I know it is unlikely we will ever get Gladiator Stance again (RIP) but is there a chance we can still get a shield appearance without being Prot?
My idea is that when in Arms or Fury if you switch to Defensive stance you use a shield appearance with a 2h weapon in right hand. Not only would this scratch the shield fantasy itch that some Warriors have but it could also help be a visual indicator for warriors switching stances (since addons are starting to move to the chopping block)
Could be something as simple as a transmog edit or done in the barbershop menu.
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There is some precedent. After stance/weapon requirements were changed in MoP Patch 5.4, a placeholder Alliance or Horde shield graphic would appear when using Spell Reflect or Shield Wall.
This would make a good glyph, allowing said abilities to use the appearance from a random shield out of your bags.
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That is a good idea as well!
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it worked that way in legion, and maybe bfa, and was very cool
I would even take it a step further and enable shield block in dstance
some might whine that you don’t actually have a shield equipped, but outlaw rogues and survival hunters don’t equip a pistol or crossbow either
Wasn’t it just like 4 rotating shields though?
Like yeah the visual was there but idk I want to actually see the shield. That is a good point on the rogues though I didn’t even think of that.
Yes, the current shield wall uses the same animation where four shields rotate around you for a moment. The MoP changes I referred to earlier actually put a fake shield graphic over your offhand for the duration of the effects.
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no, it would do that, but you also got the vanilla pvp shield for your faction
The whole pulling a shield out of thin air was removed due to player feedback iirc due to it being the vanilla pvp faction shield and not being xmogable at all.
Honestly they just need to give warriors some unique stances that aren’t tied to racial stances.
Separate them into Sword, Axe/Mace and Polearm/Staff for both offensive/defensive stances with their own unique combat animation sets. Think Cloud from FF7R where his Operator and Punisher stances change how he’s fighting.
Sure it would remove racial identity and some of the absurd stances some weapons have, but it would be in favour of more realistic ways that you would fight with the weapon and would allow Warriors to showcase proper momentum in their animations and the weight behind their attacks.
I’d like Colossus tree to give Prot… Titan’s Grip! That would be so badass.
Honestly for ease of switching between specs prot just using a 2h/Shield while adding in a passive that allows them to xmog 2h to 1h would be solid.
Then again there are some pretty large 1hs you can mog as well which look like 2h weapons or share the same model as a 2h weapon.
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It’s a thematic idea, but the developers have been very clear about not wanting hero specializations to fundamentally change core capabilities, hence nothing like Gladiator Stance or Titan’s Grip.
Technical issues aside, it creates an opportunity to loot a nice new 2h weapon that you now can’t use as Thane. Likewise, you can be stuck in a position of having 1hrs which are significantly weaker when you want to play Colossus.
- With enough bonus modifiers, you could make this work one way or another, but it still creates potential for awkward situations that are more complicated than it really needs to be.
If they really wanted to add a 2h option for Prot, the better way to do it would be via transmog.
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And that is kind of what I am trying to get at. I understand their perspectives on core functionality for warriors I am just trying to argue my case from a thematic standpoint.
Someone else mentioned it too, maybe Prot with 2h appearance, or the ability to mog 1h on 2h but keep 2h efficiency. It (in my opinion) increases a lot more value for the transmogs themselves and in blizzard’s interest might be a good way to add a little more retention for playtime. (Mog farming)
it worked like this before, but it wasnt as good, since it used a generic shield.
If they made some glyphs that you could chose your shield, it would be cool, as long as it was a option with no shield at all, but thats too much work for then