Maybe it’s just from playing warrior, but cata feels terrible, even worse than it felt originally (I have ruthless elite mogged on my ugly gnome currently), but that is probably due to it being a solved game this time around.
2s not having damp is so funny, who has time for 40 minute games. This was known and experienced in original cata but this time around they should’ve done something about it.
3s is just ferals, rogues, rets, and mages playing one expansion ahead. Non s-tier comps don’t even stand a chance, unlike retail where you can get glad with nearly any comp in the game.
Also it’s pretty dead, fight the same teams over and over starting at 2k and beyond in cata. First season of the expac and the participation is that low.
I bet you were pretty satisifed with and never complained about how “balanced” warriors were in TBC and Wrath. Best part is warriors aren’t even “bad,” they are just kind of mid in Cata and take a brain since you can actually die.
So performance in previous expansions should determine strength in the current? What about the people who didn’t even care to play tbc/wotlk classic because the arena was bad in general?
Idk it feels like every class has a chance to get glad if the player is good enough and is playing a good comp. There’s just no inflation yet and most people aren’t as good as they think they are so they’re stuck at 1800 when really with proper inflation they’d be 2k+. Just give it some time and hopefully we get some inflation going.
I would say literally anybody who has time to play WoW does.
I stopped playing my DK seriously in Season 5, because I really, really didn’t like the playstyle of Hpal/DK vs Hpal/war, having a kill window through gargoyle, then waiting 3 minutes to set up again, and repeat.
That was really boring for me. I don’t mind long games as feral Druid (or recently Hunter) though, as even though they both also have some longer cool downs, it doesn’t feel like I’m just waiting on them. There is always something to do, and a potential kill window.
Also, if you don’t like long games in 2s, then don’t queue healer/dps… there are tons of viable dual dps teams that help to make games faster.
But for sure, if you find Retail arenas to be a better, more enjoyable experience, then cool!
There was like 3 or 4 Warrior Comps (Kitty/RetWar) in the Tourney, and a Warrior literally got second in the grand finals in EU. Give me some of whatever you are smoking since you live in outter space my guy.
Warrior viability aside, cata is pretty bad. Streamers are just securing their rent money here off the hype and many have already shifted back to retail.
Main issues (many of which are the same exact reasons as what made wrath unpopular):
Certain comp CC chains are way too long with very little counterplay or ways to avoid said CC. Things like double smoke bomb for example, or insta clone. Kidney into cheap into garrote. Dragon’s breath. Blanket silences essentially awarding missed kicks.
PvE gear (gets worse as the expansion progresses)
Meta slavery in classic versions of the game, most of ladder only queues OP comps. You aren’t going to get glad on Ele, Destro, or playing off-meta comps like warr/spriest. Was watching some r1 players the other week queueing warr/spriest/rsham and losing at 1800. The best comps are too strong.
RNG dodges/resists/whatever.
The only positive thing I’d have to say is the cata 3s pace of the game is pretty good. Retail would have that similar pace if they nerfed healer trinket CD and reduced some stam bonuses.
A warrior literally got 2nd place in the tournament you absolutely clueless clown
Retail arena has been dead for about a decade now. Cata tournament put up 5x viewership over AWC.
Melee mobility forced casters to be balanced as sponges instead of kiters. There are no longer set up comps. The game is entirely micro cc spam and your abilities do no damage outside of major cds. The state of retail pvp is pathetic. Nearly every single R1 content creator has a video on how they prefer old xpac arena over retail & for the reasons above.
Unfortunately retail class design is mainly based around Mythic + so every class is just some form of spam aoe damage with defensives and utility. This reflects in arena in exactly the way you explained, just teams trying to pve each other down the fastest.
If you don’t like Cata Arena that’s fine but to say you are going back to Retail is total brain rot. Why not just play a better game than Retail since there are plenty. Retail isn’t a playable product. Retail PvP is gutter trash actually the entire game is.
Retail players typically struggle in classic arena. It has a much lower skill cap than classic arena. Once you get used to the complexity of wrath-cata-mop era gameplay, you will be able to improve your arena rating.
Just roll a frost mage and win 9/10 times. Frost was stupid too in cata. Even if you trinket out of a cc, you can get cc’d for a whopping 41 seconds. Found that out personally while my partner in twos got 2v1’d back then. I was so mad.
