Forcing Ray of Frost in Midnight 12.0

I am looking at the alpha talents. It appears the 4 new talents affect Ray of Frost.
This is troubling as it forces this kind of game play. Please consider a choice node or let it affect something else.
I also do see Ray of Frost in the talent tree in a way you are basically forced to pick it. I really do not like this ability at all and would really like to retain my ability opt of that game play. I find this prolonged plant and chant style to not add to fun factor of play.

For those unaware the alpha talent trees are up on wowhead now.

Stay Frosty
-Doc

8 Likes

Ray of Frost has replaced Icy Veins as our cooldown, so you will likely not be able to avoid taking it unless major changes happen within the alpha through beta

6 Likes

It’s not just talents, but Frost’s mastery now revolves around it as well. :frowning:

Well I’m just glad that the changes to Arcane and Fire are to my liking and I won’t have to play Frost anymore.

Came here just to mention this. Glacial Spike is one of the coolest spells the wow devs have come up with and should define the entire spec.

Glacial spike is literally mandatory at the start of the tree. I worry sometimes that people refuse to read things before posting stuff. Please, you’ll make it more confusing to devs that actually listen.

9 Likes

Hmm strange, i missed that at the top of the tree… Bliz’s own post indicates it was removed. Alrighty then

I am talking about these 4 elite talents which buff RoF and not GS.
Is anyone going to think they can skip Ray when your ultimate talents buff that ability?

As to GS, it doens’t appear on the tree, I assume it is baseline at the current plan. I can’t imagine getting rid of GS

Well fire is looking interesting at least.

But yes it is early and I am sure it will change. However speak up early and often lest you are never heard/

I was speaking to the person who complained about glacial spike being deleted, of which it isn’t. It is on the tree. Splitting ice still applies to it.

Tis but a reading comprehension boss, and I am quite worried they’ll ponder to the devs about stuff of which is in the talent list itself, and the notes.

2 Likes

I admitted it, I was wrong… I didnt see the class tree posts (which I was working and it’s all blocked so I couldnt see anything if I wanted to), but i did see the blue post about what was being removed - and GS was on that list… i deleted it because it wasnt worth keeping up

Ah I am following you now. Yes I could see how that could lead to confusion.

I just hope we keep our choices of game play.

Of course. I don’t mean to appear as rude, it is just quite disheartening when every question being asked and complaint being made in forums right now; is indeed something already answered by the tree.

2 Likes

Honestly, we have been in “do all your damage in a small window” hell for all 3 specs since legion. It’s sucked on add phases and it feels awful outside the burst window. I welcome these changes, especially frost’s emphasis on smaller bursts and more sustained output. 1 spell on a cooldown doing a ton of damage is a good replacement if it’s balanced properly.

4 Likes

Heavily agree with this.

2 Likes

I only play the spec frost on mage. I will be playing a non ray of frost build no matter the cost. Even if I have 3 leftover talent points. I will never play that garbage ability. Here is an alternative to keep the same amount of buttons; replace ray of frost with some manner of haste buff, maybe put it on a 2 minute cooldown to balance the damage of it.

2 Likes

Also, forcing you to cast Ray before having access to Comet Storm is terrible. Plus the Comet talent is sooooo far up that Frost fire gets pigeon holed to the left side of the talent tree. Just make Comet Storm a timer that “Automatically” turns blizzard into Comet every 30 secs.

There are just too many talents as well for frost, it’s kind of disorganized.

2 Likes

I wish they’d abolish all channeled spells … though I wanna see how this plays out after the combat changes. If we dont have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off every half a second, then channeled may be fine. But if not, as our main DPS CD… going to feel really really bad.

1 Like

Ray of Frost has issues out the gate. It’s a channeled spell. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of another spec that has to channel their 2 minute cd. You get unlucky in PvE your damage goes in the gutter. In PvP it’s going to be a magnet for CC and Kicks.

My concerns exactly. CS is mandatory for FF. CS needs to be more central. And also with the longer CD, we’ve all had tanks decide to jump across the map for whatever reason just as you hit CS and even FO so they just sail off into the void.

2 Likes

Frost hasn’t been like this, no. For a long time it was all about perma-maintaining Icy Veins, which is the literal opposite of limiting all damage to a small window. Even now Icy Veins can last up to 1 minute even though the AoE burst is around the Coldest Snap window.

New Ray has a way shorter cooldown and iirc, it’s further reduced by Haste. I also read in the Mage Discord that it can be channeled on the move since Ice Floes was turned into a Frost-only passive.

I like Ray of Frost (except its current visual effect on live), but I found it to be quite a strange decision to make it the spec’s cooldown. I also love Glacial Spike and think it should be mandatory, but making it replace Frostbolt at 5 Icicles as well as making Icicle generation on a timer are things I’m very much against.

2 Likes

whoa whoa whoa, say what now?!?!??!!