Hmmm, Malevolence seem more proper to be a passive than ability to activate (IMO)
But if its another ability to activate, I think it be great, if it was like a shadow fire FX on the target, that spreads your Dots and status effect to every thing it touches while ignited and by making the Wither effect explode to spread, like a viral infection of Shadowflame! You know like the old version of soul swap that spread your dots? But more flashier… Or maybe be like Impending Catastrophe covenant power that would hit and Dot everting in its path trajectory and also everything around the target… but you can animated it with Shadowflame instead of red Anima…etc. (IMO)
First impression is very positive honestly.
I’m wondering how Wither is going to work with Absolute Corruption, but I’m excited to see this in action.
I’m still deeply concerned about how these hero talents are going to fit when there are such deep design issues with aff’s spec tree. I do love that Rapture is getting some interplay with Wither. It’s such a good spell, but it needs its role clarified (ala tree rework).
GG on this one o7
3 Likes
I don’t think the stacks matter at all when it comes to the DoT duration, at least the stacks only seem to matter how long the acute damage proc runs. So I assume it’s still just the standard 5 seconds.
Why would you ever want to spam Agony more than once when you have vile taint every 30 seconds. It’s such a waste. The only reason I would see this viable is if you had to refresh Agony to catch those dots that fall off before taint is back up.
Yeah but is it 5sec of only 1 stack or does it apply for each stack is what I meant.
Like let say 5sec = 10k dmg. But you have 10stack of wither. Does it deal 50k or only 10k
Cause if it work with stack it could turn into casting double Chaos bolt with the amount of stack u get. It would also make Destro use more bleakheart tactic to add lost of stack. Meanwhile Affli would play more with hateful rituals
I think I have figured out what my huge issue is with this tree and why it doesn’t fit with the Destruction fantasy.
Out of the 8 throughput talents in this tree, 6 of them (excluding the 2 generic damage/crit ones) affect Wither and Wither alone on the Destruction side. You’re basically making 6 talents interact with Immolate alone. Immolate is a minor portion of the Destruction kit.
I get that Affliction and Destruction are extremely different specs, but I can come out with a few interactions that could reach similar results with both specs (on paper of course i’m just a lowly warlock player) with Malefic Rapture/Chaos Bolt or even Conflagrate/Agony.
It definitely feels like the brainstorming phase of the trees basically boils down to “oh we made a dot that works for both specs, don’t need anything else!”. Frankly, it kinda screams lack of creativity. This is the experimentation phase and whoever designed this tree went with the safest option and went, “oh that’s good enough”.
10 Likes
If we’re getting “Shadowflame” visuals with Immolate being replaced by Wither, which will likely be purple, us Green Fire warlocks should get another quest chain to get Purple fire instead - the animations are already in the game files.
4 Likes
Regarding Aura of Enfeeblement, it will be best if the 75%-effectiveness aura does not stack with the actual 100%-effectiveness casted spell. Otherwise, locks might feel obligated to always be standing in melee range of a hard-hitting boss.
So another expansion of MG for Affliction being shoved into a spec it doesn’t belong in?
4 Likes
Never mind, no one wants to use a crap talent tree.
1 Like
This would make the demon that was built to extend the duration of a short-term powerful dot to allow for burst phases have a point.
Since you know, they left that cooldown in Affliction without the dot it was made for…
2 Likes
Got to say. Thematically diving all into shadowflame is the play.
It certainly would be more hellcaller esque. Further to that, you could build destro - bursty damage, with AFF components - agonizing shadow flame. While also playing leaning slightly more thematically into destro such as diabolist has for do, and presumably soul harvester will for demo.
Diabolist as an example does blend the two well, but does feel a bit more demo.
You could certainly build off Wither, but it shouldn’t be the entire cruz of the entire tree.
Christ guys if you don’t want to go shadowflame, go fel flame. Again similar thematically. Volatile bursty damage. AFF could focus on the back end and agonizing components. Where as destro on the chaotic bursty parts.
Please I implore you, review the theme, Wither is nice. But it can’t be the focal point if you genuinely want to play homage to destro.
5 Likes
The stacks don’t affect the primary function of the DoT, so I would assume it’s just 5 flat seconds, or the 10k in your example. The stacks only matter for the secondary shadowflame proc.
Hellcaller is good for affliction warlock they win, with damage over time and do a lot of shadow damage. Destro does fire and since we cast slow classes that blast damage will seee increase in their damage and we will see no damage or little before damage over time will goes off. I wanted fire damage not play another spec of warlock. Nothing about incerate , rain of fire, buff to inferno damage and immolate. Need to look at what a destruction warlock actual talents we play. Next hero talent is obiviosly win for afflic or demo. Nothing to address fire but minor small buffs that other hero class trees give some huge buffs to those classes . We got left behind.
Once again the Destruction thematic is COMPLETELY ignored.
Diabolist is Demonology 2.0
Hellcaller is SOMEHOW Affliction 2.0.
The fact that THIS is the tree for a title of Hellcaller is honestly baffling.
If you changed absolutely nothing at all and relabeled it with Soul Harvester I wouldn’t even blink.
Why is the GREEN FLAME DESTRUCTION theme being completely ignored??
2 Likes
Look, personally I don’t want to cry about replacing the immolate cast time, I already hate managing a debuff on Destro but if we must, having it insta cast is a win.
But I hear you, my warlock friends, it doesn’t “feel” destruction. Neither tree does. I do think they are mechanically viable, but they do lack a clear connection to the spec.
I want thicc chaos bolts, an AoE that doesn’t require a +28 to start being able to ramp up and do something - basically rain chaos and hellfire on our ennemies! Hellcaller was a cool name for that. Granted the tree has to apply to Affliction as well, I get that. But every hero talent has a “mother” spec, I said as much in other feedback threads, and the one that should’ve for sure nailed the theme for Destruction… well doesn’t feel that destructiony.
I want to reiterate, mechanically speaking I don’t see much issue with it. Hero Talents were announced as having a goal of feeling for your spec of “What you are, but more” and this doesn’t feel like that.
5 Likes
So the issue is a thematic one. You want it all the destro and it’s currently very heavily slanted towards Affliction. And you are right, there should be more of a destro flavor to it in some respects to balance the class fantasy of being a hybrid of the two.
I think starting with Wither was a good call, affliction is dot based, and it changes the only dot Destro has, while making it instant cast for them. As other’s have stated, that’s a fine starting point. The problem is for destro where to go from there, what does the dot do and how does it interact with the rest of the playstyle. It fits a lot better with Affliction than it does Destro.
I do not enjoy destro, but I can understand you and others being upset, as I would be if the shoe was on the other foot, but I think there needs to be an understanding of finding a thematic balance between the two as opposed to one spec forcing itself on the other. Changing how Destro interacts with Wither could lead to something that is enjoyable for both specs.
3 Likes
I like the Satyr theme, but I agree it feels somewhat lacking in the Destruction half.
The tree should probably have a hard hitting spell replacement for like… Shadowburn and Haunt or something, and some talents that buff it, adding interactions between it and Wither etc. That way you’d have a Shadowflame DoT in Wither for the Aff side, and a Shadowflame nuke for Destro.
2 Likes
Perhaps UA or Drain Soul depending on the interaction since Haunt isn’t taken in every situation. Nitpicking because I am reminded of some previous mentions of feeling forced into taking channel demonfire to build stacks quickly, and I think forced talent selections due to what hero talents could lead to additional frustration.
I do think the idea of a buffed Chaos Bolt analogue nuke for destro to do…something with wither aside from “Adding a stack” could go a long way.
1 Like