#0 - Sept. 25, 2009, 10:58 a.m.
My focus is solely pvp. I don't care that much that resto druids dominate pve, it's not an option for me.
Here is why I quit:
TOL is the clunkiest system in the game for pvp healing. I think the TOL talent should be adjusted so that every bonus it grants applies out of form. TOL becomes aesthetic (meaning you can shift into it, but at no extra bonus). You maybe gain a couple of leaves on you, but otherwise retain every benefit of tree form without shifting. The fact that everything is a global away is so retarded. No other healer has to put up with such an awful and clunky system for healing. It's one of the reasons I quit - TOL is not only so awfully unfun but confers a disadvantage. Losing a couple of globals to then waste time casting a CC (lasting 6 seconds), you then CC yourself for the cast time, plus shifting time, wasting an effective 3 seconds with lag etc before you can begin to heal. So so retarded, completely horrible design. It's pvp on accident and it needs fixing. Once these sorts of bold moves are taken, a more proper assessment can be made as to whether druids really are so unfun without the TBC kiting style (whether or not being able to CC meaningfully will return some fun to the class).
Secondly, damage is still too high. Let me qualify this. I am sweet as with damage being high, so long as healing classes have equal mechanisms to deal with it. As it stands, druids are arguably the worst placed to prevent damage and heal through damage of a bursty nature. Our lack of defensive dispels, coupled with our lack of interrupts and reliance on hots are all areas where we fall down relative to other healers. It's dangerous to being a cross class comparison, but statistically, we don't appear to be performing as well. As much as the mechanism may have been dispised, it may be worthwhile introducing 100% push back resistance into the game again; druids have not recieved the same impetus in pvp to cast in WOTLK as they have been forced more into that role. Added resistance to dispels would also help (we essentially lose the globals game here).
Most arena matches are spent running at 10% movement speed. For a class that can shift out of snares, I can't explain how awful it must feel for many others. Key culprits are things like desecration, crippling, COI etc. If you watch TBC videos, the application of snares (in the instance of rogues; poisons) was far slower. That's cool and competitive. Range closing abilites and snares need to be less spammy (including the removal of things like warlock snares). There is a snares arms race and it isn't pretty on the recieving end (I notice you did it again with ferals; one hit for complete application).
Immunities are too strong. Recasting CC anticipating trinket use is pointless when they pop a retarded immunity and solo a partner. It's keeping resto druids back. Immunities make the game much more complex and once again, generate a nasty arms race (dispersion, bladestorm, beserk, deterence to name a few - I also realise my analysis doesn't apply to each ability fully). I disapprove of them being used as a second trinket, except in the case of those which completely CC the class and provide time for healing. They should not break CC currently on them, but prevent it for the duration. CC is much more meaningful to establish than it is to break - it isn't skill BSing (no pun intended) someone down out of roots.
Unrelenting assault. It's retardedly overpowered in 3s, swap it with pummel and we got a deal.
Warlock burst damage. 11-12k chaos bolts are common. Nerf their damage and let them be tankier. TBC warlocks were more manageable; they are only viable at the moment because of their absurd damage. It may be fun to play (I do enjoy warlock videos, seeing 12k crits is very entertaining) but it isn't balanced.
Finally, I hate to say it, but prot paladins. Or rather, the attitude you have had towards them and the time taken to fix them in general. It's an awful look when enhancement gets hotfixed one week after tournament and prot paladins dominate for an entire season unnerfed (even with a patch launched at the end of the season). I think you do deserve criticism for how slow you were to move on this issue. It does undermine consumer confidence in the integrity of the game. Yes, there are bigger things going on, but the extent to which some classes have dominated unchecked (and how there are still many real issues) is just too much to handle. Yes you fixed some issues quickly in pvp, but that doesn't justify an entire season of imba.
