I currently main a feral druid. I was just looking ahead on wowhead to check out phase 4 potential gear. I noticed the Hand of Rag hammer being modified for ferals. I like the idea of ferals potentially getting a legitimate chance at a legendary. I have some suggestions about the hammer itself that could help correct some issues I had.
1.) The Sulfuron Hammer itself required to make the legendary is actually stat for stat worse than the Ancient Divining Rod from ST, a lvl 50 weapon. That simply doesn’t make sense. A huge effort in mats alone just to make a precursor to a legendary that is worse than a lvl 50 weapon? Which leads me to my next point.
2.) The mats for the item are kind of ridiculous this time around in SoD. I do not know the timeframe for phase 5. I also don’t know how well the legendary holds up going forward. I’d hate to put all those mats in just to have BRD release with a better weapon from a random boss. If I’m not mistaken according to wowhead the Sulfuron Ingot drop rate is 33% off one boss in the raid. A total of 8 is required to make the hammer along with another for the pattern for a total of 9. Looking anywhere from 9 weeks to 27 weeks depending on your luck to make 1 hammer. I understand the significance in the past of it being a Legendary especially with timeframe of content in vanilla wow. This time around it’s faster pace with newly itemized weapons and the changes to the bosses to accommodate the new idea of SoD. I’d stress to either half the required mats to some degree or make Ingots drop more often from more bosses. This is only if the upcoming phases with newly itemized weapons would outscale the Hand of Rag to the point where getting it is just for showing off or eye candy. Which bring me to my third and last point.
3.) As a feral with having access to a legendary is awesome, however, there is no aesthetic once you shapeshift. The weapon itself is the aesthetic and looks amazing. I was hoping for an aesthetic change to cat/bear form while wielding the Legendary version of the mace. Maybe take the fire kitty skin from Cata’s firelands for cat and make a bear form version with fire.
I’d like to thank the developer’s for all the work they have done for SoD. While many people have been wanting classic + for awhile. I believe that this experiment for the most part has been a success. I like what you all are doing with what you have. I like the fact that you all are taking old ideas that never came to light and giving them light this time around. While some people criticize the incursions to some degree or another. I saw what you all were doing and thought it was great. You listened to the community and adjusted it for phase 4 to make everyone happy. I appreciate you all for your hard work and listening to the community. I cannot wait to see you all have instore for us in the future.
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A rare concise, articulate and well thought out forum post.
Have a bump sir.
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The patch hasn’t been dropped yet so how do you know that:
- These are the final stats for the epic version?
- It will cost the same amount of mats as in classic?
- There is no aesthetic they are adding for when you shapeshift?
A very real concern 
itemization has abandoned all rationality and logic a long time ago.
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Should put this on the forum where it might have a chance at being seen.
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I moved it awhile ago for this reason. I also posted with my main so no sock puppet action.
To Brightgold:
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I can agree here but logic is thrown out the window. The whole idea of feral attack power was a conversion of weapon dps to attack power. As weapons are literally stat sticks for feral. So a nearly 20 dps gap gives 10 fearl attack power is wrong on all fronts. The hammer needs to be buffed in it’s current state even if said hammer once buffed is still worse. Also if they buff stats on the hammer itself as in raw str it’s a boon to all classes not just feral.
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I agree here. I just want it to last longer. It’s a huge investment. They eventually increased shard drop rates in wotlk for Uldaur healing mace along with Shadowmourne shards so more people could get the Legendary. This was done at the end so more people could enjoy it. If the phase isn’t going to last as long and weapon replaced in BWL it wouldn’t feel as good of a return on the investment.
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So this as to do with looks in general. Like hanging around town we are all in caster form chilling. Look at my amazing Legendary! Then when we get to dps’n it everyone is swinging it around smashing stuff except feral. So my suggestion was hey you already have the coding for fire kitty so import that so we can look cool while smashing things too. Fire bear would be cool to bring in as well.
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Moved this thread awhile ago for that purpose. Posted in wrong spot and wanted to post with main toon not a sock puppet.
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Not bent out of shape just things didn’t make logical sense. So PTR release feral could not use polearms and they added it with the hotfix updates for all the issues they initially had with cloak runes. And I initially wanted Vendorstrike to be itemized for feral. They actually did it in wotlk for bear/cat and I wanted that to happen this time around. Looks like they have according to datamined item on wowhead. At the end of the day bis is bis so I’d be interested in pursuing the mace. Just some things didn’t make sense. Some things I’d of liked added for eye candy. Just wanted the investment to last awhile and worthwhile outside of hey look I have a Legendary. Also who doesn’t want a Legendary? I mean granted in Classic Vanilla the only classes that wanted this weapon weren’t stackable classes. We weren’t stacking Enh Sham or Ret Pals.
This is true, the whole purpose was to use the information at hand.
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The stats on wowhead/datamined weapon were worse than lvl 50 staff in ST. Wanted to show that so they wouldn’t finalize that stats and they buff them accordingly.
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Same as above the mats listed were the same as Vanilla. So my argument was I’d be open to this if the weapon was worth it and stood the test of time as in good for multiple phases/raids. Otherwise, nerf the mats that way it’s more accessible and replacing it in the next phase won’t be as disturbing.
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It’s Druid they literally have add zero aesthetic to any items we obtain as I’ve played feral so long I know this. Cata was the first gear based change when shapeshifting. Legion was awesome for feral, even though I didn’t play it.
So to sum it all up I was just using datamined info so it could be argued and adjusted so it’s not carried over in it’s state to P4. As for mats that’s on them. If they want to replace the weapon in BWL and keep mats the same so be it. Aesthetic was just from a feral side of things.
Agreed…I meant to say BWL there but glad you understood 
Legendary weapons aren’t Legendary unless they are very hard and expensive to make.
Honestly, HoR needs to be 4 separate versions of it (think Quel’Delar) one for Feral one for Enh one for Ret one for Wars(2h fury or Arms). And to remove the AMG I TOOK DA WRONG ONE PLZ GIEB REFUND posting, make it differentiate via a quest you get from Eye of Sulfuras on pickup (which requires a turnin for the eye you combine with the Hammer).
Best way to handle it, IMO. Identical costs and rarity, 4 different specs covered. And the coding requirements would be lower than day, the Dark Riders chain for the level 40 runes.
Otherwise trying to make it 1 size fits all for 4 different specs with not-identical stat weights is going to leave it mediocre for all 4.
Listen I don’t debate that at all. I moved this thread to PTR Development area. Just in short for what I invest into it I want it to last a long time. If it’s just for a phase it’s not worth the gold sink for me, others maybe. I’m just pointing out my thoughts on the matter.
This could work kind of like Atiesh with different stats/buffs per class.