This is definitely getting beyond frustrating. Checking the change logs and all there is a 40y change to Rapture. I mean we can test the covenant abilities but those are just band-aids like the essences/azurite in BFA.
Not one meaningful class change since alpha started. I am primarily focused on Holy. But nothing is getting fixed on the priest class as a whole.
And to be perfectly frank I’d rather stop playing than re-roll a druid or other healing class.
The only thing that sustains me is that my priest is high enough ilvl that pvp is within tolerable range and at least I’m considered for some +10 keys for weekly chests at this point.
I still refuse to go back to my mage or warlock, the flavor of shadow has me in love. I hope they fix it, as time goes on the downsides become more and more apparent and I hate having every pvp encounter or dps parse feel like an uphill battle when the alternative is just so brain dead to play well.
I’ve been trying to pick a main for shadowlands, but I keep going back to priest. It sucks and I hate doing visions and pvp with it, but like an abusive relationship, I keep going back to it. It will get better, I keep telling myself, although I know it’s a lie.
Same for me my priest in Europe is my only main since i began the game late in WoD and i don’t see myself changing.
I do have fun with shadow in outdoor PvE (i’m holy in dungeon and raid) but what i am seeing in Shadowland is depressing: Nearly no change for the priest in general except many nerf.
It’s an unpopular opinion, but i do like the void form mechanics.
There is one way to improve it: Being able to cast while moving as long as we are in void form.
Otherwise, i can only see how much the priest is unloved by the devs:
I have simply no hope to see them taking care of my class.
After all they have a tract record with the demonology…
For what its worth, bfa demo flows very well compared tonlegion but i sympathize with pre legion demo locks.
Still dumb as hell that they don’t have a baseline interrupt.
I don’t understand why they thought shadow needed a rework… I wish they add void form as a talent and revert shadow to orbs and devouring plague.
My theory is that it had to do with WoD (and many iterations before) SPriest lacking meaningful flavor within the mechanics it used.
Old Shadow was basic builder/spender. I don’t mind builder/spender playstyles like some other people do, but old Shadow wasn’t what I would consider one of the good ones. Shadow orbs were just a thing you got from MB/SW:D and a thing you spent on DP/Psychic Horror. There really wasn’t any rhyme or reason for why it worked it way it did (in a flavor sense) aside from…builder/spender styles need things to build points and spend points.
VF might not actually be good mechanically, but the way the mechanics convey the flavor is actually quite strong. You’re a void cultist, temporarily tapping into a power source well beyond your capability to fully control. The gameplay backs that up pretty well, it’s just not good beyond the bounds of flavor.
so your spender can still be voidform. it casts DP on your target and all targets within x amount of yards. for the duration of DP you enter into voidform and do x amount more damage. now you dont have scaling issues and its easier to balance. still have the void theme and the playstyle everyone wants. problem solved.
I personally dislike the void theme. A LOT.
With that said, even I really like the sound of your idea!
This is probably close to the truth. Legion was all about spec identity with the artifact weapon system and shadow indeed just seemed like the red-headed step child version of affliction warlocks, even if it got the job done.
Like what were they supposed to be exactly? Priests that worship the extremely vague concept of shadow? WoD was the first time they truly started to flesh out the void as a concept so it made sense to intertwine void, old gods etc and give shadow priests a solid identity.
If that is even close to actual events that lead to Legion Void Form then its clear minimal effort was used in a half fast sloppy manner resulting in an amalgamation of issues that affect more then just the mechanical aspects.
Why change Shadow Specs “identity” to something that aligns with the “Old Gods” when you don’t even address the spells we always used like our Shadow Words, Our Vampirics, Our Minds etc.
All they did was tack on other spells and called them “Void” and change the graphics while destroying the gameplay/mechanics into a rubbish mess that goes counter to the way the rest of the game and classes play resulting in pigeonholing you into 1 type of content that you don’t feel absolutely useless compared to everyone else.
To this day, we still just have a partial list of spells that each have separate themes revolving around Shadow, Vampiric, Mind / physic and now "Old God / Void. They didn’t “redefine” the spec identity, they just added more confusion into it.
