The biggest thing I’ve been hoping for wow besides housing is a combat overhaul.
Some older systems really get in the way, like the “in combat” / “out of combat”. What if spells that can only be used out of combat were interrupted by any damage instead?
A big impactful change would be using this cast interruption method to allow casters to move while casting. If they stand still, it takes an interrupt or CC as normal, only when players move while casting or channeling the process becomes unstable and interrupted by any damage.
Also a baseline speed acceleration buff that stacks the longer we run like the one from the old patch ring (forbidden reach)
the only way to make a really impactful change to the feel of combat at this point would be a shift away from 2004 tab-targetting to more modern Action-style Combat. but that won’t happen because it’ll be way too much work(with no guarantee to be financially worth it) to redesign all of the Classes, Mobs and existing Encounters to fit that style, and the “I want WoW to stay exactly the way it was in 2004 no matter what” contingent would scream bloody murder.
but anything less would just be a new coat of paint on the same wall.
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These people have classic
Also, the tab targeting system is just an interface for what already is quite action-style if you enable some auto-target settings.
I don’t think it would be so unlikely for them to redesign the class/skill system. Evoker has been a test, the dynamic button pressing mechanics are meant to be used on all classes eventually for sure.
The Hero talent system also seems like a way of branching each class into smaller bits that could be easily replaced, like totemic shaman being a little-class with only totem-related skills. This would allow for the most fun custom classes by cherry picking little-specs of each neighbor class (similar themes).
It would be a nightmare to balance, but I’m sure they have good designers working at blizzard to make this process more efficient.
Demon Hunter, Evoker, and the Ret Paladin rework seem to have been designed with Action Combat in mind. so their transition would be less painful.
the other classes though, would need a lot more work. especiially Healers.
Healing in general would need to be completely re-designed from the ground up, I would think. far less directly targeted heals/buffs, more ground target/AOE radius/Cone and short-duration pulsing heals and short-duration buffs. but I don’t play Healers so maybe I don’t know what I am talking about there.
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Huge overhauls to MMOs that have been around don’t usually go well. UO tried, SWG tried and they were both failures.
The only overhaul I am aware of that was successful is FF14 and that’s because the original was so bad.