My suggestions regarding the Frost Mage in TWW
Hello! I’m writing from the perspective of a slowly getting older player who clears the raid on hero every season since Legion and does M+ up to level 20 approx. (currently 10).
Since the rework, the Frost Mage plays too overloaded and far too focused on the Glacial. The very one-sided T-Set was also not a brilliant achievement in S3.
So far I see the following problems in the TWW Alpha:
While so far only the Frostfire tree is even remotely interesting, the Spellslinger tree offers practically nothing interesting for the Frost Mage. There are also some big problems and a lack of possible playstyles, as the Frost Tree simply doesn’t offer enough real choices at the moment. Therefore the following suggestions. First of all, referring to the normal talent tree:
Fractured Frost:
With only 2 enemies hit during IV, the talent offers too little to be really strong in the AOE area. Here an increase of 2-4 or 5 during IV would be necessary to be able to fire a noticeable and powerful Frostbolt volley. Otherwise it would probably still result in the boring and very Melee-heavy AOE style of play, as it is now.
Death's Chill:
Very few frost mages probably liked the Shadowlands style of play. In particular, the long ramp up was not pleasant in M+ Keys and it also took too long in the raid and it just didn’t feel immediately impactful or fun. The rotation back then only consisted of FB and flurry, which wasn’t particularly exciting.
It should be redesigned and also increase the damage of ice lances and flurry to create a gameplay that is more in line with the pre-rework style than the very monotonous Deathborn gameplay.
Glacial Spike:
A choice node should be inserted here. In addition to Glacial, the second option should massively buff the damage of ice lances and I also think of the FB itself in order to be able to offer a second really playable alternative.
Comet Storm, Glacial Assault and Coldest Snap:
As long as these 3 talents exist without alternatives, there will hardly be any other way to cause real damage in AOE damage. Above all, you would have to continue to be in melee range which feels not rly good as a range caster at all.
Here too I would like an alternative. For example, this could look like this: Instead of Comet Storm= A talent that would fire a huge ray of frost = for example Frigid Frostbeam from a distance. This could be improved with a reinforcement talent instead of Glacial Assault and with another one instead of Coldest Snap: For example: Frigid Frostbeam triggers smaller frost explosions on enemies hit, applies Winter Chill to them and increases the damage of Blizzard/Frozen Orb by X%.
A pure range AOE style of play would finally exist again.
Furthermore, there is still the problem that our Summon Water Elemental was simply deleted:
I would like to see a small choice node area in the upper right area that becomes available if you select the 2nd option: Summon Water Elemental instead of Lonely Winter.
In this small new area of the talent tree, which would only be available if you selected SWE, there would be specific talents ONLY related to the pet.
These could be, for example: Improved Icy Veins: During the duration of IV, the Water Elemental is massively strengthened and its Waterjet is replaced by Water-Barrage and its damage is increased by xx%.
Other possible talents:
Copy Spells: The pet duplicates all spells cast by the magician such as the frozen orb, the RoF, frost bolts, the frigid beam etc. This would represent a real alternative play style in the AOE area!
Other ideas: Mighty-WA: In outdoor content, the SWE becomes a tank pet that holds aggro, can heal and can reduce its damage per ability. Finally, solo magicians could also defeat stronger, non-freezeable large opponents more easily!
The 2nd choice on this talent point would be: Supportive Water Elemental: an improvement/support of the group/raid in the form of support skills such as: Icy-Floor= The WA charges towards the opponents + interrupts them, creating a trail of ice on the ground. Friendly units that run across the ice track gain the ability to use spells while running or increased movement speed as Melee for XX seconds.
Other ideas would include: A talent that would cause a storm of small water elementals to shoot out of the WA and could therefore be used as an AOE talent. There are simply many more interesting talents here to offer a new and innovative way of playing! And best of all, it would be completely optional! Players who don’t want to play with the SWE can simply continue to choose Loney Winter!
Hero Talent Tree Issues: Frostfire Tree:
There is the talent Isothermic Core: This ONLY affects the comet and therefore makes it too weighty/important. There should be a selection option here to make a different style of play possible without Comet. Furthermore, of course, Certain synergies can also be added when choosing the SWA! It would also be interesting to have a talent that would convert the Frost Orb into a Frost Fire Orb or modify it from time to time!
Spellslinger tree:
That tree simply doesn’t offer anything interesting for the Frost Mage at the moment. While the Frostfire Tree has a few interesting approaches in addition to the FFB, this one is PURELY passive and completely boring and not innovative. I would therefore suggest that he be COMPLETELY reworked in order to be able to offer more interesting synergies with the Frost Mage. I also have another very exotic suggestion! If the SWE is selected, the tree changes into a summoner tree. This only offers improvements for the pet and offers new and interesting talents for that one. Likewise, choosing the Arcane Familiar as a talent should change things for the Arcane Mage. There would also be interesting possibilities here in the form of an arcane golem or something similar.
Currently the Frost Mage is designed very simply in the alpha, but NOW there is still the possibility of implementing new and truly INNOVATIVE ways of playing. Please, dear developers, let yourself be inspired here and simply bring: MORE!
Thanks for reading!