I don’t think arbitrary complexity really adds anything to the game.
You can have depth without having bloat.
Personally I find if focusing on my rotation takes so much of my attention that it distracts me from dodging mechanics/actually playing the game then the rotation is bad.
I’m not logging on to watch dot/buff timers… I’m logging on to get engaged in the combat.
One of the reasons I used to love tanking so much – is that Tanks don’t really have rotations. They just have buttons that do useful things. Take Prot Warriors:
- Thunder Clap which spreads Rend and is great for grabbing threat.
- Shield Block which is great for taking less damage.
- Shield Slam to increase the duration of Shield Block.
- Shockwave to AOE stun/interrupt mobs.
- Charge to get somewhere quick and build rage.
- Heroic Leap to jump over crap on the floor and reposition to a new location. Or just to go fast.
- Revenge to apply some Ignore Pain if you have the set bonus, and do some damage/more threat.
- Ignore Pain – Take Less Damage
See what I mean? There are small nuances and interactions they have to optimize their damage… but it’s just icing on the cake – they really don’t have a “rotation.” They just have buttons that do things they need – so the tank can focus on playing the game – instead of perfectly doing some complicated rotation.
Given how many mechanics Blizzard has been throwing at players during M+ and how much there is to track in PvP – I think the game could benefit a lot from making regular abilities more impactful and rotations less crazy.
I’d rather have a complicated game than a complicated rotation. I can only really focus on one at a time.