldn’t look like that depends on how they look.

I wish Festering Scythe actually looked like a scythe, the sound effect is indeed nice.

I agree. About Legion, visuals that were updated back then don’t really look updated now because Legion still used some old animations for spells. If you think about it, all casters and ret paladin got their visuals updated in BFA, that’s the sort of update I think DK is lacking and they’re adding them now with Defile and others.

18

But you literally see like at best 5-10% of what your character does in a group setting.

There are things that should be improved because they are pretty lacking, 100%.

The point isnt the same. You dont even know what that persons point was which is par for the course.

Because you gaslight yourself into believing that. You have literally had nothing constructive or informative. Saying things havent been touched since Wrath isnt constructive. Saying the LK design changed when it hasnt isnt constructive, its delusional.

We arent in 2008, yet you claim DK still is.

I know I am. You have been screaming this entire time through multiple threads that I dont know what im talking about and how wrong I am about design. The LK design doesnt change. There are terms out there like color palette, detail, resolution, proportion and so on that are separate from design. If I draw a WoW character with a big head the design doesnt change, the proportion does.

More projection.

Maybe if you did. We can see the differences between Wrath/Cata DC and TWW DC right now, but I dont have to do any other playing of TWW than logging on and pressing DC and comparing the 2, and they are different. It doesnt matter how many times you whine and moan that they are the same, they arent. DC in TWW has been updated from what it was, it just sucks. There is less actually less to it now than there was in Cata/Wrath. So how about you actually play the games and do a comparison before you go calling me clueless like you know what you are talking about.

Yes, thats exactly what I said… you cant even read a post correctly and you want to call me clueless? No its a priority and there can be a real issue in making everything flashy.

No its being realistic and paying attention to the playerbase that constantly say they cant see things that they need to avoid due to animations overwriting the things that are important. You clearly dont pay attention to what people say and just want to look cool while hitting that target dummy that you cant even bother to do in Cata Classic to compare the things you say havent been changed.

Repeat what? Do you see Crusader Strike on retail ret? Consecration is literally the same. Do you see Judgement? But I bet you will say Judgement has changed when this is about seeing the ability while calling me clueless. How about Blade of Justice? Divine Toll?

Conspiracy theory not backed up by anything except for an attempt to insult.

Evidence? Oh… you have none.

The design literally changed, this is evidence of the design changing and no, its not infinitely better.

Of course fire is going to look like fire, a wildfire and a candle both look like fire, but they are completely different and the feeling each gives is different.

but it was more than just a candle flame and it just needed to be updated, not change the design.

The issue with you is that you think that higher polygon count = better. You havent really delved into why its better other than “poorly animated” which it wasnt poorly animated, the animations were limited. You are talking about an almost 20 year game expecting it to look like it was made on UE5.

Good, then go play those other classes and leave. This junk is annoying to deal with.

This isnt even a sentence… I dont know what you are trying to say here, but it literally means nothing.

BFA is closer to Legion than it is to retail.

Had an issue with it which is why they are changing it. Have you not actually paid attention to the complaints about defile covering important mechanics? I “dont even play the game” according to you yet I actually pay attention to what others are saying. What a shocker.

20

Bro we are talking about retail and you play cata classic. your opinion is irrelevant. ur replaying a game from over 10 years ago. stop it. even more of a reason for u to go to the cata classic forums and troll

21

hard to ignore when every post u see him trolling. Get off his meat. its not a form of transportation