It’s meant for overworld and whatnot, they don’t want to chance it becoming the best way to play because, well, it’s a dull way to play if you don’t have to
16 Likes
WoW has competitive elements to it. Making the gameplay easier without restrictions would incentivize every competitive player to use the one button function, removing a key component to what makes a player a good player. Knowing when to press your buttons while dodging attacks and preparing for future attacks is what it’s all about.
This one button feature is great to allow players with accessibility issues to dive deeper into the game than they could before. But to make it so they can engage in high level competitive play equalizes the playing field in a way that knowing when to press a button is no longer part of the challenge. For WoW, that is a HUGE shift.
It’s ok for people with physical disabilities to be unable to do competitive content. I can’t play for the Jets. I can’t win a track and field competition. I cannot do anything higher than a Mythic + 6. I’m ok with that.
Competitions, and quite frankly, the world, does not need to change to compensate for my inability to do something. I accept my limitations when it comes to those things, and I persevere in other ways in life.
This notion that everything should be accessible to everyone is creating an entitled population that will never find peace within themselves. The search for acceptance and success starts within, not with society.
You don’t need to be number one at everything to feel like you’re number one in your own mind.
Edit: grammar
24 Likes
yes, because if it doesnt have a penalty then people without disabilities are going to ruin it for people with disabilities.
doing your whole rotation (if optimized btw) on a single button press is just going to lead to highend players abusing the poop out of it to the point blizzard has to either remove it or make the game cringe in a way that ends up being worse for players with disabilities
6 Likes
I get that concern, and I agree that it shouldn’t become the optimal way to play for everyone. But the issue isn’t about making it competitive—it’s about not punishing those who genuinely need it. Adding a longer GCD feels less like balance and more like a deterrent.
There has to be a way to ensure it’s not abused without making players with disabilities feel like second-class citizens. Accessibility shouldn’t come at the cost of dignity or gameplay enjoyment.
4 Likes
Well, their plan is to make it do an optimal rotation, so this really is the only way.
No one wants to be forced into one button because it’s “optimal”
2 Likes
I get where you’re coming from—abuse by high-end players is definitely a risk. But punishing disabled players to prevent theoretical abuse feels like the wrong solution.
There are other ways to limit abuse—like restricting the feature to specific content types, or making it opt-in through an accessibility menu—without forcing a blanket penalty that directly impacts those who genuinely need it.
Accessibility should be about inclusion, not creating barriers to prevent misuse.
I appreciate your perspective and agree that WoW has competitive elements that require skill, timing, and awareness. But I think it’s important to distinguish between protecting competitive integrity and gatekeeping access.
Accessibility features like the one-button rotation aren’t about giving an unfair edge—they’re about giving basic access to parts of the game that others take for granted. The assumption that people with disabilities shouldn’t be allowed into competitive spaces feels less like protecting gameplay and more like drawing an arbitrary line on who’s “allowed” to compete.
No one’s asking for a free pass to the top. But saying “it’s okay for disabled people to be excluded” ignores that many disabled players already compete successfully using custom setups, adaptive gear, and immense effort. Shouldn’t the goal be enabling more people to try, even if only a few succeed?
The world doesn’t need to change everything—but it should change enough so that people with different challenges can at least have a fair shot.
4 Likes
So now people with accessibility issues will have the ability to do content but no one will bring them along because of the built in handicap. unless they pay some one.
2 Likes
you say that but you created a barrier with your suggestion
what is the limit of restriction? normal? heroic? cause heroic raids are meme and i think people with disabilities can participate in heroic raiding with this feature when its optimized
were also forgetting one thing. one very important thing
are you disabled? if not then why are you speaking for them? alot of the disabled community can still talk and voice their own opinions. this thread opens a whole can of worms that im sure you werent intending on opening
but unless this disabled people cant speak for themselves, then frankly we have no place to comment in their stead. they are still adults and people with autonym and freedom of will/speech
if you wnat to help these people without belittling them. then go to the feedback thread, go to ptr, use the one button thing and tell blizzard the rotation mistake it does and how they can fix it. thus makign the one button feature more better for the people that need it
instead og being massive 60% dps losses if used
right now the gcd increase is likee the last thing we should worry about when the button plays almost each spec completely wrong thus hampering these individuals more
I totally agree—no one wants a one-button setup to become the default or optimal way to play. That would take away a lot of what makes WoW engaging.
But the issue isn’t whether it should be optimal—it’s that the current solution punishes players who actually need it just to participate. There has to be a middle ground where it stays non-optimal for high-end players without actively penalizing accessibility users with things like extra GCDs.
Design can discourage abuse without discouraging access.
Exactly—this is one of the biggest concerns. By adding a built-in handicap like a longer GCD, Blizzard is essentially saying, “Sure, you can play—but not without a noticeable disadvantage.” That doesn’t just affect performance—it affects perception.
In group content, especially in pugs or more competitive settings, people tend to judge by numbers and efficiency. If someone is using the accessibility feature and performing below others due to the imposed penalty, they’re likely to be excluded, even if they’re skilled otherwise.
It turns an inclusive feature into a new kind of gatekeeping, where the only way to join is to overcompensate or pay for carries—something that goes directly against the spirit of accessibility.
3 Likes
what increase in GCD does this combat mode yield?
I hear what you’re saying, but this take is missing the bigger picture.
First, advocating for accessibility isn’t “speaking over” disabled people—it’s standing with them. Many in the disabled community have already voiced concerns about this system, including the built-in penalties and how they affect group content viability. Just because someone isn’t disabled doesn’t mean they can’t support inclusive design or call out when it’s being mishandled.
Second, asking “where’s the line?”—normal, heroic, mythic—is exactly the problem. Accessibility shouldn’t come with a performance tax that forces disabled players into the lowest tiers “for their own good.” That’s not inclusion—it’s segregation.
And sure, we should test the feature and give feedback on rotation optimization—but that’s not mutually exclusive with criticizing poor implementation and its consequences now. Waiting in silence for perfection while players get sidelined isn’t activism—it’s complacency.
Finally, let’s be real: if a tool intended to include people results in a 60% DPS loss, the issue isn’t the people—it’s the tool. And if we can’t speak up about that without being accused of overstepping, then we’re gatekeeping empathy, not preserving agency.
4 Likes
Pretty sure it’s 1.2 seconds
1 Like
It is universally a good thing for the game itself for more people to be able to access content. And, yes, I think people who use this will be able to access content they otherwise wouldn’t be able to see. I wouldn’t be surprised if a number would be able to see Heroic raids when they otherwise would not be able to.
Will they be the best? Absolutely not, it’s not meant as a competitive advantage, it’s an accessibility option. That said, I guarantee someone who does the fight right and has that penalty will outperform someone who either immediately dies, or has no idea how to play their class.
They will see representation, I’m sure.
4 Likes
does this GCD interact with haste values? I know prot/ret’s GCD is reduced as haste values increase
i will return to this because i have to go to work
no
10chars
gotcha, thanks for this.
This is such a hilarious twisting of reality to create drama.
They are adding something that makes things better than they are. So obviously its a punishment to the people its helping.
5 Likes
It wont be just high end players be real
1 Like