I’m proposing a change to Vanish with a suggestion to make it remove damage-over-time (DoT) effects:
Current Ability:
Vanish allows Rogues to return to stealth, break aggro, and temporarily avoid detection. However, damage over time (DoT) effects can still apply or tick while Vanish is active, which can immediately break stealth.
Proposed Change:
Vanish should remove all active damage-over-time effects on the Rogue when cast.
Rationale:
The current iteration of Vanish can be rendered ineffective if a Rogue is affected by a DoT effect from an enemy. As Vanish’s primary function is to provide an opportunity to reposition, escape, or initiate another stealth-based attack, having DoTs prevent the full use of the ability significantly reduces its utility in various scenarios. This is especially true in both PvP and PvE:
- PvP Impact:
• Rogues often rely on Vanish to disengage and reposition. DoT effects, such as a Warlock’s Corruption or a Shadow Priest’s Vampiric Touch, automatically break Vanish, leaving Rogues exposed. By removing these DoTs, Rogues would have a fair opportunity to reset and re-enter combat strategically, balancing their class utility against other classes’ sustained pressure. - PvE Impact:
• In raid and dungeon content, many boss encounters apply unavoidable DoT effects that drastically limit the effectiveness of Vanish. Allowing Vanish to remove DoTs would increase the Rogue’s survivability and ensure more consistent usage of the ability during high-stakes fights where careful timing is crucial. - Gameplay Balance:
• Historically, Vanish is meant to give Rogues a second chance at stealth-based abilities, such as Cheap Shot or Ambush. The proposed change would enhance this core identity without significantly overpowering the ability, as Vanish still comes with a cooldown and limited window of invulnerability. It would simply make the ability more reliable in situations where damage over time would otherwise nullify it.
In conclusion, adjusting Vanish to remove DoTs would maintain the spirit of the ability while addressing an imbalance that can make the skill feel unreliable in crucial moments. This would improve the Rogue experience without negatively impacting overall game balance.