There are myriad ways to change the spec without having it be all about burst. I wrote up this whole post (My dream for affliction), but there are even more…to name a few:
- Make applying DoT’s via AoE easier (New Vile Taint is a good first step, things like lowering SoC cast time is another)
- Make DoT’s last longer so reapplying them isn’t so tedious and detrimental to damage
- Have an ability like Life Tap/Soul Tap instantly refresh/increase all DoT damage at the cost of the Lock’s life/resources
- Make the spec more utility focus so DoTs & debuffs increase the effectiveness of teammates’ abilities
- DoT’s become stronger as the target is missing life
- Give affliction a single burst spell on a 30-60 second cooldown (personally I think Shadowburn fit that gap nicely)
The list goes on an on. The problem is blizzard it taking shortcuts to make their lives easier at the cost of player fun. They’ve streamlined class design to the point that they all more or less play the exact same.