Overall, in 1v1s, WPVP, and Battlegrounds, what sorts of advantages realistically exist based on faction specific racials, and how might that make a difference?
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I mean, Orc’s resisting stuns 25% more often could result in say 25% more wins for Rogue vs Rogue 1v1s consisting of Orc rogue vs UD rogue, for example. I’m not sure that that’s completely accurate, but I’d like to get a sense of what might be accurate and how we might measure this faction-specific racial advantage.
Here’s a breakdown of racial abilities by faction and race
Alliance
Dwarf
Find Treasure: Allows the dwarf to sense nearby treasure, making it appear on the minimap
Frost Resistance: Increases Frost Resistance by 10.
Gun Specialization: Guns skill increased by 5.
Stoneform: While active, grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects. In addition, Armor increased by 10%. Lasts 8 sec.
Priest
Fear Ward- Wards the friendly target against Fear. The next Fear effect used against the target will fail, using up the ward. Lasts 10 min.
Desperate Prayer - Instantly heals the caster.
Gnome
Arcane Resistance: Arcane Resistance increased.
Expansive Mind: Intelligence increased by 5%.
Engineering Specialization: Engineering skill increased by 15.
Escape Artist: Escape the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effect.
Human
Diplomacy: Reputation gains increased by 10%.
Mace Specialization: Skill with Maces and Two-Handed Maces increased by 5.
Perception: Dramatically increases stealth detection for 20 sec.
Sword Specialization: Skill with Swords and Two-Handed Swords increased by 5.
The Human Spirit: Spirit increased by 5%.
Priest
Feedback - The priest becomes surrounded with anti-magic energy. Any successful spell cast against the priest will burn 105 of the attacker’s Mana, causing 1 Shadow damage for each point of Mana burned. Lasts 15 sec.
Desperate Prayer - Instantly heals the caster.
Night Elf
Nature Resistance: Nature Resistance increased by 10.
Wisp Spirit: Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing movement speed by 50%.
Quickness: Dodge chance increased by 1%.
Shadowmeld: Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until cancelled or upon moving. Night Elf Rogues and Druids with Shadowmeld are more difficult to detect while stealthed or prowling.
Priest
Starshards - Rains starshards down on the enemy target’s head, causing 936 Arcane damage over 6 sec.
Elune’s Grace - Reduces ranged damage taken by 95 and increases chance to dodge by 10% for 15 sec.
Horde
Orc
Axe Specialization - Skill with Axes and Two-Handed Axes increased by 5.
Blood Fury - Increases base melee attack power by 25% for 15 sec and reduces healing effects on you by 50% for 25 sec.
Command - Damage dealt by Hunter and Warlock pets increased by 5%.
Hardiness - Chance to resist Stun effects increased by an additional 25%.
Tauren
Cultivation: Herbalism skill increased by 15.
Endurance: Total Health increased by 5%.
Nature Resistance: Nature Resistance increased by 10.
War Stomp: Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2 sec.
Troll
Beast Slaying: Damage dealt versus Beasts increased by 5%.
Berserking: Increases your casting and attack speed by 10% to 30%. At full health the speed increase is 10% with a greater effect up to 30% if you are badly hurt when you activate Berserking. Lasts 10 sec.
Bow Specialization: Skill with Bow Weapons increased by 5.
Regeneration: Health regeneration rate increased by 10%. 10% of total Health regeneration may continue during combat.
Throwing Specialization: Skill with Throwing Weapons increased by 5.
Priest
Hex of Weakness - Weakens the target enemy, reducing damage caused by 20 for 2 min.
Shadowguard - The caster is surrounded by shadows. When a spell, melee or ranged attack hits the caster, the attacker will be struck for (26.7% of Spell power) Shadow damage. Attackers can only be damaged once every few seconds. This damage causes no threat. 3 charges. Lasts 10 min.
Undead
Cannibalize: When activated, regenerates 7% of total health every 2 sec for 10 sec. Only works on Humanoid or Undead corpses within 5 yds. Any movement, action, or damage taken while Cannibalizing will cancel the effect.
Shadow Resistance: Shadow Resistance increased by 10.
Underwater Breathing: Underwater breath lasts 300% longer than normal.
Will of the Forsaken: Provides immunity to Charm, Fear and Sleep while active. May also be used while already afflicted by Charm, Fear or Sleep. Lasts 5 sec.
Priest
Touch of Weakness - The next melee attack on the caster will cause (10.7% of Spell power) Shadow damage and reduce the damage caused by the attacker by 20 for 2 min.
Devouring Plague - Afflicts the target with a disease that causes 896 Shadow damage over 24 sec. Damage caused by the Devouring Plague heals the caster.
And then there are obviously the differences of Paladins and Shaman.
