I’m a necrolord warrior. I have nothing but regret. Rather than regrind all that jazz I voted with my wallet.
These systems were designed this way as a means to extend our play time. There’s no other credible reason for how poorly some of these decisions feel in-game.
Is there literally anything the forums wont claim is to increase the mythical time played metric?
You know Blizz makes the same from you each month whether you play 1 minute per month or every waking hour of the month, right?
Are you familiar with KPIs? Hint: Time played metrics are an example of one.
It would be easier to deny that Blizzard uses this metric if it weren’t for the fact that they’re not even trying to hide how much time they are trying to get us to spend doing pointless activities (fill the bar quests, travel times, etc)
They want “retention” and “engagement.” It’s about making sure you’re never “done” with the game is one way to pad that out.
Because it’s never just dollars - it’s also tomorrow’s dollars. And next week’s. Projections! Growth! The spreadsheet nerds all need as many datapoints as they can muster to Nostrasdomus these things out. If they can keep you playing, they can keep you paying, and that’s the real name of the game. They don’t just want your money now, they want it forever. And that means while you play their game, they game their game to keep you playing.
It’s an ability you need to explore ways of using it. In typical M+ or PvP scenarios, it’s not something I’d try fitting in too much. I plan to try a lot with it.
If I wasn’t planning to stop playing when my 2 months end, I’d have probably stuck with Night Fae for the long haul. If I’m gonna be in a covenant an entire expansion, it’ll be one with a theme I like.
In Legion, the shaman area was chosen for me, but I chose a shaman 16 years or so ago…so it made perfect sense.
Dagnabbit.
I think poor design decisions are par for the course. My main issue, is that they don’t seem keen on addressing them mid-expansion.
Problems that will never be fixed are not worth agonizing about. This thread kinda contradicts the statement, but I also plan to stop playing, so it’s 50/50.
Investors care, far as I know. More time played = higher dedication to the game = higher chance of buying micro-transactions.
Seems logical to me.
Heh, you posted on my thread. You know how I feel now.
Was my quote about it.
If only someone had warned Blizzard months ago that tying player power into an interesting story decision ruins the choice. Oh well.
/facepalm
I knew I forgot something during testing!
Sorry OP, it’s all my fault.
Thank you for doing your part to ensure that a covenant balance pass will arrive next week. (Joking aside, Blizzard should be working on one, but even class/spec balance is moving slowly right now.)
What specifically did you not like about Fae Transfusion? I thought it was fun, even though I decided to have a different character go NF out of my first 4.
With all the threads about how healers need to DPS sometimes in M+, I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find a 2 second window to cast the first part of Fae Transfusion – or are mobs just not grouped up enough/get kited out of it? Or if you are landing the damage part, how could a free heal possibly be a liability?
The one thing I would definitely like to see changed about it is that if you don’t manually release the healing within the time window, it should automatically go off at the end. Allowing it to be completely lost if you get CC’d at the wrong time is too punitive.
Some of the downsides can be handled by memorizing fights and mob abilities, but I’ll list them anyway.
So yeah, I can see it being ok for Prideful, but…it also only heals 4 people? Why?
It’s just the least convenient ability in the game far as I’m concerned.
The biggest plus, was using it on a solo boss, or on a mob that aggros while I’m trying to mine…easy single target damage; all it’s good for, really.
I could probably go on, but am typing this inbetween Torghast pulls so will end there.
Getting the channel off is easy, but is not something you cast in the heat of the moment. if positioning changes after your channel, then your AoE heal will likely be wasted. As you said, the 20 second window seems too short as well, which is why you’re required to plan it out much more compared to any other ability.
Edit: the auto-release would be nice, but I think there are a lot of better things to do with it.
But this won’t happen, so whatever.
The truth, that blizzard for some reason is refuses to admit, is that when you do high end content - you want to play a good class/spec/covenant.
It just directly destroys any fun if your favorite spec is suddenly a trash tier and there are no balancing at all.