Its just a massive mess.
Blizzard has always valued Druids more than many other classes.
takes away Shaman’s Gust of Wind
Oh, well, it’s too much like Blink. Just ignore that we gave druids a shapeshift-based version of it.
takes away multi-target flame shock
“Oh, well you’re not a DoT class, so you shouldn’t be able to spread DoTs. Don’t look at the moonfire spam.”
I’m just convinced a lot of the dev team plays Druids, and favors them as a result.
Not a lot of RPGs make a lovecraftian anything as a playable option. For what it’s worth, the change in identity and aesthetic brought me on board and I’ve enjoyed it enough.
I see the faults in the design, especially when such egregiously brain dead low effort high yield specs are out there. Besides, the void is clearly bringing lovecraft cult themes into wow, to what degree of success varies in opinion from individual to individual I guess but I love it personally.
That’s all well and good. However, I see 2 major issues with this.
The current Talent system is supposed to offer this CHOICE of gameplay. That’s Blizzards entire argument to move away from the OLD talent system, because they thought it was too systematic and that there wasn’t really a “choice”. Yet now every DPS priest is FORCED to play the EXACT same way weather they like it or not. It’s a total slap in the face to the dedicated Priest player base AND the ideals of the NEW talent system.
If they are going to make such massive changes, do it in an entirely new game. Don’t FORCE un-wanted changes for the sake of change upon your player base of over 10 years.
Druid, Paladin, and Shaman were the worst classes in Vanilla. They could only heal and not very well.
For some reason this started a multi-expansion kick to vastly improve Druid and Paladin to the point where they’re basically WoW’s standout non-hero classes, but not Shaman – I think Shaman has suffered greatly from their standout mechanic, totems, really being at odds with extremely mobile battles which is the general direction the game has taken, with every other expansion seeming to try and ‘fix’ totems.
This is how I feel about them turning Discipline into “WE BALANCE LIGHT AND SHADOW”
I think that’s incoherent nonsense and I signed up to be a tough cloth-wielding priest of the light
It’s like they built the concept of mythic+ around resto druids. They have zero weaknesses in that type of content. Zero.
They can heal on the move. They have great mobility. Shortest tank and personal cooldowns in the game. Their healing spells work well for 5 mans. Even their mastery is perfect for mythic+. They have endless utility. And a battle rez to top it all off. And they are getting even more in Shadowlands.
This is how it feels. Holy Paladins are beyond overpowered with how much damage they can pump out. And sometimes it feels like they basically don’t even use mana as a resource in BfA!
Meanwhile Disc was strong for one season and they got nerfed to the ground. And Holy: is there anything good about that spec?
They should have added a fourth spec then, because i hate that my favorite spec doesn’t exist anymore.
Hunters feel the same way about Survival. I mean I don’t mind Survival as Melee, and I like it but at the same time… such radical redesigns never should happen. Make new specs like they did Druid (so surprising…) or keep the spec within the confines that players originally rolled.
I don’t know who signed off on it, or thought it was a good idea; but they did a bad job and they should be held accountable for it. The Lead Developer also should be doing more to exert control over his team, and force them to do a reversion with prejudice, because at the end of the day his is the final say.
Here’s a video I saw on the state of things in Alpha.
The main difference however is that “Shadow” is priests ONLY DPS spec.
So if it doesn’t function well then your sol until its fixed.
Its been 4+ years now…
Regarding Druids… They had to “split” feral and Guardian just because it was a balance nightmare where you were always good at tanking and DPS in the same spec.
I enjoyed the hell out of it when i was leveling my Druid alt back in Wrath. I felt like a god with all the mobility i needed, stealth, burst, tanky and spot heal up with Hots and back into it again.
It made sense to split it, though I wish they didn’t lol.
quit hatin on the druids fam, theres some bigger fishyboyes to fry. Guardian is meh, and feral is cooked. Boomie is doing wtf its doing, only thing reppin em is resto, and lets be honest, who cares about resto.