Will of the Forsaken
2 minute CD —> Nerfed in later expansions
Stacks with PvP trinket giving you another out —> Nerfed in later expansions
5 second immunity after you use this —> OP AF WTF NERFED in later expansions
Currently gamebreaking versus all Priests, Warriors and Warlocks. So much versus warlocks that having a Horde Warlock is more relevant for PvP than Alliance Warlock.
Orc Racial 25% stun resistance - This comes out to 120 stun resistance. This 1,200% higher than the resistance numbers that other classes get towards spells (Like Nelf 10 resistance to Nature).
This is also not pierceable like it is with spell schools. So this means spell school resistance all gets pierced easily but stun resistance is something Alliance just have to deal with.
Currently gamebreaking vs Fire/Elemental Mages, Shadow Priests, Warriors, Rogues, Paladins and BM Hunters. So much versus rogues that having a Horde Rogue is more relevant for PvP than Alliance Rogue.
Nature Resistance: Nature Resistance increased by 10.
War Stomp: Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2 sec.
Night Elf
Nature Resistance: Nature Resistance increased by 10.
Wisp Spirit: Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing movement speed by 50%.
Quickness: Dodge chance increased by 1%.
Shadowmeld: Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until cancelled or upon moving. Night Elf Rogues and Druids with Shadowmeld are more difficult to detect while stealthed or prowling.
Both have same nature resist. Nelf shadowmeld and Tauren warstomp are arguably balanced. Both have their advantages, Warstomp better for PvP and Shadowmeld better for PvE.
Night Elves have 1% dodge…
Tauren have 5% health…
So Nelf PvE tanks might be on par with Tauren, but Tauren easily have the edge over Nelf druids for PvP.
I mean, in terms of PVP, particularly WPVP and Battlegrounds, but 1v1s, too, I’m curious as to what meaningful advantage Horde racials have.
For sure, Hardiness is a strong racial ability. How that translates to win-loss ratios over time, and what Alliance has in contrast is something I’d be interested in really understanding.
I’m under the impression that say, for a Warrior in PVP, Hardiness is the best racial. However, that’s not to say that I couldn’t beat an Orc warrior, as a Tauren warrior, in a 1v1. Or that a Human Warrior will always lose to an Orc Warrior.
I’m curious as to precisely how much of an advantage someone would claim that an Orc warrior has over a Human warrior, due to better racials. Then, if you have say an Orc warrior and an Orc shaman vs a Human warrior and a Dwarf paladin, for example, do you still have the same advantages? What if you add some mages?
What if it’s 10v10, do the advantages continue to add up, or diminish?
Usually a team’s coordination has more of an impact but you are still talking about a huge edge to overcome.
An edge that could translate into 5-10% advantage is a big one. Orcs have 25% stun resist.
Becoming immune to a fear for 5 seconds after breaking one is completely busted in a group pvp situation. So much so that alliance mages are better CC than alliance warlocks. For horde they could use fear or poly easily.
It sure is. Is that the claim though, that Horde racials offer 5-10% advantage over Alliance on average across WPVP and Battlegrounds?
They do. What percentage of wins or advantage does that translate to over Alliance races, in WPVP or Battlegrounds, I wonder… how would we know?
Even though Dwarf priests have Fear Ward with a 30 second CD? Does that add anything to the balance (in that particular scenario)? Oh, and Paladin’s Turn Undead…
It’s variable depending on the time, place and situation. It varies between a small advantage and a huge one. The takeaway is that its VERY IMPACTFUL AND OBVIOUSLY OVERPOWERED enough for a super majority of WoW players to choose this as a faction based on nothing more than the racials.
First of all Paladin’s Turn Undead doesn’t work in Classic, this isn’t freaking super old Vanilla where Will of the Forsaken immunity lasted 20 seconds.
Second don’t even compare the Dwarf Racial. The Dwarf racial balances fear based PvE bosses almost as much as Horde have control over fear based PvE bosses. To compare Fear Ward to Will of the Forsaken would be like comparing Hardiness 25% stun resist to Night Elf 1% chance to dodge.
Is that the takeaway? I am not arguing that Hardiness isn’t a great racial, nor that WotF isn’t either, and that being immune to fear for 5 seconds after using it, on a 2 min CD is a good one. And, the only real trade off is that Paladins, which are Alliance only have skills that can virtually completely shut down UD, which is maybe worth consideration. I wonder how much that may offset the advantage (if at all), and how one might measure that.
If a super majority of WoW players actually chose Horde due to nothing more than the racials, that’s also interesting. I’d be interested in how that was determined to be the case, but I’m not claiming it isn’t. I don’t actually claim to know.
Oh, it doesn’t? I didn’t know that. I suppose it doesn’t offset any advantage at all then!
Except that Fear Ward is a 30 second CD that can prevent a fear. It’s actually useful, and would definitely impact whatever statistical advantage Horde racials may have (moreso, than a 1% chance to dodge, though that too would have some impact, however minute).