I feel you deeply, Warlock main here originally went Venthyr but switched to Necrolords, still isn’t best pick Night Fae but atleast Decimating Bolt while still ridiculously underperforming, it’s better then Venthyrs…
I refuse to be a Warlock as Night Fae Or Kyrian.
Well, also, some abilities just don’t feel good to certain people. If someone likes Kyrian but hates how the ability works in their rotation, they may choose a different covenant. It’s not 100% about min/max play.
Also just wanted to mention, this Shaman was going to go Night Fae, I feel the theme was perfect for a Shaman, but Fae Transfusion seems so anti synergistic with literally every spec… Enhancement channeling??, Elemental getting close to channel?? Don’t even get me started on Resto… I think a major rework needs to happen…
Personally Fae Transfusion should be a fire and forget spell, cast it, once it’s done your able to re cast for the heal.
Or
Fae Transfusion works differently with every spec.
Enhance - With 5 maelstorm stacks it becomes an instant cast burst.
Resto - Allies standing within the circle receive healing as you channel possible add a damage reduction to it aswell.
Havnt figured out a good one for Ele yet.
I tried macroing Transfusion to Spiritwalker’s Grace so that I can always use it while moving, but ultimately it’s a waste of Spiritwalker’s UNLESS the situation specifically needs you to move + damage the boss while people aren’t dying.
Making it ‘fire and forget’ sounds fun, if I do say so myself; kinda like the warrior’s Kyrian ability. Might be too good, but…well, after watching AWC and PvP highlights, maybe I don’t know what ‘too good’ is anymore.
If you’re enhance, it’s fantastic single target DPS. I main resto, so the pathetic heal range/targets is what largely does it in for me.
Plus, Chain Harvest is super fun as enhance, and it heals your group a ton when used with full maelstrom as well.
If I didn’t dislike how Venthyr/Revendreth look, it wouldn’t have been as much of an issue to just pick them off the bat…but the same issue would still occur to those with different tastes.
Enhance one seems standard, so I like it.
As for resto, I think I’d like to keep the control over when the heal bursts, so the top priority would be to increase the range of the heal whether it stays as is, or heals as it’s channeled.
As for ele, just let it cast while moving tbh.
Blizzard probably won’t do any more function changes outside the maelstrom, though. (if they even touch balancing it)
No moth is not covenant locked.
But yes I 100% agree with you. Each spec usually has 2 viable ones, one meh one, and one trash covenant. I don’t get why they aren’t doing more active tuning.
A great way to fix this issue, is allow players to pick the dps covenant ability but visually changes with what covenant you are in.
Example you like chain harvest, as Night Fae it should cast with blue sparkles how their theme is… if you went Necrolords it be that greenish colour.
This way you pick the play style you prefer, with no draw backs and can be in the covenant you enjoy.
Easy to balance, the covenant should just give its utility spell…
I am in the same boat kind of.
I went through this whole process when deciding my covenant prior to shadowlands… I felt guilty for wanting Night Fae for the aesthetic knowing that Kyrian was the right choice for content and also my guild.
I decided Night Fae but after struggling for weeks to feel comfortable healing I decided I needed to go Kyrian to feel good about playing my class. Divine toll just feels necessary to the Holy build.
At the end of the day I felt extremely happy with my choice because once I started in Kyrian I knew that was the place I liked more anyways and should have started with in the first place but sadly not a lot of people can say that.
Overall I really enjoy covenants and have had a more pleasant than not experience with them however, I 100% see the frustration for some people.
I seriously miss the Queen’s Conservatory though.
I’ve suggested this before in a different way, so I agree. My version was simply making the combat version our level 60 talent choices, and as you said, the covenant would give the utility spell.
If Night Fae had a blue Chain Harvest, I would never switch.
Just saying that is almost depressing. I’m about to quit a game because of something so small, yet I still feel it’s justifiable due to how much the devs have ignored these things.
Which is a reason I decided to try switching to Venthyr. The gameplay feels better, but I still dislike not being able to be Night Fae.
I’m conflicted due to the good/bad of my decision.