Blizzard doubled it’s user numbers in Q4 from Q2 mostly due to the launch of Classic. I wouldn’t be surprised if Classic is influencing some of their design choices to try and get that Vanilla-BC-WotLK feel to the game. A period where choices mattered and the game had the most users ever.
people are freaking out before they even have the whole picture.
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Every class brings something to the table though and they will regardless of the covenant they choose. But if classes are different and do damage in different ways there will always be imbalance cause getting every single number to align is impossible.
This is where min/maxing ruins everything. Percent differences are blown out of proportion, classes/specs are stacked and creativity means nothing all for the sake of numbers. Everyone is a grey blob void of any personal input. You follow the meta or get left behind.
Groups are already going to be gate keeping invites, whats one more. I choose to have the option to define my character at the expense of min/maxing elitist. I want to be a Night Fae Shaman, not just a Shaman and for that to mean something.
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Knowing whether my Uber Driver is driving a Nissan or Honda is largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things when I know my Driver is a raging alchoholic with a history of DUI’s.
Why doesn’t choosing your Covenant based on story and cosmetics mean anything?
What choices mattered in those expansions?
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What does that have to do with anything?
not everyone cares about that.
And I would argue that having to work within a set system is a much bigger challenge.
Just like having to work within your class instead of being able to cherry-pick from all the classes is a bigger challenge.
Aesthetics are important. But having them be just window-dressing makes them simply an affectation. I like more meaning in my aesthetics and this system, if it does play out as advertised, will give me that.
It is a challenge because the player will have to work within that system. Cherry picking is simple and easy, just pick the best and you are set, no downside. This system, if it plays out as advertised, will include advantages that will give your character a boast and disadvantages that will need to be overcome. Hence the challenge.
That part of my reply was specifically aimed at the comment where you said: ‘…all for no actual benefit to the other side; aside from satisfying some need to be spiteful’, clearly intimating that players who want this system don’t want it for themselves, but to stick it to you therefore making it about you.
And I am more RP/casual-minded and you are certainly not thinking about me because I like the idea. If it plays out as advertised, I will enjoy figuring out how to work within a system the same way I enjoyed figuring out how to work within the various classes my characters have. And it will make me feel like I am actually a part of that Covenant, something that was sadly lacking in the Scryers/Aldor choice.
Again, not a punishment, a challenge. And I am clearly not one of those people. If it plays out as advertised, I will enjoy the greater challenge in my game play along with all the other enhanced elements.
And you can still strategize, you will just have to strategize within a set system the same way a player does within their classes.
I get it. I am stuck at home sheltering in place and so have read the majority of posts on this subject. I just feel like people are missing the forest for the trees.
Cause unless I always wear my covenant outfit I am just another Shaman. Having a unique skill and upgrade path through Soulbind matters in terms of the game as well.
So what would you do when the Night Fae faction is objectively the best Shaman faction and you become “just another Shaman”?
Well… for one I could be…
A DW DK tank
A two handed frost DK
A DW unholy DK
A non blood DK tank
I could be a 2 handed enhance shaman.
There was some crazy shamans who tanked raids.
So plenty of choices to do crazy stuff because, well, it was an RPG with choices.
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And the only thing you had to do to “revert” those choices when they inevitably turned out wrong was to visit a trainer to respec or equip the other weapon(s) in your bag.
If you’re saying Covenant should be on that level of choice, on the level of choice of making a sub-optimal gearing or talent choice, then I absolutely agree.
Choices are great, but in an MMORPG they need to be reversible. Feeling like you screwed your character over in the long run because you wanted to try something different is antithetical to how choices in this game have always worked.
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And they are changeable, with some pain.
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I am still different than those who picked the other faction. You overestimate the amount of min/max players.
If shaman tanks were wrong in WotLK please explain:
I thought the point of raiding was to kill bosses? Seems like this guy managed to kill the boss. But because he didn’t kill it as fast as others that doesn’t count?
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Based on what they have said it isnt some pain. Its ALOT of pain. Based on what Ion has said it is going to be very painful in order to change covenants and it will take a long time. Pretty sure he said it during Blizzcon with Preach
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As it should be, it’s not permanent but your choice matters
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He said it in his most recent interview.
Covenants right now are being balanced around not just the abilities, but also legendaries, soulbinds and other things.
If they take one thing away, it may crumble like a house of cards.
I mean guys we haven’t even seen soulbinds or the legendaries yet. What if you’re active ability isn’t the best for mythic+, but you get soulbinds that BUFF other abilities to make it sort of even out? They may do that, who knows?
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Ah. So they want any type of rework to be a last case scenario. Gotcha
You’re still different regardless of whether it’s cosmetic or not. Do you just want there to be a bad faction so you can be a contrarian?
Easy:
“10 man Normal ICC”.
Easy content is easy. Hell, pretty much every tier or so, there’s a bunch of dudes who clear bosses with only Death Knights or only Warlocks.
Though a bit of a tangent, when did rock/metal fall out of favour for peoples gameplay related videos in favour of EDM and other similar genres?
Because I remember basically every WoW video, PvE or PvP, being set to stuff like Linkin Park, Parkway Drive and Drowning Pool, then there was a brief stage where Skrillex and dubstep in general was popular, but then it went mostly electronic.
If heroic raids are so easy, why did only 38% of the playerbase have ahead of the curve for azshara?
I still think we’re vastly over estimating the amount of semi-hardcore and hardcore players who play this game.
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The problem for WoW is they need to please both sides. If you piss off either side it causes issues all around. MMO’s have a very delicate balance between casual, semi and hardcore players. For example I think questing has been made incredibly casual. Way to easy. However Im just one piece of the pie. They need to be careful not to piss off other sides as well