New Secondary Stat to replace Versatility!

Hey Blizzard,

This is a thread discussing Versatility and how/why I think this stat should be removed or changed. I’ll go over why I think this is important and some suggested stats that could replace it. I also want to highlight different types of content (i.e. PvE and PvP) and what could be done to address the importance of Versatility in these game modes.

PvE gameplay importance of Versatility

Versatility is, in my opinion, the strongest stat to want to prioritize. While boring for PvE content, if your spec is simming the same as others while having Versatility is the highest stat, you will likely perform better than other specs because of your inherent defensive gain, and the fact taht you don’t need to press defensives to live certain things.

While many do no like Versatility, I personally think it is both really strong and boring at the same time. I think it needs to be removed from PVE gameplay because of this (or at least, remove the defensive gain from this secondary)

PvP gameplay importance of Versatility

From what I understand of PvP, the importance of Versatility is because of the different PvP scaling and the defensive value of this secondary stat. It reduces the likelihood of one shots, which allows healers to have more time to react to players getting jumped.

This intrinsically means that PvPers would need some kind of replacement for the defensive gain of Versatility if it is removed/replaced.

One thing you could do is to have a PvP only stat that reduces damage taken by 1% per 1400 secondary stat points (of ANY secondary stat points); meaning PvPers could talent into other stats and still gain the defensive value.




Suggested Secondary Stat Replacements

Multistrike

  • Whenever you cast an ability or attack, you have a 8% (+1% per 700 secondary points) chance to strike again for 75% damage. This second hit generates the same resources as a normal hit, if applicable (i.e. Maelstrom, Runic Power, Rage, etc.)

Bloodletting

  • Your damaging abilities and melees cause the target to bleed for 8% (+1% per 700 secondary points) of the damage dealt over 10 seconds (applies similar to Fire Mage’s Ignite, where you add damage per hit)

Execution

  • Your abilities deal 4% (+0.5% per 700 secondary stat points) increased damage to targets at 100% health. This bonus increases linearly to 8% (+1% per 700 secondary stat points) increased damage at 35% health. Below 35% health, your abilities deal 12% (+1.5% per 700 secondary stat points) increased damage.

Surge

  • Whenever you use your main cooldown, you gain 12% (+1.5% per 700 secondary stat points) damage and 12% (+1.5% per 700 secondary stat points) haste for 20 seconds. This cannot occur more than every 2 minutes.
4 Likes

Multistrike is just a cheap clone of critical strike. Just letting you know.

You make surge just sound like haste.

10 Likes

It give additional resources; fire mages could gain hotstreak x 2 with 1 multistrike; shamans could gain double maelstrom; etc.

2 Likes

Shamans already have an ability that allows them to multistrike. It USED to be called Echo of the Elements. Now it’s just Elemental Overload.

1 Like

Those all basically exist already across various class abilities. Except surge i guess. But that sure as heck doesn’t read like a secondary stat. More like a trinket.

Also your reasons for removing versatility are very weak. And in the case of pvp just kind of confusing. You want to replace it with some different pvp specific stat to make up for the defensive loss. But vers itself was introduced when they removed the pvp specific stats!

4 Likes

Versatility is always a useful stat , it should not be replaced. Especially with gimmic trinket like abilities .

8 Likes

:shudders in Multistrike:

1 Like

i just want them to put text back on gear, and add interesting effects to pieces, like weapons.

I’m sick of the stat stick stuff… just write out what vers is “+dmg/healing +dmg reduction, etc.” that alone makes things more interesting, at least to me.

It’s surprising, because Ion played back in the days…so why treat modern epic items like Vanilla Greens & Blues? :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

1 Like

They should just make versatility a stat than can be “converted” into other secondary stats. It would match its name then.

Would be good for maintaining stat soft caps as you upgrade your gear.

Multistrike on casters is awesome. On anything else, it’s boring. I liked it just for the extra spells you’d launch out when it proc’d.

This unfairly punishes classes with CDs of 1.5 min compared to classes with 1 Min/2 Min, FYI.

Bloodletting and Execution, as written, are 100% wasted for healers, unless Bloodletting also granted HoTs. And a healer-aligned Execution would be very similar to resto shaman’s Mastery stat.

I love the idea behind Surge as a sort of personal Bloodlust, and I love tons of stats as a matter of principle.

But personally I also love Versatility, because of its defensive power rather than in spite of it. I feel it should always be the lowest dps stat, though.

1 Like

no, that’s the point; it favors some classes over others.
Not every classes should have that secondary as BiS

Which is terrible design.

All current secondaries work fine for all specs. The smallest changes can push what was their worst stat to their best or vice versa.

A stat like this would NEVER be viable for a 1.5 min CD spec.

1 Like

Bring this back imo. :dracthyr_nod:

But it’s cooler.

Multistrike was already done and dusted as Crit-Lite™

An ability that just mimics an existing Mastery is kind of dull.

Execution would end up being broken or worthless, but again, it’s kind of like a reverse version of Dev’s mastery which was already a reverse execute.

Surge, being a secondary stat that does nothing but buff a CD for 2-minute classes is a joke. Devastation already had it’s balancing problem of all of its damage being based around it’s 2-minute cooldown, a stat the embodies that problem and amplifies it is not good for class design.

So, none of these actually fill the defensive role of versatility. However I take issue with two of them in particular:

This isn’t a stat, it’s a dot. A dispelable dot, at that.

This stat exists to give a different secondary stat. Why does this exist? On top of an arbitrary time limit before it activates, MM would be awful with this because it literally doesn’t work half the time they even try to activate their 12 seconds of having this stat exist.

We already had multistrike. Doubt they would bring it back.

You only say that because that is what Blizzard said as a lazy excuse.
There were differences. And visually Multistrike was so much more fun especially as a caster.

Eh I dislike this. A DoT damage profile is a spec identity mechanic not just a stat.

This is one of those stats that you’d want a ton of early then not much of later on. Or you’d have a “Execution” set. It’s just too sweaty for me personally.

Surge is also a little… specific. If you want a burst window around your CDs you should talent into it, most specs have talents to amplify your major CDs.