(from a player who has been here since BC with 14 alts)
Offensive Systems
Some of the offensive systems are on a Global cooldown. Others are on individual cooldowns. Some are instant cast, but others have varied timers and with 10 or more buttons to push during a fight, it is virtually impossible to remember and react quick enough to maximize efficiency. This leads to spamming all 10 or more buttons so that once each cooldown is completed, it can be used as quickly as it comes up. So feverishly slamming the offensive keys is all we have left to do. This mindless spamming can be replaced with a nice methodical system if the developers completely revamp the system with this solidly in mind. It would also be nice if we had training videos for each class explaining the proper rotation once this confusing system is fixed. [if you are planning a console version, this will be necessary anyway]
Note: Asking your customers to go to 3rd party sites to get the basic information we need to do that is not a good strategy. Blizzard needs to support its customers by making these videos in house where they can be quality and content controlled. Once the user has a basic understanding of what the Blizzard developers intended, 3rd party sites are essential, but not before.
Game Philosophy
The way I see it, there are 4 pillars in the World of Warcraft, NOT three. The foundation pillar that is forgotten in most discussions is left out. Here are the four pillars:
- PVP / 2) Raiding / 3) Mythic Dungeons / 4) WORLD CONTENT
World Content is THE main foundation pillar because it is used to convey the story, the quest lines, etc. There are many gamers who do not care, will not participate in, and really do not have time for PVP, Raiding or Mythic Dungeons. Maybe they have an aversion to that cooperative of game play but love well constructed World content. Since everyone has to participate to an extent in World content, I propose all Best in Slot, highest possible level gear be obtained through World content rather than the way it is now discriminating against those who need it the most. Why do World content users need it as bad or more than Raiders for example? In many cases against Rares, or mobs, World content users are underpowered and left to just spend a lot of time traversing from the nearest graveyard (especially Clothies). Why put those users through that misery when people who Raid can just breeze through it? The current philosophy discriminates against your most valuable World content players.
It is highly annoying to hear on Twitch, Youtube, etc all of the pundents dismissing the faction or reputation gear vendors calling those vendors, vendors for customizations like Cosmetics, etc because they have raid gear and the essential World gear is dismissed offhand. World players rely and depend on faction gear just to barely survive! I’ll bet I am speaking for half of Wow’s user base when I say we are spamming keys willy-nilly, getting sub-standard gear, and spending extra time in fights, traveling from the graveyard, and not having a very optimal experience doing it. Basic training videos and fixing the gear and balancing options will go a long way.
Speaking of grave yards… it is lazyiness to just put one grave yard for example on the mainland in Korthia. This is just one example of many that can make a person travel 700 yards or more very slowly depending on your setup. Just let us respawn at the site we die on and forget the graveyard thing. If you want us to wait, make it so we cant respawn immediately in those cases. A new clothie world content person spends a lot of time dying. Dispute that if you will, but just understand some of us are not as good as others and should not be penalized for it. This also has to do with incorrect class balancing. A clothie should have other ways to mitigate the fact that they are a clothie!
(Fire Mage = 3 second pyroblast? Im dead in two and long cooldown on Blazing Barrier? Shadowpriest and Mage = no self healing? etc etc.
Perk discussion
This will be controversial expecially for the Store haters. But if you insist on having a store, don’t just give us pretty mounts that do the same thing the common mounts do. Put mounts in the Store that do extraordinary things you can’t get in the game at all. Personal Banking, Mail, Guild Banking, Auction House, Transmog, Passenger Carrier, [Weapons] etc on special mounts only available in the store. This will really give the company a boost and really give the users a better experience. Mount storage, an additional mount equipment slot, etc would really be a plus. If you are going to do that, you need to pour the proceeds into improving the game!!!
Give us flying at the beginning of an expansion! In Shadowlands I have not had to use flying because I already grind for faction reputation then its not needed anymore for the most part. This is backwards! It is a punishing waste of time to travel on ground mounts. The least you can do is give us about a 50% increase in mount speed.
Interface
The interface needs a face lift. I want dual monitor support! I want to move my chat/map/etc windows to another screen so things are not so cluttered. Addons should be incorporated into the interface… not all of them but practical ones that everyone uses. Addons that just allow you to get to hidden settings (parts of Leatrix Plus come to mind). All windows and lists should be movable and customizable.
I hope this spurs some discussion within the company. Thanks for your time.
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