So, I was talking with my friends and I realized something.
It wasn’t necessarily pruning what killed class fantasy (as Blizzard would call it).
It was utility.
In Classic-TBC, each class had something it was known for. Each class had something it could bring to the table.
Druids being good healers and the only ones with battle-reses (just the battle res was enough to bring any spec with you).
Paladin Blessings being game changers.
Melee DPS warriors being able to macro out a sword and shield, then mocking blow to buy time in a 5 man to serve as a temp tank. Or switching to defensive stance to disarm someone (or a monster).
Warlock utility - healthstones being on different CDs than potions, bringing a stamina buff (with imp), buff removal (with Felhunter), a CC (with succubus), etc. Soulstones (yes, I know we have them). But nobody has anything other than their DPS pet out, now - CC isn’t really needed by Warlocks, they have Banish now.
And the list goes on.
I think the fact the classes became homogenized to where everyone had similar things is what killed classes. When classes became less flexible, I feel, is when things started going down hill.
Tell me if the following phrase doesn’t fit ALL current classes.
“Build up X number of McGuffins for the BIG ONE. Maybe click a button or two besides that to top out the damage. Wait until the two buttons are up. Don’t forget to click the BIG ONE after building up more McGuffins!”
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Retail is the same way, every class is spender/builder with DRs, dps CDs, and utility, with at least one form of a heal, at least the dps classes. The go to insult right now for retail players is “have fun with your 2 button rotation in classic lul classic dead in 1 day”
What’s hilarious is that my assasination rogue in retail has a 2 button rotation.
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Yes this has been discussed multiple times…I would say the homogenization of classes is one of the top if not the top reasons for people wanting classic wow released. The first thing they did was allow you to summon using the stone…it was all downhill from there.
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I completely agree. I played a lot in vanilla and then quit for many years, coming back to play BFA a few months ago. I put a crap ton of thought into which class I was going to play in BFA and kept bouncing ideas off my brother (who plays retail but never played vanilla). He never seemed as concerned about my prospective class choices as I did, which seemed really odd to me at the time.
Well, I excitedly finally rolled a monk only to find it is just a hodgepodge of every other classes’s ability… as is pretty much every other class to some extent it seems. Why even have classes to begin with then? Why not just pick whatever talents you want? /yawn
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The problem was just not homogenization, it was just flat removal of utility that some classes had, despite the spec.
For instance, a fury warrior can’t pop on a sword and shield and reasonably take a hit or two from a big boss to buy time.
It’s like Super Melvin from Jeff Dunham’s show. “Can you stop a speeding bullet?” “Once.”
Druid cat-form was supposed to be rogue-like, not an actual rogue. An assassination rogue can specialize in bleeds and just… do better than them in Retail.
It’s not just homogenization, it’s the REMOVAL of utility to more stream-line specs to where they can only DO one thing.
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Some refer to it as homogenization, but I think of it as streamlining. They needed to prune classes to make it casual friendly, easy to understand, easy to adapt, less skill ceiling. As time persisted they ended up giving the toolkit to everyone because they were tired of trying to “balance” aspects of pvp and pve value across content. Eventually this just leads down one path, generic players with no depth and no way to distinguish yourself.
Players began to try to use transmog, achievement scores, gear scores, dps meters, anything to stand out or separate themselves. The core issue is that the game made them all the same bit by bit with slightly different rotations or spell names.
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Minmaxers looked at Rogue’s DPS numbers with jealous hungry eyes. They wanted it for themselves and forgot what they already had. Minmaxers did this to WoW.
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No, mob mentality, not just min-maxers.
They were like: “BUT THEY CAN DO THIS AND I CAN’T. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO!”
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Homogenization due to 10-man Raiding is well recognized as a significant issue in the design of classes from about Cataclysm onwards.
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Problem is, they doubled down on it. Then, when confronted, tripled down on it.
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Well, the 10 man raiding change was in response to the claim that getting 40 people or even 25 people together was “too hard”. It never should have happened, let alone later changes to make it “as good”.
Well, after the debacle that was Cataclysm, I’d imagine finding 25-40 players was kind of hard. How about we just -not- make a Cataclysm? I wonder if that thought ever occurred to someone.
10 Mans were added in Wrath. Homogenization was a result of 10-mans becoming popular during Wrath.
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The main reason people hate retail is because of the classes/specs. Blizzard can make all the world quests they want, if I don’t enjoy the buttons I’m pressing I’m not going to have fun.
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Heh, I’ve never heard that claimed as the “main reason” before. Different course for different horses I guess.
I can agree with this statement.
I think the story and writing are bad.
My class is ![:poop:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/poop.png?v=6" ":poop:")
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After the first raid, next patch, people doing dailies could catch up to my heroic gear. Everything I earned was pointless in a matter of weeks. Rinse and repeat.
I was tripping over blues and epics.
Juust to name a few.
My “main reason” is the community. Feeling like you’re playing a single player game that isn’t 100% action is boring. Older MMOs have always been about the group and yes grinding exists and isn’t “fun” but the feeling of it being worthwhile comes from the appreciation of peers, the usefulness of the grind for group activities (5-mans, raiding etc).
The classes themselves got homogenized so that you could “take the player not the class” in a failing attempt to revitalize the social environment in a 10 man size, but all they really did was remove the need for certain classes making members of those classes either reroll or quit.
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If you’ve ever been to the general forums you would know the main thing people hate in BFA is the classes. Only people who enjoy them are the casuals who love BFA because of its world quests.
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Misread OP as ‘Classic’ x-D