So I started playing classic and naturally ran into the old days issue of mana spending. It can be frustrating but st the same time it was oddly enjoyable too. I felt like I had to actively manage my mana and think about how much to use and make sure I have enough to shift back to bear form (playing a Druid) and I really enjoy it. Anyway just trying to remember when it was done away with and why it was done? Granted in current you can run out of mana but it’s insanely difficult to do so.
17 Likes
Blizzard decided casters should only have to worry about mana for things like healing or major utilities.
1 Like
Actually, this is a good analysis. Most classes focus on more than just mana; Balance Druids have Astral Power, Shadow Priests Have Insanity, and those are your focus in DPS. But they still have mana, and you can only cast a few spells before you’re OOM.
I think a lot of classes became a build and spend type of playstyle, and at least to me I rather prefer the building up power than worrying about running out of power. Balance, for example, is finally in a nice, playable spot that I enjoy immensely. Versus in Classic, Balance feels awful because you’re basically just a discount Mage, and you’re not quite good at anything you do. The hybrid tax hurts us in Classic.
13 Likes
mana has never really been a fun game mechanic to begin with. Going oom feels bad, and having to adjust your playstyle to account for that might be satisfying for some since it raises the class skill ceiling a bit, it’s still not fun.
Melee classes might have resource management, but that only slows them down from skill usage by seconds, much the same way cast times do for mages. Adding an extra problem mana users have to contend with like running out of mana, only serves to add an unnecessary element of complexity onto casters that melees simply don’t have to worry about.
18 Likes
Judging by that statement, I know for a fact you don’t play healers…
13 Likes
I’m thinking what is happening is people are rediscovering that having to think whilst playing a computer game isn’t a bad thing
14 Likes
Here’s how I think mana should work in WoW: You have a mana pool, and you have some control over you mana efficiency, so you can frontload with expensive spells or cast very sustainably with mana efficient spells. When you run out of mana, you don’t just stand there twiddling your thumbs, you have a class-specific means of regaining mana in combat that results in temporary downtime.
In other words, if the boss has a mechanic where he goes immune, you can unload with expensive spells and then recuperate the mana in that downtime. If the boss has long periods where you can’t stop dpsing, be more mana efficient.
3 Likes
Interesting thoughts. I see where some are coming from with regards to resource generating like druids and priests where they do have a resource pool and it’s just different style of play. I think mana does have its place though as a limitation and as a utility to consider when doing pve or pvp. It adds another layer of complexity sure, but I guess the question is, is it fun complexity or annoying. For me I find it fun in a challenging way.
2 Likes
Healers never run out of mana unless they’re doing high keys or 10 minutes in a PvP game from my experience. I never played a healer but i’ve played with multiple healers and if we’re doing a +10 yeah after a big pull on say a fortified healer def needs to sit out. If we’re doing 2v2s both healers start to run out of mana 10-15 minutes into the game, depends how hard you get hit of course. I have never raided so I can’t talk about healers in that department I assume healing gets stressful espically without food, elixir, etc. I don’t know if mana potions are a thing in retail like there is in classic, but if there isn’t I’d say healers have it bad in that department.
Cata and because they said mana management wasn’t engaging gameplay outside arcane mages (and healers).
I think it may have been the pre-patch for MoP now that I think about it… but somewhere in that timeframe.
2 Likes
Honestly in my opinion mana feels non existant for DPS casters, I like how mana actually matters in classic but I can see in a PVP/PVE aspect how not losing mana at all is just amazing. Honestly It would be interesting to see what it would be like if mages worked like rogues if they had expensive mana cost but with higher mana regen. But then again you would run into the problem of making two classes play the exact same so 
2 Likes
There are mana potions, but they eat up a potion use in encounters, and generally the best ones are the strange channeling ones that require you to not be doing anything for a few seconds.
And in high(er) end raiding, even healers are likely going to be using the potion slots for int potions.
So yeah, they exist but get little-to-no use in the content where mana would matter the most.
I think 10-15 minutes without having to worry about mana is absolutely insane in a PvP scenario, but it’s so easy to lock them down and keep them from casting at all, they need all the help they can get.
It’d be hard to go back to a design where mana matters more with all the tools DPS players have, now - they’d get utterly deleted more than they already do.
2 Likes
I just wonder why its even a resource for Boomy, frost and fire mage, etc… Arcane seems like the only non-healer it matters for.
For healers its only even an issue in raids or the occasional ‘perfect storm’ dungeon where 2-3 of the dps don’t get out of mechanics while the tank chain pulls half the run.
1 Like
Yep, much better to pop a int potion before popping that Cool Down heal when needed, than to pop a mana potion for a few extra basic healing spell casts.
Yep, exactly.
For Boomkin, it’s so that they can’t just pop out and heal to full like they could back in wrath, ect.
BOomkin was benefitting heavily from being able to pop in and out of boomkin form get a few large heals off and pop back into their DPS form as everything scaled off intellegence.
Same reason Elemental shamans go oom after 4 healing surges.
Wasn’t thinking of dps healing spells… that makes sense though.
1 Like
Been playing a mage on classic and it’s very fun. Mana was a problem until I got a wand. The wand is so critical for mana conservation. It’s little things like that that makes classic so good.
I wouldn’t mind a simpler class design if we had resources to manage.
5 Likes